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Chapter Nineteen

ETHAN

Every muscle in my body tenses while Raj spins towards the secret bookcase-door we’ve just entered, protecting our backs. “Have you set it off?”

I don’t blame Ayo for not realising there was another ward. He’s not trained to double-check everything like we are, and he’s clearly comfortable in the spooky library as well as in this secret room.

He’s quiet for a few very long moments while he gets that slightly unnerving vacant look he always has when examining or working on wards, then blinks back to life.

“No, it’s a family-only ward, I think. I’ve not seen one like this before but I did read about them.

Nyoka must have discovered someone accessed this space and set it up afterwards.

I’m fine to be in here, but you two definitely aren’t. ”

“Can you adjust it like the others?” Raj asks.

Ayo does the blank-stare thing again. “Maybe, if I can convince it you’re both family. It might be quicker to just get what we’re here for and leave.”

I clench my fists to stop myself from reaching out and just grabbing him. I’ve hated every single time we’ve been separated by a ward, but knowing this is one he’s potentially not going to let us through? My wolf is not happy.

The small, windowless room has red hangings that cover every inch of wall space.

Each one has an enormous gold Celtic shield knot woven into the centre of it.

There’s a red rug on the floor with a gold border and a golden owl woven into the centre.

On twelve oak stands around the room, eleven grimoires sit, all closed and each one unique.

“What are the chances the one we need is the one that goes on that empty stand?” I ask.

Ayo’s scent, which apparently crosses the ward, fills with an aching sadness that has me wanting to take him in my arms and comfort him.

Which I can’t do because there’s a fucking family-only ward between us, and as much as I consider him family, we aren’t bonded yet.

I won’t risk setting off the ward for anything less than life and death, no matter how much I want to.

Ayo clears his throat. “That stand is for my mum’s grimoire. Qadir added it after she died. I could never bring myself to leave it in here, though.”

Ah, that explains his emotions. I know for a fact that particular grimoire is safely back at our flat.

“So one of these should be the correct one.” The question is, which one?

“There are a couple lost to time that don’t have stands, so let’s hope it’s not one of those,” Ayo says, scent filling with determination, which is a relief.

“Are we grabbing them all, then?” Raj asks.

“Or would a seeking spell work?” I ask.

Ayo tilts his head in thought, then grimaces. “No, unfortunately not. If I had read the page myself and had a clear image of it in my mind, then maybe, but my memories are too vague. We’re going to have to borrow all of them.”

I don’t bother to comment about the time it’s going to take to go through each grimoire back at the office or my flat in order to find if Ayo’s memory of the story translates into a real spell someone could use. We don’t need doubts right now.

“In that case, let’s get moving. You hand them out to us and we’ll carry them.

” I don’t like neither Raj nor I having our hands free, but if necessary I’ll dump them all on Raj and deal with any threats myself.

Ayo’s also now as well placed to handle any magical threats as I am, thanks to his training.

“Let me just… Fuck.” Ayo pulls a face at the nearest grimoire, a big, heavy-looking thing with an embossed navy blue cover. “They’re spelled.”

Raj and I exchange a concerned glance. We’re already at the point that I want to get us moving out of here. Staying in one place for too long is one of the easiest ways to get caught.

“Like a ward?” I check.

Ayo shakes his head. “More like a pressure plate. There’s a spell on the stand, not the grimoire itself since all grimoires are magically protected from the spells of others. It looks like it’s designed to allow the grimoire to be read in place but not removed.”

I rein in the string of expletives that want to escape at that news. Getting worked up won’t change anything—something I’ve learnt through long experience of missions going wrong in various ways—and Ayo needs me to remain calm.

“Can you bypass the spells? Because, sweet thing, we don’t have time to read each one.”

“Yeah, no. Of course we don’t. Umm… I don’t…” Ayo looks at all eleven grimoires a little helplessly.

Fuck, I need to get to him. This ward is pissing me off.

“Hey, look at me.” I wait until he meets my eyes.

“You’re the most powerful sorcerer I’ve ever encountered, and I’m including my own father in that.

If anyone can do this, it’s you. So you’re going to figure out a way to get these grimoires off their stands and then get out of here so we can figure out who the real murderer is.

We can’t do magic, sweet thing, but we’re right here with you. You’re not alone.”

Frankly, the coven are idiots for not putting Ayo in charge. He’s powerful, talented, and kind; a rare combination. It does make me wonder whether Nyoka has been deliberately putting Ayo down for years in order to keep his position as coven leader. Could he have been sabotaging Ayo somehow?

Ayo swallows hard, then nods, his scent filling with determination as he straightens his spine and takes a deep breath. “You’re right.”

“You said they’re like pressure plates. What happens if the pressure is removed?” I can’t imagine it would be an explosion, not when that would potentially destroy the grimoires.

Ayo frowns at the stand in front of him, the scent of his magic crossing the ward. “A blasting spell designed to knock out whoever lifts the grimoire. The grimoire is protected from spells, so it gives others time to rush in and find the thief before they come round.”

“Could you raise a personal shield against that?” I ask.

Ayo immediately shakes his head. “Not entirely. There’s an alarm element built in, so while I could protect myself, everyone would still be alerted.”

“Let’s not do that,” Raj says dryly.

“Agreed. Can you trick the spell into thinking the grimoire is still there?” I ask.

Ayo blinks at me, then turns back to the stand. “Huh.”

At first, I’m not sure whether that’s a good response or not, but as time ticks on and he gets that adorable wrinkle in his nose as the scent of his magic gets stronger and stronger, I figure he’s getting somewhere.

It takes ten agonising minutes before he picks up the grimoire, takes the few steps to get to me, and hands it through the ward. He gets to work on the next one while Raj and I only manage not to fidget through hard-won experience.

I know we can’t rush Ayo, but knowing there are eleven grimoires? I really don’t want to be here for two more hours. The sun rises so early this time of year that there’s a risk someone will wake up and discover us on our way out.

Fortunately, the second only takes five minutes, and the third, two minutes. In a little over half an hour, Raj and I have eleven grimoires between us and Ayo looks ready to drop.

I juggle the grimoires I’m carrying into one arm. The moment Ayo crosses back through the ward, I use my free arm to pull him in close. “Well done, sweet thing. That was amazing. Now, do you feel able to head back out there so we can return the keys?”

We can leave Nyoka’s keys somewhere in the manor if need be, but I’d much rather return them and have our activities go unnoticed for as long as possible. Or we could take the keys with us and really piss him off.

Hmm, that’s not a bad idea…

Ayo nods, but he’s leaning against me heavily. My wolf whines, nudging me to care for our mate. Yeah, we’re definitely abandoning the plan to return the keys to Nyoka’s desk.

I tap my earbud to activate it. “Sierra two-four, Sierra three-seven, over.”

Jet’s voice in my ear is a relief since I wasn’t sure if it would work through these walls. “ Sierra three-seven, go ahead, over. ”

“Request immediate backup at Indigo Papa two, over.”

“ Roger that, over and out. ”

“What…?” Ayo asks, his voice slurred. Shit, I think he’s close to passing out.

“Backup is on the way. Let’s move.” The sooner we get out of here, the better.

I support Ayo while he sluggishly locks the door to the grimoire room.

Raj listens at the bookcase, then presses the stone in the wall that Ayo used to close the secret door in the first place.

Raj leads us through and before we can even ask, Ayo points to a particular book on the nearest bookcase—not the original one since that’s hidden at the moment.

Raj presses it and the door slides back into place.

Jet and Kit rush around the corner, looking ready to do battle. I probably should have made my message clearer.

Oh well.

“Kit, here.” I hand him the grimoires I’m carrying and immediately lift Ayo into my arms, more concerned than ever when my sorcerer comes without protest. “Let’s get out of here. Jet, take point.”

“Wait,” Ayo mumbles, then holds up the keys, which weirdly jangle together without making a sound. He must have cast a silencing spell on them.

“You don’t have the energy to return them through that ward, sweet thing.”

“Kitchens,” he murmurs.

Since that’s one of our possible ways out, then as long as the lady from before isn’t still wandering around, it isn’t a detour. Fortunately she isn’t, although why Ayo insists on putting the keys inside a jar in the huge fridge, I have no idea.

Keys wiped of prints and ditched, we make a run for it.