Page 12 of How To Summon A Memory
I don’t know him anymore.
I don’t know him anymore.
Poe moves faster than I can see and catches me before I drop to the floor.
“I don’t know him anymore,” I whisper as the king holds me close and rocks with me.
“Shhh. Everything is going to be okay. Want me to call your brother?”
I shake my head. “Van and Gabe are the last people I need right now.” They’re so in love they’ll make me feel worse. I don’t need to watch them dote over me like the sweet couple they are. Gabe really pulled out the softness of my brother and I love him for it, but those two are the last people I need right now.
“Okay. Okay. I understand.” Poe helps me to the stools on the other side of the counter, then grabs me a water bottle from the fridge. “I’m sorry to be so harsh, but you’ve kept this image of him in your head for six years. He’s not going to be the same person you fell in love with.”
“I wasn’t thinking.”
“The two of you were so young when you met.”
“He was my first summons. I didn’t even like him at first.”
“I remember.” Poe chuckles. “You were infuriated he kept coming back every single day and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.”
“He grew on me.” The more I got to know him, the more I realized I’d fallen in love.
“I’m glad he did, but maybe…” Poe looks away. “Maybe it’s time to let him go?”
“No,” it comes out in a whisper. “Not yet.”
Warwick—Age15, One day after first summoning
He’s back. I watch, stunned, as Ethan Speller once again sets up a summoning circle and offers blood. He’s already summoned me to the circle and I’m still blinking back at him.
“Told you I’d be back. So…”
“Still can’t.” I shake my head and take a step back. “You don’t have to make everything all fancy, you know. Just salt, blood, and words is all it takes.”
His cheeks go pink. “Good to know.”
“Go away. I can’t help you.”
Ethan looks around and plops down. “Brought homework and it’s such a pretty day, don’t you think?” He pulls a huge tome from his bag, maneuvers on to his stomach, and flips open the book. His legs kick as he turns the pages until he finds the one he wants and lays a crystal on both pages to keep them from fluttering in the wind. Next, he digs around in his bag again to pull out a notebook and pen. I half expected him to use a feathered pen, but it’s a regular ballpoint.
I poof back behind the veil to watch him. For the next several hours, he hums as he studies. What the hell?
Chapter 5
Ethan
I scrubthe towel over my hair, then wrap it around my waist. It’s just me, Florence, Vi and Squid in the house as far as I know. My grandmother’s familiar, a raccoon named Rosco, probably lurks outside to alert her of anything going on. I’ll have to remember to pop into the kitchen to grab him an apple for a bribe.
When I leave the bathroom, I head for the crystal room, as we call it. If anyone thought dragons hoarded shiny shit, my grandmother is worse. Entire rooms dedicated to her collections. Don’t get me wrong, I lived in this mansion for years before she shipped me and Florence around the US to teach at different schools, so I have my own tiny hoards of things added to hers.
Vi flitters in front of my face, and I pause. I’d forgotten what I’d sent her on a mission for before the disaster. She reminds me now. Images of demons flow through my mind. None of themmy demon.
I shake my head. “Thanks, but none of them are who I’m looking for.” She’d infiltrated a few of the other coven houses to read their books on demons. She’s so tiny no one’s wards notices her.
The next image stops me cold. The headline reads: Crossroads Demons.
I scan the article she read and something pokes at my memory. This feels familiar. Maybe notthisarticle, but I know it’s the right direction.
