The Witch's Thief by Tricia Schneider

Married and protected. Cared for. Safe. Safe from Basil. With Julia married, Basil had no reason to return. In fact, her being married acted as incentive to stay away.
    He feared if he returned, he’d regret all he’d done to keep her safe. He didn’t want to see her on the arm of that fool. He couldn’t bear the sight of them together, holding hands, kissing.
    Basil growled.
    But, she wasn’t married!
    What had become of her in the last ten years? How had she ended up in Merriweather Manor, as Aunt Petunia’s companion? Practically a servant?
    And what was she doing coming to the library, disrupting his restless slumber, looking for that damned book?
    He glanced over at the desk where she left it.
    It was a thick volume. From this distance, he couldn’t see the contents or any details on the leather bound cover. He leaned forward, curious as to what type of reading she preferred. As he looked closer at the tome, a chill trickled down his spine.
    It looked like…
    But, it couldn’t be…
    Basil grasped the arm of the chair and struggled to his feet. He swayed then tightened the blanket around his shoulders. On wobbly feet, he shuffled toward the desk, wondering vaguely if he’d have the strength to return to the chair.
    But, he needed to see this book.
    He had to reassure himself it wasn’t what he suspected.
    When he reached the desk, the coldness that ran through his veins wasn’t from the condition of his health. His fingertips lightly brushed the leather encasing the volume. He traced the letters carved into the cover. Opening the front cover, he peered at the pages.
    His father’s spellbook.
    One of them, at any rate. But, Basil had hidden them, safe from prying eyes. Only Aunt Petunia knew where they were hidden.
    He lifted his head and found the space above the mantel, with the flap for the secret compartment. It was closed.
    She’d closed it after retrieving the book.
    But, why leave it here, out in the open? Did she not know of its contents? Of the power it contained?
    Or the evil?
    His vision wavered. He gasped and tightened his hold on the edge of the desk. Hot and cold coursed through his veins. Sweat beaded on his brow.
    Glancing at the chair, calculating the distance, he knew he wouldn’t make it in time. After suffering from this damn condition for ten long years, he knew full well the signs.
    He managed to drop to his knees with relative grace before the darkness closed in.

Chapter Four
    What was taking him so long?
    Julia’s feet itched to pace, but she feared the noise might wake someone. She tightened her fingers on the banister as she crept for the third time this night down the stairs until she arrived at the library.
    The fire was still lit, but the chair was now empty.
    Basil was gone.
    Strange.
    After Julia left him in the library, she’d hurried up the stairs, but lingered, waiting for him to depart. With the sight of exhaustion she’d seen on his face, he’d get himself to bed soon. After all, he’d had a long and surely exhaustive journey. It explained the shadows beneath his eyes, and the tightness around his lips.
    Although she waited, and waited, and waited more, he did not appear.
    Perhaps he’d fallen asleep in the chair?
    How uncomfortable. Also deserving. What did she care if he woke with a crick in his neck and a pain in his back? After the long years of heartsickness she suffered?
    Julia chastised herself. It had been so long ago. And though she loved him dearly, she had said her good-byes to him, even if they were only whispered to the wind.
    If he had fallen asleep in the chair, she should wake him. Urge him to find his slumber abed. She hesitated, not sure if he might find her reappearance in the library suspicious.
    But if she left him there, how would she manage to retrieve the book without his knowing? Unless he was in a deep sleep. Perhaps he would not hear her?
    That’s why she decided to creep down the stairs, yet again, to survey the room for