Rome shook his head, his gaze locked on hers. "It’s a key. And it looks like you’re the only one who can turn it."
"It’s not just a map, is it?" she whispered, the air around them suddenly tasting like ozone. raylin
He didn't laugh. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, charred coin. "My family has a legend about a map hidden in a story about a bear that couldn't sleep. They say your aunt kept it safe." Rome shook his head, his gaze locked on hers
The air in the quiet town of Ravenwood was always a little thicker than it should have been, smelling of damp moss and old paper. Sage Reed didn't mind it; the scent felt like a heavy blanket, exactly what she needed after the chaotic, neon-lit years she’d spent in the city. When she moved into her aunt’s bookstore, "The Bound Spirit," she expected dusty shelves and the occasional chatty customer. She didn't expect the floorboards to hum under her feet. He didn't laugh
Sage smiled, though her heart had started a strange, frantic rhythm. "Most of the books in here technically shouldn't exist, according to the modern world."