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

40. Amon

40

Amon

The crystal I had discovered in the Bone Threader’s stomach was not just a crystal—it was an artistic tool from my mother’s medicine bundle. The magic locked inside had the earthly power created by familiars, which she was very connected to, even in death. In his greed to devour her magic, the Bone Threader had accidently bitten off more than he could chew. The crystal had sprung upon him as quickly as Dad, my brothers and I all purged out of his stomach.

I sat in my tattoo parlor, pondering what to do with what remains of the wendigo. I shook the crystal, and he raised his fist at me. He was forever trapped, until I decided how to return his spirit back to the Summoning. Maybe I would turn his greedy hide into a grimoire.

There were two things a wendigo could not cannibalize. One being death, the other being the colorful pigments that brought a painting to life. This crystal had been my mother’s tool for grinding up bookworm cocoons to create her pigments.

For the past couple of weeks, I’d been working on a piece of artwork, painted with a crow feather. I’d put the final details on it this morning. There was a certain witch I knew who would be able to read it better than any of my shadows.

Lucy’s grouchy bookworm was no longer a worm, but a vibrant glowing ball of light that refused to leave my shoulder. He inched close to my ear, whispering unsolicited opinions about the colors I was borrowing from his kind to finish my painting.

“ Stop adding details and show it to her already ,” he griped.

I set down the feather. Once the ink was dry, I knew who I needed to finally share this painting with.

I coalesced inside of the public library, my senses finely attuned to the witch I was searching for. Lucy’s aura lit up the bookshelves in a bluish-purple glow, offsetting the others.

She was tucked behind the shelves, crouched down near the bottom. A patch of skin showed on her lower back, a blank canvas I desired to mark.

She rose from the ground, turning to face me. Her eyes went wide as her mouth dropped open.

Before I could take a step toward her, she leapt into the air, wrapping her arms around me.

“Amon,” she whispered as I was enveloped by her sweet, intoxicating scent, “where have you been?”

I breathed her in, feeling whole again. I didn’t want to let her go. Not now, not ever .

She unraveled her arms from my neck but kept her belly pressed flat against me. “My mom and my sisters said you would show up. I didn’t believe them.”

“I had to sort some things out with the Bone Threader.”

She slammed her fist into my shoulder. “Why couldn’t you just tell me that? The last I saw you, your shadows. . .” Her voice trailed away, but an undertone of curiosity lingered as she grabbed my arm, rolling up my sleeve. “Where are your tattoos?”

“My shadows are whole again, thanks to you,” I said as I took her hand and brought it to my lips. She flushed crimson, and I knew exactly where I wanted to take this.

Lowering her hand, I trailed my fingers through her hair, removing a strand away from her face. “Can you forgive me?”

“Only if you keep doing that,” she breathed, her voice full of desire.

Being away from her had only made each of my shadows want her even more. I pressed my face against her neck, not wanting anything else but this moment.

“ All right, break it up. There will be no pinning one another to the bookshelves in the public library .”

Grubs appeared as a glowing purple ball of light that hovered between us. Lucy waved her hand, swatting him away as her lips crashed against mine.

Her taste reminded me why I couldn’t live alone without her any longer.

She pulled away, but her arms and hips stayed firmly pressed against me .

“ Fine, be that way. Don’t come running to me if his shadows decide to misbehave again ,” Grubs scolded as he landed on a nearby bookshelf. He was no longer a grubby little bookworm, but a brilliant blue and red moth. “ You’ve never seen colors like this on me, have you ?” he asked, shimmying in place. His wings flipped up and down as he displayed his new appearance.

Lucy squinted at him. “No, I have not. Why are you so colorful?”

“ Show it to her, demon boy .”

“Show me what?” Lucy asked, unraveling herself from me.

I reached into my bag and tugged out the parchment, unraveling it for Lucy to see.

Her fingers trembled over the paper edges as she took it into her hands. “What in the world?” Her eyes continued to work over my painting of a giant black tree. Raven and crow feathers drifted between the branches, illuminated by a full moon in the distance. “Your shadows, they aren’t just magic, they are a work of art .” She traced her fingers over the splotches of color, finding the places with the most contrast. “This is absolutely gorgeous, Amon. You have a real gift, you know that?” she said, her eyes finding me.

Pride swelled in my chest. “That is a real compliment coming from you.”

She dug her hand into her cardigan, pulling out her phone.

“What are you doing?”

“I need to make a call.” The phone rang twice before someone picked up. “Alyssa? Yeah. I’ve got some good news. I wanted to let you know. I found myself an awesome illustrator for my book.”