Page 69 of Guardians of the Assassins
When the silence in the room stretched uncomfortably, Morgan reluctantly pulled herself away from the protective arms of her mates. Her insides felt raw, like something fundamental had changed and she no longer fit together anymore.
Her view on the gods became a little more jaded and a hundred times more complicated.
Worse…her men looked at her like she would shatter at any moment, and she hated it. “Nothing like having the weight of the world on my shoulders to keep life from becoming too mundane.”
Her mates exchanged uneasy glances, like they expected her to burst into tears. Draven stepped forward. “Morgan?—”
“Don’t.” She waved away whatever he was going to say. “We have more important matters to discuss—like how to strengthen the wards to keep the fae from descending on us in force.”
While none of the guys looked happy with the change of subject, no one protested, which she was inordinately grateful. She wasn’t ready to think of her parents and everything she’d lost, and she sure as hell couldn’t deal with their compassion without losing her shit.
Looking away from their sympathetic gazes, needing to keep her mind busy, she turned toward Shade and gestured toward the book on the desk. “What did you find?”
Shade remained frozen, his expression harsh as he gawked at her, like the revelations of her heritage was a personal betrayal. A twinge of loss struck hard, like a punch to the chest, and she rubbed the spot where her heart ached. She gave him a smile, hoping he didn’t notice the slight tremble. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I can find something?—”
“Don’t be an idiot.” He snapped out of whatever funk that had gotten hold of him. “It would take you and your goon squad decades to find the right spell and figure out how to cast it.”
The door thudded open behind them, and Loki bounded into the room, his hackles raised. He skidded to a stop, his head tilted to the side, his red eyes darkening as he surveyed the room. The phoenix on his chest shimmered, his wings twitching in agitation. He sniffed the air, then stalked toward the desk, his tail stiff as it lashed back and forth.
Shade stiffened, scowling at the beast like he was a mangy mutt that had rolled in shit. But instead of attacking, Loki rounded the desk and sat by the demigod, then narrowed his eyes and surveyed the room as if searching for a threat.
Shade’s jaw dropped as he glared down at the dog, then he shot her an incredulous look. He ran a flustered hand over his head, giving a massive huff of exasperation…but he didn’t move away, silently accepting the dog’s protection.
MacGregor and Ward trailed behind the beast, chatting amicably. The warden smiled when he saw her. “The wards are still recovering from years of neglect and nearly being drained, but they’re amazingly well maintained. Keep doing what you’re doing, and they should make a complete recovery…” Ward trailed off, as if he could sense the trace of power in the room. “What happened? Did the spell backfire?”
While he still appeared a little wild, he was no longer rumpled or unkempt. His chin-length black hair had been cut, but it looked like he’d done it himself. His clothing was a mismatch of modern and ancient. Instead of looking goofy, it suited him. He held himself in a way that spoke of years of training, the man ready to burst into action if threatened.
Those discerning eyes of his, a combination of silver and black of pure void magic, locked on her, reminding her once again that he was not human and hadn’t been for a very long time.
She smiled at him, glad to see him, despite the circumstances. “You might say I had a family reunion of sorts, but it didn’t go the way anyone expected.”
He scanned her clinically, not missing a detail. Only when he was satisfied she was unharmed did he relax slightly and give her a nod. “You will call us if you need us.”
He meant if it came down to a war.
Morgan was shocked by his offer.
She didn’t expect such loyalty. “This isn’t your fight. Why?”
He grinned, the first genuine smile she’d seen from him, making him appear almost human. “We would come because you asked. You rescued both of us and fought for us when we were lost. You gave us a home at the Academy, then gave us our greatest treasure—our mate.”
“And if we didn’t help you, Breanna would have our balls,” Shade grumbled as he cracked open the book, but the crinkle at the corner of his eyes betrayed his amusement.
A burst of laughter escaped her at his unexpected comment,and the part of her that remained frozen from the earlier confrontation finally thawed.
Ward glanced out the window with a frown. “The wards are still healing. While they might hold for a while under attack, they will eventually fail. We need to find a way to make them stronger without damaging them further.”
Morgan nodded, willing to do anything to keep her coven and mates safe. She refused to fail or everything she’d built would fall when she died, and that was unacceptable.
Her magic hummed in agreement, and she strode toward the desk, determined to find a permanent solution to keep them all safe. As she neared the book, the pages began to flip. Shade lifted his hand and backed away, the pages fluttering faster and faster, the only sound in the room was the rustling of papers.
Then it stopped so suddenly, it was almost violent.
The book lay open almost innocently, and she edged closer, not sure what she expected. As soon as her gaze landed on the book, ink bubbled up from the spine and spilled over the blank pages. It dripped down the page, wiggling across the surface, words and symbols gradually taking form.
Morgan peered up from where she was leaning over the desk and gave Shade a squinty look. “Was this the same spell that you saw when you opened the book?”
Because the book was created to show the person holding it what they wanted most.
