Page 56 of Vampire's Hearth

I picked up my phone, dialing Lyra as I followed Isla up a set of stairs across the great hall from the ones that went to Conall’s and Mac’s rooms. “Hey, can you come down to the gallery?” I asked as soon as she picked up.

A drawn-out sigh echoed through the line. “Fine,” she grumbled. I could practically hear her eye roll, but the irritation slipped from my mind as I turned to Isla. There was something different about this moment, something important hanging just out of reach. Isla led me through a door on our right onto the gallery.

Lyra was the last to arrive, entering with an air of exasperation. Her mood, however, didn’t diminish Isla’s quiet intensity as she glanced at Declan.

Isla spoke with purpose, her words punctuating the growing tension. “I think I know what the next piece is.”

Mac knitted his brows in confusion. “How did you figure it out?”

Isla’s gaze flickered toward Declan, her expression unreadable. “It’s his fault—his and Elsie’s.”

Declan stiffened as all eyes fell on him. His voice softened. “What does my dead human fiancée have to do with this?”

Isla reached for his hand. Their bond radiated through the air around them, willing everyone to feel the soft intimacy of their gaze—their simple touch. I glanced at Mac and caught his eyes on me, causing my breath to catch, and I glanced away.

Isla’s words were firm as she spoke. “Remember that book we found—the one with Elsie’s picture with it?”

Declan nodded.

“Look at Rory’s pendant.”

“Oh my God. You don’t think?” He didn’t finish his sentence as Isla gave a small nod.

Without another word, we followed them back through the foyer. Mac sidled up next to me as we moved. “That’s Aine’sroom,” he said, nodding to a doorway ahead of us as the group turned left. “When we go through this first door, it’ll lead to Aine and Kieran’s shared sitting room, and then Kieran’s personal space.”

I nodded. My heartbeat rose to have him standing next to me, feeling his body heat along my side. I couldn’t shake the flutter in my heart from when he looked at me a minute ago.

The first sitting room reflected serenity with its light green walls, airy furniture, and a window that offered a glimpse of the harbor off to the right. The shift in atmosphere was immediate as we walked through the door that led to Kieran’s sitting room. Blood-red walls cast an eerie glow, and the heavy, dark furniture made the windowless space feel cramped and oppressive despite its actual size. The scent of aged wood furniture hung heavy in the air, the room a small library, in places lined with books, their leather spines cracked with age. A chess set sat to the right and a large desk on the left. I shivered as I imagined the evils that could have stood between these walls.

Isla, unaffected, went directly to a desk, pulling open the bottom drawer to reveal a stack of old papers that she set on the desk. I glanced at the top, gasping as I recognized Declan and a woman posing on the porch of Mac’s home in Kentucky. I glanced sideways at him, but he was concentrating on Isla.

She picked up an old book bound in the same leather as the lineage. The familiar stamp of the lynx embossed on the cover caused a heaviness in my chest. Before I could reach for the book, Isla tried to open it, but the cover wouldn’t budge.

“I can’t open it.” Frustration crept into her voice. She handed it to Declan, who had no success either.

“The last person who could open it was Ash,” Isla whispered, her voice distant.

Lyra stepped forward, her fingers twitching with anticipation as she took the book. “It’s probably spelled.” She rolled her eyes.“Only someone from the coven can open it.” Her jaw clenched as her attempt failed.

“Lyra, please?” I spoke softly as I held my hand out. As it settled in my grasp, I could feel the energy of the old tome radiate up my arm, the words inside of it calling to me as it opened with ease.

Mac tilted his head, curiosity coloring his features. “What does that mean?”

I hesitated, feeling the weight of the book in my hands, my pendant warm against my skin. “It means…” I began, the realization dawning on me. “If your human friend could open it, it means no one with paranormal blood in their system can open this, including witches. Only the acting High Priestess or the High Priestess Heir of the Coven of the Blood.” A sudden chill crept over me as I flipped through the book, the pages rustling as they revealed long-forgotten secrets and spells.

“It’s a grimoire,” I whispered, my voice trembling with the enormity of it. The scent of the old paper, as though it carried the aroma of Oak Leaf Hallow itself, wafted over me. “The O’Cillian family… everything the coven ever needed to know. And here…” My trembling finger trailed over an ancient incantation near the end, the weight of our mission falling over me. “A spell to find the Cure.”

I touched the page, taking in the script, turning back a page and forward. I glanced at Mac. “This spell is different—like it was added after the fact… by someone else. I can’t read the language though.”

Mac’s brow furrowed, concern flashing in his eyes. “But at least it’s there,” he said, his voice steady despite the uncertainty hanging in the air. He held out his hand, taking a step closer to me. I held his gaze, seeing his desire to protect both me and the book.

Before I could respond, Lyra grabbed the grimoire from my hands, her expression darkening as she closed it and cradled it against her chest. “You might be the only one who can open it,” she said, ice dripping from her words. “But I’m taking it to our room. It shouldn’t be anywhere near these… monsters.”

I reached for the book, but Lyra took a step backward. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mac take a step forward. I gently placed a hand on his chest, feeling his tense muscles beneath his shirt. Lyra’s outburst was uncalled for, but at least the spell was in the hands of a sister witch. I would deal with her later.

“Let her go,” I whispered as she turned on her heel and marched from the room. “The only other person who can do anything with it is in Georgia.”

Mac’s eyes flashed in anger as he turned away, shaking his head. “It is everything we have been looking for.” His voice was measured but hostile.

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