“See here, Dr. Eisenhorn the Third,” I interjected, unable to stay silent any longer. “The spell book clearly makes Daphne uncomfortable. You’re the expert in these matters. She isn’t.”
The man pursed his lips, which made his mustache appear to be sitting on his chin like a small rodent. Then he handed the spell book to me and told Daphne to leave. Walk to the door by herself.
“Why?” I asked.
He glared at me. “Do you want my help or not?”
The minute Daphne disappeared around one of the stacks, the book jerked in my hands as if being tugged by an invisible rope or a fish on a hook.
“Now hold it even tighter.” Eisenhorn the Third instructed me to crisscross my arms, pinning the book to my chest. To Daphne he called, “Open the door and step outside.”
I heard the creak of the heavy wood door. Almost immediately, I lurched forward, unable to remain where I was standing. If I hadn’t been holding the book as tightly as I had, I’m sure it would’ve flown from my hands.
“Okay, come back,” Eisenhorn hollered to Daphne. Then he muttered to himself and jotted more notes in his ledger.
“What happened?” Daphne demanded when she returned. “What did I miss?”
The professor set down his fountain pen. “As I suspected, the book has taken a fancy to you. It won’t let you go without it.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I scoffed. “Books don’t have crushes on people.”
Eisenhorn stared at me over the top of his tiny glasses. “You teach Magical Studies at what college again, Mr. Monroe? And where did you receive your doctorate in the History of Magical Books and Incantations?”
A muscle ticked in my jaw. Fine. The man was an expert in these matters, but that didn’t make me any less frustrated.
“I don’t understand,” Daphne said. “I’ve been able to go out and not take it with me. I’ve left it in my hotel room many times.”
Eisenhorn scratched the tip of his nose. “Probably because the chain of command wasn’t broken. It doesn’t think it’s being pawned off or given to someone else.”
I leaned on the edge of his desk to think, but he cleared histhroat and I straightened back up. “Okay, okay. But what can we do about it? Daphne can’t keep living like this.”
The man adjusted his glasses as he stared at the book. “Several of my colleagues are coming into town for Monsterval. Between the three of us, it’s possible we can break the affinity spell.”
“What is she supposed to do until then?”
“Sorry,” the professor said with a nonchalant shrug, making it obvious that he reallywasn’tsorry. “Not my problem. She’s on her own.”
Like hell she was.
I could be a patient man when necessary, but not when it came to Daphne. The woman had gotten into my bloodstream—what affected her also affected me.
I stuffed the damn book into the damn beach bag and slung it over my shoulder, nearly knocking over Eisenhorn’s damn business cards.
“Come on.” I grabbed Daphne’s hand. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Daphne
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped several times for Travis to sign autographs and take pictures with fans who recognized him. He’d wanted to order food at the speakeasy, but after learning about the book, we went straight to the dismal shop instead, so I knew he was hungry.
Not once did I see him roll his eyes or sigh in frustration when someone recognized him. Did the man not get hangry? Either that or he had an infinite amount of patience with his fans.
Although I didn’t get the answers I sought tonight, I didn’t feel quite so alone anymore, either. And that was worth a lot. Being able to share everything with Travis had lifted a huge weight from my shoulders, and it wasn’t just because he was carrying my beach bag with that heavy-ass spell book inside. I hadn’t liked keeping this secret from him.
“I read in the Daily Epigraph that you’re filming a reality dating show here,” said a red-haired woman rather excitedly, her gaze bouncing between us. She had a cardigan draped overher arm and a black t-shirt that saidTouch Your Dark Side on Darkaway Island. “Are you guys on a one-on-one or something?”
Travis shifted the beach bag to his other shoulder and started to answer, but another woman piped in, cutting him off. A glittery cat-ear headband sat atop her head, making me wonder if she was some sort of feline shifter or if she just liked the look.
