Page 26 of The Book Reader
“Shit!” Groaning, I fall back onto the bed and close my eyes.Nice one, Ari. Now he’s going to think you’re some kind of weirdo. Chucking my phone onto the bed, I get up.It’s fine, it’s not like he’s going to message me back.
I busy myself making breakfast. The house is empty for once, which I am grateful for. I’ve got a box of old paperwork from my Aunt’s house that I’ve been meaning to go through.
After breakfast, I flop down on the sofa, pulling the box closer to me. When I open it, I am immediately drawn to the old envelope sitting on top. The paper appears to have seen better days. It has a yellowish hue due to age, and the writing on the front has faded, making it illegible. The edges are torn, and a gold ribbon is attached to the top.
My fingers brush over its soft silk, winding the tassel around each one.
“No, silly… tonight is the ball,” A voice giggles around me, making my head snap up.
I glance around me, looking for the source of the noise. Did one of them come home when I wasn’t paying attention? “Lucy?” I shout, hoping to God she answers me back and I haven't gone crazy.
Nothing.
I wait for a moment and then shake my head, trying to get rid of the nervous energy in the pit of my stomach. It feels like there is something I’ve forgotten, something pressing just against the edges of my memory. Then I see him. His outline is faint, almost like a ghost, but it’s him, nevertheless. Gaelan, with his perfect blue eyes, is looking right at me. “What the fuck?” The words leave my lips before I can stop them.What is going on?
There’s a shift in the air around me, then everything twists and turns; the lights in my living room blur together in a mix of colors and keep spinning. My stomach turns like the worst parts of a fairground ride, nausea creeping up my throat. I feel like I’m being pulled apart, but before the sensation can get worse, the room stills, and the aroma of lemon hits me.
I swallow, trying not to throw up as I place a hand on my chest and take in some slow breaths. Then I hear that whispered voice again: “You know my mother is hoping you will take my sister to the ball.”
I peer further into the room, and in the dim light, the images come into focus. The voice I heard earlier belongs to a woman with the same amber eyes as my grandfather, as me. She’s beautiful, with dark red hair and creamy white skin that makes her almost look unreal. She has a pile of books in her arms.
“But it is you I wish to attend with, Miss.” The man, who bears a striking resemblance to Gaelan, gives her a dimpled smile. I glance around and realize my living room has completely faded away around me. This must be some kind of vision; it’s not a magic that I’m comfortable with.
Visions have always felt like bad omens to me.
The woman is clutching a stack of books, and fades from view as she walks towards what used to be my kitchen. The man follows closely behind her.
I race after them.
“My suitor is taking me this evening. We have been courting for some weeks now, my lord. What you’re suggesting would be incredibly improper.” Her cheeks turn a light pink.
The blue-eyed man growls low and reaches for her arm, pulling her close. The sudden closeness clearly surprises her, but she doesn’t look upset. It’s evident by the way they are both breathing hard, the rapid rise and fall of their chests, that they want each other.
“Miss? My lady—I was too late this time.” With that, he places a kiss on her lips. So soft, so gentle; he looks like he’s savoring every last second of it. He whispers, “I shall return,” and then he is gone.
I watch as the redhead lifts her finger to her lips, as if she wants that kiss to last much longer than it did. She is shaking, but not in fear.
I’m about to open my mouth to speak when that twisting feeling comes back, making me stumble. The world around me fades to dark, and I clamp my eyes shut, trying not to throw up. Just as suddenly, the world jerks to a stop, and I find myself back in my own time, on my own sofa, clutching the invite in my hand.
What the hell was that?I wonder. I drop the invite in the box and stare down at the contents. It’s a testament to my lack of survival skills that I reach into the box again and pull out a little tattered notebook, its title embossed in gold.
“Ancient History of Witches, Daemons and The In Between,” I read out loud, the title of the book familiar on my lips. I turn the book over in my hands, then open it to the first page and read:
A brief look at the rise and fall of some of the most powerful daemon clans to have ever existed in the Underworld, and the magick that makes them unique. While some of thoseclans still rule to this day, sightings of a few have become so rare that it is believed that they have become extinct.
M.K. Jayla.
Closing the book with a sigh, I wish I’d never opened it.
I know about the magick of this world, but obviously not enough. The mention of the Underworld makes me shiver—I never even considered such a place could exist before this all started.
I toss the book back into the box, then climb off the sofa. Paperwork and files in hand, I walk up the stairs toward my bedroom.
Placing the box on my bed, I reach for another thick file. I curl up in the reading seat on my bay window ledge.
To keep it from digging into my hip, I pull the phone out of my pocket. I’m about to set it on the seat beside me when a new message flashes on the screen. I open it and can’t help the huge smile that crosses my face—Gaelan messaged me back.
Gaelan
