Phantom of the Library - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,63

prison, where I would be largely helpless to stop her warlock from doing whatever it was he did to torment her.

Just a familiar…

Chapter Twenty-Four

Helena

For once, Jake and Jasper crashed before I did. I admired their sleeping faces in the moonlight. They looked as tired as little kids, which was not a surprise. They’d been working even harder than they did on the last house. We were all working like it was the last house we’d ever flip, just in case it was.

A form shimmered into existence right before my eyes. I almost screamed and then I recognized Bevan, but I’d never seen him look like this. Not ever. Haunted eyes and dark curls tangled like he’d just tugged at them.

“What’s wrong, Bev?”

“They took Jenny. The toad girl. I was helping her regain her strength.”

“You mean, they found a way to bind her to her warlock again?” I whispered.

“Yeah.”

“Oh no…” A lump rose in my throat.

“I want to go after her,” Bevan said. “But I might have to go into Sinistral. And we might lose our bond. I wouldn’t ask, but…I think I might be in love with Jenny.” He was barely audible. Then he added, “Although I don’t think you can really fall in love in a week.”

“I do,” I said. “I think sometimes you just know.” I wriggled my way out of the covers, grabbed my dress, and started pulling it on as I walked. I needed witch clothes, not contractor clothes. I hardly knew what I was doing, but my feet pulled me forward.

As soon as I saw Bevan’s face, I knew what I had to do.

Trouble’s going to ambush you if you don’t face it. Time to stop running.

Bevan was right at my heels, which was about the only time he’d ever followed me in his life. He was so independent that it was weird to hear him ask me for permission to go after the girl he loved. Why would I stop him? Of course, if I did, I would lose him as backup in what was probably the fight of my life.

While I was sharing my bed with Jake and Jasper tonight and Billie and Gaston had the other room, Byron had my sleeping bag in the living room while Graham passed out in a chair. I crouched next to Byron and put a hand on his shoulder. “Byron?” I whispered in his ear. “Byron…” When he didn’t stir right away, I gave his earlobe a little nibble. “Byron…”

“Hmm…mm…not a dream, after all…,” he murmured as he rolled toward me. “Wait—why are you dressed up, angel?”

“I don’t want the other guys to hear me. Can you follow me to the grotto and I’ll explain?”

He flung open the unzipped sleeping bag. Man, if I was going to die tonight… Damnit, there wasn’t time for these thoughts.

“And…put some pants on first,” I said. “And also a shirt. All the clothes.”

He was buttoning his shirt as he followed me down the stairs. “You’re about to get into trouble, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. It’s the covenants. My mother called a few days ago and warned me that Piers was working on binding all the familiars again. That thing Piers had? I guess there are more. And they’re all at the Ethereal Library in London. So I want to go there and stop them.”

“You can’t stop them all by yourself.”

“Well, I was hoping you’d come with me. You’re the only one powerful enough to assist.”

“Helena…my talented, dear Helena. I love you, but correct me if I’m wrong…are you that powerful of a witch? What do you plan to do there?”

I gripped his arm. “I am a direct descendant of one of the most powerful bloodlines in the magical world. I may not be a princess with a castle anymore, but everyone knows the Hapsburg line, and I think that you were able to send me back into Lady Hulda’s body because I was her direct descendant too.”

His eyes widened a little.”

“You must have suspected that this was true,” I said. “You know that my family has been a ruling power as far back as anyone can track. That no rule and law of the magical world was created without input from my ancestors. And you know how important royal lines are in the magical world. So it’s a safe bet that my ancestors made those covenants too. Not Piers. He’s a Nicolescu. His ancestors, like my dads, were vampire hunters, and he was always the inferior member of the family because his