Chapter 32
32
T he Bookshop of Magic is in absolute chaos—or at least as close to chaos as I’ve ever seen it.
There’s a line of angry customers winding through the store, around bookcases and the counter, snaking all the way to the front door.
Every person has an appointment to jump into a book, but we’re unable to get them inside.
A man raises his fist. “What’s going on?”
“I paid to be inside a story right now,” a bookish woman says meekly but with bite.
“What kind of magical bookshop is this? You can’t even get us into a book,” a short, squat woman snaps.
“We came from out of town,” a father with his two daughters says, exasperated.
Mama stands in front of them, patting the air. “Please be patient. I’ll get this straightened out in a moment. Just give us time.”
A woman jabs an open copy of The Odyssey that sits on a lectern. “My sister went into that book two hours ago and still hasn’t come out! Is she okay? I need to know if she’s all right.”
My heart races like a horse speeding around a track. Never in my life have I seen anything like this. Books are scattered everywhere—on the floor, on the tops of shelves. Mama asked Chelsea and me to clean up, so that’s what I’m doing.
I’m picking up books and shoving them back where they belong. But as soon as I push one onto a shelf, it shoots itself right back out and lands with a thud on the floor.
“We need answers,” a man shouts.
A book flies from a case and uses its cover as wings to careen around the room like a bird. It dive-bombs a woman, and she shrieks before throwing up her hands and running for the exit.
“Please, everyone,” my mother says. “Give us just a minute to try to get things solved.”
“I’m not waiting one more minute,” the squat woman says. “I’m taking my business somewhere else.”
“Where else will she go?” Chelsea whispers, approaching me with a handful of books. “There aren’t any other magical bookshops that I know of.”
“Let me get your sister out of this book,” Mama tells the woman who’s nibbling her fingernails, worried sick about her sibling.
My mom places her hands on the book and concentrates. Her face is pinched, and she looks anxious. I’ve never seen her anxious.
Hell, I’m anxious.
The sound of books falling off the shelves and hitting the floor with thud after thud fills the shop. The only way to explain what’s going on is that the magic isn’t just dying, it’s broken like a spring has shifted out of place. Simply put, the bookshop has gone haywire.
There are so many more books on the floor than there are put away that I’m just about to give up this job. Then the door opens.
Who the heck would be coming in here now? Doesn’t everyone know that the magic is broken?
And don’t think that I don’t feel the pressure to get this all fixed. When Addison married, the magic was better for a while, but now it’s clearly cracked its head open and is letting its brains spill out all over the floor.
And enter Storm Grayson.
My stomach falls. What is he doing here?
As if Storm has his own gravitational pull, every head in the room turns to gawk at him. I get it. He’s rich. He’s famous. He’s handsome.
Chelsea presses her shoulder to mine and whispers, “I thought you ended things with him.”
“I did.”
“Then what’s he doing here?”
“How should I know?”
“Why isn’t she coming out?” the woman snaps at Mama.
“I’m trying. I could use more magic.” Her gaze lands on Chelsea. “Chels, can you help me over here?”
With a huff, my sister drops the books she’s holding on a table. “You’ve got to be kidding me. And miss this?” She shoots me a look. “I want all the details. Don’t leave anything out.”
I scoff. “He might not be here to see me.”
“Oh, he’s here to see you,” she says before going to help Mama.
Storm looks around, taking in the madness of a dying empire—I mean, bookshop—and my heart sinks. Good thing I’m not still dating him. He’d probably dump me after seeing this mess.
“Hey,” I say to him. “If you’re here to jump into a book, now’s not a good time.”
He punches his hands into his pockets. “Actually I’m here to see you.”
A book launches off a shelf, flapping its cover as it heads straight for me and Storm. I grab the inventor by the cuff and pull him away just before the book smashes into a case and falls limply to the floor.
“Like I said, now’s not a good time.”
I walk away in a vain attempt to retrieve more books from the floor, but he jumps in front of me. “Look, I was wondering if you’d give me another chance. As you can imagine, I’m not someone who’s used to hearing the word ‘no.’” He chuckles. “I realize that my being out of town contributed to why our relationship fizzled out, but I’m willing to stay here, in Castleview, for a while.”
Storm appears genuinely sincere, and it hurts my heart to say this, but it has to be done. “Storm, I was being honest when I told you that things weren’t working. You being gone had nothing to do with it.”
No, I didn’t tell him that I’m with Devlin. There was no point in hurting him any more than I had to. Why twist the knife after you’ve plunged it in?
And speaking of Devlin, I’m so glad he’s not seeing this. If he witnessed this insanity, I know what he’d do—he’d want to save me, and the only way to save me would be to save my family. But I don’t want that. I want Devlin to marry me because he wants to, not because my family’s magic is broken.
“Blair, I could use you over here,” Mama says, still trying to pull the stuck woman from the book.
“Sorry, Storm, I’ve got to go.”
I move to pass him, but he grabs the sleeve of my shirt. “I promise things will be different this time.”
I exhale a loud breath. I hate hurting people’s feelings. I’d rather hide under a rock than face someone to break up with them. But here we are. “I’m sorry, Storm. We’re better off as friends. I don’t think that we’re a good match.”
He frowns. “Not a good match? We want a lot of the same things.”
Flustered, I reply, “Yes, I know, but there needs to be more.” He’s still holding my sleeve. “Please, let me go.”
“What more does there need to be?” he snaps.
“Chemistry? Love? You name it. I don’t think we’ve got it.”
“But we could.”
Mama looks pained, and I’m beginning to worry. My heart’s fluttering in my throat. I’ve got to help her. Things must be bad with the woman trapped in The Odyssey.
I try to pull away, but he’s still holding my sleeve. “We’re just not meant to be.”
“Blair!” Mama’s voice has turned all high-pitched. She’s panicking. “I need you now, please!”
I tug the arm that he’s holding tight. “Let me go.”
Storm scowls. “I’ll let you go when you agree to see me again.”
What? Is he joking? Now I’m just pissed off. He might be rich, but he can’t buy me. “No, I’m not going to see you again.”
“Blair!”
“Just one more time,” he begs.
“No.”
“Blair,” Mama shouts.
Books are flying, Mama needs me, Storm won’t let go, and he’s still muttering about how he never begs, but won’t I just go out with him one more time, and it’s all too much, and then a flying book smacks me in the chest.
I yank my arm away and shout, “No, Storm! I won’t go out with you ever again. I’m with Devlin now. There. That’s it. Now, leave me alone!”
The room goes silent. Even the books are quiet.
Storm’s face is red. His eyes are bulging, and the sincere look he had only a few moments ago has vanished, all traces of it erased. A vein is pulsing in his temple, and his throat is tight, all the corded muscles expanding like his head’s about to pop off.
I inhale sharply. “I’ve got to help my mother pull someone out of a book. If you’ll excuse me.”
I move to pass him, but he grabs my arm one more time. I whirl around, ready for a fight.
But he releases me and drops his face close to mine, sneering like he’s made of nothing except sheer evil. “No one humiliates me. No one. You will regret this, Blair Thornrose.”
And then he vanishes in a spiral of smoke, and my hands are shaking. I curl them into fists to stop them. No big deal. Everything’s fine. My ex-whatever didn’t just threaten to destroy me like an evil villain in a cartoon.
I exhale and shrug off the threat, making my way over to my mother and sister.
As soon as I add my magic, the woman pops out of the book and lands with a smile. “That was great! Let’s do it again.”
At least someone’s happy.
“I’m afraid that I must ask everyone to leave,” Mama tells the crowd. “You must go now. We’ll issue any refunds to those of you who’ve already paid.”
“What was that all about with Storm?” Chelsea murmurs when we have a moment to ourselves.
“Nothing,” I whisper. “It was nothing.”
But I know it wasn’t nothing. You don’t cross a man as powerful as Storm Grayson and not pay for it.
The question is—how much will I have to pay?