Page 38 of Unraveled (A Kingdom of Beasts and Ruins #1)

I shift my new amulet in my hands, feeling the gentle power that graces my fingertips.

The small voice differs from my old necklace, but it’s warm and friendly, unlike Finley’s ring.

I never expected magical jewelers could craft a sorcerer’s amulet into something as simple as a hairpin.

I’m happy I was wrong. Smiling, I trace the gold petals that make a flower with a beautiful ruby set in the middle.

It’s fitting that somehow I ended up with a magical artifact shaped like a rose.

“I can’t believe you found an amulet in that shop,” Finley says.

Both men have been very vocal about my ability to sense magic items as we walked past the jewelry stands on our way to the market. The shop manager, an old woman who could have been five-hundred-years-old, was delighted to be rid of such an insignificant item, and for such an exorbitant price.

Ten gold coins. It would have taken me months to save that much with my librarian salary.

“Are you happy with it?” Nera asks from my side as we both examine the rose-shaped pin.

“Yes.” I secure it in the waves of my hair, and I already feel a hundred times better than I did with the ring. “I like that it’s small.”

Much more than that, I love the gentleness of its voice. But I keep that last thought to myself. I’m quickly learning that being able to hear objects isn’t normal, even for magical beings like the fae.

We walk down the busy streets to the address of the lunar dance. It’s the only invitation Marlena saved, and it’s not terribly far from the manor.

Hedrum is even more breathtaking at night than it was through the carriage window.

The gas lanterns spill their yellow light onto the paved roads, and people make their way from shop to shop wearing their finest colorful clothing.

The buildings change from markets to homes encased behind manicured hedges.

Music drifts on the air, drowning out even the shouts of the sellers we leave behind.

Finley fetches the invitation from the pocket of his coat, unrolls the thick parchment, and reads in silence before pointing to our left, where a river of people flows. “Seems that’s our host.”

We stroll past brass gates stained with age, held straight by thick white columns. Greenery spills onto a stonework patio where guests with tall flutes of champagne mingle while a guard checks their invitations.

I know I’ve changed on a deeper level the moment the elaborate crown molding, chandeliers, and curved stairways don’t shock me. I guess next to the castle, this place seems almost mundane. Even a month ago, I would have gawked at the elegant details, or the painting on the ceilings.

The music of multiple violins drifts through the dance floor. There’s no way the sound of these instruments would travel so easily over the loud conversations and the clicking of crystal glasses without the aid of magic.

Nera’s gloved hands wrap around Ash’s bicep. “Come, I’ve been waiting for this for far too long.”

“I thought you hated dancing with me...” he says, but he lets Nera drag him into the crowd of dancers in the middle of the room.

I always dreamed Irene and I would be close enough to be friends, like they are. A part of me is jealous of their relationship. And another part realizes how broken my family was. Full of secrets, snide remarks, and manipulation.

Finley and I remain on the edges, watching the couples twirl around the dance floor. The two fae hide in plain sight as they enjoy this moment away from their curse.

Finley dips his face close to my ear, and his voice is barely loud enough to break through the noise, so not even the crowd behind us can hear our conversation.

“I can’t believe all these people are celebrating a fae holiday when we’re struggling in the castle the way we are.

It’s not that I think people should never have any fun because fae are fading into madness or turning to statues, but looking the other way while it happens seems cold.

I just wish—I wish Ash did more to fight this. ”

My heart tightens as I take in Finley’s expression. There’s a lot of anger there—shame too. It’s plain to see as he watches the festivities around us.

I clear my throat, hoping to lighten the mood. “I’ve never been to a lunar celebration before. Were they always like this?”

“No, they were better when everyone could roam without being hunted. Regardless of species. It’s why Nera wanted to come so badly.”

“I’m glad we could come,” I admit, meeting Ash’s gaze as he and Nera cut through the crowd.

Time slows and even the music fades. And then, in the quiet that follows, I hear small voices that don’t speak the human language.

It’s not my new amulet, but sounds similar.

Not a person, then, but a magical object.

He is here ... I think the whispers say.

Ours .

He’s here .

Every hair in my body rises. Ash breaks his eye contact and returns his attention to Nera. The music resumes.

I glance around, trying to find the source, but all I can hear are the stringed instruments and my loud breathing. It’s like someone is playing a joke, and I’m failing to find it funny.

“It’s your new amulet working better than my ring?” Finley asks, pulling my attention back to him.

“It’s like night and day,” I say, though the pressure in my stomach is building again.

“How does it work? Does this one also speak to you, but it’s less hostile?”

Wiping my sweaty hands over the skirt of my dress, I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. I don’t want to sound crazy, but then again, Finley doesn’t appear to be judging me. It’s more like he’s actually curious—worried, even.

“Your ring wasn’t necessarily hostile. Its alliance is to you, not me, which made it unhappy to be on my hand. I don’t know how it works, to be honest.”

“I’ve never met someone who can understand magical items as you seem to, but strange gifts are given to those with mixed blood.” He clears his throat. “Did mine tell you anything unusual?”

“No. I sense waves of feelings, and sometimes I can understand them. Like when my mother’s necklace refused to part from Nera the night she almost killed Ash, but it still helped me restrain her.”

Finley hums, not saying anything else. We stand in silence for what feels like an eternity, but I want to dance. Perhaps that’ll help drive away the tension in my body. I get the impression he won’t ask me though—not after how hesitant he was when I held his arm earlier.

Finley stares over my head, and his skin has gone a shade of green.

“I’m going to get us something to drink.

Wait here.” It’s as if he found someone in the crowd.

My heart leaps and I turn to follow his retreating shape, but I can’t see anyone in particular, and soon his body blends with everyone else.

Now that I’m alone, I can follow the pull of the strange voices. They feel distant yet persistent, coming from somewhere in this house. And I’ve heard voices like this before, back in the library when the stolen grimoires called to me.

What if there are fae books? I crane my neck to find Ash and Nera still spinning across the dance floor, whispering to each other. I stand there, hoping one of them will glance my way so I can beckon them over and share what I’m feeling.

But then, what if I’m wrong and I steal this moment away from Nera, this small reprieve from her reality, for nothing?

I can’t trust I have a handle on whatever this is.

I reach for the pin in my hair, and it buzzes against my fingertips, whispering something that feels like reassurance.

Perhaps I just need to inspect the area casually, make sure I’m not imagining things.

He is here . . . they say.

I squeeze myself through the sea of people, across the dimly lit dance floor, following the voices blindly.

I pass under an archway with ornate carvings painted in olive greens and into a wide hallway decorated with paintings of humans.

Here, away from the crowd, I can hear their whispers more clearly.

My amulet vibrates against my skull as I step into the emptiness ahead.

There are no guests here, not even staff handing out glasses of wine, so it’s much easier to discern the strange pull that’s brought me to this place.

He is here .

Ours .

He’s here . Not a human language, but the same as the forbidden books in Penumbra.

I know without a shadow of doubt there are fae grimoires stashed away in this place.

My amulet’s shaking intensifies with every step that draws me closer. The hair on the back of my neck stands up as I reach for a door handle and push it open. The light of the hall spills into the dark room, illuminating carpeted floors, and a strange tangled sheet moving...

A moan pierces the shadows, and I freeze. Not a sheet, but almost-torn-up clothes. In the darkness, two bodies move together over the couch.

My face burns as I step back into the hall and close the door softly. I doubt I went unnoticed, they just didn’t care enough to stop. I press my cool fingers to my hot neck, and my helpful brain feeds me an image of Ash’s naked chest. And a memory of the softness of his lips.

I shouldn’t be here, prancing through the empty halls of a stranger’s home by myself, especially if they have stolen grimoires hidden somewhere.

I make my way back to the dance. I should let Ash know what I’m hearing, and perhaps he’ll have a better plan for what to do.

What if he gifted the grimoires to the owner of this place?

I could get us kicked out of these celebrations and ruin Nera’s night for no reason.