Page 38 of Blood and Bonbons

“I’m not sure. But I found it listed in the database.”

“How can it be listed when it doesn’t have a title?”

She pointed at the screen where I saw a picture of the book, similar to the photo on Miles’ phone. The database listed the book as “unknown.”

“Do you know what this means?” Vena asked.

My sluggish mind couldn’t process how an unknown book listing could help us. We still didn’t have the book.

“Help me out, Vena. I’m half asleep.”

“Look at the name on the bottom.”

I leaned in and glanced at the history of who had the book. The last reported person was Barnaby Hunter.

“Your grandfather?”

She nodded, looking grim. “Spawn told us not to dig, or we’d disappear like the rest of my family. I thought he meant Miles, but now I think he meant my grandparents. I think Miles was looking into–”

She stopped and glanced at my chest.

“Ev, what’s going on with your cleavage?”

I looked down to find a subtle glow from underneath my shirt. The sun charm was illuminated, but it shouldn’t have activated. The instructions had said it would only react if a vampire was nearby.

My eyes went wide. “Shit.”

“What did you do?” Vena demanded.

“I switched the ring with the charm. I’m sorry! But the side effects listed a possible inferno.”

“So you thought the safest place to keep something that can ignite is in your cleavage?” She grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door.

A window shattered somewhere in the house.

Vena and I froze and looked at each other with wide, fearful eyes. I could almost see her mind racing. The only thing of mine that was racing was my heart. It was doing its best to send me to an early, panicked grave.

“What do we do?” I whispered.

We were both wearing our protection charms, which in theory, would keep us safe from any form of supernatural with malicious intent. I wasn’t sure I wanted to stake my life on it, though. Neither did Vena, apparently. She hurried to the bottom drawer of her mom’s desk and pulled out a wicked-looking knife.

“Out the window,” she mouthed.

I spun around, ready to torpedo myself through the glass, when the sudden heat from the sun charm had me clawing at my shirt. It felt like I’d dropped a freshly made nugget of caramel corn down my bra.

“Shit. That’s hot!” I yanked out the radiating stone, chucked it toward the chair, and dashed to the window.

A burst of blinding white light exploded behind me, reflecting off the glass. I staggered as Vena crashed into me, swearing up a storm.

The smell of burning leather clogged my nose as she clutched me, and for a horrifying moment, I thought we’d started her parents’ house on fire.

However, the smell dissipated faster than the spots dancing in front of my eyes.

“Ladies.” The smooth baritone wasn’t a voice I recognized. “I am quite put out by the inconveniences you’ve caused me.”

Knees growing weaker by the second, I turned and repeatedly blinked at the person standing near the chair.

As the spots began to clear, my stomach dropped at the sight of the man from the cave. Although he still wore his ancient clothes, he was free of dust and webs.

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