Chapter 327

I shut the door after them, and the room resealed. Toya stalled for a second before she burst out laughing, “Is she for real?”

I walked back to my bed and pulled out the book, then sat down. “I don’t honestly know. She thinks she is smarter than everyone in the room, and I will say, last time she had me fooled.” I sighed.

“How?” Toya rolled to face me, sinking further into the bed.

“I want to say I was stupid, but in reality…I just never fought back.”

Toya looked surprised. “What do you mean?”

I thought back to my first life. “I was an alpha that couldn’t shift. I wasn’t embarrassed, per se, more that I wanted to stay under the radar. I didn’t want Brandon to decide I wasn’t worthy to be the luna of the pack.”

Toya shook her head and then settled her temple on her fist resting on her elbow. “I want to say he wouldn’t, but I know what he did to you. And I’ve met the man.” I scoffed at that. “He’s head over heels for you now, but he would turn on you so fast if it gave him a better chance at something.” Toya rolled her eyes. “The man has the conviction of a snake.”

I laughed. “What does that even mean?”

She leveled her eyes at me. “You know humans keep pet snakes. And for a while, the snake might be nice, allow them to hold it, and be gentle. But the entire time, they are looking for a way out. They can turn on you in an instant. They will attack if they want, and depending on the snake, it might just kill you. That’s Brandon. He will pretend to like you. He might even love you in his way. But if there is ever someone or something that came along that he could use to become stronger, or richer, he would toss you aside.”

I nodded. “That’s exactly who he is.” I opened the book in my hands. “I want to say Vince taught him well, but in truth, Vince makes his own opportunities. He doesn’t wait for them to come to him. Brandon is…”

“A parasite,” Toya finished.

“Exactly.”

She laughed. “What? Why are you laughing?”

She pointed to my door. “Looks like you now have two parasites.”

I felt my face settle, and I allowed the hurt and anger to show through my eyes. “I always had two parasites. But by the time I’m finished, they will either be dead or too broken to make much of a difference.”

Toya watched me for a minute and then she nodded. “Good.” She rolled back onto her back. “We will avenge your pup, then we will fix the rot in our kingdom.” I nodded, then turned back to the book.

I needed to find what Carl was talking about.

I flipped through the book, page after page, looking for anything that would do what he said. I groaned as I finished the book again. “I can’t find it.” Toya grabbed for the letter. “It’s not in there.”

“Just give me a second.” She opened the letter and read out loud. “Amy. I know you are confused about this room, but I made it specifically for you. You have a spell you can use in that rock of yours. You just have to modify it, shift it and repurpose it.” Toya paused. She put down the letter and looked at me. “There is nothing?”

I shook my head. “Nothing that I could think of.” I handed her the book, and she gasped. “What?”

She looked up. “It’s always so surprising watching it shift from a rock to a book.” She smirked as she flipped through the pages. “He said it’s a spell that you would have to change, so it’s obviously for something else.” She kept flipping through the book.

I chewed on my lip. “A spell that what?”

Toya scrunched her face up. “I don’t know. It’s to help us get there, right?”

I closed my eyes and laid back on the bed. “A spell to help us connect to the cabin?”

Nix paced inside of my mind. We need more information.

Megan trotted over and sat. I don’t think we do. Your grandmother was a good witch, but she obviously left certain things out just in case someone stole her book.

I pursed my lips. So you think it’s a spell my grandmother knew?

Megan scoffed. Are you forgetting the underground passage from the gazebo to the cabin? A hallway that stretched a few hundred feet, but actually stretched across the country.

Her words bounced around in my mind. The passage from the gazebo on pack lands to the cave, under the cabin. A connection. A bridge. I shot up. “Holy shit.”

Toya jolted. “You thought of something.” I nodded. “Did you figure it out?”