Addison turned toward Luke the following morning, watching his chest rise and fall as he slept beside her. She thought back to a time when she was younger, when she imagined the kind of man she hoped she’d marry one day. Luke had exceeded all expectations, giving Addison the life she’d always wanted, a life she wasn’t about to allow her uncle to take away.
She reached out, brushing a lock of his hair aside with her finger. He stirred a moment, rubbed his eyes, and then opened them.
“Morning, babe,” he said.
“Morning.”
He raised a brow. “You’re, ehh, giving me the look you always do when we’re about to have a serious talk.”
“I am?”
“Yes, you are.” He sat straight up, his attention shifting from Addison to the tree in the front yard. “I see the raven’s back.”
“About that … Something happened last night,” Addison blurted. “Something you should know.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
Addison took a deep breath in and started from the beginning. “After you went to bed, I went to the red room and tried to make contact with Corbin.”
“And did you?”
“In a way. I saw a holographic version of him, but he couldn’t see me.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain. He’s in trouble, Luke, trapped in a place where his powers are useless. I tried to see where he was, but I couldn’t.”
“What happened? How did he end up there?”
“If what Samael told me last night is true, my uncle happened.”
“Wait—you spoke to your father?”
Addison nodded. “After I made contact with Corbin, I needed answers. I wanted to know where he was, why he was taken, and by whom. I went outside and called out to Samael.”
“And did you see him … you know, the real him, in the flesh?”
“I did. We revisited Crawley Manor, and I learned it’s been in his family for a long time. I was born there. It was supposed to have been the home my brother and I grew up in, until my mother left.”
Luke folded his arms and leaned against the headboard. “What else did you learn about Samael?”
“He’s old. I mean, he doesn’t look old, but …”
“How much older are we talking?”
“To look at him, you wouldn’t think he was much older than me. Early forties I would have guessed, except for the thick, white stripe in his hair and the fact he admitted to being six hundred years old.”
“Six hundred? How’s it even possible?”
Addison shrugged. “I suppose he’s stayed alive all this time because of who he is and because of the power he holds. My uncle, Aamon, is around the same age.”
“What did you learn about him?”
“He’s also a sorcerer and a shapeshifter who’s been many different people throughout time, anyone evil enough to get him closer to the goal he’s trying to achieve. He plans to destroy this world and recreate it for himself. I suspect it’s the reason my female ancestors hid the book of black arts.”
Luke ran a hand through his hair, glancing out the window once more.
“I don’t like him here, whether in raven form or as himself,” Luke said. “We don’t know anything about him.”
“Samael says he’s here to protect me,” Addison said.
“Is his way of protecting you sitting out there, perched on a branch in raven form, staring at us through the windows?”
“He can’t come in unless he’s invited, and I’m not ready to extend an invitation. Until I’m confident I can trust him, I can’t take the risk. I have to think of Amara Jane … and you.”
“Why not take on his human form now that we know it’s him?”
“I’m sure he has his reasons.”
Luke shook his head. “Just seems weird to me. Do you believe what he said about being here to protect you?”
“I want to, but I’m not sure yet. Samael believes Aamon is trying to lure me to him, so he can use the book of black arts to extract my power. He believes Aamon needs me to do it.”
“Is it possible? Can he strip you of your power?”
“Samael seems to think he can, but I’m not convinced. I don’t see how it can be taken from me, even if he has the book.”
Luke shook his head. “I don’t get it. Why didn’t your ancestors tell you the book of black arts existed? Why wouldn’t they warn you about it?”
“Maybe they believed it would never be found.”
And because Joan Waterhouse was alive, still roaming the earth in one form or another. Perhaps she was the keeper of the book, and she saw no reason to inform Addison about it as long as it remained hidden.
“So, Aamon, he’s pure evil, but Samael is trying to pass himself off as being good?” Luke asked.
“I don’t know. There’s a lot we still need to talk about.”
Through the baby monitor on Addison’s nightstand, she heard the faint stirs of Amara Jane. It sounded like she was awake, moving around in her crib. Her thoughts turned to protecting her daughter, keeping her safe above all else.
Luke reached out, placing a hand on hers. “Hey, you’ve been through a lot the past few days. Are you okay?”
“I’m trying to be. I’m not sure of the evil I’m up against this time, and I’m not sure how to fight it … yet.”
“You’re the smartest, strongest woman I know. If anyone can find a way, it’s you.”
He brushed his lips across hers, stood, wrapped a robe around his waist, and crossed the hall into Amara Jane’s room. A minute later, he returned, carrying their toddler in his arms.
Amara Jane took one look at Addison, grinned, and spread her arms wide. “Mommy! Mommy! I want to hold you.”
Luke handed Amara Jane off, and Addison wrapped her arms around her daughter. “Good morning, sweetheart. Want some breakfast?”
“Pancakes, Mommy?”
“Sure, honey. We can have pancakes.”
Luke slipped into a pair of sweatpants and said, “You still headed to the Crimson Caves today?”
Addison nodded. “I have to, Luke. I need to see for myself if the book’s been taken.
“When are you headed out?”
“After I’ve spent the morning with my two favorite people.” Addison glanced at the driveway and noticed Lia’s car parked in front of the house. “Make that my three favorite people.”
Luke shook his head and laughed. “All right, you spend your time and then go. Do what you need to. I’ll stay here, keep an eye on things.”
He put on his sneakers and walked toward the door.
“Where are you headed?” Addison asked.
“I believe it’s time I had a chat with your father.”
“I don’t know, Luke. I should be with you when you do.”
He shot her a wink. “This needs to be man to man, or, well … man to raven, in this case. Guess we’ll see. No need to worry. We’ll be fine.”
Luke disappeared around the corner and Addison sighed, twisting the ring on her pinkie finger ’round and ’round. She gave Amara Jane another squeeze and thought back to something Sybil Waterhouse had once said when she’d appeared before Addison in the red room to bestow the ring, gifting her with centuries of necromancer magic: “Manifest what you need, and it will be given to you. Wield your power and be afraid no longer.”
Be afraid no longer.
In this moment, those words meant everything.