Page 297 of Midnights
Maybe rinsing him off me will somehow fix whatever the hell is happening in my head. The hot water does wonders for my muscles, but it does absolutely nothing to quiet my mind and all my dirty thoughts about Kane. I secretly wish I had my lavender bath oil, and enough time to take a bath right now.
I scrub my hands over my face and go through my shower on autopilot. There’s too much to do to be thinking about Kane and bath oils.
I towel off quickly, tossing my hair over one shoulder as I move through the house, grabbing the last few things I have scattered around that I need to pack. I grab my necklace off the nightstand and I’m about to put it on, but I slip it into the small pocket in my bag instead. I’ll put it on later.
I move around the room, grabbing my crystals, rolling them in my fingers, and tossing those into my bag too. I seriously wonder where the hellthat book could be. I definitely need to find that before I leave. My brows knit together as I check the drawers, the bedside table, I even check under the bed.
Nothing.
Frustration prickles at the back of my neck and my gut twists as I scan the room again.I know I brought it with me.
I sigh, pushing a hand through my damp hair. If I don’t find it now, I’m going to have to figure it out later, but I would rather not have to worry about it. It has to be somewhere. At least when I get back to Nveri, I’ll have more time to study it and check out the library Elle said she’d show me.
I pick up my dagger that’s still in the holster Elle made for me, admiring the detail she put into this, before tucking it into my bag. I still have one last thing to check, so I grab my phone, already typing out a message to Rachel.
Me: Hey! I miss you so much, how are things? I need a favor. Can you check the study to see if that book is in there? I could’ve sworn I brought it, but it’s not here.
Her reply comes almost instantly, and I’m already grinning before I open it.
Rachel: Girl, I hope you’re getting dicked down real good. Make sure you give that fucker the ride of his life so he doesn’t think of anyone but you ;)
I don’t want to hear from you unless I get details!
And yes, I’ll check for the book… before I head out of town.
I laugh, rolling my eyes. God, I miss her. Of course that’s the first thing out of her mouth. I’m not even going to justify that with a response, she'll call if she finds the book.
I move into the next room, my thoughts still circling back to the missing book. “Where the hell are you?”
Maybe Rachel accidentally put it in her bag?
I pause, putting my hands on my hips, exhaling slowly.Okay, little book, you need to be here. I’m not even sure this book is going to have any answers, maybe it’s just a journal or a fairytale book, but whatever it is, I still need to find it. It belonged to my grandparents.
After combing through every drawer, cabinet, and shadowed corner, I drop into the chair with a frustrated sigh. My phone is already in hand, typing out a message to Rachel, asking her to double check her bags, just in case.
My fingers hover over the send button, when I look up and there it is. Sitting right there on the coffee table, exactly where I could've sworn I already looked.
I knew I brought it.
“Are you kidding me?”
I just tore this place apart, and it’s sitting right here on the table? I set my phone down reaching for the book, and my pulse thrums. The tingling sensation is back again and I really wish I could figure out what triggers the tingling, and what it means. Does that mean I’m using magic? Or something else?Maybe it's just from getting excited.
I have some time before Mike’s driver gets here, so I sink a little deeper into the chair, flipping the book open. The pages whisper as they turn, and something stops me cold.
Shifters:
Among the rarest of creatures, shifters walk the line between worlds, able to transition seamlessly between their human and animal forms. Though scarce, they are revered for their unwavering loyalty, and their ability to disappear.
There is only one other kind of shifter. The True Shifter:
A being unbound by the limitations of flesh and bone. One who can shift into anything they desire.
Not a single confirmed record of them exists. At least, not anymore.
The last known mention of True Shifters dates back to before the rise of the Shadow Queen. Before Fae divided. Before the bloodlines fractured.
Some say they vanished. Some say they were hunted. Others believe they were never real to begin with.
