“Caden—”
“Enough, Elle. Leave it alone.” He turned away from me, punching the towel beneath his head. The finality of his tone sliced through the thin connection we’d made.
I swallowed around the lump in my throat and lay back. The dark no longer felt like a safe haven. His secrets twisted the knot of unease inside my chest, and it was a long time before I fell asleep.
Chapter 10
By the time the sun streamed in through the windows, Caden was gone. I turned my head to stare down at his empty spot on the floor. He’d folded the blanket and the towel, stacking them together in a neat pile.
A note rested on my nightstand, and I reached for it, wondering how he’d slipped out of the room without waking me. It wasn’t a good sign for a demon-hunter to sleep like the dead. Pretty sure it was a good way to end up . . . well, dead.
Caden’s messy handwriting covered the paper. He’d taken the cell phone to a friend and would be gone a day, two tops. His instructions were clear: our investigation was on temporary hold until he returned. No cat burgling, and no demon-hunting. He’d underlined both activities twice with one of my sparkly pens.
“You’re no fun, Caden Bishop,” I mumbled to myself as I stretched my sore muscles. Lucky for him, I had no intention of venturing out on my own. Not when I had classes and a midterm paper to turn in. I might be smack dab in the middle of an early-life crisis, but I still had to graduate. With honors, if possible.
My history class started at nine. The school had assigned a substitute to take over for Professor Roberts for the rest of the semester. I didn’t think attending a class I was already enrolled in counted as investigation, though I’d definitely be on alert.
Rolling out of bed, I shuffled toward the closet. I selected an outfit, showered, and dried my hair. By the time I’d finished, I was starving and had just enough time for a quick stop in the cafeteria before class. Blowing Loki a kiss and promising to go for a walk with him later, I hurried out the door.
I was halfway to the stairwell, fantasizing about an egg and cheese sandwich, when my phone buzzed. Sliding it from my pocket, I frowned at the unknown number. I swiped through to the text message.
Unknown:Take your demon blade with you today.
Looking over my shoulder at the empty hall, I stifled a devious grin and tapped out a response.
Elle:Who is this? Are you trying to reach me about my car’s extended warranty?
Three little dots appeared beneath my message.
Unknown:Very Funny, Graves. Don’t forget the blade. I know you didn’t take it.
Elle:You do not know that.
Changing directions, I hurried back to my room. The blade was still sitting on my nightstand. I placed a finger to my lips to shush Loki to secrecy.
The thing was, I couldn’t very well carry a knife around with me everywhere I went. It wasn’t practical. What if I wanted to wear tennis shoes? Or go through a metal detector. Besides, at this point, I needed to tie a string around my finger to remember to take it with me. And I wasn’t about to give Caden the satisfaction of knowing I’d forgotten.
Tie a string . . .My eyes widened. I had an idea!
Grabbing the energy stones from the shelf above my desk, I arranged them in a circle. I placed the blade in the center. Next, I raided my jewelry box, selecting a chunky bracelet and depositing the piece beside the blade. Sprinkling everything with a dash of chalky powder, I hovered my palms over the circle.
Energy flowed from my hands, amplified by the stones. I murmured an incantation, repeating the chant three times, until the blade took on the shape of a bracelet. The purple stone glittered in the center of a silver cuff. I blew off the dusting of powder and slipped the newly formed bracelet onto my wrist.
Perfect.It was fashionable and functional. A brilliant combination. Now, all I had to do was reverse the spell when I needed to use it. Plus, it would always be within reach.
Admiring my handiwork, I wondered if I could sell these to the council to make some extra cash. Demon blade bracelets might be a hit among the hunters—I could take it internationally, maybe expand into other types of jewelry, make a men’s line. The possibilities and earning potential were endless. My entrepreneurial brain was churning. But first, I had to get to class.
Checking my phone on my way out the door, I noticed Caden had left another text message.
Unknown:Did you get my note?
Elle:I did. It was lovely. I plan on framing it.
Caden responded with an eye roll emoji.
Elle:I’m on my way to the class I had with Professor Roberts now.
Unknown:You need to start cloaking your magic. It was fine before, but now, it’s necessary.
