Page 66 of The Mating Claim
Or much worse. The entire swamp could be crawling with monsters and demons, preying on the unwary travelers or boaters who stoppedby.
“Let me see it before I make anydecisions.”
Even before they reached it, he could feel the negative energy pulsing from it as if the car contained a nuclear bomb. In a way, he supposed it did – for the book had the power to unleash not only demons, but farworse.
“Where isit?”
Silently she pointed to thetrunk.
He took the keys from her and popped the lid. Waves of darkness floated from the space. Lacey cried out and dropped to her knees, huggingherself.
“Shut it. It won’t stop talking to me. It keeps telling me to open the book, read thepages.”
“Return to the boat ramp, put your feet in the water. It will help mask your identity and ground you from the book’sinfluence.”
She bolted for the water as he studied the plain paper sack where she’d stored the book. The bag quivered and rattled, the book taking on a life of its own in its quest to be free to wreak morehavoc.
Though he could touch the book without consequence, Drust took no chances. He wasn’t sure if a new wizard such as himself would be more susceptible to its dark energy. He conjured thick leather gloves and then opened the bag and removed thebook.
It stopped quivering, much like a dog knowing it would be fed. He studied the cover, the elegant red leather embossed in gold with a Celtic triad. Even though the gloves, he felt the power as he unsnapped the gold lock closing it and opened to the firstpage.
Reading runes came easily to him. But these runes appeared blurred in shadows, as if deliberately hiding from him. It was like trying to read through a clouded lens. Had Lacey’s use of the book donethis?
“Caderyn,” he said aloud, murmuring the chant that immediately called another wizard’said.
But the Shadow Wizard did not appear. Drust blinked, and then an ugly insight hithim.
He replaced the book in the trunk and closed the lid. Then repeated the chantagain.
This time the Shadow Wizard materialized nearby. “What is it, Drust? Did you find thebook?”
Bad news. He gestured to the trunk. “It is in there, but when I tried summoning you with the book exposed, you did not hear mycall.”
The other wizard’s expression turned inscrutable. “It is a dangerous tome to us, Drust. This is why Danu wishes you to get rid of itimmediately.”
But he would not get rid of Lacey. She deservedbetter.
“The book drains our powers,” he suddenlyrealized.
Caderyn sighed. “It was not intended for that purpose, but yes, it does. The ultimate spell I put within it… how do you say it?Backfired.”
No time to question the elder wizard on how the hell THAT happened. He only needed to know the inherent dangers hefaced.
“How can I get rid of the damn thing, and two, how can I neutralize the powers until Ido?”
“The Book of Shadows was created in the Shadow Lands and is not of the earth. You already know the answer to the second question. As for the first, read over the book I gave you. It should contain answers within, answers only you can determine are the best for your particular situation.” The Shadow Wizard glanced toward the boat ramp. “Goodluck.”
“With cryptic answers like that, I’ll need it,” Drust muttered as the other wizardvanished.
Both for Lacey and himself. How the hell was he supposed to get rid of the book while savingher?
Chapter 14
He solvedthe problem of transporting the book with vegetation and soil. Not of the earth meant the book could be contained by burying it. Drust conjured a wooden box, filled it with soil, sand and muck from the Everglades and leaves and buried the book inside the box in Lacey’strunk.
When he coaxed her back to the car, he was pleased to see relief on her face. “I don’t hear it anymore and my car seems purged.” Her nostrils flared. “It smells like fresh air and sunshine. What did youdo?”
“Magick,” he said briefly. “Give me your cellphone.”
