Page 48 of Rebel Spell
I tried to put it out of my mind as I worked on the house. Sebastian and Lucas had helped me clear out some boxes from the garage.
“So, uh, Diana really did a number on Diego.” I attempted to sound nonchalant, but wasn’t sure I sold it.
“Uh huh,” Lucas said as he taped a box. “Bloodsucking leech.”
“She wrecked him good,” Sebastian agreed. “But he’s a good guy.”
“He sure is. Shadow loves him because Diego spoils him with affection.” Lucas laughed. “But not as much as I do.”
“Don’t let Diego’s gruff exterior fool you,” Sebastian added.
“I won’t.” With a smile, I said, “Although it was quite a rough introduction, he’s been nothing but considerate ever since.”
“Oh, good,” Sebastian noted with approval. “I can’t believe how he acted that day.”
“Don’t worry. It’s been much better since. Maybe he’s more comfortable around me.”
“He seems to be in a good mood since the ball, Nova,” Sebastian pointed out as he carried a box. “Whatever you did with helping him face Diana the night of the ball must have helped him with a breakthrough of sorts.”
Although I wished that to be true, I didn’t want to reveal exactly what we’d done that night. The horizontal tango and blood drinking could remain Diego and my secret for now.
When we were done in the garage, Lucas took some of my aunt’s plants and brought them to his apartment.
“You sure about this?” he said. “I don’t mind coming over and taking care of them.”
“They’d be happier with you,” I replied. “You’ve been taking good care of them.”
After lunch, I went up to my attic room where my aunt had created her workspace. It was the most perplexing task yet. What on earth should I do with all these jars of herbs and oils and all kinds of weird things that my aunt used in her spells and potions? I figured once I got a handle on everything there, I could sort it into piles to figure out how to donate them.
Trunks were stuffed with old clothing. Boxes housed old papers. Other containers were full of mason jars, some empty and others full of contents I wasn’t sure I wanted to identify.
As I rifled through the contents as careful as possible, I choked on dust. Although her altar was spotless, the boxes shoved against the wall gathered a fine coating of old attic ambiance complete with the smell of soot.
After I pulled yet another box away from the wall, a straight crack in the panel behind it struck me as odd. It was perfectly straight within a seam, but then ended a foot or so from the floor. I pushed on it, and the wall pushed in.
My eyes bulged. It was a door. My fingers trembled as I opened it. Inside was a white plastic box. Curious.
My heartbeat quickened. I pulled the container out. When the label read ornaments, excitement vanished like a popped balloon. Why would my aunt hide ornaments back here? If I had a secret nook like this, I’d use it for something more valuable than ornaments. It would probably go into the donate stash. I opened up the lid. What was inside was definitelynotornaments.
It was a book. It appeared ancient and bound in brown leather. A pentacle was carved into the cover, as was an eye. Bright gems in the color of ruby, emerald, amethyst, and sapphire were attached to the four corners.
I put my hand inside the box to take it out, but paused with my hands hovering. The oddest sense of change swept through me. By opening this book, it might lead to a new chapter in my life. Literally. Some stories could change you forever.
I swallowed, took a shaky breath, and lifted the book. It was heavier than I thought, and the leather was soft against my fingers. I held the weight and stared at the cover for a solid minute before I worked up the nerve to open it. When I did, a piece of parchment fluttered out. “Dear, Nova” was written at the top.
A letter addressed to me in a mysterious old book hidden in the wall? What the what?
I ran my hand over my temple with my free hand. Why would my aunt take these odd measures? I blinked through the haze of questions. Did she sense I’d find the letter one day, even here?
But what if I never took the time to look that closely in the attic? None of it made sense.
Stop asking questions and read the damn letter.
After a shaky breath, I did.
Dear Nova,
If you are readingthis letter, then you have found our family’s Book of Shadows. And that means the magic is still in you. Only a witch with powerful intuition would be able to find it.
