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I liked that. I made a mental note to get either a notebook or a tablet, and carry it with me wherever I went so I could write down spell ideas. Or I could use my phone. I was sure the first ideas would be silly, but at some point, we would produce something good, right?
We arrived back at the castle. The witches invited me to have lunch with them, but they knew I was going to meet Shane in the library.
As I thought, he had barely moved from his spot behind the long table, only the piles of books had shifted considerably. However, the library was far from quiet and empty right now. As I walked to Shane, who finally lifted his head from the book he was reading, I saw at least a dozen witches working on research.
A small smile spread over my lips. It was good to know no one wanted to see me dead.
I halted in front of Shane, a hand on my waist. “Never thought I would see the day when you spent your entire day reading.”
He groaned. “Me neither.”
I chuckled as I rounded the desk and got closer to him. “I gotta say, I always loved seeing you among books. Now more than ever.”
One corner of his lips tugged up. “Hm, so you like it?” He picked up a book and pretended to read it, focused.
I sat beside him and snatched the book from him. “Now I want you focused on me!”
“Yes, ma’am.” He leaned into me and pressed a soft kiss on my lips. “I’m tired of being cooped up here all morning. How about we go outside to eat?”
“I’m tired of being under the hot sun for so long.”
He offered his hand to me. “Then let’s go to one of the shaded courtyards.”
I liked this idea. I slipped my hand into his, and after sending a message to the kitchen about our lunch and where we would be, Shane and I headed to the courtyard.
We had stepped into the beautiful courtyard when his phone rang.
He picked it up and started at the screen. “This can’t be good.”
“Who is it?”
“Eike.” He answered it, “This is Shane.”
On the other side of the line, Eike let out a long breath. “I need your help.”
* * *
A maid came over to talk to me about lunch and distracted me from Shane’s conversation with Eike. He kept walking, pacing in the middle of the courtyard, listening with intent, and that made me worried.
Shane had told me about meeting with Eike when he had visited the Nightshade lands a few weeks ago, when he thought I had died for the second time.
By the time the maid left, Shane turned off the call.
He turned to me, his face somber.
I walked to him. “What happened?”
He blew out a breath. “You remember Eike?”
I nodded. “The Whitecrest wolf who came to you when you were visiting the Nightshade town.”
“Yes. He wanted my help then because Jean, Nortrix’s son, was too young to rule by himself, and it seemed the pack was divided. He thought a civil war would start.”
I held my breath. “And?”
“He was right, but it’s much worse than that. Serge killed Jean and became the pack’s alpha.”
“What?”
