of what was. And for now, it was enough. Looking into the eyes of one of the men I now knew I loved, I saw all the possibilities of a future I only thought I could have in dreams.
We just had to make it through this nightmare first.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?”
I blew out a breath, dragging the backs of my hands over my tired eyes. This day was already too much. What was one more thing?
“Harper?”
I pulled the journal out from between the bed and mattress, only partially surprised to find it had been returned without my knowing, and held it out to him. Draven could be sneaky when he wanted.
“Don’t be mad,” I said as a preface, and he took the leather-bound journal from my hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I guess it’s about time I caught you up to speed. And then you really need to get out of my room.”
23
Elias
It would’ve been a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed to be the last to find about.
But I accepted her explanation for why she’d kept it from me and told others first. It wasn’t for lack of trust, but for plausible deniability. While I respected the fact she didn’t want me to get into even more trouble because of her, I was ready to stand firmly by her side. Even if I wasn’t the only one she wanted there.
My fingers tightened on the leather-bound book in my lap and I forced myself to relax. Jealousy wouldn’t get me anywhere, not when I’d seen for myself how much she cared for them, and they her. Besides, with Harper’s penchant for finding trouble, more eyes on her was probably for the best.
“And that’s why I had to pull Draven in for this.” She pointed to elegant lines scribbled into the margins. “As you can see, he started some of the translation work here, but no luck yet on a big reveal or anything.”
I raised a brow at the page. “You let him write in your father’s book?”
Harper huffed through her nose. “He took liberties that have since been corrected. Anyway, I was hoping you could help with some of the coding. My father apparently used a bunch. I don’t even know if you know the first thing about it, but—”
“I’m an Arcane History professor,” I replied with an amused smirk. “Do you know how many different forms of code have been used throughout history? If I don’t know it off the top of my head, I’ve got access to books that might help.”
Without looking at all of it, I couldn’t be certain, but I was no stranger to research. Flipping through a few more pages, I noted several different code types and languages. Whatever Alistair was into, he was bound and determined to make it next to impossible for anyone who got a hold of this journal to read it. Which meant that Harper was onto something big, and that didn’t sit well with me.
“So, you said something about the Arcane Authorities earlier?” she probed.
Had I? I could barely recall anything from before I kissed her, held her in my arms again, convinced myself that she was safe and unharmed. Murders on campus had a way of throwing things into perspective.
“Did they detain you when you got back or something?”
“Oh, yeah.” I shook my head, trying to realign my thoughts. “I was saved from the worst of it, but it still took too long to get to you.” At her questioning look, I explained. “Since the victims have been… well, mauled, for lack of a better word, they’re assuming vampire or shifter.”
Harper crossed her arms and nodded, her voice sharp. “Which is why they’re gunning for Cal and Adrian.”
“Right,” I agreed. “That also puts all of this under the purview of the Cooperative Affairs Department of the Arcane Authorities.”
Understanding tightened her features. “Your friend.”
“Cecily grabbed me as soon as I arrived,” I admitted, fingering the edge of a page. “I heard you met her today.”
She blinked at me, brow furrowing. “Did I?”
I felt a smile tug at the corner of my mouth. “I guess she didn’t introduce herself in the interrogation. Blonde hair, bright blue eyes.”
“Ah, I wondered what that wink was about.” She shuddered and I could practically see the insecurity rolling off of her when she glared at the floor between her feet. “She was gorgeous. How did she become an ex, exactly?”
“Difference of opinion on each other’s chosen career paths.” I took