Chapter 22 Shea

There were no words to describe the way I felt after the other night. Even now, two days later, I still couldn't put it into words. That had been the best night of my entire life. Both of the men with whom I was head-over-heels for—at the same time! And it hadn't felt weird or clumsy or too much. It had felt right. And I'd been walking around with rose-colored glasses ever since.

But I knew I couldn't keep my head in the clouds forever. My love life might finally be in an incredible place, but Arya's was in danger. Based on the twenty or so messages I'd received from Tobias within about an hour's span yesterday, he was dangerously close to tripping his curse. If I didn't find the right counterspell soon, they'd both be doomed, and I couldn't live with myself if that happened.

But how the hell was I going to do that? The damn book sure wasn't yielding, and even though Gram was finally teaching me magic, I didn't feel right about coming to her with this, not yet.

I would give it one more try today, and if I couldn't figure it out, I'd come clean to Gram about the grimoire. Even if she decided to cut me off after that, how could she deny someone the chance at true love?

I came home after school with the intention of going straight to my room, but Gram was waiting for me in the kitchen with an eager smile.

"Ready for your next lesson?" she asked. "I wanted to show you a spell for erasing your scent."

Damn my stupid timing. After years of wishing for her to ask me that question, I would have to reject the offer. Just this once.

I frowned. "Didn't I already learn that one?"

"Yes, but that was specific to vampires. There's a variation on the spell that helps with weres—hounds, specifically. You know, I dated a hound once. He was a real dog." Gram winked, and I burst out laughing.

"Are you pulling my leg, Gram?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. So, you want to learn the spell or what?"

I tugged on a lock of hair, digging the toe of my shoe into the wood floor. "Actually, I think I have to skip the lesson today, if you don't mind. Homework." I shrugged.

Gram gave me an appraising look, seeming more skeptical than surprised. "I suppose that's fine. Your schoolwork is more important, after all. We can continue tomorrow."

"Thanks!" I gave Gram a quick peck on the cheek before heading to my room.

After locking the door, I performed the reveal spell and retrieved my grimoire.

The grimoire, not mine, I reminded myself.

I sighed. It didn't seem fair, being in possession of the key to unlocking my magic and still not being able to use most of it—stupid magic rules.

But the rules are there for a reason, Gram's admonition rang in my head. I couldn't help but be reminded that my parents had died at the hands of unguided magic. At least I had something, even if the grimoire refused to yield all its secrets.

And I didn't need all its secrets. Just one.

I flipped through the pages to the love spell I'd marked, hoping to find inspiration for Tobias's dilemma.

"Ow!" I hissed, jerking my stinging hand from the offending edge. "Papercut."

I examined my finger, then pushed it into my mouth in hopes of sucking away the sting. But something caught in the bottom of my peripheral vision, and I looked down at the book in my lap.

A speck on the page began to glow, and my eyes widened. That was my blood on the page. And the book was reacting to it.

"Oh no!" I licked my thumb and tried to rub at the spot, but my attempts only managed to spread the blood further. And the light was growing.

"Crap, crap, crap!"

Gram had said something about blood and magic, so whatever this was couldn't be good. My heart hammered, and I tried to slam the book closed, but it felt as if a weight was on top of the pages.

In a flash of brilliance, the light disappeared. I took a quick inventory of the book and myself, but nothing seemed wrong. Hopefully, that was a good sign.

Except…the pages felt different. When I turned the current page, it turned into four, revealing relationship spells of all sorts... Had my blood unlocked the grimoire?

One spell in particular caught my eye, sending that question to the back of my mind. It was the one titled Love Unrequited .

I held my breath as I read through the description, then how to place the curse…and how to break it.

Holy shit!

There was no mistaking it. This was Tobias's curse, the one that had followed his family through generations. The one that stood in the way of my best friend's happiness. I should be smiling right now.

But there was one problem—the spell needed the magic of three witches. There was no way I could perform the counter-curse alone.

"Fuck." Looked like I was going to have to come clean to Gram after all. There was no way around it. The only other witch I knew aside from her was Aunt Janette, and even she wouldn't help me without Gram's permission.

But that wasn't the only thing. The grimoire had reacted to my blood. Not just reacted, but unlocked ! What the hell did that mean?

I wrestled over the decision for only a moment. Arya needed this break, and I needed answers. I'd figure out a way through the rest of the mess later.

I folded the corner of the page and closed the book, then stood with my fingers hooked around the bottom of it and made the walk of shame out of my room. Gram was still at the kitchen table, working on the crossword section of the newspaper.

"Okay, so, I have a confession," I hedged as I approached her.

She glanced up from her newspaper at me, and her eyes widened as they landed on the grimoire pressed against my waist.

"What is that?" she asked in a hushed voice, pushing aside her newspaper.

"It's a grimoire," I said, pursing my lips as heat flooded up my neck. "I accidentally got blood on it just now, and it glowed."

I couldn't quite look at her as I placed it on the table in front of her. Even at seventy-five, she was an intimidating figure, not by stature but by presence and knowledge of magic. I was dreading the riot this revelation was sure to incite, as so many conversations about magic had in the past.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, marveling at the various pages as she turned them.

"Um, that's not important. What is important is that I just magically unlocked this thing with my blood."

Gram looked hard at me for a long moment, but eventually, she turned her gaze back to the book. "Le Fey," she said, and the pages glowed again.

What? Come on, could it really have been that easy this whole time?

"Does this mean that it's ours?" I asked slowly, disbelievingly.

Gram sighed. "I think this is a conversation best had sitting."

She patted the seat next to her, and I slid into it.

"Yes, this is our grimoire," she continued. "If it wasn't, chances are all your hair would've fallen out, or your joints would've become as gnarled as an old tree. Witches aren't exactly known for their sharing nature. Your blood probably would've activated a curse if the book didn't belong to our bloodline."

Julian had said this book had belonged to Alice. He also said that I looked like her. Holy crap, she was one of my ancestors!

Gram looked at me, and I reluctantly met her gaze. "Where did you say you got this?"

I pulled my lips in and clamped down on them. "I didn't. And actually, I need your and Aunt Janette's help releasing Arya's boyfriend from a curse that I found in this book."

Gram frowned. "How would Arya's boyfriend be cursed by a spell from our book?"

"I was hoping you might know something. Here." I opened the book in Gram's hands, flipping to the page with Tobias's curse. "It's this one."

Gram stared at the page for a long moment. "Is he, by chance, a dragon?"

"Yes," I replied, uncertain what that had to do with this.

Gram leaned back, looking up. "There is one story, though it's hard to say how much of it is truth and how much is fiction at this point. But what I heard is that a vampire stole our grimoire after a dragon killed a member of our family. That witch's sisters placed a curse on the dragon but never found the vampire."

The vampire she was talking about was obviously Julian, and the witch who got murdered had to be Alice. That meant it was Tobias's ancestor who killed her.

But now wasn't the time to get caught up in the details.

"So, will you help me undo this curse?" I asked.

"I don't like it. Our ancestors placed that curse on his family for a reason."

"A reason that's centuries old and has hurt countless people in the process. They cursed that dragon's entire family— not just the dragon. And if that dragon's descendant, Tobias, falls in love with Arya, who he imprinted on, she'll hate him if we don't lift that curse, and he could die. Love unrequited ." I tapped the page for emphasis.

Gram shook her head. "I don't know. I think our family has suffered enough at the hands of magic."

"But we've got the book to guide us now," I insisted. "Please, we can't just let Tobias and his whole family suffer like that. Or Arya."

Gram looked at me for another long moment, then leaned forward again. "Before I agree to anything, I need to know how this came to be in your possession and when. You've been avoiding that question, but it's time to come clean, Shea."

I winced. She was right. No more secrets. No more lies. "I got it from a vampire who's helping the shifters a few weeks ago. His name is Julian. He sensed my magic and wanted me to help him bring back the love of his life, Alice, who I now realize was one of our distant relatives."

I kept my eyes closed after I stopped talking. I didn't want to see the look of disapproval and disappointment on her face.

But then I heard the last sound I expected to hear from her—she chuckled. I slowly pulled open my eyelids, and the look in her eyes was warm.

"You really are something special," she said.

I blinked at her for a moment, unsure how to take that.

"Does that mean you'll help me break the curse?" I asked finally.

She smiled and nodded. "Tell your unfortunate dragon friend to be here tomorrow at 4 o'clock."

A smile slowly spread across my face. "Omigod, thank you!" I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight in my excitement and gratitude.

Then I pulled away suddenly. "Wait. Does this mean I can keep the grimoire?"

She put her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "After all these generations, it found you . Your blood unlocked its secrets. I think it's time you take your rightful place in the Le Fey line. I won't hold you back anymore."

I hugged her again, squealing with overwhelming joy. This outcome was the last thing I expected to receive for my confession, and I was overcome with pride.

Tomorrow, we would break Tobias's curse. I only hoped it wouldn't be too late.