Phantom of the Library - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,76

families lost the magic that flowed through their veins. Hundreds more familiars would part ways with their witches and warlocks by their own choice. History was re-examined, old ways of thinking tossed out the window.

It was a year for the books, but it was strange to think I had anything to do with it. I hoped it was the one and only time I would ever make history.

Because I had to pay a price I never meant to pay.

I lost Bevan too. I would have been happy for him to be free, but I had a hard time accepting the note he sent me, an enchanted note that just showed up inside my pocket.

Don’t look for me, Helena. We were never that close to begin with; it would only be a waste. I realized that I have my own destiny. I want to gain power for the familiars. Jenny was not freed with the others and I’m afraid she is not the only familiar who is still bound by other chains like tradition…or fear. You could never have given me that power, nor do you have any interest in it, but Lord Variel can and does. I’m staying with him. I repeat, do not ever look for me. Go and have a good life. I’m going to look for Jenny.

I cried for a while over that. What the hell happened to my easygoing, sarcastic bat friend? He wanted to serve Lord Variel the Devourer? Did he have any choice?

Since Marisa had been weakened so badly, Byron and I actually had to fly home on an airplane, which turned into a huge mess (always teleport with your passport), and all the guys grabbed me into an embrace when I finally made it home.

“Hel, jeez, these last few days! I’ve barely even slept!” Jake said. “Never fucking do that again! I can’t believe you just left us here to twiddle our thumbs while you almost got yourself killed!”

“You hardly twiddled your thumbs!” I said, squeezing him tight. “I could never have survived without all of you and you know it.”

“We tried our best,” Jasper said. “But never do that again.”

“I don’t want to do it again! I didn’t want to do it the first time!”

“I would have done the same thing,” Graham said. “If I knew how to use magic. Byron, I’m glad you made it out all right too.”

“Yeah, Byron, come on and get in on the hug,” Jake said.

“Oh, thank you for the invitation. I didn’t want to dominate it entirely with my godlike charm…” Byron grabbed both the Sullivans.

“Well, I didn’t mean to get in on the hug between us,” Jake said, but they didn’t fight him off either. After a little more of the tight embrace, I grabbed Billie and Gaston next.

“I felt you guys too. Thank you.”

“We really did want to be there in person. I mean, I’m sure I could have helped. I’m a tough vampire now.”

“My brother ended up with the finishing blow anyway,” I sighed. “I wanted to take out Piers myself.”

“Oh, please,” Billie said. “It’s a lot better to work together. That’s part of being a family. Haven’t we all figured that out yet?”

“It looks like you’ve hardly done anything on the house,” I said when we got back to Bel Tramonto. “What the hell happened here?”

“We were worried about getting you home, not working,” Jake said.

“But what does Kiersten and Caleb’s house look like? They’re going to finish first!”

“I think you should rest,” Jasper said. “At least for one day.”

“No way. I’ve been dying to get here so I can stop resting. There was plenty of time to sleep on the plane.”

“Did you join the mile high club?” Billie said suggestively.

“No,” Byron said. “Airplane bathrooms can’t hold me. That’s just a fact.”

“You lost that bet,” Gaston said, holding out a hand to her. She gave him twenty dollars.

“Billie!” I said. “Or maybe I’m more mad at you for thinking I wouldn’t join the mile high club, Gaston…”

“I thought you would come home sad,” Gaston said with a shrug.

“Well, how do you think I feel?” Billie said. “He’s not even gonna spend that twenty dollars on me.”

Of course, I was sad. I felt like a failure because losing Bevan seemed like my fault.

“At least he’s not dead,” Billie said gently when she caught me looking glum.

“But now he’s working for a demon. And not a nice demon.”

“He said he was looking for Jenny,” Billie said. “Maybe he’ll need some demon magic to save