Chapter 49 So High School #4
The thought of leaving tugs at something inside me, and my mind goes straight to Kane.
I don’t know where this leaves us. I know we're never going to be anything serious, because I have no clue how long I’m going to be gone.
Even though the sex is amazing. And he's the hottest man I think I've ever seen.
But I also know one thing for certain, I have much bigger things to deal with right now, and I don't have time for men.
I need to figure out who I am. What this magic means. What it means for my family, for my life. No matter how intense things with Kane have been, I can’t let myself get lost in him.
Maybe that’s why I let this morning happen, because deep down, I know I need answers more than I need distractions.
Even if those distractions come with dimples and an orgasm-inducing smirk.
I huff out a breath and type out a quick response to Mike, letting him know I’ll be ready in a couple of hours. Daylight feels like a safer bet for this meeting. That, and it gives me enough time to get back to Kane’s and make plans with Cam for the trip back to Nveri.
A flush creeps up my neck, and heat starts to spread under my skin just thinking about this morning, but I shake it off, marching straight to the bathroom.
Maybe rinsing him off me will somehow fix whatever the hell is happening in my head. The hot water does wonders for my muscles, but it does absolutely nothing to quiet my mind and all my dirty thoughts about Kane. I secretly wish I had my lavender bath oil, and enough time to take a bath right now.
I scrub my hands over my face and go through my shower on autopilot. There’s too much to do to be thinking about Kane and bath oils.
I towel off quickly, tossing my hair over one shoulder as I move through the house, grabbing the last few things I have scattered around that I need to pack.
I grab my necklace off the nightstand and I’m about to put it on, but I slip it into the small pocket in my bag instead. I’ll put it on later.
I move around the room, grabbing my crystals, rolling them in my fingers, and tossing those into my bag too.
I seriously wonder where the hell that book could be.
I definitely need to find that before I leave.
My brows knit together as I check the drawers, the bedside table, I even check under the bed.
Nothing.
Frustration prickles at the back of my neck and my gut twists as I scan the room again. I know I brought it with me.
I sigh, pushing a hand through my damp hair. If I don’t find it now, I’m going to have to figure it out later, but I would rather not have to worry about it. It has to be somewhere. At least when I get back to Nveri, I’ll have more time to study it and check out the library Elle said she’d show me.
I pick up my dagger that’s still in the holster Elle made for me, admiring the detail she put into this, before tucking it into my bag. I still have one last thing to check, so I grab my phone, already typing out a message to Rachel.
Me: Hey! I miss you so much, how are things? I need a favor. Can you check the study to see if that book is in there? I could’ve sworn I brought it, but it’s not here.
Her reply comes almost instantly, and I’m already grinning before I open it.
Rachel: Girl, I hope you’re getting dicked down real good. Make sure you give that fucker the ride of his life so he doesn’t think of anyone but you ;)
I don’t want to hear from you unless I get details!
And yes, I’ll check for the book… before I head out of town.
I laugh, rolling my eyes. God, I miss her. Of course that’s the first thing out of her mouth. I’m not even going to justify that with a response, she'll call if she finds the book.
I move into the next room, my thoughts still circling back to the missing book. “Where the hell are you?”
Maybe Rachel accidentally put it in her bag?
I pause, putting my hands on my hips, exhaling slowly. Okay, little book, you need to be here. I’m not even sure this book is going to have any answers, maybe it’s just a journal or a fairytale book, but whatever it is, I still need to find it. It belonged to my grandparents.
After combing through every drawer, cabinet, and shadowed corner, I drop into the chair with a frustrated sigh. My phone is already in hand, typing out a message to Rachel, asking her to double check her bags, just in case.
My fingers hover over the send button, when I look up and there it is. Sitting right there on the coffee table, exactly where I could've sworn I already looked.
I knew I brought it.
“Are you kidding me?”
I just tore this place apart, and it’s sitting right here on the table?
I set my phone down reaching for the book, and my pulse thrums. The tingling sensation is back again and I really wish I could figure out what triggers the tingling, and what it means.
Does that mean I’m using magic? Or something else? Maybe it's just from getting excited.
I have some time before Mike’s driver gets here, so I sink a little deeper into the chair, flipping the book open. The pages whisper as they turn, and something stops me cold.
Shifters:
Among the rarest of creatures, shifters walk the line between worlds, able to transition seamlessly between their human and animal forms. Though scarce, they are revered for their unwavering loyalty, and their ability to disappear.
There is only one other kind of shifter. The True Shifter:
A being unbound by the limitations of flesh and bone. One who can shift into anything they desire.
Not a single confirmed record of them exists. At least, not anymore.
The last known mention of True Shifters dates back to before the rise of the Shadow Queen. Before Fae divided. Before the bloodlines fractured.
Some say they vanished. Some say they were hunted. Others believe they were never real to begin with.
Shifters served the Shadow Queen, their abilities shackled by spells so ancient that not even death himself could break them. They were soldiers. Pawns. Shadows bound to her will.
But a True shifter could never be bound. They’re loyal to the bloodline. They also choose their loyalty and when they do, it’s for life. It is for this reason that some scholars speculate the Shadow Queen herself was the one to eradicate them.
Yet the question remains. Did they ever exist?
I skim through a few other entries, some intriguing, but not immediately relevant. Blood magic, elemental affinities, telepathy.
Then my eyes land on another interesting passage that has me sucking in a breath.
There are many forms of power. However, the strongest Fae to date is the Shadow King.
His name is spoken in hushed tones, if at all.
To the courts, he is both a warning and a curse, the shadow in every story mothers tell their children to keep them from wandering too far.
No full record of his capabilities exists, but those documented include:
-Strength
-Healing
-Mind Manipulation
-Shapeshifting
-Shadow control.
My heart skips a beat.
I reread the words, letting them settle over me. Shapeshifting.
The mention of True Shifters already had me spinning, but this? Who is the King of Nveri? Cam mentioned the witches finding refuge in other realms, which means there has to be more than one king, right?
My thoughts flash to Cam. He said he could shift. Could he be a True Shifter? I know he laughed it off when I asked him if he was the king, but it says right here that the Shadow King can shift. So maybe he lied to me.
I shake my head, because the more I learn, the deeper the questions go. My only option is to just go back and find out as much as I can, and hope it leads to answers about my family.
The sharp buzz of my phone jolts me from my thoughts, letting me know the driver will be here shortly.
I sigh, snapping the book shut before tucking it carefully into my bag. I slip in a few other things I plan to take to Kane’s, but the uneasy feeling lingers, threading itself through my spine like a warning.
There’s more to this, I can feel it.
I don’t want to take all my bags to my meeting, I'll just come back when I'm done, then head out. I’m sure the house is safe, especially if it belongs to Kane. I decide to slide my bag under the bed, you can never be too careful.
The driver's almost here, so I step outside and sink into one of the porch chairs, letting the warmth of the sunlight chase away the chill in my thoughts. I close my eyes and listen to the soft breeze, it should be calming, but my mind is now tangled in the words I just read.
True shifters. The Shadow King. The rise of the Shadow Queen. Who are these people?