Page 112 of Sigils & Spells

I pressed my ear against the door to listen. I didn’t hear anything, which did not reassure me. At all.

Stupid vampires.

For the umpteenth time, I wished I hadn’t called Vixen.

Drawing in an unsteady breath, I gripped the doorknob. If someone was waiting for me I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I gathered my magic around me, turned the knob, and opened the door.

Heart galloping out of my chest, I stepped inside.

No one attacked me.

With a giddy rush of relief, I closed the door. Then the muscles in my arms and legs shook so violently it felt like an earthquake had taken over my body. I collapsed against the door, struggling not to throw up.

I didnothave the constitution for a life of crime.

While I waited for the involuntary tremors to calm I played through my conversation with Aidan. Had I described Leesa using only her hair color and her smooth complexion? The man must think I was a blithering idiot. Had I told him about Rafe? Aidan said my dad was with him. Why?

No. That wasn’t right. Try as I might, I couldn’t remember exactly what he said. I was reasonably sure he told me there’d been black magic on the concealed door though.

That sobered me.

I took in my surroundings. The living room, kitchen, and tiny dining area were a combined open space. A tan couch and a big-screen TV on a low plastic table were on opposite sides of the spartan living room. No knickknacks. No pictures on the walls. No books. The air smelled faintly of greasy takeout food.

Still shaky, I pushed off the door. I’d taken a few testing steps when I noticed the familiar hum of my magic.

I followed it to a bedroom. Two unactivatedhide-itslay on the nightstand next to a queen-sized bed that took up most of the room. The mattress was so thick I wondered how Leesa got into it without a step. A mirror and dresser flanked a closet door on the far wall. I walked over to the dresser and spotted alock-tightand a few morehide-itson top of it. Why did she need so many? What else did she need to hide?

The second bedroom was significantly larger than the first and was set up as an office. Rows of books lined two barrister bookshelves. A sturdily built walnut desk sat in the center of the room with an ornately carved, high-backed chair behind it. An overstuffed easy chair and reading lamp were tucked into a corner. Several spiral-bound notebooks covered the top of a matching ottoman.

Magic emanated from both rooms but there weren’t any charms laying out in the open in the office. I decided to start there and search for activated spells.

The first charm I discovered in the back of a desk drawer. It hid a slender white box with Hollanders Fine Jewelry stamped on the cover. Remembering the receipt in Jonah’s backpack, the name sent a jolt through me. I lifted the lid—unsurprised to find a charm bracelet, along with a cameo pendant and two rings. Why had Leesa hidden these pieces? I had the unsettling thought I was looking at trophies.

I found the next spell beneath the easy chair, concealing a cloth-bound journal marked with blood. Someone had traced a sigil on the book’s cover. It was clumsily drawn but it resembled the one I saw on Vixen’s phone. I opened the book. For a moment I saw words written in a looping script. Then the letters blurred. I placed the book beside the jewelry box and continued hunting.

The lasthide-ittook longer to track down. I had to move boxes and stacks of books out of the closet. Then get a butter knife from the kitchen to pry up the floorboards. I reached in, sweeping my hand around until my fingers bumped into the charm. I removed it and used the flashlight app on my phone to search the hidey-hole. Whatever she’d hidden here was gone. Why had she left the charm behind? Had the grimoire been in there? Or was it hiding in plain sight? I didn’t sense any more active spells in the room.

With a heavy sigh, I stood up and brushed dust bunnies off my slacks. I scanned the shelves of books and the ones I’d removed from the closet. Unfortunately, a tan spine didn’t jump out at me. How much time did I have left? I rifled through the notebooks on the ottoman, skimming the pages for Jonah’s name. I didn’t find it. Parts of each notebook seemed to be written in code. Unlike the spikey handwriting from Vixen’s photo this writing resembled the journal’s.

I looked over at the desk. When I opened the journal I hadn’t felt compelled to look away or close it. Maybe if I focused a little more I could read the entries. A clue would certainly help right now. I picked up the book.

Someone knocked on the front door. I froze like a rabbit. My grip reflexively tightened on the book. Had I locked the door? Maybe whoever it was would go away. More knocking, harder and louder now.

I tiptoed out of the office, closing the door to hide the mess I’d made.

“Marin! I know you’re in there.”

Aidan. The memory of him saying he was on his way slapped me.

What if the journal and notebooks didn’t satisfy Rafi? What were the odds Aidan would let me keep searching? Not good.

I could hit him with my paralysis spell.

Jail time or Rafi destroying my life?

“Marin!” He pounded on the door.

Ugh!

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