Page 115 of Lunar Diamonds
“Enough of this!” she roared, fishing a piece of paper from her pocket. “Come to the beach below the cliffs. See what we’re made of.”
As if we’d go skipping into another trap.
“You’ll need this, though.” She put the paper on the ground, a minion placing a rock on it to stop it blowing away.
What the hell?
“Trust me, you don’t wanna miss the show.” Rhianna got back in the car, the other witches following suit. The cars tore off down the road, vanishing into the night.
“Anti-cloak?”I said, holding up the paper. “What is this?”
The spell looked to be from a grimoire, the paper crumpled and heavily stained.
Erin held out her hand. “May I? Not even the High Coven are in possession of this. Incredible.”
“The spell’s been missing for a hundred years,” Aaron said, adjusting his glasses.
“Your mother tried replicating it, but failed,” Erin added.
Ugh. I hated any mention of Juliet Aurora being our mum. The issue remained unprocessed; an irritating piece of meat stuck in my molars. Right now, with my anxiety through the roof, it didn’t matter. Because the Kingwoods were making a move.
“It’s not a shadow spell they’re letting us see?” Isaac asked.
“No. Shadow spells are encrypted. You must commit murder to read them.”
April entered the living room. “Can’t see a thing on the beach.”
Which meant they were using their own cloaking within our cloaking already protecting that part of the beach from the High Coven’s eyes.
Ugh. My brain.
Erin folded the paper. “Then we must cast this.”
On the way to the second spell room, I checked on Drake.
“I’m fine.” Always fine, always cold, never giving me anything else. The guy I’d kissed was gone, those sparks fleeting.
It’d all been in my head. A stupid, fanciful moment hoping for rainbows and steamy times now dead.
Whatever.
“You have to be careful,” Drake said, catching me by surprise.
I stopped. “What did you say?” I’d heard him, I just wanted him to use his oral honey on me again, no matter how leaden his timbre might be right now.
Really?
He cracked his knuckles. “The Kingwoods mean serious business. I know that’s obvious, but please take care.”
Damn, he was so cute. “I will.”
He said nothing else, the time for talking over as we entered the basement spell room. It looked identical to the attic, aside from the pointed ceiling. All the shelves were bare, the cobwebs thick.
We got to work on the spell, following each step—paid the toll of spit, basil and a circle of eight candles, poured already boiling water into the cauldron. We then added salt, pepper, and five tablespoons of paprika.
“Seasoning is important,” Isaac quipped.
With the steps followed, my brother and I linked arms, Drake and the others gathering around the cauldron. Erin stayed away, feeling a little unwell. Ollie didn’t join us, either.
