Page 53 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

She glared. ‘That little miscreant! I thought he was lurking around to try and get Scarlett back! I bet he dated her as a smokescreen.’

I’d had the same thought. ‘Quite possibly,’ I agreed, keen to make sure she saw Scarlett as a victim in all this rather than complicit. ‘I wanted to ask you more about the grimoire.’ I’d been focusing my attention on the mug because I knew what its powers were, but as that had got me nowhere fast, I’d decided it was time to change tactics. Perhaps knowing what the grimoire could do would help me track it down. ‘It appeared to be blank, right?’

Gwen nodded.

‘So how do you get it to reveal its knowledge? Does it need a specific revealing spell or something else?’ I doubted it was a simple blood ward; a prick on the finger wouldn’t break this bad boy.

She was quiet for a moment as she weighed up whether she could trust me with the information. ‘It’s got an ancient ward on it. The only way to reveal its secrets is with a death.’

‘Chicken or goat?’ I asked.

She shook her head. ‘Human.’

Yikes. Whoever had taken the grimoire would need to have no compunction about killing someone to access its dark depths. And one person came immediately to mind.

My grandmother. My grandmother would do that.

Chapter Thirty-Three

I left Gwen’s and rang Fraser. ‘Any chance you can give me a lift to Ernie’s?’ I asked. ‘I don’t want to waste time walking there. Can you pick me up outside Grimoires and Goblets’

‘See you in five minutes.’ I loved that he didn’t ask me a raft of questions. I needed help and he was coming; that was it.

Calling Fraser for a lift reminded me that I needed to go to London to empty my flat and drive Rosie down to Witchlight Cove. I wasn’t sure my rust bucket would make it, but I had to try. I had a ridiculous emotional attachment to that hunk of metal; she’d been the only constant in my life since my parents had died.

I texted Ernie and told him I’d be round in ten minutes; he responded by saying he’d put the kettle on and find some biscuits. That was something grandparents did,wasn’t it? Spoilt their grandchildren with cookies and cake? It made my heart ache that my parents would never do that for my kid, if I ever had one.

And for the first time ever, I realised Ididwant one. I could see myself with Fraser, a child crawling around at our ankles. I needed to get over my resistance to the idea of the bond because the idea of a life with Fraser didn’t freak me out at all.

I was still imagining our potential future when he pulled up. I opened the back door for Eva, then slid in to the front seat.

‘Okay?’ he asked.

I probably looked pale, not only because of my fears about my grandmother but also because of the realisation that I wanted what others had: a family of my own. Not that I could tell him that.

‘I’m a little freaked out,’ I admitted. ‘I dismissed the idea that my grandmother might be a suspect for the theft when I realised Archer was the thief – only he wasn’t theonlythief. Gwen told me that to unlock the Codex you need to murder someone and that means you’re looking at a sorcerer – so Granny is back on the list of suspects. I need to talk to Ernie. The thought that she might be involved is terrifying.’

Fraser’s jaw tightened. ‘Indeed.’

When we reached thehouse, Ernie was standing in the doorway. He gave us a jaunty wave. ‘Do you want to come in?’ I asked Fraser. ‘If you have time before your restaurant appointment?’

‘You’re more important,’ he replied. ‘I always have time for you.’

When we emerged from the car I grinned as I watched Ernie fuss over Eva. The key to unlocking my heart was loving my dog.

‘Come in,’ my grandfather said. ‘I’ve made a pot of tea. Plenty for three.’ Eva whined. He winked at her. ‘I have something for you, too.’

We sat in the living room and Ernie came in moments later with a tray set with mugs, a teapot and milk, and a plate of chocolate cookies. He ducked back into the kitchen to retrieve Eva’s treat and came back moments later with some sort of peanut-butter cow-hide chew that sent her tail tapping into overdrive.

‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘She loves those.’

We sat in silence for a few minutes as we drank our tea until finally I set down my mug and looked Ernie full in the face. I had a feeling he knew what I was about to say. I cleared my throat. ‘The head of the Order of the Nightshades, Candice, told me that my grandmother is still alive.Candice has information on her whereabouts, but she won’t share it until she’s seen the Eternal Flame.’

‘Which is problematic,’ Ernie noted.

‘Just a little,’ I agreed drily. ‘The Codex Tenebrae and the Cup of Completion are drawn to sorcerers. Any practitioner of the dark arts would want them. I know it’s a leap, but…’

Ernie sighed. ‘Dahlia was obsessed with grimoires – books in general, all knowledge. It was one of the things that attracted me to her in the first place.’ He gestured to the shelves behind him that were crammed with books.

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