The Circle of Owls (The Grimalkin Book 3) Dani Swanson (best books for 8th graders .TXT) 📖

in little hives all over her arms that she nervously rubbed, trying to not scratch the skin. “Hey, we’ll find her Thea. All of them. Don’t you worry.” Dean wrapped Thea in his ample arms, pulling her tight in an embrace against his chest. She hugged him back, silently crying. Dean leaned down and kissed her on the top of her forehead. Thea immediately stopped crying and slightly pulled away as Irving emerged from the room.

“Shall we?” Irving said, faking a cheery smile, as he too was wearing a worried look.

Awkwardly the two pulled apart and followed the Ice King down the hall. A sleepy Fig was laying in Irving’s arms, enjoying the free ride down the long hallway.

“Good night.” Dean clumsily nodded at Thea as he went into his chamber.

“Night, Dean. Sleep well.” Thea said in a small voice, as she turned to keep up with Irving.

“That one is sweet on you.” Irving said, without making eye contact.

Thea could feel her face getting hot. “I don’t know about all of that.” They walked to the door of the room in which she had stayed before.

“I had my staff make this room up especially for you. I really am glad that you have returned, Thea.”

The Ice King opened the door to a magnificent sight. The room was redecorated in soft lilac colors. From the pillows to the rich fabrics of the curtains – the room was fit for a princess! There was a bench at the end of the bed that was covered in fluffy fur, pictures of her and her grandmother framed on the wall, and even a cat bed next to the fireplace for Fig (who had already found his space and was settling in next to the fire).

“Irving, this room is amazing!” Thea stated, as she noticed the open closet was full of shoes and clothing for her as well. “You didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me! Thank you!” She gave him a hug as tight as she could, wrapping her arms around his wide frame. He was happy to see her smile.

“I think of you as my granddaughter, and I will do everything I can to keep that smile on your face.” He tapped her on the tip of her nose with his pointer finger, just as a grandpa would do for a little kid. “You let me or anyone on my staff know if there is anything else you may need. Good night, my sweet Thea.” His voice was comforting, and Thea could feel the love in his words.

“Good night Irving. Thank you….thank you for making me feel at home.” Her sweet smile made the Ice King feel warmth. The Ice King turned, shutting the door behind him.

Thea sat in a chair near the fireplace, watching her little cat sleep for a moment, before rummaging through her bag for some arrowroot tonic to help her headache. Her last bottle was nearing the bottom. “Too bad Agatha was the only one that could make this strong enough to work on my headaches.” She said, as she gingerly sipped on the bottle. Fig lifted his head and meowed in response. “Sorry, did I wake you?” Again, the cat meowed, as he came over and climbed on his human’s lap.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, sweet boy. I’m worried about Robin and Penelope….Sorgin, Cricket, and most importantly, what Lilly is going to do.” She was rubbing her temple as Fig nuzzled his face in her other hand. She weakly smiled as she aggressively rubbed the cat’s face. “And what was that about in the hallway with Dean? Did you see that?”

“Meow.” Followed by a long purr.

“Yeah, I don’t know either.” She scratched his ears as if Fig was responding to her. “Let’s go to sleep, I have a feeling that it’s going to be a long while until we get to sleep in a bed again.”

Thea went to the closet and hung up her bag. She found a cotton night shirt that was the perfect size for her. She climbed into the softest set of blankets she ever remembered feeling and felt instantly relaxed laying on a bed that seemed to be built just for her comfort.

Sleep came easily for Thea for the first time in a long while. She slept solidly, as she dreamt of her cabin and studying spells from her books while sitting on the porch with Fig. Dean, Charles, and Robin where there for a moment, before they disappeared. She could see Robin’s fiery hair in the distance of the field and was chasing after her but could never catch her. The trees were dancing around, causing her to get lost in the forest. It was getting dark, but the red hair glowed in front of her. “Robin! Wait for me! Come back!” Thea would call out to her. She ran through the branches, ignoring the scratches – running with Fig in all his fiery glory, chasing the flowing red hair. “Robin STOP!” Thea could feel her chest getting tight as she was running out of breath. “Robin?!” She leaped toward the hair and was able to tackle Robin to the ground. Robin landed hard on her face, with Thea turning her over from behind. “Why are you running from me?” Thea questioned, as she turned her friend over to face her. Thea could see the structure of the face: a nose, sockets where the eyes should be, and a mouth, but there was nothing defining of the face; just a blank canvas of smooth porcelain skin.

Thea could feel herself being pulled out of her sleep as Fig was laying on her chest, licking her face. She jumped up, now wide awake. It was still night outside. She had only slept for a few hours. Letting out a sigh as she laid back down on her side, with her cat cuddled into her arms. “I need to sleep.” She tossed and turned for an hour before she got up and