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

me to succeed, I don’t understand why you won’t just tell me what it is Virgil has in mind,” Alex snapped, exasperated. “You almost told me yourself, before you got dragged back into the ether. Why not just tell me now? I won’t say anything.”

“Can’t, shan’t, won’t,” said Elias petulantly.

“This is ridiculous!” Alex was almost shouting now.

Elias’s face grew stern. “I’m not the one making the rules, Alex. Virgil has asked me not to say anything, and I happen to agree with him, in this case. It is for your own good,” he insisted, his voice serious.

“Then why even bother coming here to feed me these stupid, annoying little tidbits? You do it just to get under my skin, don’t you?” Alex was really going for it now. “You come here to flounce about and irritate the living hell out of me. That’s all this is—this is the Elias show! You just want to prove how amusing and witty you are, but you’re starting to grate on me. Actually, you started to grate on me a long time ago. What use are you, if you can’t tell me things that will be legitimately helpful to me?”

Elias put up his hands. “I don’t want to start an argument, Alex. I just wanted to let you know that Virgil is coming up with something that will help you, but you can’t know about it. It is to protect you,” he reiterated, but Alex was having none of it.

“Protect me? Don’t make me laugh,” Alex snarled. “Your whole purpose was to protect me, and look at the great job you did at that! I am going to die because of you, Elias. I am going to die because you didn’t do your job. I am going to die because none of you would tell me anything that could have prevented this. Everything that comes out of your mouth is worthless. It’s just vague, worthless crap!”

“Alex, you should calm down,” Elias said softly.

He shook his head. “I am way past the point where I need to calm down. I am sick of you! I am sick of this world! You think you can come and go as you please, without even asking if I want to see you. And then, and here’s the best part, you don’t even do anything useful! You’re a smug, self-centered ass, and you deserved what happened to you. I want you out of my sight!”

“Alex, I am sorry… I didn’t mean to—” Elias began, but Alex cut him off sharply.

“No, you never mean to do anything, do you?” he snapped. “I am so sick of you I don’t even have the words. If you have nothing useful to say, then GET OUT!”

“I’m sorry, Alex,” said Elias, who was beginning to disappear up into the shadows in the corner of the room. “I’m trying to help. You will see…” His disembodied voice trailed off as his wispy form evaporated into nothingness.

Alex stared up at the corner of the ceiling for a long time, wondering if the shadow-man was going to reappear, but as time wore on, Elias remained absent.

It eventually began to plague Alex that they had parted on such bad terms. Yes, the shadow-man was annoying, but perhaps there had been something worthy in what Elias had been saying, and he’d just said it in the wrong way.

Virgil was trying to protect him, but from what?

There was nothing Alex could do to take back the words, and that made it worse. His mind raced with all the things he should have said, not only to Elias, but to everyone. Though they’d had their goodbyes, there hadn’t really been a proper farewell. They had spoken of memories and old days, but nobody had mentioned the elephant in the room—not really. Panic coursed through him, combined with a strange numbness, a dull dissatisfaction in the way he had parted with everyone. He was going to die, and there was so much he still wanted to say. More than that, there was so much he still wanted to do. He ought to have his whole life ahead of him, to indulge in all the things everyone else got to do and see, but that path was closed to him now.

It was all too late. With so many goodbyes, Alex had a feeling that D-Day was coming much sooner than he was prepared for. Not that he could ever be prepared. Time was running out; he could hear the death knell sounding.

Chapter 26

Alex didn’t remember falling asleep, but the rough shove of hands stirred him abruptly from his brief slumber. Blinking awake, he saw Siren Mave loitering beside the bed, her gnarled hands shaking him into consciousness.

“Ah, he’s alive,” she crowed.

“What is it? Has something happened?” he asked, regaining his bearings.

She shook her head. “No, nothing so dramatic,” she tutted. “The king has demanded another audience with you, that’s all.”

Alex felt like snapping at her. That was all? The last time he’d met with Julius, it hadn’t exactly gone well for him. Still, he knew he couldn’t defy the king’s orders. If Julius wanted to meet with him again, so be it.

“Why does he want to meet me?” Alex asked, getting down off the bed. The covers were still in place; it seemed he hadn’t managed to get under them.

Siren Mave flashed him a withering look. “You think I know the inner workings of the king’s mind? I’m just the messenger, and if you don’t hurry yourself up, I will be in trouble,” she barked, rushing off to the wardrobe to pick out some clothes for him to wear. “He did say you were to bring the book, however,” she said, not bothering to turn as she pulled a dark gray three-piece suit out of the wardrobe and laid it out on the armchair by the fire.

Alex frowned, both at the clothes and the request to bring the book. “I’m not wearing that,” he said firmly.

Siren Mave sighed, smacking her overly