Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
“And if it didn’t?”
It would have.
Giving up on the idea of sleep, I sit up in bed, crossing my legs. beneath the comforter. “Selene, that isn’t a plan. That’s desperation.”
Her intervention is not as rare as one would believe.
“Oh? And how would you know that?” Crossing my arms, I watch Selene, blinking exhaustion from my eyes.
Her ears twitch. She allowed me to come to you.
And how am I supposed to argue against something like that?
“It doesn’t mean she’d do it again.”
And yet she did.
Groaning, I flop back onto the bed, yanking at my covers. “Selene, I’m too tired for this roundabout conversation.”
So you’re not angry anymore?
She shuffles her way closer, staring at me from above. That kibbleandsardine breath whooshes against my nose, and I smack her face away without a single qualm. “You’ve got to start brushing your teeth.”
I don’t have hands.
Point taken. “Then I’ll do it. Who’s been sneaking you sardines?”
A soft cough from the corner of my room, in the direction of my bodyguard.
Marcus.
No wonder he coughed. I’m going to kill him. Never mind that he’s my new bodyguard.
Jericho too. Oh, and Vanessa.
They’re all going to die.
***
The leather is soft and supple beneath my fingers, almost silky despite the obvious age of the book. No, not book. Tome. It’s ancient and heavy, deserving of its title. Ornate silver clasps hold it closed, the metal tarnished and blackened in the crevices of the intricate design. I don’t recognize the symbol, but it’s beautiful.
Selene watches me from her spot on the bed, her eyes tracking my every movement. The guard who replaced Marcus this morning stepped outside, more than willing to avoid any exposure to a witch’s magic, so we’re alone.
Are you going to open it?
“I’m getting there,” I murmur, tracing the embossed symbol with a fingertip. “It’s just… It’s gorgeous, Selene. Look at this craftsmanship.”
It’s a book.
“Thank you, Selene. I hadn’t noticed.”
Her huff washes over the back of my neck. You’re stalling.
Maybe I am. This book feels important. Weighty, and not just physically. Like it holds the secrets of the universe, and once I open it, I can never go back to the blissful ignorance of before.
But that’s ridiculous. It’s just a book. Old. extremely wellmade but ultimately… Just a book.
Right?
Oh, for the love of kibblejust open it already!
“Alright, alright. Relax.”
The clasps resist at first, stiff with age, but after a few tries, they pop open with a soft snick. The front cover falls open, and I’m hit with a waft of air that smells like dust and time and something strange. Something sharp and almost metallic, with a hint of ozone, like the air before a thunderstorm.
Magic.
I stare at the first page, my heart sinking into my stomach. It’s blank. Completely, utterly blank.
With a growing sense of dread, I flip through the pages. They’re all the same. Empty. Devoid of any mark or word or indication that this is anything more than an elaborate, expensive journal.
“There’s nothing,” I whisper, a lump forming in my throat. “All of it. There’s nothing written here.”
What? Selene jumps down from the bed, her nails clicking on the floor as she trots over. She peers at the pages, her ears pricked forward. That can’t be right. Why would Mrs. Elkins give you a · blank book?
“I don’t know.” Disappointment is a heavy stone weighing in my gut. “Maybe this was all a mistake. Maybe this is just nothing. An empty journal.”
No. Selene shakes her entire body. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t make that kind of mistake. If this is the book Mrs. Elkins was meant to give you, then this is the book you’re meant to have.
“But it’s useless like this!” I slam the cover closed, anger and frustration welling up inside me, “What am I supposed to de with an empty book, Selene? Scribble my deepest darkest secrets in it like a diary?”
Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. She tilts her head, considering the tome. Maybe it’s a test. Or a puzzle. Mrs. Elkins did say that they lost the ability to unlock its knowledge, remember?
Feeling a hint of shame at my overdramatic reaction, I pause, thinking back. “You’re right. She said something like that.” Reopening the book, I stare down at the blank pages with new consideration. “So you think I’m supposed to… what, exactly?”
Selene leans in, her nose twitching as she sniffs at the pages. There’s definitely magic here. A lot of it. It’s so strong, it’s almost-
She cuts off with a violent sneeze, her whole body jolting with the force of it. And then another. And another. She backpedals. frantically, rubbing and pawing at her nose as she retreats to the far corner of the room.
“Selene!” I scramble to my feet, the book tumbling forgotten to the floor. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Magic, she whines pitifully, her eyes watering. So much magic. It’s overwhelming.
1 look from her to the book and back again, realization dawning.
Just what exactly did Mrs. Elkins give me?
Kneeling, I carefully pick the book back up, handling it with a new sense of reverence and caution. The symbol on the front seems to glint in the early morning light, almost as if it’s winking at me.
I glance at Selene, still huddled miserably in the corner. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to figure this out on my own.”
Agreed, she says nasally, pawing at her snout. But maybe… Let’s put that thing away for now, okay? Before it makes me sneeze my brain out through my nose.
The mental image makes me laugh, even as I close it, snapping the clasp closed with a firm click. “Don’t be so dramatic. Your brain is far too big to fit through your nostrils.”
You don’t know that. You’ve never seen my brain.
“And I hope I never do.” Standing, I move to the closet and carefully tuck the book onto the highest shelf. Out of sight, but definitely not out of mind. “There. Safe and sound and out of sneezing range.”
My hero, Selene drawls, finally uncurling from her corner. She still looks a bit blearyeyed, but at least she no longer seems to be in imminent danger of sneezing herself inside out. So what now?
That’s the question, isn’t it? I lean against the closet door, worrying my lower lip between my teeth as I think.
My phone interrupts the morning with a ringing that’s a bit muffled. Startled, I glance at the bedbut it isn’t there.
Damn.
It’s probably Lucas.
Diving for the bed, I yank the comforter off the bed in a fabulous move that has it soaring through the air. No phone clatters to the ground, though.
Shoving my hand between the mattress and headboard, my fingers brush against smooth plastic. “Got it! Hello?”
I’m breathless as I answer the phone, not bothering to check the caller ID.
Strange silence greets me as I press the phone to my ear. “Lucas?” I try again, my brow furrowing when no response comes.
I pull the phone away, frowning at the screen. The phrase UNKNOWN CALLER blinks back at me, with no number at all.
Confused, I bring the phone back to my ear. “Hello?”
Still, no answer. But there’s something—a soft sound, like breathing, barely audible over the line.