but without the element of surprise, she was
obviously outmatched.
He lunged toward her and caught ahold of her
boot. She screamed as it slowly turned to metal. Her wings beat
wildly as she tried to pull out of his reach, but he laughed and
held on, reaching with his other hand to grasp her leg.
She was out of time. Mina stood up and ran
for the crossbow, cocked the string, and loaded the bolt. Without
thinking she yelled out his name.
“ Hey, Reid, over here.”
She released the arrow and prayed. With the luck of Fae magic, its
aim was true, and it pierced Reid in the chest.
“ Thanks for the great
date. Don’t call me—I’ll call you,” Mina chanted.
He gasped in pain and let go of Ever’s leg.
Her momentum made her crash into the wall, and she slid to the
ground. Reid grasped the arrow protruding out of his chest. He
started to laugh. “Now, there’s the fight I wanted. It makes for
better storytelling.” More sparks danced from his fingertips, and
the arrow slowly turned to copper.
“ How about this for your
ending?” Mina asked, holding the crossbow. She tossed the crossbow
into the air toward him, and it began to glow and radiate light and
slowly turn back into a book. His face froze in horror, and he
tried to pull the arrow from his chest. The copper on the bolt
stopped spreading and began to recede in the face of the Grimoire’s
power. The arrow of light became brighter and began to pull him
toward the pages, like a fish on a hook.
He whimpered and turned to grasp onto
something, anything. He dug his hands into the chair, but it began
to give in to the powerful vortex created within the pages. Reid’s
body floated in the air and was slowly getting pulled into it. He
worked himself hand over hand until he was holding onto the metal
head of the large man he had turned to copper, but he was no match
for the Grimoire.
With a final scream of defeat, Reid lost his
grip and was sucked into the Grimoire. The book continued to pull,
drawing popcorn buckets, drinks, candy boxes, and even a few lost
cell phones into its pages. The book closed with a snap, and the
theater was once again clothed in darkness. Mina could feel a
suffocating sensation of power fill the room. It felt heavy, like a
pressure on her chest, and she knew that in the darkness something
magical was happening.
A few intense seconds went by before the
power in the building came back on, and with it the overhead
lights. Her hand went to protect her eyes from the extreme change
from darkness to light. The theater was still destroyed. Ever was
hopping toward her with one boot missing. She knelt by Jared and
helped him up. He had a huge bruise on his cheek but seemed to be
fine otherwise. Mina went to help Ever, and they both half carried,
half dragged Jared out to the emergency exit.
A loud slurping noise echoed from behind
them, and Mina snapped her head around to look at the only other
inhabitant of the destroyed theater. It was the very large bearded
moviegoer, fully human again, happily slurping away at his
drink.
“ Best 3D movie ever ,” he
said.
Chapter 12
“ What happened in there?”
Nan cried out, and wrapped her arms around Mina. “It went dark. I
heard a loud popping noise like gunfire. Are you okay? Is Jared
okay?”
“ Yeah, we’re okay, but we
could use help with Jared.”
Brody jumped in and gripped his strong arms
around Jared, and swiftly moved him away from the theater and
farther into the parking lot. Groups of people stood in clusters,
watching the building, pointing and snapping pictures on their
phones. The fire department arrived, and more uniforms rushed into
the building.
Mina collapsed on the ground next to Jared
and ran her hands over his face in concern. The bruise on his cheek
was getting larger, and his eyes started to flutter open.
“ Hey, you,” she whispered
when his eyes locked onto hers. And what beautiful eyes they were.
They were filled with confusion and pain, and then when he
obviously outmatched.
He lunged toward her and caught ahold of her
boot. She screamed as it slowly turned to metal. Her wings beat
wildly as she tried to pull out of his reach, but he laughed and
held on, reaching with his other hand to grasp her leg.
She was out of time. Mina stood up and ran
for the crossbow, cocked the string, and loaded the bolt. Without
thinking she yelled out his name.
“ Hey, Reid, over here.”
She released the arrow and prayed. With the luck of Fae magic, its
aim was true, and it pierced Reid in the chest.
“ Thanks for the great
date. Don’t call me—I’ll call you,” Mina chanted.
He gasped in pain and let go of Ever’s leg.
Her momentum made her crash into the wall, and she slid to the
ground. Reid grasped the arrow protruding out of his chest. He
started to laugh. “Now, there’s the fight I wanted. It makes for
better storytelling.” More sparks danced from his fingertips, and
the arrow slowly turned to copper.
“ How about this for your
ending?” Mina asked, holding the crossbow. She tossed the crossbow
into the air toward him, and it began to glow and radiate light and
slowly turn back into a book. His face froze in horror, and he
tried to pull the arrow from his chest. The copper on the bolt
stopped spreading and began to recede in the face of the Grimoire’s
power. The arrow of light became brighter and began to pull him
toward the pages, like a fish on a hook.
He whimpered and turned to grasp onto
something, anything. He dug his hands into the chair, but it began
to give in to the powerful vortex created within the pages. Reid’s
body floated in the air and was slowly getting pulled into it. He
worked himself hand over hand until he was holding onto the metal
head of the large man he had turned to copper, but he was no match
for the Grimoire.
With a final scream of defeat, Reid lost his
grip and was sucked into the Grimoire. The book continued to pull,
drawing popcorn buckets, drinks, candy boxes, and even a few lost
cell phones into its pages. The book closed with a snap, and the
theater was once again clothed in darkness. Mina could feel a
suffocating sensation of power fill the room. It felt heavy, like a
pressure on her chest, and she knew that in the darkness something
magical was happening.
A few intense seconds went by before the
power in the building came back on, and with it the overhead
lights. Her hand went to protect her eyes from the extreme change
from darkness to light. The theater was still destroyed. Ever was
hopping toward her with one boot missing. She knelt by Jared and
helped him up. He had a huge bruise on his cheek but seemed to be
fine otherwise. Mina went to help Ever, and they both half carried,
half dragged Jared out to the emergency exit.
A loud slurping noise echoed from behind
them, and Mina snapped her head around to look at the only other
inhabitant of the destroyed theater. It was the very large bearded
moviegoer, fully human again, happily slurping away at his
drink.
“ Best 3D movie ever ,” he
said.
Chapter 12
“ What happened in there?”
Nan cried out, and wrapped her arms around Mina. “It went dark. I
heard a loud popping noise like gunfire. Are you okay? Is Jared
okay?”
“ Yeah, we’re okay, but we
could use help with Jared.”
Brody jumped in and gripped his strong arms
around Jared, and swiftly moved him away from the theater and
farther into the parking lot. Groups of people stood in clusters,
watching the building, pointing and snapping pictures on their
phones. The fire department arrived, and more uniforms rushed into
the building.
Mina collapsed on the ground next to Jared
and ran her hands over his face in concern. The bruise on his cheek
was getting larger, and his eyes started to flutter open.
“ Hey, you,” she whispered
when his eyes locked onto hers. And what beautiful eyes they were.
They were filled with confusion and pain, and then when he
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