Page 34 of Necromance
My pulse thundered in my ears.
I reached out with a trembling hand and touched the book’s spine. My magic surged, heat rising beneath my skin, tugging toward the tome like it knew it…rememberedit.
Because it did.
Recognition slammed into me like a wave. I pulled the book free, cradling it to my chest as dust spiraled into the air. The taint of dark magic pulsed through me like a second heartbeat. There was no mistaking the symbol on the cover, a tree blackened and burned, its branches twisting and coiling upward. The image sent a cold shiver down my spine and I knew without a doubt…
The book belonged to my grandmother.
I hadn’t seen it since I was a child, locked in her apothecary cabinet for safe keeping after…
My throat tightened.
I had been forbidden to touch it, forbidden to even speak its name. I’d only dared to open it once, and the pages had whispered to me, magic that was older and darker than anything I’d ever felt.
Why was it here? How did this book come to be in Ravenspire’s library?
Lucien approached from behind. I spun around to face him. His gaze moved between my face and the book in my hands. My grip tightened, knuckles turningwhite.
”What is that?” He asked gently.
I held the tome tighter to my chest, like it might slip away if I let go. “It’s a… spellbook. A very powerful one,” I answered, carefully avoiding his eyes. “Old magic.”
His gaze sharpened at my clipped tone and he stepped closer, tilting his head. “You recognize it?”
I hesitated.
”…No, it just feels familiar. That’s all.” The lie felt like ash on my tongue.
Lucien narrowed his eyes now, dark brows drawing down. “Familiar how, Mia?”
I shivered at his carefully controlled tone.
I turned the tome over in my hands, trying not to show the tremor in my fingers. “It’s just… ancient magic. I can feel it, that’s all.” Another lie. My voice had quivered just a bit too much.
Lucien didn’t look convinced. He stepped even closer, his voice low. “You’re lying.”
My breath caught. “What?”
“I may have lost my memory, Mia, But I know what it looks like when someone is hiding something.” His gaze darted from my face to the book, then back again.
I swallowed hard, searching my mind for an excuse. I was quiet for too long. Lucien leaned in, bracing his hands against the shelves behind me on either side of my head, trapping me between the books and his warm, solid body.
It was a side of Lucien that I’d never seen before, dark… dangerous. There was no humorous expression or perpetual teasing that always followed him. No, he was angry. And I couldn’t blame him. I was keeping something from him and worst of all, I was doing a terrible job of it.
”Lucien…” I started slowly, cut off by his low voice.
”What aren’t you telling me?” One hand moved just beneath my chin, his finger tilting my head back, forcing me to look into his eyes.
”Nothing,” I breathed, unable to keep my voice from betraying me. Despite the intense fire I could see in his eyes, all I could feel was his body pressing into mine. As if the thought echoed between us, his gaze fell to my lips.
”Does this book have something to do with my curse?” He asked, his tone much gentler as he trailed his finger down my throat.
”I… I don’t know yet,” I stammered, feeling as though all the oxygen had suddenly been sucked from my lungs. “I just need to go retrieve my bag so I can study it.”
Lucien stared at me for a long moment, tension vibrating between us before dropping his hands. With a low sigh, he stepped back. The loss of his warmth was instantaneous and I shivered, clutching the book hard against my swollen breasts.
He raked a hand through his hair, turning away. “I’ll get it for you.”
