by Cate Tiernan
I slowly put my cup down. “Was there something else?” I asked shortly, dreading the answer. Hunter nodded, looking stung. I knew he wanted forgiveness, but I wasn’t ready to give him that. “Stay here for a moment,” he said as he slid off the couch and went upstairs to his bedroom. In a few seconds he thumped back down the stairs, holding an ancient-looking book under his arm. “What’s that?”
Hunter came closer and held it out to me. “This is very interesting. It’s a record of sorts. My father found it in Justine’s library.”
I shuddered at hearing her name again, but I composed myself and took the book from him
carefully, so that I didn’t have to touch his hands. I ran my hands over the cover, which was made of torn and faded leather. Opening it, I could see that the pages were handwritten. “A Book of Shadows?”
“Not a Book of Shadows, exactly.” Hunter flipped the pages back to the beginning, where a handwritten title page read,A Book of Spelles and Memories, by Rose MacEwan. “It’s more like a memoir.”
“Rose MacEwan,” I whispered. “Do you think . . . ?” Hunter nodded gravely. “She lived in Scotland during the Burning Times. It’s very likely that she was an ancestor of yours. This book could be invaluable for what it can tell us about the dark wave spell and how it came into being. My da’s read most of it, but I haven’t looked at it at all.” He closed the cover of the book and looked up at me hopefully. “Would you like to read it with me, Morgan?”
I looked into Hunter’s clear green eyes. I could see his love for me, pure and unbending, along with the pain he’d suffered and his hope for the future. My heart still ached with the knowledge of what he’d done, but I hoped that we’d be okay . . . eventually. I turned my attention to the book. When I ran my hand again over the worn embossed cover, I felt a rush of energy. My ancestor. I knew it.
“Yes,” I said finally. “Let’s read it.”
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1 - Scotland, April Chapter 2 - Gathering and Sanctifying Spring Herbs Chapter 3 - Charging an Amulet, Esbat, Seed Moon Chapter 4 - Drawing Down the Moon
Chapter 5 - The Witch’s Jar: A Spell of Protection Chapter 6 - Night Visions
Chapter 7 - Beltane Rites, the Fifth Day of May Chapter 8 - Esbat Rites, Mid-July
Chapter 9 - On the Making and Charming of Poppets Chapter 10 - Lughnassadh
Chapter 11 - Spelling a Death Drink with Dark Powers Chapter 12 - Reversing a Spell
Chapter 13 - A Spell for the Darkest Hour Chapter 14 - Samhain
Epilogue