Page 4 of Stone Temptation

This was really happening.

Countdown time. From ten to zero.

I reached out for the book when I hit four, my fingers brushing the spine. I paused, counting down the rest of the numbers, then grabbed the tome.

This is where life officially changes. For the better this time.

As soon as I pulled the book from the shelf, I realized my mistake.

The book was plastic.

“What the?—”

The door slammed shut. I jumped back with a yelp, dropping the book, my invisibility crashing. Red light flooded the basement, turning it into a dark room.

Crap.

Trapped like a rat, riddled with panic, I’d have to wait for my power to recharge before using it again.

Oh, God. Oh, God.

Apart from a dagger sheathed at my hip under my coat, I was unarmed. Helpless for the most part. My fists weren’t the fastest in the world, at least when it came to fighting.

What do I do? What do I do?

Use the damn lockpick!

Oh. Yes.

Trying not to panic, I slid it into the lock, receiving a nasty electric shock for my trouble. The lockpick hit the floorboards with a loud clatter, my fingertips stinging from the spark. I sucked them, going out of my mind with fear.

No. No. No. I wasn’t letting this defeat me.

I scrambled for another way out, for any hint of an exit. Checked every shelf to discover all the books were plastic—including Wuthering Heights.

This would teach me for being so damn gullible.

Footsteps. Laughter. The old man appearing with a gun in his gnarled hand, aiming it at me.

“Look what we have here,” he said, voice cracked with age. “I wondered when my trap would pay off.”

“Trap?” I tried for unbothered, but my voice was too high with fear to sell it.

He came to a stop before the bars. “Let me guess. You read about the wishing potion, didn’t you?”

Bastard. “You can’t keep me in here.”

“Which means yes.” His thin nose twitched like a rabbit’s. “I knew someone would fall for it eventually. There are plenty of stupid people in the world. But think about it, son. Would there really be a recipe of such power in some old man’s bookshop?”

No need for him to rub salt in the wound. “What do you want?”

He grinned, revealing rows of yellowed teeth. “How did you get in here? What power did you use?”

As if I’d tell him.

“Invisibility?”

A twitch in my face gave the game away.