Sage looked at her hand, where a faint, silver mark was beginning to bloom on her skin—a mark that matched the one on Rome’s neck.
"I’m looking for something specific," Rome said, his voice a low rumble. "A book that isn't supposed to exist." raylin
He didn't laugh. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, charred coin. "My family has a legend about a map hidden in a story about a bear that couldn't sleep. They say your aunt kept it safe." Sage looked at her hand, where a faint,
"It’s not just a map, is it?" she whispered, the air around them suddenly tasting like ozone. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled
Outside, the wind picked up, howling through the Ravenwood trees, and for the first time in her life, Sage Reed felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be—right in the middle of a story she hadn't yet learned how to end.
As Sage reached for the coin, her fingers brushed his. A spark, bright and sharp, leapt between them. In that instant, the bookstore's humming grew into a roar. The books on the shelves began to glow with a faint, pulsing light, and the shadows in the corners of the room stretched and shifted, taking on the forms of creatures that definitely weren't human.