Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(31)
I stood in place and attempted to evaluate my feelings. Confusion didn’t even begin to weigh on how I felt in that moment. I wanted to run after him and make him finish what he started, but then I thought about my kiss with Liam. What was wrong with me? Why did I keep kissing people and who did I want to keep kissing?
LIAM
It wasn’t difficult to locate Savannah’s aura, but it was surprising to find her in a bookstore designated for witches who participate in the dark arts. Most pagan stores were owned by humans and contained spell books that would never work. However, the stores owned by witches tended to have books by real witches. On occasion, a store would be designated for ordinary humans, but would have a back room or a basement for real witches. The Black Raven was the type of pagan store that masqueraded as an ordinary store. Inside it contained spell books that were as useful as a magic wand. However, behind the desk was a hallway that led to the actual store. It contained everything a practicing witch would need and was dominated by books on the dark arts.
I found Savannah sandwiched between bookcases designated for demonic spells and one for vengeance. I briefly wondered which of the two she favored when I saw her move towards the section about demons.
“Did I miss something? When did you go from despising the dark arts to shopping in a store dedicated to it?” Her startled reaction was rewarding.
Savannah smoothed her hair away from her face, which was a feminine trait that announced that she cared what I thought of how she looked.
“Um, hi. I couldn’t find what I am looking for at my covens’ library.” She shuffled her feet and avoided looking at me.
“Why are you looking for a book on demons? Isn’t that a little out of your league, princess?”
“I was reading my mothers’ journal and discovered that the royal lineages are descended from Nephilim, but that the Cross family also fed on the blood of demons.” She shrugged. “I got curious.”
I could feel that she was holding something back, but it was never a good idea to push someone who was standing on a cliff. “You learned about that, huh?”
She blinked in confusion. “You knew?”
I laughed. “Of course, I knew. My whole coven knows. The Cross family wasn’t just part of the Meadow falls coven. The Cross family was the founding family of the Sacred Moon coven too.” Her brow furrowed. “Sacred Moon is my coven.”
“Oh. How come my coven never told me then?”
“I would guess that the Cross family never told them. It’s not exactly something they would be accepting of.” She nodded absently and looked down at the book in her hand.
“If you want to know more about it, you should talk to the elders in my coven. They could tell you anything you want to know. They could tell you more about your parents too.” Savannah nibbled on her lower lip, while she considered my offer.
“How much do they know about my parents?”
“After they left the Meadow falls coven, your parents joined mine. When my coven discovered some of your parents’ intentions, they were removed from our coven. You were born while your parents were still a part of the Sacred Moon coven.” That startled her.
I pulled the book from her grip and paged through it to see what she was researching. The book detailed information about fallen angels and how demons could increase a witch’s power.
“Are you curious about fallen angels or increasing your power, princess?” I raised my eyebrows and she rolled her eyes.
“Nice.” She attempted to grab the book back, but I held it out of her reach.
“You want the book and I want an answer. Care for a compromise?” I rested against the bookcase with the book held high over my head.
Savannah moved forward with her eyes locked on mine. “Well, I don’t know.” She leaned her body into my chest. “What type of compromise were you thinking of?” She smiled, tilted her face, and when I leaned in to kiss her, she grabbed the book and danced away. “On second thought, I don’t think a compromise is in order.”
“Proud of yourself, princess? Using sexual wiles on me to get what you want.” I sighed. “That’s typical of a woman.”
“Hey!” She smacked my arm with her book and looked at me shyly. “Do you really think that your coven could tell me more about my parents?”
It didn’t take long to convince Savannah to meet with my coven. I waited while she purchased her book, and she rode with me in my car to the estate where the elders lived with my mother. It was a generous estate. The main house was a miniature model of a lord’s estate from England with an adjoined barn that seemed out of place.
Savannah gazed around in wonder at the inside of the hall. “This is where you grew up?”
I followed as Savannah walked from room to room in amazement. When she neared the study, she stopped at the sound of voices from within. From the tones, I knew my mother was one of the parties inside and I guessed from the other voices that a handful of the elders were arguing with her.
“Don’t worry Princess, it’s just my mother.” I walked in front of Savannah and opened the door. “I see you’re up to your usual; nagging everyone in sight. Is there any way I can convince you to take it easy on poor Savannah’s ears?”
My mother turned at the mention of Savannah and her face brightened. She exchanged a proud look with me and hurried over to take Savannah’s hands. “I have heard so much about you! My son won’t stop talking about how wonderful you are!” She smiled.