Greymoor Academy: I Accidentally Bonded With Four Lycan Royals! novel Chapter 200

Chapter 200: 200. An Impossible Solution II

Maisie

I hit the ground hard, face-first.

Pain exploded across my cheek and jaw, but I barely registered it. I pushed myself up on shaking arms, breath coming in short, ragged gasps as I scrambled to my feet.

There was no time to feel pain.

My hands trembled as I wiped at the tears streaking down my face. I didn’t even remember when I’d started crying. Maybe somewhere between running from my mates and climbing through that cursed shelf like a madwoman.

This was insane.

I knew it was insane.

But I had no other choice.

The answers weren’t in books.

They weren’t in the library or the ridge or anywhere my mates could find them. The only thing that might know what Margaret was really planning, the way to stop the world from breaking, was something that existed on the other side of it.

Draw a circle, summon a demon, pay the price, have your wishes granted.

The thought made my stomach twist violently, but I didn’t stop moving.

My fingers brushed against something cold and smooth on the wall to steady myself.

The moment my skin touched it, fire erupted along the corridor with a violent whoosh. One by one, torches burst into flame, casting long, dancing shadows across the stone until the entire hidden library glowed in dim, flickering orange.

I flinched at the sudden light, heart hammering so hard it hurt. The flames felt too alive. Too aware. Like it knew I was here.

I felt something drag down my spine, yanking me forward, towards that part of the library where I knew the circle was.

My bladder felt full. But I didn’t have the time to feel fear.

Seven days.

And if that meant doing something unforgivable, something that might damn me in the process, then so be it.

Because I would rather burn in hell than watch them, anyone I loved, die. I’d seen it happen once with Dad and it broke me. I knew I couldn’t take it if it happened again.

I took a shaky breath, staring at the circle etched into the floor. "Goddess," I sobbed, my hands trembling as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small, folded piece of paper I had torn off one of the books from my closet as a last resort.

I didn’t know if this would work. Or what the cost would be.

But if seven days were all I had before I lost everything, then I was willing to give everything I could.

Maybe they were right.

Maybe I was truly insane for this.

I fell to my knees and grabbed the broken chalk on the floor.

My first three attempts at drawing the circle resulted in the chalk breaking. Maybe this was a sign not to do this. Or maybe my hands were just unsteady.

I squinted at the pages. "The circle has to be perfect. Any break and whatever you summon within its confines can escape, take possession of you or find its way into the world. Black salt or blood will suffice in the event that the chalk doesn’t work. But be careful. Blood works best for powerful summonings, but it could also bind the demon to you, and it might be able to track you later."

It took half an hour, but I got it right.

My gaze flicked back to the page again and I almost cowered away. "The price: Demons don’t work for free. They may demand a piece of your life force. A memory. Blood. A future favor. Or something deeply personal to you. Finally, knowing the true name of what you’re summoning works best."

I was sorely out of my element. How was I supposed to know the true name of a demon?

I sat back on my heels, scrubbing my hand down my face. It came away wet. "Please," I whispered. "Just... work. I don’t know what else to do."

Nothing changed. Nothing happened.

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