The Coven's Heir

Chapter 19

My eyes started to flicker open as the morning light spilled through my room landing the glare right on my eye lids. I cracked them open gently. I seemed to have forgotten to close the curtains last night after Ashton had left me alone shortly after telling me I could borrow his family's grimoire. It all started coming back to me in fuzzy images as I tried to shake the left-over sleep from my mind.

"What? Borrow yours? You mean your family's?" I asked in disbelief. I was looking at him as if he just told me he was the king of England or something as ridiculous.

He nodded unfazed, as he leaned his right hand on the balcony railing to properly face me. "But... Grimoires are sacred to that specific family and it is forbidden to share them. It wouldn't feel right. Do you know how much trouble I could be in for reading your family's grimoire? It carries your family's entire history along with an encyclopedia of spells. If this were the olden days I would be burned by the entirety of the covens." I shook my head. He still looked at me completely unfazed by my distress over the situation.

"Three things, love... One the half of the book that contains my family's history is masked with blood magic so you cannot read it, as that is indeed sacred to my family and I would be burned alive by my parents if they found out I not only stole it but I let an outsider read it. Two, the spells that are contained in my family's grimoire are basically the same as most covens, so there is no scandal there. It would most likely be the exact same spells in your own grimoire. And three... Fallon; love I thought you'd be happy I found a possibly solution to your impending doom." He said with a quiet smirk.

I pushed myself off the railing and rolled my eyes as I felt the backlash of his last comment. His personality was walking contradiction. It was beyond irritating. I thought we were making progress and I was seeing this whole other side of him then bam the Ashton Hale I knew makes a reappearance.

"Oh yes, Mr. Hale I'm ever so grateful." I mocked a curtsy. Though truly I was grateful; extremely. I didn't even know where I would be if he hadn't continually come to my aid. It bugged me that I was too proud to admit that, but sometimes that enchanting voice of his could find itself digging a little too deep under my skin.

He let a small chuckle escape his lips. "I apologize, Fallon. I didn't mean it like that. It's just a habit. I seem to have fallen for that smart mouth of yours. It's a mystery to me. You are not like other young ladies I have come across. You're not afraid to speak your mind. I find that oddly refreshing." He said. A smile still ghosted his lips.

He pushed off the railing and walked towards me into the center my balcony, but as his hand detached from the railing something caught his eye on his sleeve. A little black feather. It looked like... a raven's feather. I stared at it in horror as he simply plucked it off his dress coat and let it fly down towards the garden below. He looked at me then and took a couple steps towards me. I felt his fingers push a sliver of my white blonde hair that had apparently gotten loose, behind my ear. I was still looking at the feather, that was now lost amongst the ground somewhere though to really notice.

"Until tomorrow, Miss. Oxley." I felt the light brush of his lips colliding with my forehead. Now that caught my attention my body was already craving more, but when I went to look up at him, he was gone. I looked around my room, but he was nowhere to be found.

The memories slowly fizzled out as they came to an end. I finally I forced myself out of bed. By the looks of it it must be well past noon with where the sun was.

I heard the creak of my bedroom door opening, and I looked around in time to see a small feminine figure come waddling around the corner. She had a small smile on her face, and I smiled back breathing in her calming energy. "Good morning, Grandmother."