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“I see,” I replied, my mouth twitching. If someone had been willing to suppress Celeste’s magic when she was achild, potentially severing her natural ability for a lifetime, it was no surprise that they’d erase any link to her family or her past. “Were you able to uncover anything new?”
“Nothing about shifters,” he said, his gaze steely.
I wonder just how deep this goes.The more I learned, the more I suspected someone powerful had been involved in twisting Celeste’s fate. Someone far greater than a meddling aunt.
I’d previously suspected Celeste knew more than she was letting on, that she was plotting against me and would twist our fated bond. But I was confident she had nothing to do with this. I didn’t even need to ask her.
Perhaps I have changed. Perhaps she has changed me.Maybe for the better.
“Did you bring the grimoire?” I asked.
“Uh huh.” Grant nodded and walked to one of the sitting chairs framing the massive windows. In the elegant, overstuffed chair sat a tired leather bag, looking entirely out of place against the brightly patterned fabric. He undid the satchel and pulled out a hefty tome before handing it over to me. “This is the one.”
“Thank you,” I replied, smoothing my hand over the cover. The leather was well-worn but clearly cared for, supple to the touch. Some of the embossing was worn away at the edges, but the filigree still shimmered in the light. A large, perfectly round moonstone sat prominently in the center of the cover. I traced my hand over the gemstone, and for a moment, I could swear I felt a thrum of power.
How interesting.
I could not wait to share this with Celeste, but I still had a few errands left.
“Keep digging,” I told Grant as I tucked the book under my arm. “I need any detail you can find.”
“I understand,” he replied, giving a sharp nod. “I’ll get back to it.” He grabbed his bag and was about to leave when someone bounced in through the doorway.
“Hey, Fenris!” Abigail chirped, her hazel eyes sparkling mischievously. “Oh, hey there! You must be Grant!”
Grant raised a bushy brow and glanced at me before looking away, allowing the shadow cast by the hat brim to hide his expression. “Depends on who’s asking.”
“My name is Abigail Murphy. I wanted to know if you’ve ever trained anyone to do what you do.”
I couldn’t stop myself from chuckling. “Are you about to take up wolf hunting as a hobby?” I asked her dryly.
Abigail frowned at me. “No, I want to be useful. I’m the only human around here, aren’t I? And the next time some freaky bitch like Sabine comes at me, I want to be able to tell her to fuck off—and mean it.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but she kept talking. “Besides, I don’t want to be the cause of worry all the time. I want to be able tohelpCeleste if some psycho shifter or vampire attacks us, not be a liability.”
I had to admit, Abigail had made a compelling argument. I rubbed my chin before looking back at Grant. “Well? Do you take apprentices?”
He sighed. “Haven’t in a blue moon, but I suppose I could do it again if the Lunar Lord is asking.”
“Good,” I said as I made the decision for him. “You will be given access to my private island for this. Walter will contact you with more details later.”
“Alright,” Grant said, sounding weary already. “I’d best go get my things in order, then.”
Abigail gave him a cheerful farewell as he left. Somehow, that seemed to wear him out even more, and I tried not to laugh at the notion of Grant training her.
I didn’t have much time to entertain the idea, however, because Cody waltzed in moments after Grant left. “You look awfully pleased,” he said to Abigail.
She smirked. “I’m about to be a total badass after paranormal boot camp,” she said, flexing one arm and patting her bicep.
Cody snorted. “Those twins had better watch out for all those stakes you’ll be packing.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll have a dog whistle for you shifters, too,” she said breezily, winking. “Now, c’mon, chop chop! Mr. Lunar Lord over here has things to do, and I have people to call!” Abigail marched past us out of the room.
I soon followed Celeste’s best friend, for once in agreement with her. The faster we got through this, the faster I could return to Isla Lobo and take Celeste on that date I’d promised her. Nothing sounded better for easing the stress of this meeting.
Chapter19
Celeste
