Phantom of the Library - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,25
get into too much trouble.”
“We’ll be too tired to get into trouble tonight,” Graham said. He shut the door.
“I think your neighbors will be trouble,” Gaston said. “They seem to have little else to do.”
“No kidding,” I said. “I almost wish it had been the council. I just want to get it over with. I guess even the council will need a little time to get here.”
Byron and the girls were huddled in the basement. Helena and Billie looked antsy while Byron was completely focused on the maps, tracing invisible paths with his fingers.
“Just a false alarm?” Billie said.
“Yeah. For now. Byron, do you see anything in the maps?”
“It’s curious,” Byron said. “Joining the worlds doesn’t seem to have caused anything cataclysmic to happen.”
“So it’s no big deal?” I raised an eyebrow. “After all that?”
“I think the effect might be slower than we expected, that’s all,” Byron said. “Since paths in the magical world aren’t fixed, at the moment, while the fabric between worlds has melted away, the paths haven’t connected between them. I’m sure the more sensitive beings have noticed a change. If we’re lucky, it will take them a few days to understand what happened. The worlds might meet more organically than I expected. And more slowly.”
“That sounds like good news,” Helena said tentatively. “But…”
“So we have a little time,” Byron said. “Or maybe a lot of time. I thought this would be an instant shift, but maybe the maps are smarter than I am.” He scratched his chin. “Hmm. I wonder if it’s possible that this process could take years.”
“Years?” Billie said. “Are you serious?”
“It would be an ideal scenario if the worlds grew back together slowly…so slowly that by the time anyone noticed, they would already be used to it,” Byron said. “It could happen like so: maybe a few Sinistral familiars tap into an edge of Ethereal magic. Maybe a few faery travelers cross the borders and set up trade routes. Maybe some wizards notice fuzzing around the edges of their magic, and greater abilities than before.”
“I’ll admit, I don’t feel any different, but we could try a test,” I said. “I have a small amount of magical ability. I wonder what would happen if I tried to heal. Healing magic from Etherium and Wyrd is stronger than Sinistral healing, so if this did work, I should be able to tap into that and level up. But…no one’s hurt.”
“You could give it a shot with me,” Graham said. “I’m not exactly recovered after Piers broke my arms and legs. Everything works, but the pain hits me hard now and then, especially when I try to sleep.”
“Yeah, I know how it is,” I said, resisting the urge to rub my own leg where Piers snapped it in half. It didn’t hurt much anymore, but I had the memory of the pain. I had to remind myself it was okay to put weight on it. “Sure. Let’s give it a go. Sit over here, maybe.”
There was a bar off to the side of the pool with stools, and Graham took a seat, pouring himself the little leftover bit of cocktail in the mixer, then rolled back his shoulders as I put my hands on them. I shut my eyes, taking a pause to concentrate, before slowly feeling down his arms to sense out the damage. It didn’t take me too long to feel the spot where his arms were broken. Of course, I also noticed how strong his arms felt. Damn incubi. They always hit the gym a lot because it was a good way to burn off their constant sexual tension, while giving them the added bonus of being able to lure in more women. Graham probably never thought about it that way, but I’m sure he worked out every day, whereas all my muscles came from actual work. Which was, if you asked me, way more valid. But also not as sculpted.
No wonder Helena went for this guy first even with the two of us around…
Graham was lucky his personality was pretty likable.
Of course, every incubus also has a likable personality. Even a straight guy isn’t immune to some of their charm. Shit, is he working on me now?
“Whatever you’re doing, it’s working,” Graham said.
“I’m not doing anything yet!”
“I definitely felt something.”
Helena was watching us with increasing interest. “Maybe it would help if you took his shirt off.”
“Not necessary,” I growled as Billie grabbed a chair and leaned forward.