Page 29 of Owned

And these symbols.

Lucian had crafted them with the grimoire’s help.

Just as I had done with the runes and sigils that protected my doorway.

There had to be a way—an opportunity hidden in the dark tendrils of Lucian’s magic. I pressed my palm against the wood again, and focused on the vibrations beneath my fingertips. I stepped closer and laid my cheek against the door.

“This binding fades, its strength I steal.”

The words stole into my mind and my eyes drifted closed as I murmured them aloud without hesitation.

My left hand moved of its own accord and my fingertip traced a sigil upon the dark wood of the door as the spell tumbled from my lips.

The wards trembled under my touch as shadows bent and twisted around me.

The door shuddered underneath my touch and a gust of wind—cold, biting—swept past me. The grimoire’s voice thrummed in my mind, its rhythm aligning with my heartbeat.

“Open,” I demanded, and the word slipped from my tongue like a hiss.

The sigil I had traced glowed briefly beneath my fingertips before fading back into the wood, and then, as if it were responding to my will—the heavy door creaked open. Darkness poured from the room like spilled ink and caressed my skin with chilling tendrils.

The only light in the room was the red orb that always hovered over his shoulder.

I didn’t know what powered it, but it glowed and pulsed with a soft red light and a delicate thread of pale mist swirled around it.

The softness of the light was unnerving, and it illuminated Lucian’s desk with a strange glow.

I raised my hand and the candles scattered through the room flared to life and brought some warmth to the space.

Not much.

Lucian’s study was a chaotic masterpiece. Leather-bound books were stacked precariously on every surface; each one was filled with forbidden knowledge and my fingers itched to touch them… but the grimoire hissed in my mind.

Jealous.

Everything I needed was within its pages.

Revealed by my blood.

I kept my eyes averted from the portrait of the captive souls—I knew it was there. That was enough. I didn’t need to see their twisted faces to feel their agony.

The whispers from the grimoire danced in my ears—a haunting melody urging me toward his secrets.

“Find what you seek,”it hissed.

The red orb that hovered over Lucian’s desk pulsed again and grew brighter as I drew closer.

The throb of its light was steady, as though it were mirroring something.

Or someone.

The soft scent of old parchment curled in the corners of the room, and I held my breath as I rushed back to the door to push it closed behind me.

The latch clicked into place and I briefly contemplated laying the wards again—but I didn’t have time.

The large mahogany desk loomed in front of me, its dark surface polished to a sinister sheen. I hesitated for a moment, then, with a deep breath, I strode forward with a singular purpose.

I worked quickly, touching every surface as my fingers searched with delicate precision for hidden compartments and hidden drawers that the press of a concealed button could reveal. The red orb pulsed, and the mist swirled around it.

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