Read Online Night Myst by Yasmine Galenorn - Free Book Online Page B

supplies on the front porch, another room filled with supplies, and the books. On that shelf over there”—she pointed to one of the wide wall-to-wall built-in bookshelves—“the entire middle section is yours. Why don’t you start with them? We’ve got some boxes and can easily pack them up this afternoon.”
    Rhiannon and I wandered over to the bookshelves while Peyton ran to get boxes for us. Tome after tome of magical work lined up, all for the taking. I was practically drooling by the time I had scanned two shelves.
    Anadey let out a long sigh as she wearily rubbed her feet and leaned back in the rocking chair.
    Peyton returned with a half dozen boxes for us, and then dropped by her mother’s side. “Let me rub your feet, you’ve been on them too long today.”
    Sighing with relief, Anadey sat back. “So, tell me,” she said after a moment. “Tell me about Heather.”
    Rhiannon put down the book she’d been looking at. “Not much to tell. I came home from work and she was gone.” She crossed over to Anadey and held out the necklace. “This was all we found. Well, this and some blood.”
    “We think whatever’s . . . in the woods . . . got her,” I said.
    Anadey looked at us, holding each of our gazes in turn. When she came to me, she smiled softly. “I don’t think Marta expected everything to snowball so soon. Tell me, Cicely, whatever happened to your mother? I knew her when we were teenagers, before she got pregnant. We drifted apart after that.”
    I swallowed. “She couldn’t handle her powers and ran, taking me with her. She died a couple years ago, killed by a vampire.”
    Rhiannon jerked her head up, and she turned to me. “You didn’t tell me that . All you said was that your mother was dead.”
    “Not much to be proud of in her death, is there? Krystal was strung out. A crack addict. That’s how she got the money for her drugs—she was a bloodwhore. Her last trick went apeshit on her and drained her. I found her bathed in her own blood and urine.” I shrugged. “I don’t have a whole lot of love for vampires. Or pushers.”
    Rhiannon glanced at me. “Does it bother you that Leo’s a day runner?”
    I shrugged. “I haven’t really had time to even think about it. I don’t know how I feel about his job. But I do like him .”
    Anadey interrupted. “I’m sorry to hear that. Krystal had so much promise. Let’s focus on Heather. Tell me everything. Maybe I can help.”
    Rhiannon looked at me and I nodded. We couldn’t keep our secret any longer. We were no longer children, but women, long past our childhood.
    I took a deep breath. “Everything started when Rhiannon and I were barely six . . . and first stumbled into the spiders’ wood . . .”

    Rhiannon followed me into the wood, glancing over her shoulder to make sure we weren’t followed. The path was shady. It was always shady regardless of how much sunlight beamed through the branches. Aunt Heather had warned us time and again to stay out of the copse, but my own mother didn’t care—she was always off at a party or away on some trip. And so I had persuaded Rhiannon to join me in my explorations. And now, we had a precious secret.
    At six years old, the trees towered so high they were growing into the heavens. Maybe if we climbed them, we’d find Valhalla. Heather called it the home of the gods. My mother said it didn’t exist. But either way, I wasn’t afraid, and after a few times of sneaking into the wood, neither was Rhiannon. We were magic-born, the daughters of witches, and nothing could hurt us.
    Even though my mother isn’t happy about being a witch, I thought. I’d heard the arguments late at night, when I was supposed to be asleep.
    “Krystal, you keep denying your birthright and the power’s going to destroy you. You can’t repress it forever. Not to mention, you have an obligation to the family. To the Thirteen Moons Society. And most of all, you have a responsibility to your daughter to see she