Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
The rose bushes were charred.
He swallowed and then gave his head a shake. “Bad century, I’d say.”
I frowned. “That happened a century ago?”
His emerald eyes narrowed. “You said you knew about the house. It’s over two hundred years old… some ghosts say older.”
“Ah, he has jokes.”
He shrugged. “Who says I was joking?”
“You’re trying to scare me away?”
He licked his full lips, and his eyes zeroed in on my mouth. “Is it working, Luna?”
My heart thudded against my chest as the heat from the fireplace seemed to burn my skin, or maybe it was him, and then that same pulsing, that same heartbeat seemed to pound against my ears, like I was inside something… or someone.
“No.” I found my voice. “I’d say I’m more intrigued.”
“You know what they say about people who ask too many questions.” He broke eye contact and pointed to a massive desk in the middle of the room. There was an uneaten sandwich on a plate next to a pen.
“Working?”
“Always,” he snapped the book shut so I couldn’t read what it said, but on the paper next to it had been written in dark, scrawled letters, “Hexed.”
“Spells?” I inquired.
“Sir?” The man from before was back; he swept into the room and gave me a chilling smile. “Your appointment.”
“Not now, Jasper.” His eyes narrowed. “Can’t you see we have a guest?”
“Oh, I see…” Jasper looked between us, his voice dripping with boredom. “But I’m afraid it’s urgent.”
“Three minutes.”
“I’ll let them know…” A chill filled the room, and then immediately left when he closed the doors.
I shivered. “I could always come back.”
Benjamin’s smirk returned. “Something tells me that even if I say no, you’ll find a way to get what you want.”
“Possibly.” I crossed my arms. “You know, I’m in town for a bit, and I do have questions. How about I organize the books over in that corner that look like they’re about a billion years old?” I rocked back on my heels. “Besides, I refuse to leave until I find out what happened to my mom.”
“Illness?” he asked.
“Disappearance,” I corrected. “She was here and then just… gone.”
“It’s very easy to disappear, Luna. You should remember that.” He touched some of the old books. “And I like my books a little… ruffled.” He licked his lips, his eyes darting down to my mouth and back up again.
I swallowed thickly, unable to get my heart rate under control. “Nobody who has a library like this likes chaos.”
He snorted out a laugh. “Why does it seem that you bring the chaos with you?”
I smiled. “Trust me, I’m boring. I’m asking to organize books with more dust on them than most farms.”
“Know a little about farms, do you?” His lips twitched.
“A little.” I shrugged, lying through my teeth. “Please?” I reached out and touched the edge of his shirt. “I really need the distraction. I promise I’m not a crazy stalker; I really want to know more about the house. It was my mom’s dying—” I gulped and pulled my hand away. “It was what she wanted.”
“Going for the sympathy angle. Have to admit I’m impressed.” He sighed and rubbed his chin. “I’ll tell you what, you can come back, do your research, but whatever you learn from here stays between us… No articles. No questions. Whatever you glean from the books is yours and yours alone. For a mother’s dying wish, am I right?”
It was closer to the truth than I’d ever admit. “Fine.”
“You lie so well,” he said after a few seconds. His fingers twitched at his sides like he wanted to grab something. He lifted one hand and then dropped it with a curse. “I’ll show you the way out.”
Why was I upset that he didn’t touch me? He was a complete stranger and a mysterious one at that.
When I turned, his hand grazed my lower back. A jolt of electricity pulsed through my body at the gentle touch, but he didn’t seem to notice anything as he led me back to the closed doors. A low rumbling sounded as we left, like the library itself was grumbling at our absence, which was a bit ridiculous, but it was impossible not to hear it.
“Ignore the sound; it’s most likely construction from down the street.”
I hadn’t seen any construction down the street, but I nodded just the same.
I eyed the front door and willed my feet to walk toward it, even when something told me that stepping outside was a bad idea.
A strong sense of foreboding washed over me as Benjamin pressed a hand to my shoulder while opening the door with the other. Another electrical zap pulsed through my skin where he touched.
“Be careful, Luna; small towns can be deceiving.”
“I’ll be fine.” I shot him a bright smile.
Something in his eyes told me that I would, in fact, not be okay as I left his touch and walked toward the stairs, and when I stepped on that twelfth step, the crack looked like it had widened.