A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves #1)(76)

Was there another explanation? To admit that he might be a god . . . it was too much to wrap her head around in ten minutes or less. Ten years might not be enough time.

And there were so many questions that now bubbled up in her throat, when before she’d been stunned silent. This was a man who kept the location of his home a secret. She’d think the same sort of person—god, or whatever—wouldn’t be one to simply stroll out in public.

“Why were you at the university that day?” she asked.

“Simply because I take classes there.” When she raised her eyebrows at him, his smile widened. “Even immortals have healthy curiosities—not to mention many long days to fill. It was my pleasure to help you find your way to Dr. Vega’s office.”

“You already know him.”

“Yes. And he knows me. Though I don’t think he’s aware that I’m a student in one of his classes. He doesn’t pay much attention to his pupils.”

Dr. Vega had accused Markus of murdering his father. But that wasn’t exactly something she could blurt out right now. Still, the thought unsettled her deeply.

Would her father leave her alone in the company of a murderer?

“When you met with him, did he tell you what you wanted to know about the Bronze Codex?” Markus asked.

Crys froze.

He asked it as if it were a question, but his tone was more like a statement. He knew. Of course he knew. He seemed to know absolutely everything.

Could he hear her heart pounding now, as desperately as a trapped animal’s?

He didn’t wait for her to reply. “Dr. Vega is a paranoid and vain little man who is desperately in love with your aunt. I feel sorry for him sometimes, how seriously he takes everything.”

“He . . . he seems to mean well.”

“Yes, I’m sure he does.” Markus’s gaze remained steady on her. “I know Jackie Kendall has recently acquired the Codex. I also know that you and your mother are quite close with your aunt, despite the fact that her main residence is in England now. Do you know where the Codex is?”

Denying that Jackie got the book or saying she didn’t know what he was talking about would be a waste of her breath, but at least she could answer with the absolute truth. “I have no idea where it is right now.”

He pressed the tips of his fingers together. “The Codex was stolen from me a long time ago, but it is mine and I need it back, now more than ever before. It is filled with the magic I need to help protect this world from evil.”

“You want to protect this world . . . with magic.” Her father had left this part of Markus’s mission out of their previous conversation.

“Yes.” He paused, allowing his previous words to sink in. “If you really want to join my society, then you will do what I ask. Locate that Codex and return it to me.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but, like I said, I don’t know where it is.”

“Perhaps. But I believe that you—and possibly only you—can find it for me. I see in your eyes that you have the capacity and intelligence to understand how grave this matter is. You are very special, Ms. Hatcher. And I would be honored to welcome you into Hawkspear. If you agree to help me, if you stand by my side along with your father, you could make such a difference to the future of this world.”

She bit her bottom lip and searched for a suitable response. Markus made her tongue-tied like no one else ever had.

He’d confirmed that the book was made of magic, just as Dr. Vega had theorized.

It was the Codex’s otherworldly magic that had sent Becca into her strange coma. She’d known this deep down the whole time, but to have it confirmed by an immortal god himself . . .

“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Markus said gently. “I do. But promise me you’ll try.”

What could she say? Let me think about it for a few days and I’ll e-mail you?

No.

“I’ll try,” she said quietly. “I promise I’ll try.”

She stood up, more than ready to leave this place, to escape into the fresh air where she could breathe and think.

“Thank you.” Again, that smile managed to captivate her, leaving her head foggy and unclear, just as it had on the university grounds. He drew closer to her, taking both her hands in his. “I’ll be in touch again very soon, Ms. Hatcher.”





Chapter 20


MADDOX



Maddox, Barnabas, and Becca continued their journey to the witch’s house. Maddox had been keeping a close eye on Becca ever since the events of the previous night, but she appeared to have fully recovered from the hungry spirit who’d nearly devoured her before his eyes.

“You keep looking at me,” Becca said as they trudged across a wide, overgrown field covered in daisies. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Maddox said.

“Positive.”

“You were so brave.”

“Yeah, right.”

“You were,” he insisted. “If something was to happen to you . . .”

“Maddox,” Barnabas interrupted. “Leave the girl alone. You’ve inquired about her well-being at least a dozen times since breakfast.”

Maddox glared at him. “You can’t possibly understand our conversations from only hearing my side of them.”