Novel & Cerita Magic Hour Kristin Hannah

The hotness of the sun peeked in through the partially open window, casting a beam of light onto her smooth skin, rousing her from slumber. She gently massaged her eyes to shake off sleepiness before retrieving her phone from the nearby table. As she glanced at the time, she was taken aback. Her eyes swiftly shifted towards the curtains, allowing her to catch a glimpse of the dazzling brightness outside. It was already 10:00 am in the morning, a stroke of luck that it happened to be the weekend, or else she would have faced the risk of being late from university.

The door creaked open with a haunting echo, revealing a dimly lit interior filled with arcane symbols and books of forbidden knowledge. A figure stepped forth from the shadows, their face hidden beneath a hood. Their voice dripped with malice. "You have come far, but your journey ends here. Silverwood's destiny belongs to me." Malachi squared his shoulders, his voice firm. "Reveal yourself, traitor. Your deceit ends now." With a flourish, the figure removed their hood, revealing a face that sent a shiver down my spine. It was someone we had trusted implicitly, someone who had fought alongside us. It was Selene.

By the time he finished cleaning up the mess, it was after ten. Cassian collapsed into his stone chair, leaning his head back with his eyes closed. "What time is it?" he asked Humphrey. "10:30, Alpha Cassian." "Get the car. We're going to the Moonlight Altar." Humphrey couldn't help but chime in. "Alpha Cassian, it's peak morning traffic. It'll take at least fifty minutes to get across town. The Priestess takes a break at noon and the Altar closes for a few hours. Should I tell Luna Trista to meet you in the afternoon instead?"

But I couldn’t keep ignoring this. I pulled on a long, oversized hoodie and slipped out of my room quietly. The hallways of the Moonbane estate were quiet, a rare moment of peace in this usually tension-thick house. I didn’t stop to greet anyone or answer any questions. I walked straight to the healer’s wing. Hannah was there, quietly tending to herbs along the far shelf, her fingers moving with delicate precision. She was a few years older than me—soft-spoken, kind eyes, someone who always seemed to carry calm like it was stitched into her skin.

His mother tilted her head. “I’m your mother, not a guest.” ********* Hannah had called her best friend and explained shortly. She looked at the nurse who served her medicine as she took it without asking. “Please sleep now, Miss Hannah.” “Thank you for your help,” Hannah mumbled. She set up an alarm for tomorrow as she closed her eyes to sleep. The comfortable room, cold and with warm blankets. She was so lucky to have a rich boss. She somewhat felt hot as she glanced at the time. It was already eleven. She wanted to sleep more but she felt so hot and she’s shuddering.

Filed it away. They ate standing up, too restless to sit. The picture window dominated the main room, and this morning it showed a different Alaska. The snow was still there, endless and white, but the sun had turned it blinding. The spruce trees cast long blue shadows. A single bird—some kind of raven—perched on the balcony railing, watching them. "Checkout's at eleven," Hannah said, glancing at the clock. Grace followed her gaze. Nine-fifteen. They had time. Not much, but enough.

“And I had to fix my hair. It got a little messed up.” Molly grinned at the mirror and smoothed down her hair. That ten minutes in the car had been hard to stop. She could still feel his fingertips on her skin and the heat of his kisses. It was all she could do not to go out to the dining room table, grab him by that red silk tie, and drag him back into that backseat for more of what he started. Ten minutes was not nearly enough. “Oh, right. The-Night-Before-The-Night-Before-Christmas. Aw, man. I wish I could’ve gone to that. I love Mrs. Kerstman’s cooking,” Hannah said with a longing sigh. “BakeTown strikes again.”

As soon as he was completely out of sight, Hannah let out a relieved breath, her hand trembling as she rubbed her wrist where his fingers had gripped her. She couldn’t let him control her like this, not when she was so close to finding out the truth about Lily. She quickly pulled out her phone again and glanced at the clock, noticing it was almost close to midnight. She texted the number and then, waited for a response. After a short while, the phone beeped again and Hannah quickly checked the text. “30 mins. I’ll be in a grey hoodie.” Seeing this, she sprang up from her feet, grabbed her purse and stealthily snuck out of her bedroom with no plan.

The clock on the nightstand reads 11:47. Midnight is thirteen minutes away. The numbers glow red in the dark room, pulsing like a heartbeat, like a countdown, like a warning. Nathaniel is on the phone with Marcus, his voice low, urgent, the words spilling out in rushed bursts. Julian is pulling security footage from the building across the street, frame by frame, searching for a face, a shadow, a shape in the dark.

**Ch.7: The Security Guards Fetch Hanna** At noon, after her shift, Hanna sat in the cafeteria, opening the email Morgan had sent her. A skeptical laugh accompanied each line her eyes scanned. The supposed assassination attempt he referred to served merely as a pretext for a list of impositions that ultimately catered to his own interests.