Shadow Moon (Shelving Magic #4)

Chapter 1

P aige’s heart thudded in her chest and heat washed over her as she stood in stunned silence. She let her eyes fall from Devon’s chiseled features to the marred hardwood floor below. Tears blurred her vision as the words he had just spoken echoed in her mind.

Dewey responded, but his voice sounded miles away.

Your mother’s alive .

Paige slow-blinked as the words rattled around in her mind again. Her head began to shake instinctively, and she snapped her gaze to Devon.

A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek. She flicked it away. “No.”

Dewey flitted to her side, landing on her shoulder. He patted her head. “You tell him, Paige.”

“Paige–” Devon began, cocking his head.

“No!” she said, this time louder than before. “You’re lying.”

He shook his head. “I’m not.”

“Yes, you are!” she screamed, more tears streaming down her cheeks. Her voice quieted, and her breath caught in her throat. “You have to be.”

Dewey jabbed a fleshy teal digit at the man. “She’s right. Get out of here, Devon.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Yeah right,” Dewey said, fluttering into the air. “We both know you’re a world-class liar. We watched you lie to your own father. You didn’t even flinch.”

“I was protecting you,” he spat back.

“By lying. It doesn’t exactly inspire any trust in you now,” Paige shouted.

“Why would I lie?”

Paige crossed her arms and shrugged. “You tell me.”

“Because you want something from her,” Dewey said, with narrowed eyes. “You’ve wanted something from her all along.”

Devon shook his head again. “That’s not true.”

“It is,” Dewey said, poking a finger at him again.

“Dewey’s right. If this is true, why didn’t you tell me before? You’ve had plenty of opportunities.”

“Because I wanted you to accept my proposal before I told you,” Devon answered. “I didn’t want the fact that I can help you find your mother to be the only reason we were together.”

Paige tugged her lips into a disgusting frown. “Wow.”

“My exact thoughts, Paige. You selfish, lying jerk!” Dewey poked a claw at the man. “If this is true, you’ve kept it from Paige for how long just to further your own agenda? And that’s if it’s even true.”

“Which,” Paige said, raising a finger in the air, “I suspect it’s not.”

“Bingo!” Dewey shouted.

“I’m not lying,” Devon said through clenched teeth.

“Yes, you are. You of all people should know my mother is dead. Your friend Drucinda killed her.”

“No,” Devon said, “Dru didn’t kill your mom.”

“Bull!” She balled her hands into fists and squeezed her stinging eyes shut for a moment before she slid them open. With a sniffle, she waved to the door. “I don’t believe you. I don’t trust you. And now, I’d like you to get out.”

“Paige-”

“I’m not going to tell you again. Get. Out.”

“Paige, please–”

“GET OUT!”

Dewey landed on her shoulder as Devon threw his hands in the air.

“Fine.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair before he stalked across the room. He stepped through the door before he backtracked, hovering in the doorway. “I’m not lying. Call me when you’re ready to find your mom.”

Paige refused to make eye contact with him. She squeezed her fingers tighter around the door’s edge as she waited for him to leave, chewing her lower lip.

He stalked away, and she slammed the door shut behind him, crossing her arms.

Dewey fluttered over to flick the deadbolt. “The nerve of that guy, huh? First, he almost kills you… thrice, I might add.”

He held up three fleshy fingers as he flew back and forth in his version of pacing. “And now he pulls this.”

Paige stood motionless, staring into space. Tears formed in her eyes again, and she bit back the sobs building within her. “It’s just cruel.”

“Of course it is. He’s trying to manipulate you. Well, I won’t let him.”

Paige held her breath, trying to avoid crying. She licked her lips before she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

Dewey paused mid-flight before he fluttered over to her. He wrapped a tiny arm around her. “Come on, Paige. Let’s sit down.”

She blew out a long breath. “Yeah, okay.”

Dewey guided her to the couch, and she collapsed onto it. Her features pinched, and she sank her head into her hands.

Dewey patted her shoulder. “Don’t cry, Paige. He’s a big jerk, that’s all. He doesn’t deserve your tears.”

Paige lifted her head, wiping at her tear-stained cheeks before she grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. “I probably look so bad. I’m a terrible crier. I get all splotchy and red.”

“Paige,” Dewey cooed, offering her a slight smile as he patted her head.

The corners of her lips tugged up slightly.

“I don’t care that you’re ugly when you cry.”

The smile faded from her lips, and she sniffled. “Thanks, buddy.”

“I’m serious. Okay, so you do look kind of splotchy, but who cares! The bigger problem here is Devon.”

Paige stared ahead into space. “He probably doesn’t ugly cry.”

“That guy probably doesn’t cry. He’s a vampire prince. Do you know how easy his life has been? He’s been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Wanted for nothing. Top of the supernatural food chain. He’s been on Easy Street with his dad as king. He’s probably never even been dumped in his life.”

“Not with that face.” Paige blew out a long breath.

“And what’s this joker do? Does he just rule over his subjects and enjoy his life? No, he has to come and ruin yours and make you ugly cry.”

“But why?”

“Why? Why ?” Dewey questioned, fluttering into the air to resume his pacing. “I’ll tell you why.”

Paige bit her lower lip, waiting for the explanation. She lifted her eyebrows, sliding her head forward. “Well?”

“Oh, sorry. I thought you were going to jump in there with the reason.”

Paige poked a finger at her chest. “I’m the one who asked the question. I don’t know the reason.”

“I think we can all guess the reason.”

Paige slid her eyes from side to side. “I can’t. Tell me.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Again, no. It’s not obvious.”

“Because you rejected him. He’s upset and angry.” Dewey pounded a fist against an open palm. “And he wants to make you pay.”

“By telling me my dead mother is actually alive?”

“What better way to hurt you than to bring up something painful for you? Something to throw you off-balance.”

“That’s…” Paige crinkled her forehead, shaking her head.

“Messed up, that’s what it is. The dude has a serious issue. He’s probably never been rejected in his life and is still in shock.”

Paige rubbed at her temples as a headache began to build. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“It makes perfect sense. He’s tried to kill you. He’s tried to ruin your career. Then he tried to kill you again. Then he kidnapped you and tried to marry you. You escaped, so he kidnapped you again–”

“Okay, I get it. I lived it, remember?”

“Right, so you reject him. He’s angry. He lashes out.”

“How would he know anything about my mom?”

Dewey’s flying ground to a halt, and he snapped his gaze to Paige. “Everyone knows about Reed’s disappearance.”

“Really?” Paige questioned.

“Of course. It was major news.”

Paige fluttered her eyelashes, letting her head sink onto the pillow behind her. “And I never knew. I spent my entire life not knowing anything about her. Not understanding why she left me. And the entire world knew.”

“Well, not the entire world, Paige. I mean, this wasn’t mainstream media news.”

“You know what I meant,” Paige snapped before she covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know. This is a difficult subject for you.”

“It just feels so weird to know my mother’s disappearance was national supernatural news–”

“International,” Dewey corrected, jabbing a claw her way.

“Right, that’s even worse. My mother’s disappearance was international supernatural news, and I grew up never even knowing. Just assuming she dumped me.”

“But she didn’t. Knowing that now helps, doesn’t it?”

Paige sucked in a breath and blew it out, fluttering her lips before she sniffled again and shrugged. “I don’t know. I always thought knowing would make my life so much better. Now…I’m not so sure.”

She chewed her lower lip, wiping at her nose with the tissue again. “I just have so many questions. When I thought she dumped me…I don’t know…”

She blew out a long breath, then a chuckle. “I used to make up stories.”

“About your mom?” Dewey asked, landing on the couch and plopping onto the cushion.

Paige bobbed her head up and down with another sniffle. “Yeah. Simple stuff. She was a teen mom, and she gave me up because she couldn’t take care of me.”

Dewey nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Or she was a single mom and I was unplanned, so she gave me up to have a better life.”

“Another workable scenario.”

Paige chuckled. “Once, I even made up a story that she was like a secret agent who was out saving the world and she couldn’t keep me.”

“Oh, that one was pretty close,” Dewey said. “She was sort of a secret agent who did save the world.”

“Yeah,” Paige said, with fresh tears glistening in her eyes. “Yeah, she was. And somehow that makes it so much worse.” The tears spilled down her cheeks, and Paige buried her face in her hands again, sobbing.

“Aww, Paige,” Dewey said, climbing to his feet and patting her shoulder.

“I know she wanted to come back. I know she tried to come back. And someone stopped her. Someone took her from me.”

Dewey pressed his teal lips together in a thin line.

“Not someone. Drucinda. Drucinda Sharpe took her from me.” Paige sniffled and blew out a raspy breath.

“Maybe we should put the whole mom-dying discussion aside for the moment,” Dewey suggested.

Paige stared blankly ahead, her lips in a pout. With a sniffle, she rubbed her nose and nodded. “You’re right. It changes nothing.”

“I’ve got the perfect thing to cheer you up,” Dewey said, grabbing the RP from the coffee table.

“Oh, yeah? What is it? Devon’s head on a platter?”

Dewey froze, with a finger hovering over the device’s screen. He crinkled his nose, and his horns wiggled.

Paige dipped her chin, trying to catch his eye. “Dewey? Are you okay?”