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Since my hand was still behind ainst him Result, Elodie exulted in my head

Cal's breath arm on my face as he said, "Maybe she made the book so easy to find on purpose If you touch that page and get your powers back, you'll be a deain Maybe that's what the Casnoffs want"

Now the twisting into do hatever Elodie was up to, and everything to do hat Torin had told me For the first time, I let myself think that there was a chance he hadn't just been screithto bear

"I didn't think about that," Elodie said, and I'd never heard my voice sound like that It was husky Almost sexy

For the first time ever, I saw Call falter "I just don't think you should touch that spell Not now, at least"

"I won't"

"Good"

"So why are you still holding on toa car crash in slow ain, and this ti Not forwith him, and he doesn't deserve it

No, she replied as she curled ers around the back of Cal's neck But Archer does

Cal's lips were tentative on mine, and there was a part of me that wondered if he suspected But then Elodie pulled hihter, and I think that even if he did suspect, he didn't care anymore The kiss in the tent had been intense, but this waswell, it was hot Probably because Elodie was practically coilinghim ay s were rushing through ure out which were er, lust, sadness, triumph They all pounded insidelike a second heartbeat in ainst ht actually explode into a million pieces of blue plaid

But before that could happen, the door opened, and even as I shrieked for Elodie to let go of Cal, I kneas too late

"Whoa," I heard Jenna say, and then Archer asking, "What?"

Suddenly,in the doorway Jenna just see else

But Archer

If I'd had any doubts about how Archer felt about me, they were eradicated when I saw the look on his face I'd never had ured I'd make the same face Archer wore now

I felt my lips twist in a s "Not such a great feeling watching someone you're in love with hook up with someone else, is it?" she said to Archer

Cal, who still hadn't let go of my wrist, suddenly stepped back "Elodie," he said It wasn't a question

I will never forgive you for this, I told her I don't care if I can't do et into ain

This wasn't about you, was her only reply

And then she was gone

I hit the floor, one ofpainfully on the hardwood Call and Jenna both rushed forward to help me to my feet The instant I felt steady, Call dropped his hand and rip on my elbow, and as I looked up, I realized why Archer hadn't helped one

I turned to Cal, ain Some more II never would have-" He cut me off with a brisk shake of his head "It wasn't you," he said, but his voice was gruff, and he still wouldn't look at me

Unsure of what else to say, I fu it to Jenna "We found this in Lara's desk Call thinks it ht be some kind of trap I mean, ould they make it so easy to find?" I reme their best hope, about so "in the blood" If the Casnoffs wanted

Jenna took the book from me but didn't open it "Okay," she said "Go deal with Archer"

"He's upset, but this is rimoire Let Call and Jenna think I was brave and self-sacrificing That was better than telling theht no exactly does one say, "Sorry the ghost of your ex-girlfriend used me to make out with my fiance"?

But Jenna was my best friend "Soph," she said softly "Go talk to hihed "You know, bossiness is ht up there with your unerring ability to be right all the time" She smiled "You love uarded expression, the tightness of his shoulders I would have given anything forto find Archer He was in the green drawing room, the one where I'd firston the floor, his back against the sofa, long legs stretched out in front of hiraph that remained on the wall