Page 14 of Fallen Angel

“What year is it?”

“2019.”

He swallowed hard. “The last time I saw you was 1693.” His eyes closed and his head fell against his shoulder.

“Callan? Callan!” Hannah shook him, but it was no use. He wouldn’t budge.

She gently laid his head down. He had a pulse and his chest rose with breath.

The book lay a few feet from her. She itched to retrieve it, to touch the parchment. She shook her head. No, Callan needed her help.

She pulled out her phone and called Landon. He answered on the second ring.

“Hey! It’s Hannah.”

“Hannah, what’s up?”

She paced the cavern. What would she tell him? That she woke a boy from the 1600s using an ancient spell? He’d hang up, thinking her insane.“Uh…” Some nervous laughter escaped her. “Remember where we walked to on the beach on Saturday?” Her mouth was having trouble keeping up with the speed of her thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Want to meet me? With food and water. And a change of clothes.” She could hear the uneasiness in her voice. She debated whether she should she just come clean? Tell him everything over the phone. No. He wouldn’t believe it. He’d have to see it.

“Yeah, definitely.” He sounded excited. “Be there soon.”

“Great.” Hannah cringed at the high pitch of her voice and hung up. Oh god.Landon probably thought she was asking him out. But that was the least of her worries.

If Callan was from 1693, no wonder he was weak. He was starving and dehydrated and should be dead. But Hannah’s reality was no longer what it used to be. Her brain raced with too many questions to count.

What if the anxiety she had been struggling through for the past two years wasn’t anxiety at all?

What if it was magic?

Hannah gazed down at Callan.His eyes shifted under his lids. She must have paced the cave ten times over waiting for Landon to arrive. She resisted the urge to flip through the book’s pages despite its allure. She eyed it over and over, but heeded Callan’s warning.That grimoire is pure darkness.

As she stared down at Callan, another flashing image occupied her mind.

He laid next to her, the glow of a crackling fire illuminating his face. His green eyes slowly fluttered open, and he smiled when he saw her. He caressed the back of his fingers against her cheek.

She snapped out of her vision and gulped. She eyed the book. Breaking her resolve, she gave in to its allure and raced to pick it up. As soon as her fingers touched the black leather binding, her blood ran wild once again, and not in a bad way. She felt powerful when she held it. The tender breeze returned to her skin and reassured her that everything was okay.

“Hannah?” Landon’s voice called into the cave, waves crashing on the beach in the background.

Hannah startled. She wanted to open the book and explore its spells, but Landon was waiting. Though it took all of her strength to resist its enchantment, she returned it to her bag. As soon as she zipped the bag shut, its enticing song muted slightly, but she would still have to actively resist its pull.

What was she going to tell Landon? Her brain didn’t have enough space to process a lie to tell, especially when she wasn’t entirely sure what the truth was.

“Hannah? Hello?” Landon asked.

Tears welled in her eyes and she didn’t know why.

She had to keep it together. She wiped the tears away and hardened her face.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered to Callan, though she knew he couldn’t hear her.

But Landon was waiting.

She rushed to the cave’s entrance where Landon was waiting with a backpack hanging off his shoulder along with a picnic basket, blanket and bottle of wine.Oh no.Landon did think Hannah had asked him on a date. Before any of today’s events unfolded, Hannah probably would have found this charming—lucky to have a normal college experience with a handsome boy. Now, things were a bit more complicated.

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