Page 43 of The 13th Daughter
"Who? The Coven?"
He nodded.
Now how in the world...well crap. A binding spell.
"They bound your words?"
Again he could only nod.
I sat down, defeated, and lay back to stare up at the wood beams in the makeshift roof. I'd counted on Jeff being able to tell me the truth, but that idea had gone out the window faster than the handbags in a Vera Wang clearance sale. A binding spell literally wouldn't let him speak the words he'd been forbidden to voice. It'd kill him first. Emily had told me about those types of spells. She hated what they could do. He really couldn't tell me a damn thing.
Now what the hell was I supposed to do?
"I'm sorry, CJ," he said miserably. "If I could..."
"I know," I told him. And I knew he would tell me. He wanted to tell me about the curse, but he'd been forbidden. Wait, maybe... "Can you write it down on paper?"
"I don't know," he frowned and pulled out a notebook. He started to write. The paper flamed up in his hands and burned his fingers. "OUCH!"
"Okay, there goes plan B." The curse was off limits. No talking and no writing. Where did that leave me? The book. He might be able to say something about that if I didn't ask anything about the curse.
"Jeff, is there a book at the Hall protected by wards?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said and fell down beside me. "We're not supposed to go near it. Why?"
So maybe the binding spell was limited to the curse.
"Emily's diary said she'd found the answers in the book, but that it was heavily warded. I need to get my hands on it."
"Not gonna happen, CJ." He rolled over to face me. "No one can get near that thing, not even Kay."
"She's tried?" I asked, surprised.
"Of course she has," he snorted. "She almost set her hair on fire the last time she attempted to break the wards."
"Wards can do that?" I frowned. Not what I wanted to hear.
He sighed. "CJ, wards are dangerous. They can cause some really nasty stuff to happen."
It was my turn to sigh. I needed to play catch up fast. Where were the Cliff Notes version when you needed them? I propped myself up on one arm so I could look at him. "I have to get my hands on that book. Will you help me?"
He face blanched and stared at me in horror.
"Please, Jeff. I can't do it by myself and I don't trust anyone else to help me." It was wrong, I knew it was wrong, but I played on his feelings for me. Jeff liked me. A lot. It was so very wrong. "You're all I have. Please."
His face softened. "I can try."
"Thank you," I whispered. I was so going to hell for this.
He nodded and sat up, rubbing his hands together. "Damn, but it's cold."
"Yeah," I agreed. "I'm freezing. It's not like we can light a fire up here or something."
I felt a little shock of electricity filter through me and then the air warmed, bathing us both in its heat. I shot up into a sitting position. It wasn't just warm. I was warm. Toasty even.
"Damn," Jeff croaked.
My sentiments exactly.
