The Price Of Fate
Malcolm shut the door and rounded back to the driver’s seat, and then we were moving.
The ride back to town felt longer than the ride out, though maybe that was only because I was carrying too much now. Astrid stayed quiet. Malcolm stayed watchful. The book sat on my lap once I finally forced myself to loosen my hold, but I still kept one hand on it as if it might become less real if I did not. The lock had sealed again after shutting on its own. I knew now it only opened for my blood. That knowledge made it feel less like a book and more like a secret with teeth. Something sacred. Something dangerous. Something my mother had hidden so carefully that even now, with it right there under my ha