Page 63

“He can’t exactly answer you if he’s dead…” Puck called from the mouth of the alley, Tess safely at his side. Nik let up only enough for the young man to take a gasping breath, his eyes flashing from me to Nik.

“I only want the grimoire,” he spit out, gasping down as much air as he could manage.

“Wrong answer,” Nik pushed against his throat once more and the young man started flailing wildly, pulling and clawing at Nik’s arm with all his strength.

“Let him talk, I want to know what he knows. He told me he was a dream walker,” I told Nik as I came up behind him, resting my hand on his shoulder. Nik released him with a push and the young man doubled over, loosening the cloak at his neck and coughing to catch his breath.

“Time to talk. What do you want with Diana? And make it fast, I don’t have a lot of patience left with you.” Nik’s eyes were hard as the young man glared up at him.

“I’m a dream walker, the same as her.” He nodded towards me while he rubbed at his neck. “I was in the lab, transcribing an incredibly important spell, when I heard someone coming. I left the dream, but not before I saw her. I saw her walking down the spiral staircase to the lab.” He fell into another fit of coughs before finally catching his breath.

“When I went back into the dream, the grimoire was gone,” he finished.

“It’smyfamily’s grimoire. What do you want with it?” I asked, “And how were you even able to open it? It doesn’t open for just anyone.”

“That’s right,it doesn’t open for just anyone. Only foryourblood. For Kotova blood.”

“Kotova blood?” I asked, confused. Nik didn’t turn from the young man but I could see his mouth was set in a hard line. Had he heard of this before?

“That’s right. It is the Kotova family grimoire, after all…” the young man said slowly, as if he was stating the obvious.

“But my last name is Barnes,” I told him.

“Maybe in the mortal realm your last name is Barnes, but here, in Istmere, it’s Kotova. You wouldn’t have been able to open the grimoire otherwise. You are a direct descendant of the Kotova bloodline. The grimoire has never picked someone who isn’t of the Kotova bloodline.Never,” he told me, pressing back against the stone wall and taking a deep gasping breath, his hands braced on his knees.

“Then how did you open it? You must be of Kotova blood as well?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course.” He shrugged, as if this was common knowledge.

“Well then, who are you?” I asked.

“If I tell you who I am, will you let me finish the spell I was transcribing?” he asked, hopeful.

“No,” Nik and I both replied in unison. This time he did turn to meet my eyes with a gaze I couldn’t read.

The young man’s shoulders sagged as he released a heavy sigh. He expected this answer.

“The grimoire didn’tchooseme, it didn’t come to me. I found it while I was dream walking. Because it didn’t choose me, I couldn’t take it out of the dream with me the way you did. I could only open it because of the blood that runs through my veins. The Kotova grimoire has been hidden for over adecade. It’s a miracle I ever found it, even if it was only in a dream. I have been searching for it foryears.”

“You are not getting your hands on that grimoire,” I sighed, exasperated. “I will ask you again, who are you?”

“The name’s Tyr, nice to meet you.” He grimaced, running a hand down his face in defeat.

“And how, exactly, do we both have Kotova blood, Tyr?” I asked.

“I’m fairly certain I’m your cousin.”

“Mycousin?” I asked, incredulous. My dad had been an only child. My mom had both a sister and a brother, but my uncle never had children. My aunt had a girl that wascertainlynot this young man that stood before me now.

Tyr responded with a nod, glancing quickly at Nikolai whose face remained unchanged. “Your mother was my mother’s sister,” Tyr spit out, untying the cloak at his neck to reveal a deep red mark forming across his throat from Nik’s arm. I shook my head back and forth furiously. None of this made any sense.

“Aunt Ellorie only had one child, my little cousin Maggie. It’s not possible,” I told him.

“Afraid I’ve revealed some family secrets then, haven’t I?” Tyr appeared uncomfortable as he rubbed at the sore spot on his throat. “Not my intent. Nor was it my intent to…harm you. I only want to borrow the grimoire so I can finish the spell. It’s exceptionally important, and I lost my temper a bit. That’s all.”

“The next time you lay hands on her,” Nikolai seethed, “will be the last time you have hands. Or breathe, for that matter. Do you understand, boy?”

“Yes, sir.” Tyr nodded enthusiastically. “As I said, not my intention. I saw her over here and I lost my temper. I only need the grimoire if only for a minute—”