Page 25 of Wicked Curses
That affinity allowed them to move as swiftly and noiselessly as the darkness they could envelop.And why did he have to smell so good?
His scent was of cinnamon and cloves, two things she loved and that had always brought her a measure of calm. No one should be calm around Orin; that was like being relaxed around a lion that hadn’t eaten in a month. Sooner or later, she’d forget to watch everything and get devoured.
Sahira almost edged away from him, but he’d know he’d unnerved her if she did. Gritting her teeth, she kept her feet planted while studying the symbol.
A figure eight, or maybe it was an infinity symbol, was carved into the wooden wall. The eight stood straight up and down; piercing diagonally through the top circle was an arrow pointing downward. At the other end of the arrow was a set of feathers.
Another arrow went through the center of the eight; this one had an arrowhead at each end instead of feathers on one side. Those arrows pointed up and down.
Another arrow cut through the middle of the bottom of the eight. This time the arrowhead pointed up, and its feathers were at the bottom end.
Sahira had seen a lot of symbols over her lifetime but never anything like this, and she had no idea what it meant. Something wasn’t right about it.
Shouldn’t the arrow at the top of the symbol point up? It’s the upper part of the eight. And shouldn’t the one at the bottom face down?
Maybe I’m looking into this too much.
But the symbols had to mean something; why else would someone carve them into the original buildings? Or maybe they meant nothing, and this was just a way for whoever did it to throw them off and play with them.
She hadn’t believed it possible, but she was beginning to hate this place more. It was such a complete mindfuck.
“What do you think?”
Orin’s breath whispered across her nape and tickled her ear. Did he somehow manage to make himself smell even better?
It sure seemed like it as his scent intensified in the air, and the heat of his body eased the chill the symbol had created. She was pretty sure this man was created to torment her.
“It’s not a witch symbol, but I’m guessing you already knew that,” she said.
A tiny pixie with yellow dust fluttered down to hover before her. “That’s what the other witches have said.”
“I don’t recognize it… fromanything,” Sahira said.
“Neither do I,” Elsa said. “And I’ve been poring through all the books, hoping for an answer, but nothing.”
“No one recognizes it,” Orin added. “I’ve done a lot of traveling, met almost every immortal there is, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Just one more mystery about this place,” Sahira muttered.
“You hate it as much as I do.”
Sahira was aware of the pixie and Elsa studying her, but she couldn’t deny the simple truth. There was no way they loved this place.
“I do,” she said.
Before Orin could say anything more, and needing to get away from him, Sahira strolled toward the ten-foot-high arch and beneath it. She came to such an abrupt stop that Orin almost walked into her but sidestepped in time to avoid it.
That didn’t stop his chest from brushing her shoulder as he did so, and she suspected it was on purpose. At least he didn’t stand too close again; instead, he gave her space as she gawked at the building.
She tipped her head farther and farther back to take in the numerous rows of books surrounding her. She had no idea what she’d expected from the library, but it certainly wasn’t this vast display of knowledge, mystery, and adventure trapped within countless tomes.
The only wall space not covered with shelves and books in the wide-open, three-story room were the two windows at the back of the building, the two on the side, and the two at the front. Each of those windows had thick metal shutters beside them.
Three chandeliers with thick, crystal clear beads reflected the light as they dangled from the ceiling. They provided the only illumination in this place. Judging by the steady dim glow, magic instead of fire kept them lit.
“Who keeps the lights on?” she asked.
“We don’t know,” Elsa answered. “They were on when the first vamp arrived and have remained that way.”
