Page 89 of When Storms Ruin

So far, I had come up empty.

Tess hadn’t left my side despite libraries ‘not really being her scene’ and she combed through the books with me day and night to pass the time. We studied the spells in the Kotova grimoire, searching for anything that might help us to stop Donika and eliminate her dark creatures.

Zion was in and out, and we weren’t sure where he was spending his time when he wasn’t in the cottage. It had to be difficult for him, returning to a place filled with so many memories, both good and bad. I feltcloser to my mom spending time here, knowing that she had once slept in these rooms, pored over these books, and walked these halls.

Each day that passed left a pit in my stomach as we didn’t come any closer to deciphering the binding spell. If we weren’t able to bind my storm magic, it would be useless when we finally made our move against Donika. I would either burn out from using too much, my storms would turn on me and steal my magic, or I would become the bloodthirsty shell I had during the last battle.

None of those were options when I faced Donika. I needed to be ready. I was anxious that Donika would make a move against us soon, having seen our weakness in numbers during the battle at Prins.

Tess snuck off with Puck, leaving me alone in the library. The afternoon sun beamed in from the window high above me, warming the side of my face.

The library had vaulted ceilings three stories high, with ladders to access the books higher up. I sat at a table in the center, memorizing the siphoning spell from the Kotova grimoire. I read the words over and over. If I could understand this spell, maybe I could understand how to dismantle Donika’s Noctani.

They wouldn’t be easy to kill, and I dreaded the day we would face them in battle.

The heavy library door creaked open, but I didn’t glance up from the book of shadows. It had to be Tess, returning to help me. Saanvi and Kenna hadn’t spent much time with us since arriving at the cottage, and Warrick was nowhere to be found. He was taking the battle at the safe house particularly hard. Isuspected he had lost a loved one in the melee, but he hadn’t been around for me to inquire about it.

A hand grasped my shoulder, and I turned in surprise, my arm immediately moving to block and shield defensively.

“I guess Ididtrain you well,” Nik laughed, rubbing the arm that I had blocked.

My eyes met his, and warmth pooled in my core, an extraordinary weight lifting off my chest.

He was ok. He was alive. And he washere.

“I—I’m sorry, you surprised me is all. I didn’t know you were on your way, I hadn’t heard from Isaac or Liss…” I trailed off.

He let out a soft hiss, his hand moving to his abdomen.

“Are you ok? Here—” I moved to pull the chair out next to me.

“I’m ok, Diana,” he replied as he took the seat I offered.

I swiveled to face him, and his knee bumped mine as he did the same. He moved his hand to my knee and gave it a squeeze. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine,” I replied.

“That’s exactly what every guy wants to hear,” he laughed, wincing when the movement caused him another surge of pain.

“Should you have traveled this far?” I asked, my brow furrowed. “You don’t appear healed enough to have traveled at all.”

“Isaac and I rode on horseback. Much faster,” he replied, lifting his shirt to show me the bandage wrapped around his waist. There was a small spot where red bloomed acrossit, but otherwise the wound was much smaller than I had anticipated.

“And your shoulder?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Good as new,” he replied, moving the neck of his shirt down to show me the wound where the arrow had pierced him.

This one was almost healed, not even requiring a bandage. He held his shirt there, and my eyes drifted to the tattoos that peeked out from his chest. He removed his hand, letting the shirt pull back into place with a grin.

“You should be resting,” I pointed out, “have you picked out a room yet?”

“Right across from yours,” he replied, a smile in his eyes. “The one next to you was already taken.”

I cocked my head to the side giving him a sarcastic look. “How can you be so glib? You almostdied. You—you stopped breathing. I watched helplessly as youstopped breathingand there was nothing I could do about it.”

“Youdiddo something about it, Diana.You saved me. You almost gave up your life ember for mine, and that has got to be the dumbest thing you have ever done.”

I reared back at his words.

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