A Demon’s Book Of Shadows (Witches & Demons #1)

7. Lucy

7

Lucy

I ended up shop-lifting, but unintentionally. It was the only way I could escape Target without getting a trillion quills lodged inside of my palm. When a hedgehog appeared in the lingerie aisle of Target, what was a witch supposed to do? Apparently, you ran the fuck out of there, cackling like a crazy person hyped up on goblin green jellybeans with bags bulging full of orange and purple thongs.

I had about twenty pairs of panties that didn’t fit me, so I’d have to run by Grace’s place later. She managed to snag the rogue hedgehog and wanted me to see the hidey hut in her greenhouse she had planned for it. The only thing that might help me later was the purple witch hat I’d swiped.

Without faltering, I arrived at the library two minutes before we opened. Eve’s car was parked on the street. Thank goodness she was here to open. I just had to get through the Halloween reading program I’d volunteered for this morning. Only Grubs would be there with me. I'd planned on feeding him some of Grace's jellybeans to put his grumbly little tummy into a coma.

Speaking of Grubs, where was he ?

I walked up to the dragon tree perched atop the bookshelf. It looked a little frumpy. A stale aroma filled the children’s area. A trail of something brown and damp surrounded the tree.

Was it dirt? Mud? Great. Whatever escaped Grace’s tree, I really hope that it wouldn’t be a problem later on. Familiars were known to wreak havoc, especially on Halloween.

I grabbed a few books with spooky themes and organized the beanbags, chairs, and cushions around the chair I’d later sit on.

“Hey, Lucy Goosey,” Eve said, poking her head in. Her nose ring with a skull dangling from the center wiggled. “I like your hat, but have you checked your email?”

“No, why?” I replied, straightening my hat so that it didn't tilt sideways.

Her black lipstick twisted as she frowned. “You might want to.”

I set my books down, tugging out my phone. My inbox had the message icon lit up in the corner.

As soon as I clicked on the link, the message title from my boss appeared.

The YMCA Saturday Spook Camp closed due to plumbing issues, meaning you will have fifty children coming your way at 11 AM.

I nearly dropped my Target bag of Halloween décor. And here I was thinking that I would have five, maybe ten kids with parents tops in my story time program.

Shit. . . fifty of them?

“Can I help you set up anything?” Eve asked.

“Scratch all of this. I’m going to need to open up the bookshelves for this crowd.”

Eve grabbed one shelf, and I grabbed another. Together, we shifted them sideways. I didn’t even have my books picked out.

I jerked my hand as tendrils of smoke began to uncoil from the skull decoration I tried not to knock over. Beneath the bookshelf was a liquid black stain. The inky color reminded me of oil. Where was this mess coming from?

This was an absolute horror to walk into. What would happen if I couldn’t clean it up in time?

Not only was there a stain, a giant person-sized hole was staring up at me. I blinked a few times. This couldn’t really be a hole, was it? Grubs did mention that he was going to set up some precautions to keep the demon away. I was used to finding his trails tunneled through book spines.

But this ?

I was going to kill my bookworm. He dug a hole to fucking China. Not only that, but a horrible smell was rising out of it.

Black smoke crept across the bottom of the bookshelves, issuing up in small white puffs. As the smoke cleared, a book came into view.

What the heck was a dirty, nasty-looking book doing here?

The moment I touched the spine, my hair stood on end. This book was definitely not part of our collection.

Flashes of yellow electricity spiraled from my fingers. Okay. A magical book was randomly here in the library? Did Grubs dig it up?

What if it was the grimoire the demon had been hunting for ?

I explored the spine, searching for some kind of identification. Lumpy pieces of foreign items stuck out of the binding that reminded me of stones.

Or were they bones ?

The pages were thick and uneven. Gritty textures pulsed beneath my fingers, brimming with magic.

Tendrils of smoke coalesced around the bookshelf. The demon was here, again. My witch hat was nearly knocked off my head as he manifested before me.

At first glance, I didn’t recognize him. His face was far too beautiful and masculine. From his wide cheekbones to his angular jaw. His features reminded me of a marble sculpture with the hard, sharp lines next to the darkness of his shadows.

“Don’t move. Whatever you do, don’t open it,” he breathed, his villainous shadows reaching for me.

I backed away from him, clutching the book to my chest. A great weight settled into my heart as my magic pulsed, sending out a violent flood of energy. The tendrils of his shadows retreated as a magical barrier between us fell into place.

While I held the book, he couldn’t touch me.

“Set the book down,” he snapped in a sharp tone.

Part of me wanted to listen. Another part wanted to rebel. I dug my fingers into the leather binding, which felt more like damp earth. “Why should I listen to you?”

“This grimoire is not something a witch who abstains from practicing magic should be playing with.”

My fingers ignited. Abstain ? His choice of words was strange .

Was he mocking my magical talents?

I clutched the book to my chest, feeling a wave of rebellious energy pulse through me. “Why don’t I just read something from it then?”

His eyes answered before his lips did, a sneer crinkling them. “Then be prepared to live with the consequences.”

Heat branched up my spine as the pages thickened beneath my fingers. Something in this book was calling to me, begging me to unleash whatever it was. But the force was not only inside the book—it was brimming inside of me . An ancient rhythm pulsed through my hands as fluid as the changing seasons.

The demon evaporated, leaving me staring at Eve. “Showtime. I’m letting them in.”

The book pulsed beneath my fingers. Was the spine actually quivering? Lumpy textures bulged and retracted as I struggled to keep my grip. Whatever was inside of it, I was willing to take a chance with the consequences if it meant wiping that smirk off the demon's devilishly handsome face.

Families began to pile into the story time area. So much for giving myself enough time to round up some reading material. The book trembled beneath my fingers. Why not see what stories were locked inside of it instead?

I emerged from the stacks, walking into the circle of my eager onlookers. Many of the kids were dressed up in Halloween costumes, ready for their spooky evening of trick-or-treating. Groups of witches, ghosts, some Ninja Turtles, and a few devils stared up at me. Smiles dimpled the few faces I could see .

“Is everyone ready for a spooky tale today?” I asked, and I swore the book groaned.

The kids erupted into a fit of screaming.

I smirked. Fuck that demon. I’d show him what it meant to abstain from my magical practice. I had one special circumstance that I allowed myself to indulge in magic—reading.

I closed my eyes, feeling for any flares of heat from the grimoire. The moment my eyelids snapped shut, an image flashed behind them. A tree branched through my vision. The bark was as black as night. The only reason I could see its outline was from the lightning illuminating the purple sky.

Screaming erupted, breaking the vision.

My eyes flew open. All of the children were pointing and screaming at me.

“It’s a monster!” one of the children screamed.

The bookshelves began to quake.

Kids jumped up, screaming as black smoke filled the room. The book escaped from my hands, landing on the ground. The cover flew open, and windswept pages flipped over one another. The pages stopped as the shadows thickened around me.

A single sentence bled across the parchment.

Amon, I’m coming for you.