Page 18 of Fated In Forever
Besides Rhiannon and my brother, Esme might have been one of the only people in this world I trusted.
“Is…everything all right?” Vicious stared up at me with concern, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Malachi.”
I’m looking for a book,I deflected. I gave to Esme for safekeeping, which means it’s still here somewhere.
Okay.Vicious put her hands on her hips and scanned the shelves.What does this mysterious book look like?
Black cover, average size…a gold band around it, with a lock.
Sounds fancy. She slid me a look.Dare I ask what’s in this book?
Spells that will help us defeat Ravok, perhaps give us the answers to how he’s using those thralls the way he is.A blatant lie, but necessary. The Book, also called the Wishrender, was perhaps the most dangerous relic I’d ever found, which was why it was here with Esme, and not at my castle in Nova Scotia, thank the gods.
Evie frowned. “I know you’re lying. You might be bigger, but all your tells are still there, including that thing you do with your eye.” She circled the room, craning her neck to get a better look at the top shelves. “You can tell me the truth, you know, I think we’re past keeping secrets.”
I don’t have any tells.I ran my hands over the fireplace, and pressed the release. When the panel popped open, the compartment was empty. I’m an expert at concealing my emotions. My expression is unreadable.
“Oh, you’d like to think that, wouldn’t you? Just so you know, your left eye twitches when you lie. And you always blink, afterwards. Twice.”
I certainly do not.
“Whatever. You certainly do, but I don’t want to argue. You’ll tell me about this book when you’re ready to.” She put her hands on her hips and sighed. “There are a lot of books here with black covers, Malachi.A lot.”
I frowned. How could Vicious read me so easily, when Ancients and kings and emperors had been completely clueless? But she could. Shealwayscould, even that first time she’d drank from my wrist, and somehow, it was comforting, the fact that Evie knew me better than I knew myself. I could trust that.
I could trusther.
Because The Book’s not in here. Esme must have kept it somewhere private, possibly where she kept her personal items.
“You intend to snoop through a dead woman’s things?” She shook her head. “I don’t know if that constitutes an adventure, or a gross intrusion into her privacy.”
Not her personal space, Esme had an office, out in the main section of the library.I breached the doors, let her pass, then closed them, returning the wards to their pervious configuration.Which I only saw once, when the library was still in… I shook my head, deciding the truth was too strange for Evie to believe.I saw her office a very long time ago, but I think it’s this way.
Something guided me through the stacks, a tickled at the nape of my neck, a sureness in my gut, until finally, there was a small door, unmarked, but…
Well, what do you know, Brendan was right.Thank you, Esme. All around the door, golden magic glimmered, like sprinkles of star dust left behind. Or a trail of breadcrumbs I was meant to find. I pushed the door open and rubbed my brow.
This is an even bigger mess than Brendan’s office.Still, it should be easy enough to find what I’m looking for.
Should have been, yet it was half an hour later when I uncovered the safe, five minutes to pick the lock, another ten to unravel Esme’s protective spell. But even after I emptied the entire safe….no book.
It has to be here.I was running out of time. Brendan would come looking for us, and I’d never get another chance. I’d either be a monster, or dead, and the longer I was in this form, the surer I was that Brendan didn’t stand a chance of untangling us.
“Could she have hidden it in plain sight?” Evie asked, gesturing at the pile of very dangerous books. “Like withyour glamour? I mean, the safe is the most obvious hiding place and I’ve searched every drawer and box, and these are the only books in here.”
I’d never been particularly skilled at revealing spells, especially not one cast by someone as powerful as Esme, but in my new form—like everything else—the magic worked effortlessly, washing over the furniture and walls, even the ceiling, revealing several surprising secrets.
One, a calendar featuring several unclothed, well-endowed satyrs frolicking naked in a field with some well satisfied nymphs. Grapes were involved, along with a liberal amount of oil.
And two, The Book, placed in a depression in the wall, just behind Evie.
“Are those...satyrs?” She asked, bending her head to the side. “And are they really…”
Here, I got it.I pulled The Book out of the hole, but when my fingers touched the cover, power thrummed through the contact like a lightning strike. A small golden key strung on a chain clattered down onto the desk and I scooped that up, too.
For a moment, all I could do was stare at them, clutched in my paws, black talons curled over the glossy binding as I held them out to Evie.I need you to hold onto these for me.I gave her a rueful smile.My shadows don’t come with pockets, unfortunately.
“You’re funny.” She said, looping the key and chain over her head, then pocketing the book, and zipping it securely into her coat pocket. “Please tell me this isn’t worth like a million dollars. Because if that’s the case, I’m definitely not qualified to be in charge.”
