Page 260 of Sigils & Spells

“I’m just part of your weird and wonderful life, darlin’,” he replied, because he could hear my thoughts.

I closed my eyes tightly. My mom told me I got a bunny because I’m allergic to cats and Harvey was the universe’s solution. My sisters blame my father, a mysterious, fae prince no one other than my mother has ever met. I think it’s because the Fates needed a good laugh.

“I do make you laugh,” Harvey said wiggling his brows.

My heart stuttered. While he was not like other familiars, he was mine, and I treasured him. Being shy, he prefers to remain invisible to others, which is awkward, but, on the plus side, he likes to cuddle with me when I read, and his deep cowboy voice calms my nerves.

He grinned as he listened to my thoughts. “You’ve had an interesting evening, darlin’.”

“Mission accomplished,” I mumbled. Who knew being a bad girl could be so exhausting? My eyes closed and I drifted off into a wonderful fantasy about a pirate king who needed a librarian.

* * *

I awokefrom a deep sleep to the familiar scent of vampire. I felt as if the devil himself had grabbed my heart and squeezed the life out of me.

I opened one eye. Of course, it was Alessandro, one of the most powerful vampires in all the realms. Standing beside my bed, he loomed over me.

“Go away,” I said, and pulled a pillow over my head.

He removed the pillow with one of his gigantic hands and tossed it into the air. “I heard you were a bad girl tonight.”

Of course, he’d heard. I sat up and took him in.

The night predator had thick mahogany-brown hair that flowed in waves to his broad shoulders. Dark brown eyes dominated his ruggedly handsome face. His square jaw had just the right amount of scruff on it to make a woman sigh, and his full lips held a bad-boy grin. Alessandro was sexier than any man ought to be. I exhaled slowly. His presence filled my bedroom with a delicious sense of danger. Unfortunately for me, he was stone-cold-dead—and in a twisted way, my brother.

I saluted him. “I might have been in trouble, but I’m home now.”

“Mmm. I like it when good girls act bad.” He hesitated a beat because immortals never talk fast. “And, I would normally enjoy hearing all the juicy details of your escapade, but not tonight.” He made a vampire guttural sound that made me wince.

“I’m exhausted, Alessandro, and it’s almost dawn. Can’t you just go away for now?”

He shook his head.

I groaned. “Send me a message. I promise you I’ll respond in the morning.”

“Nuh uh.” He lowered his body to sit on the edge of my bed. “We need to talk. Now.”

I would have said no, if I could, but he was the one person in all the realms I could not say no to. “Not without coffee,” I muttered.

“There’s no time.”

No time for coffee? I straightened my back and slowly gained my bearings. My vampire brother had never denied me caffeine. He wasn’t that mean. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“One of our students was attacked by a Fang Hunter.”

“What?” Now I was fully awake. One ofmystudents attacked! “Where’s Onyx?” He was the dhamphyre who took care of the academy’s security.

“Onyx is gone.”

“Gone?” I squinted. I’d only left the building for one day and part of one night. How could this have happened?

Alessandro growled, and the low timber of his predator grumble rolled through the room echoing off the walls. The bone-chilling sound made my chest tighten and my blood run cold. The big guy was a lot more upset than I thought.

“It’s not like him to leave us,” I said pulling my quilt close around my body.

“I have been told the two of you had a fight.” His predator eyes lasered into mine.

I blinked. “We always fight. You know that.”

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