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

13. Lucy

13

Lucy

There were many reasons to take Grace’s advice to heart, even if I didn’t want to. For one, she practiced green magic—which was probably as pure as any goddess could get when attempting to get to the root of a magical situation, no pun intended. My youngest sister, like me, was also single. It was common knowledge among our sisterly coven that a woman not having sex was a witch whose dormant powers were to be reckoned with.

As soon as I left Grace’s greenhouse with the grimoire tucked back into my tote, my mind fogged with more questions than answers. It was as though the soil and plants and Grubs's feisty attitude had somehow thickened my thoughts, forcing me to ground myself. Not to mention that my blood sugar was dangerously low. I couldn’t remember the last real food I ate other than pizza, explaining why I was having a sugar crash.

And the grimoire, despite being doused in the magical soils from Grace's greenhouse, still refused to open.

I agreed with Grace in that I needed to establish some boundaries with Amon, But kiss him? It was highly unlikely that I would follow through with such a strange idea. I got the feeling that Grace’s screaming death beans often told people to do all kinds of crazy things.

How would this kiss feel? Embarrassment twanged in my gut. Was I that hard up that I’d forgotten what it was like to get wrapped into such an intimate moment that was supposed to be reserved for lovers?

An unhealthy amount of pent up emotion curled inside of me just from thinking about pressing my lips to another man, let alone a demon. Maybe I was taking it too seriously. Maybe I should trust what both of my sisters were asking of me.

If a simple kiss could make Amon go back to wherever he came from, then I’d be happy.

My stomach gave a grouchy rumble. It was time to head home and eat some lunch. Once I arrived at the house, Grubs launched himself from my shoulder and busied himself with burrowing into Victoria’s gaudy Halloween decorations. Knowing her, she would keep them up until Thanksgiving. I grabbed what I needed from the pantry, a few slices of bread, peanut butter, and jam from the fridge. I took the sandwich into the living room and plopped onto the sofa. The fabric had tears in it, and probably dirt deep down in its crevasses from back on the farm.

My heart ached when I saw the tear on the arm rest, which Mom tried to patch up. The button on my overalls caught the fabric and tore it wide open the evening after Dad and I returned from my first familiar hunt.

I remember perching next to him on the chair, feeling so big next to him as he sat in the middle and gathered us all around, just to share what had come crawling out of the well. That moment was preserved like a painting in the back of my mind.

Mom’s beef stew was cooking in the kitchen. Grace’s toys were scattered on the floor. Victoria’s homework assignment was strewn across the coffee table. Everyone had big important things going on in their lives, and yet, they all saw me as the most important.

Dad had a way of making all of us women in his family feel like we were the only one.

I shook Dad from my thoughts as the stale scent of dust settled over me. He was here with me in spirit, but still, having him gone for what, seven years now? That felt like an eternity. Cancer had taken him sooner than any of us were ready for.

I stuffed the sandwich into my mouth. Ever since he passed, I saw spirits like shadows. They drifted back and forth, some passing through, others wishing they had more time to linger with their loved ones. Dad said spirits were nothing to be afraid of. I worked the remaining bits of my sandwich into my mouth, trying to process what happened over the past few days. Amon had been haunting my library for at least a month now, and up until I discovered the book, I had acted like his appearance was recent. I became used to his shadowy presences, merely coexisting with it.

The aroma of roses broke my focus.

“Grubs, stop hiding. I can smell you. Get down here, or up here, wherever you are, now .”

“ What’s in it for me? ”

I set my plate down on the coffee table. “How about me not tossing you out the window to fend for yourself with the cold snap coming in?”

The floorboard next to my chair trembled. “ You wouldn’t do that .”

“I would. I need to discuss some things with you about the book, and this demon named Amon. When was the last time that you saw him?”

He manifested next to the patch on the armrest, bursting into appearance in a plume of green smoke. “ I told you. Shadow boy was peeping inside your window. I called him out and said some nasty things in hopes of scaring him away .”

I shivered. Where would a demon go? And if I found him, how would I actually go about this kiss Grace wanted me to go through with?

I squeezed my legs together, suppressing the gentle throb growing there. My mind traveled to Victoria’s present, which I had hiding upstairs. All I could see was Amon’s cold desire-filled eyes lusting after me.

No—he wants the book .

It isn’t me he wants, right?

My phone chimed, which I grabbed from my pocket. Victoria texted me.

What did Grace have to say about the grimoire?

I danced my thumbs over the screen, wishing I had a better reply.

She said it’s probably just a fluke and to try and find a home for it.

No way was I telling her about the kissing advice Grace gave me.

My phone buzzed as she called instead, probably knowing that there was more to the situation. “Tell Grace that her screaming death beans aren’t doing their job.”

“What do you want?”

“Tonight they’re having some local author event at Shadow Daddy’s bar! Would you be my date?”

I cringed. I’d walked by that grungy place loads of times, but I hadn’t actually been inside. I always imagined it to be more of a biker stop than an event venue. But if Amon was anywhere, he’d likely be hiding out in some place named after the magic demons practiced, right?

“It starts at seven,” Victoria chimed in. “Look, Halloween was a bust. This is our chance to have some real fun. I’ll be home from the vet clinic in an hour and we can get all jazzed up! Who knows, maybe you and I will snag ourselves a demon.”

I glanced at my calendar hanging on the wall. Why did I feel like I was forgetting something?

“Tutoring!” I cried, jumping up and grabbing my tote. “I have a new kid coming into the library this morning!”

Ten minutes later, I arrived at the library. I was such an idiot having spaced my reading tutoring appointment. A young boy sat outside the library entrance, propped on the curb. His shoulders were hunched forward as he’d drawing something with the chalk we kept outside for the kids to play with. By the time I approached the sidewalk, I could see what he had drawn. A giant gnarled tree, one that oddly resembled the tree I’d been having visions of.

Next to the pail of chalk were a few paper crafts strewn on the sidewalk—origami?

I stopped next to the boy, huffing. “I’m so sorry, how long have you been waiting?”

“It’s all right,” he said, standing. He handed me the folded piece of origami—a rose. “Are you Lucy?”

I took the paper rose, which was oddly heavy. “I am. I’m the children’s librarian who was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago.”

His face brightened in a way I couldn’t tell if he was upset, or pleased. His expression was difficult to read. The boy had hair as thick and wiry as Amon’s. His eyes were far apart, oddly so. Their color was brownish-green. He had lanky arms with big hands and feet. He hadn't yet grown into his body. Definitely a tween. “Hi, Lucy. My name is Jeremy.”

“Did your parents just drop you off?” I asked, confused.

Jeremy shook his head. “No. I walked. I live outside of town near a farm. ”

That was odd. Even I knew the closest farm town from here was at least an hour away if you drove. He would have had to start walking before the sun rose to get here by this time.

“Well, Jeremy, I’m glad you are here. I apologize for being late. I hope you will let me make it up to you.”

Jeremy’s smile returned. “Gladly.”

I unlocked the door. “The children’s area is right around the corner. Why don’t you grab a few books that you like, and I’ll be in to set up, okay?”

He nodded, not looking me in the eye. I swore I saw a spider scurry away from his foot as he walked by.

Jeremy moved quickly through the entryway, disappearing into the children’s section before I turned on the lights.

A musky odor filled the library as I followed him. Maybe he hadn’t taken a bath in a few days. As I set up a reading station by pushing a few tables and chairs together, he walked through the stacks, collecting books and returning to me.

“Do you have any snacks?” he asked as he set the books down on the table.

I grabbed the cauldron from a nearby desk. “I have some leftover Halloween candy.”

“I don’t know if candy is good enough for my appetite. I’m rather hungry.” When he replied, he flashed his teeth, which were incredibly white. They were almost too big for his mouth. “I wish you could read a story from that book you had on Halloween.”

“Were you at the story time yesterday?”

His grin widened. “I was. ”

“I don’t remember seeing you.”

He shrugged. “I was wearing a costume. I don’t think you would recognize me.” He grabbed a few crayons and started sketching on the blank paper I’d laid out for him. “Well? Do you have that book?”

“I left it at home.”

“Where did you find it?”

“It’s a secret.”

Something shifted behind his eyes. “That’s too bad. I feel like I really would have devoured that story.”

My magic pulsed in my fingers, the sensation oddly cold instead of warm. Something was off about this boy. His appetite didn't seem normal. But I wasn’t supposed to judge. We got a lot of kids from low income families at the library who just needed more in their lives other than reading guidance.

He grabbed a book from his pile and scooted it toward me. “I thought this one might be good to read from.”

My fingers burned. The book had a tree on it that reminded me of the one I’d been seeing. The white eyes hiding in the tree’s hollow flashed before me as Jeremy opened the book.