Page 21 of With the Potion in the Courtyard

They grinned.

Branches from a tree outside brushed against the window as the wind blew, and I sighed. "I wish we were outside frolicking in the grass."

"Frolicking?" Jessie asked, lifting a brow.

"Yes." I gave a sharp nod. "I wish we were dancing around, giggling, and rolling around in the grass.This room is starting to feel like a prison. A really bleak prison that I’m itching to escape from."

Jessie gave me a look. "Feeling a bit dramatic today?"

I gave another loud sigh. "Maybe. It’s just that every spell we find only has one or two ingredients from the spell we’re trying to identify. None of them are right, and I feel like we could spend forever here and not find what we’re looking for."

"Is there maybe a spell we could try?" Robbie asked in a hopeful voice.

Jessie wrinkled up her nose. "It’s hard to try to find something when we don’t know what it is."

"Fair enough," I said, then looked down at the table. "I guess we’ll just have to keep trying. Jaylyn is missing. Fingers are being pointed in my direction. If looking for a needle in a haystack is–"

"Hey, what are you all doing here?" The voice was smooth, almost musical, and it cut through our brainstorming session like a hot knife through butter.

There he was, Lucifer, standing there with a book tucked under his arm. "Being A Great Dad For Dummies," the cover read. Hissurprise seemed genuine, as if we were the interlopers in his personal study.

"Lucifer? What are you—" I said but stopped myself. It wasn’t every day you bumped into the ruler of Hell in the school library.

He grinned. "What are you?"

"Research," Jessie answered before I could think of anything better to say. She always did have a knack for being direct.

"Research," he arched an eyebrow. "On?"

I hesitated, then figured why not, it's not like we could hide anything from him. "Our schoolmate disappeared. We found this piece of glass and a list of ingredients for a potion."

"Is that right?" He stepped closer to peer at the parchment we’d laid flat on the table. "Mind if I take a look?"

"Sure," I said, sliding the list toward him. What was the worst that could happen?

"Interesting," he scanned the list. His lips quirked up in a half-smile, and then he glanced up at us with those knowing eyes. "Good luck with your research."

"Thanks," I said, though my gratitude wavered on the edge of uncertainty. Because when Lucifer wishes you luck, you can't help but wonder if you'll need it. He walked deeper into the library.

"Okay, what exactly is he doing?" Robbie whispered, fixed on the spot where Lucifer had vanished between the stacks.

I shrugged and turned back to the pile of books in front of us. "Who knows with him? Let's just keep looking."

Jessie nodded, pulling another heavy tome toward her.

We were so engrossed in comparing ingredients lists that we didn't hear him coming back. The sudden slam of a book on the table made us all jump. I looked up to see Lucifer standing there, a smug look on his face.

"Thought you could use a little help," he gave us one of those winks that made you feel like you were in on some secret joke, but also that the joke might be on you.

"Uh, thanks?" Jessie eyedthe book warily.

Without another word, Lucifer strolled over to the librarian's desk and started tapping away at the computer. He pulled out a laminated card from his pocket and swiped it through the checkout scanner.

"Wait, how do you even have a library card?" Robbie asked as Lucifer finished up.

"Let's just say I'm full of surprises," Lucifer said with a grin, then flashed the card at us before it disappeared back into his jacket. In a blink, he was gone, leaving behind only the echo of his laughter and the faint scent of brimstone.

"Did that just happen?" I asked, still staring at the empty spot where he'd been.