Chapter 35
Chapter
Thirty-Five
My heart pounded as I rushed to my bedroom, determined to open the magic book. One book was bound by my blood, and to open the second one, I needed a witch’s opening spell.
I wasn’t sure what I would find on the magic pages, but I needed a sign about my coronation as a werewolf Queen. Should I ascend the throne while I lacked a wolf spirit?
I slammed the door behind me, darting my gaze across the room until it landed on the bookshelves.
I picked up both magic books, which sat next to Alice in Wonderland.
I carried them cautiously to my worn-out but sturdy desk under the window.
Anxiety knotted my stomach, but I took a deep breath and steadied myself for whatever awaited within these magical pages.
Two days is all I have.
With my next inhale, the scent of age-old parchment filled my nostrils.
The covers pulsated under my fingertips as if they would burst with magic, ready to be awakened.
If I was correct, my blood would open The Book of Banished Souls—the first book I found with the help of the little butterfly creature.
The second book, The Book of Shadows and Memories, required a spell.
Focusing on the book I could open, I delicately traced the intricate pattern of the daisy wheel symbol on the back cover of the first book.
Unlocking the mysteries held within these pages could change the course of my destiny.
Perhaps it could get me out of being the next Queen and fighting the vampire Queen.
I lacked the courage and strength to lead the werewolves to another war.
My pulse sped up as I touched the dark-blue faded cover, thinking about how I had to spill my blood over it. A chill ran down my spine.
I shifted my gaze to my bandaged palm. I didn’t heal as fast as a werewolf would, which in this case was a blessing.
I unwrapped the bandages. The long cut I’d received in the secret dungeon was pink and raw.
I looked around my desk to find something sharp and pulled the school scissors from the penholder.
Staring at my hand and the scissors caused my stomach to churn. A minor cut while preparing dinner and chopping vegetables was one thing and a different thing to cut myself on purpose.
An unshakable feeling that the key to altering my destiny lay hidden within the pages of the book urged me to press the sharp point of the scissors into the edges of my injury. I couldn’t ignore the insistent tugging in my heart any longer.
The flesh immediately opened and bled, and sharp pain radiated from my palm to my shoulder, but I breathed through it. I swallowed the scream that wanted to escape my mouth.
Gulping air with deep breaths against my rising nausea, I hoped the book would only require a few drops, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the hope I held that my destiny was not predetermined but instead waited to be written.
I lowered my hand over the faded blue fabric, and a few drops trickled down. Then I immediately held the bandages against the injury and put pressure on the wound.
My eyes widened as I watched the blood drops descend gracefully and slowly, defying gravity. As they met the book’s cover, it greedily drank them in, as if starved for the life essence they contained.
Suddenly, the room erupted with vibrant colors, swirling and intertwining like magic ribbons. The book shook as if awakening from hibernation. Its pages turned with a gentle rustle to the middle, but the two top pages were blank.
For a moment, I held my breath, goose bumps prickling on my skin.
Then the two pages lifted up in the air and merged into a single sheet of paper, while the rest of the book exploded in tiny specks of light, disintegrating like the previous one.
Its purpose had been fulfilled. Only the remnants of the magic book swirled around me like stardust.
The only page left descended onto my desk like a feather carried by a soft breeze. Reaching with shaky fingers, I touched the ancient paper, and a surge of tingling warmth spread from my fingertips, coursing through my veins like a gentle electric current.
At first, I thought this sensation felt similar to when my mates touched my skin, but then I realized my connection with the magic page was different. The warmth from the page felt like a comforting embrace, making me feel safe at home.
When I flipped it over, another map concealed within the book pages emerged. A single dot appeared on the map, marking a location of significance. Would this map lead me to another magic weapon? Would it finally lead me to a person to meet face-to-face?
Instinctively, I touched the black dot and felt the invisible force beckoning me to embark on a journey of discovery and destiny. Two days—that was all I had to figure out the location and answer this book’s call.
This map was key to unveiling the truth that had haunted my existence. My blood had awakened a path that promised revelation.
I pulled out my cell phone and compared the map of the country to the one on the paper.
The good news was that the dot resided on the West Coast and close to Los Angeles.
I zoomed out the screen and put the page next to the phone on my desk.
Was it a specific street in Los Angeles?
With no other landmarks on the map, it was difficult to read the exact location.
I typed significant places into the browser’s search box on my phone and received a list of sightseeing locations in Los Angeles—it was a start. The closest one to the black dot was the Griffith Observatory.
The Hollywood sign was also close to the observatory. I darted my gaze between the screen of the phone and the paper map until I decided that the dot pointed to the Hollywood sign. It was my best guess.
A quick search on my phone told me that the Hollywood sign was fenced off and had a high-tech alarm system. Tourists hiked to the closest location and took pictures of the sign from the other side of the fence.
I slid the phone back into my pocket and placed The Book of Shadows and Memories and the map in my backpack. With a thumping heart, I swung open my bedroom door, ready to tiptoe to the car garage.
I yelped as soon as I faced both of my mates. Although they leaned against the wall opposite my bedroom door like they had no care in the world, their supernatural eyes aimed at me with an intensity I didn’t like.
Both men remained silent, and tension filled the air around them. Or was it cracking with electricity?
I sighed heavily.
“I am leaving, and I want you to stay here,” I said, almost laughing at my best attempt to order two massive, dangerous, supernatural men.
Hayden smirked while Torin raised his eyebrows.
“It’s not happening, Princess. We’re coming with you,” Hayden said.
“Unless you want me to carry you over my shoulder,” Torin added.
I narrowed my eyes at the Alpha. So, this was how it was going to be?
“I’ll get the car started,” Hayden said and walked away, disappearing down the stairwell.
Groaning, I locked my eyes with Torin’s heated gaze.
“Have you forgotten the last time when you came with me to Salem?”
He gave me a duh look that made my blood boil.
“That’s why we’re coming with you, Anna.”
“But I don’t want you to get in trouble again. Cordelia is not dead,” I said.
The look Torin gave me told me I could not argue with him and win today. So, I sighed heavily and descended the stairs with Torin behind me.
I wouldn’t change his mind or Hayden’s.
The air in the car grew thick. I tapped my fingers on my knee as an unsettling feeling swirled in my stomach.
We drove for more than an hour, following the GPS instructions to the end of a road in a residential neighborhood with picketed white fences and green lawns. Once we exited the car, we walked to a small pathway between two houses. Behind them stretched an open, brushy field and steep hills.
Following a short hike, we arrived at a netted fence plastered with signs warning of electrifying anyone who dared touch it.
A big white sign attached to the fence said to use the Griffith Observatory to view the Hollywood sign.
But I didn’t want to view it from afar. My destination was the massive white letters where I was sure the dot pointed to on the magic map.
We would have to break the rules and hopefully not hurt ourselves to get close to the sign without even knowing what we would find there.
From a distance, the iconic Hollywood sign appeared majestically nestled atop the hills. The sight of the white letters standing tall against the backdrop of the sprawling city captivated me. The structure must be vast and solid from up close.
The three of us stood in front of the fence, marveling at the sign, when a woman’s voice startled us.
“Perfect timing, my child. I have something to tell you,” Cordelia said.
We whirled around.
“Not again,” I murmured.
It was like déjà vu from Salem. Wherever I went with my witch books, the dark witch followed.
Ugh.
The dark witch was alive and well. And Cordelia was not alone. She was surrounded by a dozen dark, demonic creatures, her pets—the same ones who attacked us in the marble hall at the kingdom. Where did Cordelia find these creatures?
Her alluring gothic appearance drew our attention, but there was also an air of mystery about her. She was small, maybe average height, and no jewelry draped her lithe figure. Her long brown hair cascaded down her shoulders in an even wave.
There was something regal and savage about her, though.
Her demeanor was that of a woman who had been through a lot in her long life and couldn’t be bothered by trivial things.
Her brown eyes were deep and mysterious.
Within their depths, I could sense the vast knowledge and untold secrets she harbored.