Page 50 of Fallen Angel

She felt mesmerized by his green eyes and gazed at his soft lips. Without reservation, she kissed him. What had she been waiting for? She inhaled his satisfying scent and ran her finger along his neck. Her chest fluttered at how his smooth lips felt against hers. Maybe this moment could last forever.

He pulled away. “This is not you,” he said.

Hannah had one week left to live, and she was going to give into her urges. “Compel me not to kiss you,” she said, her daring blue eyes tilting up toward his gaze.

“You do not want to kiss me. You do not desire me at all.”

Hannah identified his command and ignored it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drew him close, and kissed him again. This time, he didn’t pull away. It felt different from before. He was gentle and cautious, as if kissing someone for the first time.

Hannah dwelled in his embrace, only to feel her chest tighten and nerves prickle. When she resisted his command not to kiss him, she must have also pushed away his compulsion to feel no pain. Hannah stumbled out of Callan’s embrace and kneeled in front of him. Sorrow, fear, and anger whirled through her all at once. She held her fists to her chest as if this would ease her distress. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“You mustn’t be sorry.” He hugged Hannah tight, and she rested her head against his chest. He kissed her forehead. “We shall find a solution,” he said. “I am not going to let you die.”

“It’s inevitable, Callan. I’ve died in every single one of my past lives on my eighteenth birthday. This time won’t be any different.” Hannah pried herself out of his arms, stood up, and stepped away. She ran her fingers through her curly chestnut hair.

Callan stood and brushed the dirt from his pants. “It is different. Magic has been reawakened in this life.” He stepped toward her and offered her his hand. “And I am here with you now.” Hannah looked at his hand as if taking it was an agreement to fight for her life. At first, she didn’t know if she had the strength. Perhaps she should take her punishment in stride and accept her cosmic fate.

After a moment, however, she felt her magic swirl within her. She had come this far and learned so much about herself. Did she really want to start over? Or was this the life she was willing to fight for? It was far from perfect, but if she ever wanted to grow old in a world that wasn’t overcome by darkness, this was all she had. She took a deep breath and put her hand in Callan’s.

“I guess fighting against evil is as good a way as any to spend my last few days.” Hannah forced a smirk, thinking it might distract her from the ticking clock that echoed in her head.

“We shan’t fail, Hannah. I promise you.” Callan kissed her hand.

She smiled, wishing he wouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep. Then again, she promised that she wouldn’t try to save him. If she was destined to die anyway, then keeping him from falling under Mara’s spell wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice. Maybe she was more like Raven than she thought.

“We must find Mara and take back her grimoire. I am certain there shall be a spell within those pages that can fix this,” he said.

Hannah pursed her lips. “Before, you didn’t even want to touch that book. Now you’re ready to read from it?”

“I do not see any other option. No spell I conjure will be strong enough. The spells in that grimoire strike greater force than improvised spells.”

Hannah took a deep breath. “Okay. How do we find her?”

“There is a tracking spell…”

“Great.”

“But ’tis in her grimoire.” Callan looked down at his shoes.

Frustration filled Hannah’s chest. Time was moving faster than before, and for someone who was supposed to have prodigy magic within her, she felt helpless. And then, an idea dawned on her. Hannah’s eyes widened, and she felt the tiniest glimmer of hope. “I know where we have to go.”

Chapter Fifteen

The Cape Cove shuttle bus dropped Hannah and Callan outside the Harbor House Cafeteria on the Bellcliff campus. Callan followed Hannah’s determined march. With only one week left to live, there was no time to waste.

“I don’t know why I didn’t realize it before,” she said. “I recognized Raven’s handwriting in the memory spell. I didn’t connect the two before, but now…I think I know where it is.”

Callan’s face lit up. “Where?”

“Her writing is the same as an old manuscript I was reading for a class, at least…I think it is. It’s in the Bellcliff Library.”

They ran across campus.

“It’s naïve to think that Mara is the only one who created a spell book,” Hannah said. “Raven is her counterpart. She was just as powerful as Mara, but white magic acts different than black magic. It’s not as…ostentatious or immediate, I guess.”

“Someone is a quick study,” Callan said, a lightness in his tone.

“I think Raven was creating her own book.”

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