Rowan returned the next night without being summoned.

She told herself she was only checking the grimoire making sure it was properly secured. But deep down she knew the truth. Her body had craved the library’s touch all day. Every time she tried to read a normal book upstairs, her clit throbbed, her nipples ached, and phantom tentacles teased her until she was soaked through her panties.

She descended the spiral stairs in darkness, the lantern forgotten. The Athenaeum itself seemed to welcome her. Doors unlocked on their own. Chains rattled softly like applause.

The black grimoire waited on the reading table exactly where she had left it, pages gently...