Page 27 of A Grave Spell

“Caden—”

“Enough, Elle. Leave it alone.” He turned away from me, punching the towel beneath his head. The finality of his tone sliced through the thin connection we’d made.

I swallowed around the lump in my throat and lay back. The dark no longer felt like a safe haven. His secrets twisted the knot of unease inside my chest, and it was a long time before I fell asleep.

Chapter 10

By the time the sun streamed in through the windows, Caden was gone. I turned my head to stare down at his empty spot on the floor. He’d folded the blanket and the towel, stacking them together in a neat pile.

A note rested on my nightstand, and I reached for it, wondering how he’d slipped out of the room without waking me. It wasn’t a good sign for a demon-hunter to sleep like the dead. Pretty sure it was a good way to end up . . . well, dead.

Caden’s messy handwriting covered the paper. He’d taken the cell phone to a friend and would be gone a day, two tops. His instructions were clear: our investigation was on temporary hold until he returned. No cat burgling, and no demon-hunting. He’d underlined both activities twice with one of my sparkly pens.

“You’re no fun, Caden Bishop,” I mumbled to myself as I stretched my sore muscles. Lucky for him, I had no intention of venturing out on my own. Not when I had classes and a midterm paper to turn in. I might be smack dab in the middle of an early-life crisis, but I still had to graduate. With honors, if possible.

My history class started at nine. The school had assigned a substitute to take over for Professor Roberts for the rest of the semester. I didn’t think attending a class I was already enrolled in counted as investigation, though I’d definitely be on alert.

Rolling out of bed, I shuffled toward the closet. I selected an outfit, showered, and dried my hair. By the time I’d finished, I was starving and had just enough time for a quick stop in the cafeteria before class. Blowing Loki a kiss and promising to go for a walk with him later, I hurried out the door.

I was halfway to the stairwell, fantasizing about an egg and cheese sandwich, when my phone buzzed. Sliding it from my pocket, I frowned at the unknown number. I swiped through to the text message.

Unknown:Take your demon blade with you today.

Looking over my shoulder at the empty hall, I stifled a devious grin and tapped out a response.

Elle:Who is this? Are you trying to reach me about my car’s extended warranty?

Three little dots appeared beneath my message.

Unknown:Very Funny, Graves. Don’t forget the blade. I know you didn’t take it.

Elle:You do not know that.

Changing directions, I hurried back to my room. The blade was still sitting on my nightstand. I placed a finger to my lips to shush Loki to secrecy.

The thing was, I couldn’t very well carry a knife around with me everywhere I went. It wasn’t practical. What if I wanted to wear tennis shoes? Or go through a metal detector. Besides, at this point, I needed to tie a string around my finger to remember to take it with me. And I wasn’t about to give Caden the satisfaction of knowing I’d forgotten.

Tie a string . . .My eyes widened. I had an idea!

Grabbing the energy stones from the shelf above my desk, I arranged them in a circle. I placed the blade in the center. Next, I raided my jewelry box, selecting a chunky bracelet and depositing the piece beside the blade. Sprinkling everything with a dash of chalky powder, I hovered my palms over the circle.

Energy flowed from my hands, amplified by the stones. I murmured an incantation, repeating the chant three times, until the blade took on the shape of a bracelet. The purple stone glittered in the center of a silver cuff. I blew off the dusting of powder and slipped the newly formed bracelet onto my wrist.

Perfect.It was fashionable and functional. A brilliant combination. Now, all I had to do was reverse the spell when I needed to use it. Plus, it would always be within reach.

Admiring my handiwork, I wondered if I could sell these to the council to make some extra cash. Demon blade bracelets might be a hit among the hunters—I could take it internationally, maybe expand into other types of jewelry, make a men’s line. The possibilities and earning potential were endless. My entrepreneurial brain was churning. But first, I had to get to class.

Checking my phone on my way out the door, I noticed Caden had left another text message.

Unknown:Did you get my note?

Elle:I did. It was lovely. I plan on framing it.

Caden responded with an eye roll emoji.

Elle:I’m on my way to the class I had with Professor Roberts now.

Unknown:You need to start cloaking your magic. It was fine before, but now, it’s necessary.