Dark Secrets - Linsey Hall Page 0,1

good stuff out of my cupboards.”

“I like the company,” Mac said.

I shrugged and climbed the last flight to my door. As I stepped onto the landing, an invisible hand seemed to grasp my insides and twist. Pain shot through me, and I gasped, doubling over.

“Carrow!” Mac gripped my arm, keeping me upright. “What’s wrong?”

Cold sweat popped out on my brow, and I struggled to breathe through the nausea.

“Are you all right?” Seraphia’s voice echoed with concern.

“I’m . . . fine.” I struggled to straighten, my insides still churning.

“Your signature…” Her voice trailed off. “It’s changed.”

“Changed?” Oh, no. Not again.

“Your eyes…” Mac frowned. “They’re glowing green. They looked the same way after you absorbed the magic in Orion’s Heart.”

I’d saved Guild City, but I’d been infused with dark necromancer magic in the process. Magic that I had no idea what to do with.

Magic that was screwing me up inside.

The pain subsided, and I regained control of my breathing.

“You look better,” Seraphia said. “But are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you?”

“Don’t worry about me. It’s a little thing.” I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but she just stared at me, concern still creasing her brow. I gestured to my door, which was open. “Go on. We’ll sort out this book of yours.”

“All right.” She entered my flat, an aura of worry radiating around her.

I looked at Mac. “Are my eyes still weird?”

“It’s faded now, but…”

“We need to figure this out.” I shook my head. “Whatever it is.”

Please don’t turn me evil.

I could feel the newness of the magical world right now—my almost complete unfamiliarity with it. Was it even possible to turn evil?

Mac squeezed my arm. “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

“Yeah. But first, I’ve got to get my Scooby on.”

She grinned and followed me into my flat. The little space was decorated with the eclectic assortment of furniture that she, Eve, and Quinn had found in the secondhand shop down the street. It was all different styles and colors, accented with portraits of colorful animals, but I liked the crazy.

It went well with the ancient, sloping floor and low ceiling. A little window looked out over the street, and it felt like living in a slice of the past that had been combined with a cozy present. Far better than my cold, lonely flat in the dodgy part of London.

I met Seraphia’s gaze and gestured to the couch. “Have a seat. Would you like a cup of tea?”

Seraphia thrust the book at me. “No. I want you to look at this.”

“Sure.” I gestured to the small, round table in the corner that served as my dining area. “You can put it there.”

I didn’t want to touch it until I knew the nature of her problem. The last thing I needed was to be hit by an unexpected vision. Or worse, one over which I had no power. I still didn’t have a lot of control over my magic, but I was getting better.

Seraphia set the book on the table. Her shoulders relaxed, as though she was rid of an unsavory burden. She turned to me. “I’m sorry to be so abrupt, but this problem…”

“Is bigger than a cup of tea?” Mac asked.

“Exactly.”

“Tell me about it.” I took a seat on the couch, my legs still a bit wobbly from earlier.

She sat on the other side, and Carrow took the cushy armchair in the corner.

“I work at the library, as I told you,” Seraphia said. “It’s a quiet life. Mostly taking care of the collection and answering questions. And we do have some dangerous books, like the hexanaries I mentioned. But mostly it’s just me and the stacks. Nothing ever happens.”

“Until that book happened.” I looked at it, my curiosity rising. “What’s it called?”

“A Most Elucidating History of Guild City. I’ve never read it. Didn’t even know it was in the collection, in fact. Until I felt it. This dark magic signature…”

“It came from the book?” I looked at the tome, unable to sense anything from that far away.

“Exactly. It’s faded now, but it’s still there if I touch it.” Confusion flickered in her eyes. “Some pages were torn out.”

“Recently?”

“I don’t know. Could have been a long time ago.”

“Anything else you should tell me before I handle it?”

She shook her head. “Just that it felt like death itself when I touched it the first time. Like it was trying to tear my heart straight out of my chest.”

I winced.

“Exactly.” She nodded. “It was terrible. I’ve