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Miri
After yesterday’s impromptu meeting at the library and the encounter with Davis’s dad on the street, I needed time to sort through… everything. Digging my hands in the dirt and planting more herbs until my shoulders and lower back were aching wasn’t enough, so I’d gone for a run until I could barely lift my feet. By the time I got back home, I barely managed a shower before I fell into bed. Now, with the morning sun sending beams of light into the kitchen, I make myself some coffee and contemplate my day. There’s nothing in the greenhouse for me to do, and my screaming muscles won’t allow me to run today.
Now that I know there is magic tied to this house, I’ve come to the conclusion that there must be a spell to keep it from getting dusty and full of cobwebs. The house is way bigger than one person needs, but it’s not a sprawling mansion. Still, I haven’t had much of a chance to really dig through the rooms to see what secrets they hold inside. A majority of my time has been spent cleaning up the conservatory and getting things planted in there. At some point, I’ll tackle the outside, but I haven’t worked up the ambition to attack the yard yet. Unlike the house, it doesn’t appear as though anyone magicked the gardens to stay tidy. Maybe I can do that.
According to Davis I’m some magical catalyst who’s going to ruin all their lives. There should be some small perks, right?
Holding my mug between my palms, I decide to explore some of the rooms I haven’t paid much attention to yet. My bare feet pad over the tile floor of the grand entry and head toward a pair of French doors. The doors click as I push them open and step into the library. This isn’t an office/library combination where someone has a few of their favorite books artfully displayed on a couple of bookshelves. No, this is some Beauty and the Beast shit, with those ladders that move along the walls so you can grab books that are too high to reach. The shelves are a dark wood, which is echoed in the beams of the coffered ceiling. The hard wood floors are covered in thick, rich rugs that speak of luxury and comfort.
Overstuffed chairs are arranged around a fireplace that entices and begs for someone to spend an afternoon relaxing with a good book. On the other side of the room is an elegant chaise that I know I’ll be napping on one of these days. The smell of hundreds of books is familiar and comforting, ink and vellum, the slight mustiness of old paper. I sip my coffee as my toes curl into the plush carpet and do a slow spin around the room.
“Are you going to start singing while swinging from the ladder?”
I whip around, just barely keeping my coffee from sloshing over the top of my cup and onto the carpet that is probably an heirloom.
“Holy fuck.” I gasp and clutch at my rapidly pounding heart, feeling the damn beat in my face like someone punched me there. Lena waves and gives me a sheepish smile.
“Um… hi. Sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you. We just wanted to check on you, see how you were doing after yesterday.” Ruby pops into the room behind Lena with a wave. They both look a lot less morose than they did the day before.
I blow out a noisy breath and shake my head. “Whew, well, you did. And, um, not that I mind, but do people have a thing against knocking in this town? I swear I had that door locked.” I’m going to have to start shoving a chair under the front door. Christ. Although, with the spell Davis and I did I should know if anyone uninvited comes in. There’s a small reassurance in that, but seriously, is my house magically compelled to let people inside?
“Oh. Well, I was about to knock and the door just sort of swung open.”
“What? Really?” Well, that’s not good. Maybe Anthony didn’t break into my house. Although something is telling me that the house is a lot more welcoming to Lena and Ruby than it would be to Anthony. I have no real reason to believe that, especially because it’s a house, not a butler, but still, I get the sense the house wants to look out for me. “And I’m… I don’t know how I’m feeling after everything. I’m mainly repressing and not dealing with anything at the moment.”
“That’s a good plan. I fully support the whole deny and ignore mentality.” Ruby thumps her fist against her chest, and I grin at her.
Lena sighs and shakes her head. “We could set up a perimeter spell. Make sure no one can get in without your direct consent.”
“You know how to do something like that?” I raise my brows, surprised that she knows how to and is offering to help me do it. After yesterday’s meeting, I assumed none of them really like to use their magic.
“Lena and I can do basic magic. We don’t have any special affinity or anything, but it was impossible to grow up with our family’s pasts and not be curious enough to learn more about it.”
Ruby’s lilac hair is pulled back into two braids, and she’s wearing a pair of leopard print jeans and an oversized black sweater with red stars all over it. A worn-out pair of black chucks finishes up her outfit. It’s loud and totally clashes and yet she makes it work in a quirky way that I could never pull off.
Lena’s still hovering in the doorway while I’m standing awkwardly in the middle of the library in a pair of sweats and a Batman t-shirt. My hair is up in a messy ponytail that’s halfway falling out and the only thing I’ve managed to do today is brush my teeth. Lena on the other hand looks like she ironed her tight pencil skirt and crisp white button down. She could either be ready to lead a board room meeting or smack some misbehaving man’s ass for being naughty. It could go either way.
“Davis helped me with a security spell, but it might not hurt to add a perimeter spell to the mix since you two just waltzed in without a problem.” Did I just name drop? Oops. I can’t even help myself. It’s like my brain needs to claim him and make sure everyone knows. Bad brain.
“So, you and Davis.” Ruby lifts a brow.
“There is no me and Davis.” Both women look like they want to argue but they don’t. They have far more restraint than me. Although Lena gives me a look that says she knows better. I mean, she was at the library yesterday when Davis was nuzzling my neck and I pushed him away and yelled at him.
“Here, let’s sit down.” I motion toward the chairs by the fireplace and settle in one while Lena takes the other, perched on the end, since there’s no ladylike way to sit in these suckers. Ruby wanders over to a chaise with royal blue velvet fabric and swoons down like she’s fainting.
“It’s a simple spell that I’ve used a lot.” Lena shrugs and I’m curious if she’ll tell me why she’s used it so often. I wonder if it’s for a similar reason that Davis knew a security spell. My upbringing wasn’t normal, and we were nomads moving all the time, but I never felt unsafe with my mom. I knew she loved me more than life itself and my heart pangs for unspoken pain that shadows all of my new friends.
Lena’s eyes drift around the room and her fingers twitch like she wants to touch all the books. “This place is incredible.”
“This is Lena’s wet dream. Watch out. One day you’ll come in here to find she’s moved in and has made a bed out of books.” Ruby is stroking the fabric of the chaise and I can’t keep from laughing at her.
“Why would I sleep on books when there’s furniture I could sleep on?” Lena asks Ruby as if that’s the unbelievable part. There’s no denying she might move into my library.
“Because I know you.” Ruby waves her off, pulling out her phone and kicking off her shoes to get comfortable.
“Are you reading on your phone?” Lena looks affronted, and I chuckle. “When there are all these books here?”
“Let me know when you find the stash of smut.” Ruby replies without looking away from her phone.
