Chapter 4 – MICAH
Chapter
Four
MICAH
" D o you idiots want to move the coffee table, or should we just do this on top of Sean's dried protein shake spills and Cheetos dust?"
Sadie stands in the middle of our living room, her black-lacquered fingernails drumming against her leather-clad hip.
The silver rings on each of her fingers shine in the migraine-inducing light from the ceiling lamp that has three different colored LED lightbulbs in it.
She's dressed in her usual goth witch uniform—black jeans tight enough to cut off circulation, combat boots that add four inches to her height, and a T-shirt with a pentagram that reads " Your Village Called, Their Idiot Is Missing . "
Subtle as always, my dear stepsister.
"It isn't fucking Cheetos," Sean protests, but he's already moving the coffee table. "It's Flamin' Hot Doritos. I have taste, dude."
Killian prowls around the room's perimeter, shoulders tight, jaw clenched.
He's been on edge since I convinced him to let Sadie help us.
Not that I blame him. The last time she performed magic in our house, his fur grew back white on his left flank, and we never did find out what happened to that pizza delivery guy.
"This isn't what we discussed," Killian says, arms crossed over his chest. "I thought you were doing a locator spell to find our Bonded, not whatever..." he waves his hand at the items Sadie is pulling from her oversized black bag, " this is."
Sadie rolls her eyes so hard I'm surprised they don't fall out of her head.
"That's because you don't know shit about magic, wolf boy.
A locator spell only works if you have something connected to what you're looking for.
" She pulls out a small copper bowl, several vials of suspicious-looking liquids with one looking particularly piss-esque, and a bundle of herbs that all smell like weed.
"Do you have a personal item from your destined magical counterpart?
No? Then shut up and let the professional work. "
"Professional?" Killian scoffs. "You don't even have a license."
"That's just The Man trying to regulate witchcraft," Sadie retorts, continuing to lay out items in a circle. "You think the Salem witches had licenses? You think Circe filled out paperwork before turning men into pigs?"
"I think Circe had a point," I mutter, earning a rare smirk from my sister.
"Look, this is simple," Sadie explains, surprisingly patient for her. "Instead of trying to find your Bonded, I'm going to make your Bonded find you. A summoning rather than a search."
"I don't like it," Killian states flatly.
"You don't have to like it. You just have to pay for it.
" Sadie finishes creating a perfect circle with white salt.
"Now all of you, sit around the circle. Except you.
" She points at Rowan, who's been silently observing from the corner.
"You go stand by the front door. Someone might feel compelled to knock when this works. "
" If this works," Killian mutters but sits cross-legged on the floor where she indicates.
I drop down beside him, followed by Sean, who's vibrating with excitement. The big guy has been unbearable since Killian agreed to this plan, alternating between cleaning everything in sight and bouncing off the walls like a puppy before First Hunt.
"This is so fucking cool," Sean whispers loudly. "Do you think our Bonded will be hot? I hope she's hot."
"You'd just better hope she doesn't have standards," I whisper back, unable to resist.
"If she does, she definitely won't be interested in you," Sean replies with a grin that shows just a hint of fang.
"Shut the fuck up, both of you," Killian growls, his pack alpha voice making my wolf instinctively flatten its ears despite my human brain wanting to flip him off. Killian has always been kind of an alpha-alpha. A super alpha, if you will.
Sadie moves around the outside of the circle, lighting black candles at four equidistant points.
The flames burn higher than natural fire should, making the shadows from our busted furniture dance around the living room.
The hairs on my arms stand up and a shiver runs down my spine that has nothing to do with the temperature.
Magic always feels like the air before a storm, and it makes my inner wolf's fur stand on end.
"You're just going to find our Bonded, right?" Killian asks, eyes tracking Sadie's every movement. "Not bind some random person to us against their will or anything fucked up like that?"
"Her," Sean adds immediately. "Make it a her."
My sister stops and puts her hands on her hips, giving me a blank stare and pointedly ignoring Sean. "What kind of witch do you think I am?"
"The kind who accidentally summoned a herd of possessed raccoons during the homecoming game last year," I remind her.
"That was intentional," she says primly. "Your dumbass football team crushed my friend's art installation with your stupid victory parade."
"It was made of trash," I shoot back.
"It was a commentary on consumerism!"
"Children," Killian interrupts through his teeth, "can we focus?"
Sadie rolls her eyes again but continues her preparations.
"The spell will simply make your destined Bonded aware of you.
If there's a magical being in the area who's compatible with your pack energy, they'll feel drawn to you.
" She starts mixing ingredients in the copper bowl. "Basic magical magnetism. No coercion."
"And you're sure this will work?" Killian presses.
My sister fixes him with a withering stare. "No, I'm doing this elaborate ritual for fun. I just love hanging out with a bunch of overgrown dogs who smell like cheap cologne."
"Hey, my cologne cost two hundred bucks," Sean protests. "Rowan's the one who gets his from fucking Zara."
"How did you even know where I get my cologne from?" Rowan demands, turning away from the door.
"Watch the door," Sadie barks at him.
Sadie adds something that smells like cinnamon to the bowl, then something darker that smells suspiciously like dried and powdered blood. Tough to tell under the weed smell, though. The mixture begins to smoke slightly, thin tendrils of gray vapor curling upward.
"Now," she says, reaching into her bag and pulling out a wicked-looking obsidian knife, "give me your hands."
Killian is on his feet in an instant. "Whoa, what the fuck? I specifically told Micah no blood magic!"
"And I specifically ignored that because it's stupid," Sadie replies calmly. "Do you want a Bonded or not?"
"Not if it means blood magic," Killian snarls. "That shit is dangerous."
"All magic is dangerous, genius. That's what makes it magic and not a party trick." Sadie taps the flat of the blade against her palm. "I need essence from each of you to create the connection. That means blood."
"Essence could be hair or saliva," Killian argues.
"Or come," Sean offers with an innocent grin.
Sadie physically gags. "No, you fucking moron! Save that shit for your Bonded. Blood is the strongest conductor. The best. It's not like I'm asking for your firstborn or your social security number."
I look between them, caught in the middle as usual. Killian's nostrils flare, a sure sign he's close to losing his cool. The pack bonds are humming and throbbing with tension. Sean shifts uncomfortably beside me, and from his position by the door, Rowan watches with alert eyes.
"Kill," I say carefully, "she knows what she's doing."
"Does she?" he challenges, not breaking eye contact with my sister. "Because I remember a certain incident involving my fucking fur and?—"
"Oh my gods, get over it!" Sadie throws up her hands. "It grew back!"
"That's not the point!"
"It does look kinda like a cutie mark," Sean points out. "I'd be pissed too if I had a star on my ass."
Killian snarls like he's going to rip Sean apart and wring out enough blood for blood magic from here to the end of the eternity.
"Look," I interrupt, standing up to place myself between them. "We're running out of time. Morgan's coming back in two weeks, and we're no closer to finding a Bonded than we were a year ago. If Sadie says blood magic is the way, then maybe we should trust her."
Killian's jaw works back and forth, his ice-blue eyes boring into mine. I can practically see the wheels turning in his head, weighing the risks against our increasingly desperate situation.
"Fine," he finally spits out. "But if anyone grows a second tail or starts speaking in Latin, I'm holding you personally responsible." He jabs a finger at Sadie.
"Save it for the Yelp review," she replies dryly. "Now sit down and shut up."
Killian reluctantly lowers himself back to the floor. I follow suit, giving Sean a warning look when he opens his mouth to make another joke that will reignite the tension.
"Good boys," Sadie mutters, and I can't help but wince at the deliberate dig. She knows exactly which buttons to push with wolf shifters. "Now, this won't hurt. Much."
Before anyone can protest, she takes Killian's hand and makes a quick, shallow cut across his palm. He hisses, more in irritation than pain. Wolves heal fast, but it still stings like a bitch. She lets three drops of his blood fall into the mixture, which sizzles on contact.
She moves to me next. I offer my hand without protest, letting her slice across my palm. The knife is sharper than it looks, cutting clean and precise. Barely even stings. My blood joins Killian's in the bowl, and I swear I see the mixture shift color slightly.
Sean actually holds out his hand eagerly, like he's been waiting for his turn at an ice cream truck. "Do me next!"
"That's what he says to all the girls," I quip, trying to lighten the mood.
Sadie ignores us both, taking Sean's meaty hand and making the cut. His blood joins ours. "Badass," he says, grinning.
Finally, she walks over to Rowan by the door.