Skye lets out a startled giggle, her eyes going wide as she stares at me. “Do that again.”
“What?”
“Laugh,” she says.
“Yes, please do it again,” Jacenrevener says dryly. “Or perhaps you could introduce me to your lovely companion and tell me why you asked me to travel across two realms tobe here?”
“Skye, this is Jacenrevener, an ice dragon.” I pivot and gesture toward the pretty little witch. “Jacenrevener, this is Skye, a book witch with unusual powers.”
“Ice dragon? What does that mean?”
“Ice dragon, snow dragon, water dragon, we’re called many things.” He gives that casual shrug again, his smile careful not to show even the smallest flash of fang. Here’s the true purpose of a dragon’s fae form. While I cannot leave Ferndale Falls and its protection spell, Jacenrevener could easily travel the Earth, blending in with the humans. “Instead of fire, we control water in all its forms.”
“And you’re here…?”
“It’s a surprise,” I cut in before he can answer, ushering her through the castle door. I give a little push against her lower back, tipping my head toward the other end of the hall. “Why don’t you return to your research, and I’ll find you in the library when the surprise is ready.”
“So it’s a surprise for me?”
“Of course.” I frown. Who else would it be for?
Her smile is the radiant sun emerging from behind clouds, warming my chest. “I love surprises.” With a happy wave at Jacenrevener and a “good to meet you,” she heads off down the hallway, Princess Buttercup trotting at her side.
“Nice trophies.” Jacenrevener tips his head toward the suits of armor, then turns to face me, a knowing look in his eyes. “Nicer woman.”
“Don’t you start,” I growl and stomp back outside. “Now come on. I want this to be ready for her as I promised.”
If I’m lucky, I’ll earn another of those sunshine smiles.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Skye
With the library all to myself, I’m tempted to sneak into Luke’s romance collection. But I don’t have any idea when he’s going to come back, and I don’t want him to know thatIknow about the hidden books.
Plus, I really do need to keep working my way through the shelves of the witch collection, hoping to find anything about another witch who has my powers. We could get sucked back intoDance of Desireat any moment. The sooner I break my spell, the better.
The portal carries me to the correct part of the witch collection, and I shut my eyes and reach for my magic. This part, at least, is getting easier with practice. Power wells up from deep within, sparkling through my senses until the bookshelf in front of me glows with the multiple colors of all the different types of books. The colors are so vivid it doesn’teven feel as if my eyes are closed.
Without Luke here to help, things go slower, but I’m able to pull and stack on the floor, creating little islands of organization with each pile dedicated to a specific color. When I’m done, I open my eyes… to find one book still on the bookcase.
“Huh.” I close my eyes and reach for my magic, but no matter how hard I strain, I can’t see the book with my magical sight. Does this book not have an aura, or is it so dark I can’t “see” it?
I pull the slim volume from the shelf, the honey-brown leather buttery soft to the touch. If the cover or spine ever held a title, it’s been worn away by time.
Using my magic again, I hold it right in front of my face and can finally detect a color—it’s the deepest purple, like a moonless sky on a clear night. What does the book’s aura mean? Does dark equal dark magicks? Is it safe to open?
I try to pick up on the “vibes” of the book and don’t feel anything dangerous. If anything, it feels… homey and comfortable, like standing in the kitchen while my aunts work on either side of me, chatting up a storm, the sweet scent of baking filling the air.
I crack open the book to the title page. Beautiful calligraphy fills the paper, the letters large and fanciful, even if the ink has faded to brown:
The
Trials & Triumphs
of a
Booke Wytch
