The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 6 by Bella Forrest (books for men to read .TXT) 📕

Natalie was next. “Hmm… Well, I am afraid I do actually agree with Aamir. Either Alex goes alone, or Alex doesn’t go at all. I realize they are two uncompromising options, but they are the only two I feel we should be thinking about. I do not feel the king will kill Alex, or force him to do anything, when Alex is already offering to do the spell. There would be no point,” she explained. “This is a win-win situation for Julius, and if we tag along, we threaten to ruin that. I vote he goes alone.”

And so, the deciding vote fell to Helena, who shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“There are pros and cons to each side of the argument,” she began softly. “I can see the benefits of Alex going alone, and I can see the benefits of us going with him. However, knowing you all as I know you, and knowing my grandfather the way I do, I cannot, in good conscience, let Alex go alone. I vote we go with him.”

It wasn’t the result Alex had wanted to hear, but he was relieved they had at least reached a consensus. Three against two—they were all going to Falleaf together. Aamir and Natalie glanced at the others, who looked back. There was tension still, between the two sides. Alex just hoped it would dissipate in time for their departure. Not that he was planning on actually letting them go through with him. He still had a few ideas up his sleeve.

“Okay, decision made,” said Ellabell, her relief evident. “We leave for Falleaf in the morning, as a group.”

“Yeah, so don’t try anything funny, man—we’ve got our eyes on you,” warned Jari, doing spooky wide eyes in Alex’s direction.

With that, the group disbanded, but for the rest of the day, Alex constantly felt like a shadow was following him. No matter where he went, he felt watchful eyes on him, keeping tabs on his whereabouts. It was exasperating, but he understood why. In their shoes, he’d have done the same.

Seeking solitude, he disappeared across the riverbank, toward the windmill, though he slowed as he saw the guards standing sentinel at either side of the entrance. They wouldn’t let him in without Ceres, and he didn’t feel like going to find her just so he could speak with Virgil again. Besides, the Head probably hadn’t come up with an answer yet—Alex had a feeling the skeletal man was keeping him waiting on purpose. Again, Alex couldn’t blame him. He had intruded upon the Head’s mind, and forced him to do something he would otherwise not have done, in precarious circumstances that had almost gotten him killed. Why would he give Alex an answer straightaway, just so he could rest easy?

Instead of heading up to the entry, Alex turned right and walked along a narrow path covered in crushed shells and tiny pieces of gravel. It was well worn, and Alex soon found out why. Ahead lay the allotments, and the farm that Demeter had spoken of. In fact, the auburn-haired man was there, wrangling with some small creatures that looked a lot like boars, though they had six tusks going up the length of their snouts and large, floppy ears that flapped as they ran from their keeper’s grasp. Ceres was there too, laughing at the scene, a broad smile lighting up her face. Giving up, Demeter wandered over to where Ceres sat perched on the corral fence. His hands were muddy from wrestling with the boar-like creatures in the dirt.

“Don’t you dare!” Alex heard her cry as Demeter lunged to smother her face in the muck. Ceres squealed, trying to wriggle free of him, but he just held her tighter, pulling her in for a kiss that Alex didn’t feel he ought to be spying on.

Embarrassed, he returned the way he had come, wondering what it would be like to have a relationship that seemed as carefree as theirs did. Out in the real world, could he and Ellabell play around like that, laughing like they had no worries? He hoped so, and yet he wasn’t sure he’d ever get to find out.

On the walk back, he realized something—the only way to evade his friends, and travel alone to Falleaf, was if he left when they least expected it. Sure, they’d definitely be anticipating a sly move, maybe thinking he’d go at dawn like he had that morning, but if he did it when they had been claimed by sleep, perhaps he’d get away with it.

Yes, thought Alex, in fact, I could go now, and hide out in the forest at Falleaf until morning.

That settled it. With that firmly in his mind, he set off back the way he had come and allowed himself to think of the meeting itself, and how he might persuade Julius to see things from his perspective. He knew he was going to have to flatter the king and make him see how beneficial all of this would be for him, if he would just give them a small amount of his blood. It would be the quickest and cleanest of Julius’s kills, and he could do it without lifting a finger. That was what Alex knew he needed to focus on—how easy and noncommittal the act would be for the king, but how good it would make him look to his royal citizens.

As Alex crossed back over the riverbank, the group of five was waiting for him on the other side.

“Thought you’d like a bit of company,” chirped Jari.

“Aamir has something delicious cooking, if you’re hungry?” Ellabell added, smiling.

“Just wanted to check you weren’t feeling any desires to go for a jog,” Natalie teased.

Alex realized, with absolute certainty, that he wasn’t going anywhere by himself. Even if he tried to slip away in the early hours of the morning, he had a feeling they would be setting up sleeping shifts