Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

I MMY

Edge floated us down to the floor, where we sank down in a puddle of bliss, Edge still wrapped around me. I could feel his strong arms holding me, something I never expected, since, well, he was a GHOST! But it didn't matter. He was corporeal and I could feel him. I feared he would disappear, having used too much energy during that amazing sex. Yet somehow the very air felt charged with electricity, almost like during a thunderstorm, before lightning struck.

I turned my head on his chest and peered up at him. "How are you feeling? Are you… are you going to disappear again?"

He gave me a grin that made him appear almost boyish. "I feel amazing. Like I could lift your couch. I feel recharged, Immy. It's like you gave me a power boost."

He waved his hand to my couch and it rose several inches off the ground and I giggled, something I had never done in my life before. He pulled me closer. "I'm serious, Immy. You're the amazing one. You believed in me and I think there's something to us, as if we were meant to be together."

I rested my head back on his chest. I felt it too, this bond between us. I had not looked at my matches from Love Bites to see if Edge was on there but it no longer mattered. I had found my mate, the other half of my soul. We'd find a way to be together, somehow make it work.

A shimmer at the edge of my vision caught my eye. It was like a mirage, a ghostly apparition. Where had I seen something like that before? It was in the other room and I lifted my head, focusing until it came into focus.

"Edge, do you see that?"

He turned and his eyes widened. "I flooded your living room again?"

"I don't think so. I think that's your vision again. See, there's the grimoire, under my end table. If you can keep it there, I wonder if I could get it, bring it out of your vision to our world."

I got up but Edge grabbed my arm, pulling me back. "No, Immy. I don't want to lose you. What if I can't keep it?"

I gently extricated myself. "I believe in you. I believe in both of us. I think it was our combined magic that created the power to bring this vision back to us. Let me try, please. We need that grimoire!"

After a moment, he relented. "The minute I start to lose it, you come back. Nothing is worth your life."

I laid a hand on his cheek. "I promise."

But I knew I would fight to the bitter end to get that grimoire. We needed it. Something inside of me told me that I was the key to his curse.

I didn't bother dressing. If the water was real, I would only get wet so why bother? I waded into the room but it wasn't wet, just a formless mist, unlike when it enveloped my mother, drenching her, almost drowning her. I turned back to Edge and could see him yelling at me, but could barely hear him.

I ignored him and moved forward. The mist caught at my body, pulling at me, like tiny hands, resisting my forward movement. But I persisted, determined to get to the book. I felt like I was trudging through cold molasses but eventually, the book drew closer and I gripped it in my hands.

That's when everything changed.

The mist, that once had been formless, suddenly dampened. It started at my feet, a wet puddle that started to move up my body, as if the very vision was working against us. I sensed Edge's panic and I tried to send soothing vibes back to him but the water was rising. To my ankles, then knees and slowly up my thighs. It was cold, so very cold, chilling me to my bones, as if the deepest part of the ocean was claiming me for its very own, punishing me for daring to steal back something it had claimed centuries before.

I turned and began forging my way back to Edge but he seemed so far away, miles and miles. He gestured wildly to me, frantic to get to me, but no matter how hard I tried, I never seemed to get closer. And the water slowly, inexorably rose against my body, enveloping me in its icy chill.

I frantically sorted through the spells in my brain for something to counter this, but I lived in a landlocked village. I never expected to need anything for water. A fact I would rectify if I ever survived this watery grave.

As the water closed over my head, I stopped struggling, letting my body relax. My back gently bumped the ceiling of my cottage and I knew I was out of time, out of air. I let myself think of Edge, of the future we could have had together, the love I had for him.

"I love Edge. We could have been so happy."

Suddenly, I shot out of the water as if a jet ski was tied to my feet and I found myself in Edge's arms, the force of my expulsion landing us both against the wall. I was dripping wet and the grimoire was solid in my arms.

Edge clutched me to his body, exclaiming, "Immy, are you okay? Immy, say something!"

I coughed up some salty water that burned my throat, blinking to clear my eyes. "I got the grimoire!"

"You foolish woman. I told you it wasn't worth your life," he growled.

"But it was worth our life together. I think it wants us to be together. Our love saved me," I insisted. "Now, let's figure out how to break this curse."

Edge grumbled and followed me into the kitchen. I grabbed a couple of robes, tossing him one and putting one on. He was too distracting naked for what I needed to do. I settled at the table and began flipping through the pages, which were surprisingly dry considering we had just been submerged in salt water.

There were so many unusual spells in the book, mostly written in old English. Fortunately, my grandmother had taught me how to interpret that, since some of the words were very different from modern English, different enough that it was almost like reading a totally new language. But even so, some of the ingredients and instructions didn't make sense to me.

That didn't matter, since I didn't find a spell to reverse his curse. I was afraid that if we reversed the curse, he would disappear and go into the light or whatever ghosts did. I preferred to find a spell to make Edge corporeal, at his choosing, or find out how he was cursed. None of which I was finding.

"We're going to need to consult another witch, someone more powerful than I to help with this. I'm not finding what we need in here."

Edge frowned in frustration. "I know this is what I was looking for. I can feel it."

I looked at him sadly. "I know, Edge. But maybe I'm not as powerful as I need to be to help you."

He shook his head and glared at me. "I don't believe that. That grimoire only appeared for you, only came to you. You survived the tests to retrieve it. It's yours."

I sat back, feeling defeated. "It actually revealed itself first for my mother. Maybe she was the witch it wanted."

He laughed. "Doubtful. Even if it did, she failed the test. First, she never saw the grimoire. If she had seen it, she would have gone for it, and she didn't. Second, she almost drowned until you saved her. No, the grimoire only revealed itself to you."

I wasn't sure I believed him. Years of being told I wasn't good enough, of having my spells backfire, and seeing the side effects of my magic fail had taken its toll. But Edge was right. My mother would have sacrificed everything for this grimoire if she had seen it. She would have even died retrieving it.

"We still need someone else to help us," I repeated firmly.

Edge growled. "Not that witch you talked to before."

"No, not her."

A car slowly wound its way up my drive and parked in front of my house and a feeling of dread pooled in my stomach. A feeling I only got when one person showed up. I looked out the window.

"Damn it. My mother is here. Again."