Keeper(46)

His face was pained, and his eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “Children don’t come with an instruction manual, and in your case I didn’t know what to do because I had to keep you safe. That was everyone’s priority. I let that stand in the way of my judgment. Telling you would have been the best thing, I know that now.” He wiped a hand across his face. “But I never meant to hurt you or break your trust. I’m so sorry.”

The remorse in Gareth’s eyes hit me harder than I thought it would. My throat constricted, making it hard to swallow. “What about telling me I was a witch? Were you just gonna wait until I woke up levitating or turned my English teacher into a lawn gnome?”

“No, of course not.”

I fidgeted in my seat, fighting the urge to scream. “You can’t say ’of course not.’ Serena told me about the pulses, how your cloaking spells are failing. Were you planning to wait until something bad happened to finally clue me in?”

Gareth sighed and put his head in his hands. “I was wrong not to tell you, to keep you in the dark about who you are, but this life isn’t easy. There is danger everywhere—people who would stop at nothing to harm you just for who you are, what you can do. I guess I just wanted you to have as normal a life as possible for as long as possible.” He sat up straight in his chair. “Does that make sense?”

“It does,” I replied. “But you should’ve told me.”

“You’re right. I should have.”

A few minutes passed, and then Gareth leaned forward. “It’s true, then. The Continuance?”

I nodded. “Apparently. Although Serena doesn’t really know why Josephine established the bond. She said it’s extremely rare.”

“It is,” Gareth confirmed. “And I think I might know the answer to that.” He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. “What did Serena tell you about her—about Josephine DuCarmont?”

I shrugged. “Nothing, really. Only that we’re related, and that the DuCarmonts were a very powerful family of witches. That’s why Mom was . . . murdered.” I swallowed. It was still hard to wrap my head around. “Because she was a DuCarmont.”

Gareth’s face was as serious as I’d ever seen it. “Yes, but that’s not the only reason.” He glanced around the room, almost as if he were afraid of someone listening. His next words were hardly louder than a whisper. “Lainey, she was killed because she was the Keeper.”

“The Keeper?”

Gareth nodded. “Yes, the Keeper of the Grimoire.”

“The what? Gareth, I don’t—”

“A grimoire is basically a textbook of magic. It’s specific by coven and contains all of the spells, charms, and rituals performed by those witches. Each coven has one, and the books themselves are very powerful talismans of magic. To keep them from falling into the wrong hands, a Keeper is destined to protect it, to keep it safe. The more powerful the coven, the more valuable the grimoire would be.”

Gareth took a deep breath and continued. “Josephine DuCarmont was the Keeper of the Grimoire. And like her, your mother was as well.”

I didn’t know what to say. I stared at Gareth, trying to wrap my head around the new information. “So Mom was killed because of a book?”

“Yes,” Gareth breathed out. “But Lainey, you have to understand, the Grimoire isn’t just any old book. The DuCarmonts were the most powerful witches of our realm, and their grimoire contained magic more potent than any other in existence. Power like that—well, let’s just say the DuCarmonts had their fair share of enemies, people who would stop at nothing to get their hands on the book.”

In my mind, remnants of my visions flashed before my eyes: the worn book in Josephine’s hands, the man in black demanding to know where it was hidden, the emerald amulet, the picture of my mother.

“The necklace,” I whispered. “It’s the Grimoire.” I wiped my face with my hand. “Did they take it?”

Gareth looked confused.

“When they killed my mom,” I supplied. “Did they take the Grimoire?”

“Yes.” He frowned. “They did.”

The knot in my stomach grew. I nodded, not sure what to say next.

“The Continuance,” Gareth continued. “I think it’s a warning of some kind.” He began to pace. “You see, Keepers don’t just protect the book. They are the only ones who can truly wield its power. It’s as if the book is the lock, and the Keeper—”

“Is the key,” I finished for him. “But they killed her. My mother. If she was the Keeper, why would they kill her?”

“It’s a well-protected coven secret.” Gareth stopped pacing and faced me. “Your mom told me the night she left. It’s likely that they killed her before realizing she was the only one who could harness the book’s power. Lainey, you have to understand that you are the only living person with DuCarmont blood running through your veins. Which means—”

“By default, I’m the new Keeper.” I sucked in a breath of air. “Aren’t I?”

“Yes,” Gareth said. “Serena thinks you are in some kind of danger, but I’ve kept you hidden from the Supernatural world for years. No one knows you exist.” Gareth’s face was grim. “But you’re strong, like your mother, and the cloaking spells aren’t working anymore. The dryad was proof of that. Lainey, if more people find out about you—”