“Because it’s comforting.”
"And the man on the cover?"
"Mr. Handsome?" I can't help the smile. "He's the love interest. Very mysterious. Very brooding. Blair—that's the heroine—she's completely obsessed with him."
"Mr. Handsome."
"That's what Blair calls him—”
“Then let Blair call him that, not you.”
I just have to laugh. “You almost have me thinking you’re jealous.”
“Don’t be absurd.”
“It’s just...the way you sound, I suppose.”
"Book obsessions are unhealthy." He returns to his documents with pointed focus. "You should find better coping mechanisms."
Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d really think this king of mine is jealous of a fictional character. But that’s totally ridiculous.Right?
Devyn says he has to leave for work after breakfast, and my heart skips a beat when he cups my chin. Is he going to kiss me? Is he going to—
“Stay out of trouble.”
—warn me like I’m no different from a kid?
Bummer.
The estate feels too empty the moment Devyn leaves. I resume exploring my new home, partly to kill some time, but also in hopes that maybe, just maybe I’ll find my way back to a certain magical bookshop.
I walk the perimeter of the garden, keeping my eyes open for anything unusual. A door that shouldn't be there. A shimmer in the air. A brass lantern glowing where no lantern should glow.
Nothing.
Fine. Maybe I need to try harder.
I stop in the middle of the path, close my eyes, and feel incredibly stupid as I whisper: "Hewhay's? Are you there? I could really use some help."
I open my eyes.
A hedge stares back at me.
Cool. Very helpful.
Maybe I need to be more specific. More intentional. In the books I've read—the portal fantasy books, the ones where girls fall through wardrobes and stumble into other worlds—there's usually some kind of trigger. A word. A gesture. A moment of desperate need.
I'm desperate. Does that count?
I look around to make sure no one's watching. Then, feeling absolutely ridiculous, I raise my hand and wave it in a vaguely mystical pattern.
"Abracadabra?"
Nothing.
"Open sesame?"
A bird chirps mockingly from somewhere above me.
