Chapter 16
Callie
As I stand at the base of the stairs to the mayoral home, a flurry of emotions battles for dominance within me—fear of what it will mean if we don’t get the answers we seek, grief over the state of Nolan’s soul, anxiety as I try to figure out how to explain what I know without revealing what I am, and a searing rage that demands retribution for all that Nolan has suffered. All of it is heightened by exhaustion, having spent the rest of last night watching over Nolan as he slept.
I worry my lip between my teeth, using the sharp bite of pain to help me focus on the here and now. Kaleb looks at me with concern, but he doesn’t comment, most likely due to the fact that we’re not alone. Both of my grandmothers, as well as Nolan’s, are only a few feet away, discussing how best to proceed once we’re inside.
“You’re only here to observe,” Mildred reminds Dalia, shifting one of the famous Volkov grimoires against her hip.
“I will have answers for my queen,” Dalia counters, crossing her arms over her chest. “The atrocities this family has committed against my grandson will have grave consequences. Using magic against one of our kind unprovoked breaks the treaty.”
Carlotta sighs while twisting her dark, wavy hair up into a bun and then stabbing it with an ornamental hairpin she retrieved from her purse. “We’ll ask your questions, and then your queen and the council will decide how best to proceed.”
Back in his cat form, Mr. Mischief takes a swipe at my paternal grandmother’s ankle, causing her to hiss in pain. As far as I’m aware, he has yet to shift to the humanoid form, choosing to give his opinions through growls and well-placed strikes of claws.
“That’s a valid concern,” my nan muses, addressing the fae sitting regally at her feet before shifting her attention to Dalia. “If the parties responsible are punished to whatever you would deem appropriate, then would you consider not involving the council?”
“You can’t possibly have gotten all that from a scratch,” my paternal grandmother fumes, raising her pant leg to examine the damage.
“He struck you when you mentioned involving the council,” Mildred replies, as if the woman is particularly dense. “Considering the history the fae have with the council, I can’t say I blame him.”
“They were on the wrong side of the shifter war,” Carlotta argues, glaring down at the massive black cat. “They massacred thousands of witches. Honestly, I can’t believe you allow him to be so close to our granddaughter.”
Mr. Mischief releases a throaty growl and flicks his tail.
“History has a way of being rewritten by the victors,” my nan states, compassion filling her gaze as she looks down at the fae. “We only have the council’s version of events. Perhaps if you stop antagonizing him, he might give us his account.”
“I’m antagonizing him?” my grandmother shouts, twisting her ankle to show the blood-tinged scratches. “He attacked me. Note how I haven’t burned him to cinders because of it.”
As the two women argue, Dalia gives me an assessing look. I stand tall and don’t waver under her stare, until Kaleb steps between us protectively. Dalia’s smile is full of amusement as she flashes a hint of her fangs. “What do you believe is an appropriate punishment for those who are responsible for sentencing my grandson to a slow death?”
I flinch and then shake my head. “He’s not going to die.”
“Only because we intervened,” Dalia interjects coolly, raising a single brow. “So I ask again, what do you think is an appropriate punishment?”
At first, I think she’s asking us, but it’s my nan who responds. “What would appease you?”
“Their lives,” she answers, her icy gaze menacing as she looks up at the front door.
“You know that’s not possible,” Mildred counters, shifting the large grimoire to her other hip. “Even if the council was involved, a life can’t be forfeited for the slight of another.”
“A slight?” Dalia hisses through her clenched teeth. “You call what has transgressed against my grandson a slight? Would you say the same if it was your granddaughter?”
“Poor choice of words,” Mildred apologizes with a slight bow of her head. “I merely meant that only a life taken can be answered with a life given. Nolan will live. We will make sure of it.”
Dalia’s lips purse as she considers her next words. “If I can’t have their lives, then I want what they value most.”
Carlotta, seemingly done with waiting, starts marching up the stairs. “Let’s go find out what that is.”
As my nan and Dalia follow Carlotta up the stairs, Kaleb holds back, and under his breath, he asks, “Not that I mind being here, but is there a reason you asked me to join you for this?”
“I need you to act as my anchor,” I answer with a tight smile. “Last time I… healed Gina, it was difficult to come back to myself.”
That’s the understatement of the century. Connor may have been the one to bring me back last time, but Kaleb is the far better choice for today. He’s done it before, and he doesn’t have super smelling powers or the ability to psychically read my emotions. I don’t have time to deal with potential wolf jealousy when Nolan’s soul is hanging in the balance. If my life were normal, I’d be on the phone with Mei, giggling and blushing as I told her about what happened between me and Nolan. Instead, I’m spending my day using my goddess given powers to bring my mortal enemy back to the land of the living. Fortunately, I love Nolan far more than I hate her.
Unaware of my cluttered thoughts, Kaleb squares his shoulders, and a determined expression settles on his face. “I won’t let you down.”
My smile becomes more genuine. “I have complete faith in you.”
He seems to glow under the compliment, his warm brown eyes alight with calm confidence. Holding out his hand, he asks, “Ready?”
Touched by the offer of added support, I gratefully place my hand in his. Our fingers lace together, and with more confidence than I feel, we take the brick stairs together. We reach the top as the front door opens a few inches, a terrified Neva silently peeking around it.
“I’m Carlotta Lyncas, matriarch of the Lyncas Coven,” my paternal grandmother announces in an authoritative tone. “I’m seeking answers that will aid in the process of curing…” She looks over her shoulder at me. “What is your vampire paramour’s name? The one who had the gall to threaten me?”
“Nolan Campbell,” I answer with bemusement, because I can’t tell if she’s offended or impressed by what he did.
She snaps her fingers like she just recalled the name herself, while Dalia appears proud by the idea that her grandson threatened a powerful witch. I was aware of the rift between vampires and shifters, but recently, I am getting the impression that there isn’t much love lost between vampires and witches either.
Carlotta turns back toward the door and continues, “We’re seeking answers to save Nolan’s life. It’s been brought to my attention that your daughter is responsible.”
Neva’s limited gaze shifts to Mildred, as if asking permission to speak. It’s shocking to see her this meek. Long gone is the self-righteous woman who barged onto the Campbells’ property, demanding retribution for her daughter.
My nan cooly commands, “Step aside and let us in.”
Carlotta appears displeased about being circumvented, but she keeps her thoughts to herself as Neva mutely does as ordered.
Once inside, Mildred turns her attention to Dalia. “While we work on gathering the information we need, feel free to get the answers you seek from Neva. She can’t lie or withhold information.”
Nolan’s grandmother’s eyes have a menacing gleam as they narrow on the former coven leader. “Show me what you value most.”
Neva flashes a pleading look toward my nan, but she only gets a cold, “Do as she requests,” in response.
Defeated, she leads Dalia up the stairs near the entryway.
“It’s dangerous to have the woman incapable of keeping secrets in a town full of humans,” Carlotta comments with a curious raised brow. “Does the spell have limits on whom she can speak to?”
“No, but she’s incapable of leaving the house,” my nan answers while beginning her journey upstairs, Mr. Mischief trailing after. She appears as comfortable here as she does at home. “Anytime she approaches a door that opens to the outside, she’s overcome by a terrified certainty that she will die if she passes the threshold. It seemed like an apt punishment while Nolan suffered due to her negligence.”
“I’m assuming you also accounted for humans coming here?” Carlotta asks, taking the stairs after her.
She glances back with a confident smile. “Of course. There’s a mild wariness spell surrounding the property that makes humans reluctant to enter the home.”
“Isn’t her husband human?” I inquire, equal parts impressed and disturbed by the layers of magic cast on Neva. It makes far more sense why less powerful covens have their leaders wear arcane focuses designed to protect them against spells. It doesn’t justify that they are made by sacrificing witches’ lives though.
“It seems their marriage couldn’t stand up against unfettered truth,” my nan answers from halfway up the stairs. “Neva had opinions on the hierarchy of importance between witches and humans that wasn’t in his favor.”
“How do you know this?” Kaleb asks, squeezing my hand as he takes the steps ahead of me.
“She gives me a daily report when I arrive to manage the coven’s affairs,” Mildred answers, waiting for us at the top of the landing.
“Wait? You come here every day?” I exclaim, only now realizing how separate our lives have become over the past several months. I’ve been so busy with everything going on in my life, I haven’t really taken the opportunity to ask how she’s been doing.
“It made far more sense for me to come here than to transport all the boxes of documents to our home,” she explains, stepping to the side to allow Carlotta to pass. Exhaling a frustrated breath, she absently rests the grimoire on the banister. “I’ve spent most of my time digitizing everything so it will be a smooth transition when the Yonu matriarch reclaims the territory.”
“What?” I squawk when I finally reach the top of the stairs.
“We really don’t have time to get into it,” she states, picking up the grimoire and leading us down the hall to the left. “You asked why I’m here every day, and I answered.” Stopping in front of a plain white door, she shifts the grimoire against one hip while her other hand reaches for the doorknob. “All the business with the Yonu Coven will have to wait for another day. We have more pressing issues at the moment.”
“I hate it when you’re right,” I grumble, narrowing my eyes on her. “But when we’re not in the middle of a life-or-death situation, we’re so talking about it.”
“Yes, of course,” she replies while opening the door.
Kaleb mutters, “Isn’t everything we do life or death?”
I flash him a tight smile as I elbow him in the ribs.
The bedroom appears shockingly normal for the lair of evil incarnate. The way Gina obsesses about Nolan, I half expected a stalker board with the eyes crossed out of every person he’s ever interacted with. Underneath would be a shrine with a lock of his hair or stolen nail clippings.
Instead, it looks like any other teenage girl’s room, with pop idol posters on the walls, high-quality wood furniture painted white, and a full-length mirror with pictures of her and her friends stuck around the edges. I guess she could be keeping her more unhinged hobbies locked away in the closet.
Lying in a four-poster bed with sheer lavender curtains tied to the bed posts, Gina appears to be in a dreamless sleep. She’s so frighteningly still, it would be easy to mistake her for a life-sized doll. Her thick black hair neatly frames her head against the pillow, and her hands rest on her chest, her nails freshly manicured. Even in a coma, she looks perfect.
A frustrated Dalia and a panicked Neva stand at her bedside. When we enter, Dalia exclaims, “She values her daughter most.”
“Still can’t take her life,” Mildred reiterates, walking briskly to the other side of the bed where a small table and rocking chair sit. After placing the grimoire on the side table, she moves the chair to an empty corner of the room.
Fisting her hands at her sides, Dalia hisses, “Fine,” then she focuses on the cowering woman next to her. “Show me what else you value.”
With hunched shoulders and eyes that refuse to lift from the floor, Neva silently leads Dalia out of the room.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to simply ask what she values instead of having her show Dalia?” Carlotta muses as she approaches the window that faces the backyard.
My nan returns to the grimoire and begins flipping through the pages until she reaches one bookmarked with a crimson ribbon. “I already know what she holds most dear besides her daughter.”
“Then why sic Nolan’s grandmother on Neva if you already know the answer?” I ask, standing awkwardly near the door with a death grip on Kaleb’s hand, hating just being in Gina’s vicinity.
“Because I’m unsure how to go about taking it from her without the council’s assistance,” she answers, glancing up from the grimoire.
“Then get the council’s assistance,” Carlotta retorts and then hisses when Mr. Mischief swipes at her again. “I swear to the goddess, if you don’t knock that off, I will roast you.”
He seems unperturbed by the threat, sauntering away with a flick of his tail and settling near my nan’s feet.
Ignoring the exchange between my paternal grandmother and the mysterious fae, Mildred states, “You bloody well know why I can’t go to the council.”
“She’ll have to face them eventually,” Carlotta replies, placing her hands on her hips. “They are going to wonder why I haven’t returned with her.”
“Then I guess you will have to come up with a decent lie,” my nan counters, her lips taut as she runs her finger down the open page.
“You want me to lie to the council?” Carlotta gasps, bringing her hand to her chest in shock.
“Yes, for the sake of Callie’s life, you will say whatever will keep the council disinterested for as long as possible,” she shouts, curling her hands into angry fists.
“If you wanted to leave them disinterested, then naming her your successor wasn’t the smartest of moves,” Carlotta responds primly.
“I panicked,” Mildred admits in defeat. With tears in her eyes, she looks up at her fellow matriarch. “It was all I could think of to protect her.”
Unable to watch another minute of this, I rush to my nan’s side to comfort her. “It’s going to be okay. Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out.”
She runs her hand down my hair and offers me a weak smile. “You’re right, my darling. We’ll find a way. I won’t let them hurt you.”
There’s a hint of envy in Carlotta’s gray eyes as she watches us together. “Alright, I will do what I can to keep the council at bay, but I doubt I can do it forever. Honestly, you have more influence than I do.”
I frown and flash Mildred a questioning look.
“Carlotta exaggerates,” she insists, staring my grandmother down as if to warn her from saying anything more.
Abandoned by the door, Kaleb awkwardly raises his hand to signal he has a question.
“This isn’t school, young man,” Carlotta states with amusement. “You don’t need permission to ask a question.” Her lips curl up on one side. “Though I don’t promise any answers.”
He drops his hand and stuffs it into his jeans pocket. “I was wondering what you need the council’s help for.”
“Neva values power almost above all else,” Mildred answers, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “Having magic gives her power.”
“You want to bind her magic like mine was?” I ask, something settling within me that I don’t quite understand. It’s like there are inner scales inside me that seem to balance at the thought of separating the two Reyes witches from their magic.
“Yes, but a binding spell can only be performed by the council,” my nan laments, her expression defeated. “It requires a spell that can only be found in the ancient grimoires that are part of the council’s private collection. It takes the chancellor and two other members to open the damnable seal where they are stored.”
“Let’s not forget it also requires the combined power of the council to perform such a spell,” Carlotta adds, approaching the other side of the bed. She frowns at Gina’s sleeping face. “We won’t be getting much out of her in this state.”
Remembering why we’re here in the first place, I reluctantly answer, “That part is my job.” I hold my hand out to Kaleb in invitation. “Ready?”
He nods, wearing his familiar, determined expression, as he strides toward me.
Withdrawing from my nan’s one-armed embrace, I sit on the side of the bed. As I take Kaleb’s hand with one of mine and Gina’s with the other, I mull over a question in my mind. “If you need to understand the spell cast to undo it, then how did you plan to remove the binding spell on my magic?”
“Brute strength,” my nan answers, moving the table with the grimoire back to give Kaleb and me some room to work. “Sometimes, with enough raw power, you can do enough damage to a spell for it to become useless. I understood what the spell was doing—blocking your connection to the source of all magic—so I knew where to focus our efforts.”
Carlotta’s gaze bounces between Mildred and myself with confusion. “She clearly has access to her magic, yet you’re both talking as if you didn’t remove the binding spell.”
“I removed it myself with the power of love,” I answer with a smug grin.
“That’s literally impossible,” she argues with a wave of her hand.
Kaleb chuckles quietly and shakes his head. “You’ll find impossible doesn’t really apply to Callie.”
Her lips purse, and she rolls her eyes. “Ah, yes, this mysterious spirit magic that somehow unravels all laws that govern the fundamentals of how magic works.”
“I don’t know about that,” I reply with a shrug. “Then again, I’m still learning what the rules are.”
Carlotta’s jaw drops, and her eyes widen as she furiously looks over at Mildred. “You’re having an untrained witch attempt a spell to bring someone out of a healing sleep?”
“It’s the wisest choice since she was the one to put her in it to begin with,” my nan retorts, crossing her arms. “Callie is an exceptionally powerful witch who has… intuitive magic. Trust me, she is more than capable of performing the task at hand.”
Turning her attention toward me, Carlotta eyes the way Kaleb’s fingers interlace with mine. “What exactly are you going to do? I’ve never come across a spell that requires the assistance of a nephilim.”
“It’s a, uh… healing spell that I discovered in my mother’s grimoire,” I answer vaguely, kicking off my shoes so I can sit more comfortably on the bed. “It requires someone to, um, ground me.”
Ground me and make sure I can find my way back to myself are practically the same thing.
She raises a challenging brow. “By all means, proceed then. I’m always interested in new healing techniques. It’s commonly believed that it’s best to let a healing sleep run its course or risk destabilizing the patient. Does your spell account for this?”
Fortunately, Mildred speaks before I can fumble through an answer that sounds better than the verbal equivalent of a shrug. “The girl is already fully healed and is continuing to be nourished by Callie’s spell.” She motions toward Gina’s sleeping form. “No feeding tube, no IV. She’s being fully sustained by Callie’s magic. Therefore, the most equipped witch to wake her is Callie.”
“Not to be rude, but Callie needs silence to focus,” Kaleb interjects, cutting off any further bickering between the two women.
I smile up at him gratefully, while my grandmothers gather at the foot of the bed. Anxiety twists in my belly as sweat gathers on the nape of my neck. Performing this spell in front of the two most powerful witches I know is nerve racking. I feel like I’m taking a final I didn’t study for.
“You can do this,” Kaleb murmurs only loud enough for me to hear. “I’ve got you.”
Stealing some of his confidence, I announce, “I’ll go limp for a bit while doing the spell. Nothing to worry about.”
“You never mentioned that,” Mildred states, concern creeping into her voice. “Is this safe?”
“Yup,” I lie, glad my back is facing her.
Bile churns in my stomach over the thought of once again entering Gina’s body, but I’ll do anything to save Nolan.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and focus on the feeling of her hand in mine. It’s surprisingly warm, which I take as a good sign. Calling on my magic, I let it flood my body as I reach into her with mental fingers. As if I’m pulling on a golden rope, my spirit flows from my body into hers.
I’m relieved not to feel pain. I do, however, worry about the distant sounds of my grandmothers’ tandem gasps as they watch my body fall forward like a marionette with cut strings. At least I face-plant into a soft pillow.
Leaving Kaleb to reassure them I’m fine, I take in my surroundings. The sickly tar of her bitter soul crushes any light that tries to thrive within her. Fortunately, it’s not reaching for me, at least for now. Just like her endless sleep, everything inside her seems frozen. She’s healed but lacking the spark that perpetuates life—the will to come back.
“Fuck me,” I grumble, unsure how I’m supposed to give the person who’s in the top five on my hate forever list the will to live.
Normally, I’d just provide the seed from my own soul, but that requires a love I just don’t have for her. My will for her to live starts and stops with the information to save Nolan, which isn’t really enough to live off of. This leaves me with only one option. I need to go hunting within her soul for something that I can strengthen her with to find the will on her own.
After casting several lines of pure magic toward Kaleb, anchoring us more firmly together, I take the mental equivalent of a yoga breath, and then dive into the sea of black that tried to hold me captive that terrifying night. In the sticky depths, I’m bombarded by the hateful things that fester inside her. There’s so much rage and contempt perpetuated by mountains of obsession over how her life should be, all of it shrouded in the iciness of loneliness.
There is no peace or kindness, but within the deepest recesses of her being is a twisted sapling of love. It’s frail under the swirling masses of the darkness that consumes her. A pang of pity wells within me for the person she could have been had this small sapling been properly nurtured. Brushing invisible fingers against tender leaves, I sense the warm blush of what used to be an innocent love. In her bizarre way, she loved Nolan, but it was consumed by greed. She demanded every part of him and lost all of him in the process.
Giving more than she deserves for the sake of saving Nolan, I trickle magic into the sad, withered sapling fueled by the love I’ve found since coming to this strange little town. I comfort it with the warmth of friendship and feed it all that I have learned about love. It comes from giving. It’s born from humility and kindness. It begins to bloom under my gentle care, and I seal it under a protective dome made of magic harvested from the depths of creation.
Immediately, the tar-like darkness covers the little dome, desperate to taste its light—a spark of life and the promise of true love.
Before the evil inside her can once again try to consume me, I follow my magic back to Kaleb, comforted by the steadfast love that lives within him. When I open my eyes, I find myself cuddled within Kaleb’s arms, and two very panicked grandmothers staring at me.
“You’re never doing that spell ever again,” my nan insists, her brown eyes round with worry.
“I’m going to have to do it at least one more time,” I croak, feeling a little lightheaded.
“Explain,” Carlotta demands, looking especially fierce. It’s a bit shocking to be confronted with the fact that despite who she spawned, this woman genuinely cares deeply for me.
“The curse,” I explain, closing my eyes and taking strength from Kaleb’s arms around me. “It’s feeding on his soul.”
“How do you know?” my paternal grandmother asks, her eyes widening with surprise.
“I can see souls,” I answer, frowning as I look up at Kaleb. “I thought you told her everything.”
“We did,” he answers, reaching over to push some of my wild tresses out of my face.
“As she implied earlier, she’s unconvinced spirit witches are real,” Mildred elaborates, glaring at the other woman.
“And as I said earlier, that’s not how magic works,” Carlotta insists, glaring right back. “If it did, I would know about it.”
“Surprise,” I comment weakly, more mentally drained than anything. “You just saw it in action.”
Before she can argue against what she saw with her own two eyes, Gina wakes with a jerk. When she finds Kaleb and me next to her on the bed, teenage horror crosses her face, and she screams, “Mom!”
With a pinch of her fingers, Mildred commands, “None of that. You will speak when requested to.”
Suddenly, Gina’s mouth slams shut.
“Much better,” my nan states with a businesslike smile. “Now, you were in an accident. My granddaughter healed you. You’ve been in a coma for over three months.”
Gina’s eyes bulge over the knowledge of how long she’s been unconscious, but as per the spell, she says nothing.
“Because you partook in magic you were woefully ill equipped to handle, the Campbells’ son is in grave condition.” Mildred returns to stand next to the book. “You’re going to tell us exactly what your part was in the ritual you performed with your little band of followers, so that I may save his life.”
A hint of genuine alarm crosses Gina’s face before it morphs into a petulant glare.
“I’ve already been made aware that you’ve forgotten the specifics,” she continues, tapping a finger against the open book. “Not to worry. I have experience in coercing latent memories to the surface.” She turns her attention to Kaleb and me. “How about you two go downstairs? Callie looks like she could use a drink of water and some respite.”
Untangling myself from Kaleb, I get to my feet while doing my best not to wobble. “I want to stay.”
“Not today, darling,” she replies, brushing a kiss against the top of my head before ushering me toward the door. “This spell can be difficult to witness.”
I think of the times I’ve used my magic to force my will onto another and the hollowness inside me that comes from watching free will disappear from their eyes. If it’s worse than that, I decide she’s right. Today, I don’t want to see.
As my nan pricks her thumb with the needle hidden within her watch and runs the bead of blood over Gina’s forehead, true terror washes over the girl’s face. With her eyes, she pleads for me to stay. There’s a bizarre irony that she has the gall to see me as any kind of ally.
“You’ll live,” I assure her flippantly as Kaleb helps me walk out and closes the door behind us. I’m slightly kinder to Neva when I meet her hurrying up the stairs. “She’ll be fine, I promise, but you can’t go in there.”
Some of her old fire enters her eyes. She’s clearly outraged that I had the audacity to tell her she can’t go somewhere in her own home. However, before her mouth opens, Dalia croons, “Come back. We’re not done,” from the bottom of the stairs.
The fire dies, changing to an empty glassiness. Turning on her heel, she robotically walks back downstairs.
“This way.” Dalia crooks her finger, and then walks into the sitting room that faces the backyard where the coven often takes their Sunday meetings. Neva follows stiffly behind her.
Not wanting to witness what else Dalia has in mind, Kaleb and I go in the opposite direction toward the kitchen. I’m more familiar with the layout, thanks to my witch lessons, and I find two glasses and fill them with water from the refrigerator door.
“Are you alright?” he asks while taking a seat on one of the stools that line a side of the island dividing the kitchen.
After handing him his glass, I stare down at mine as I try to articulate how I’m feeling. “Is it okay to say not fine, but I don’t know how to explain in what way?”
“Of course.” He takes a drink of his water and then places the glass on the marble countertop. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shake my head, my loose hair swooshing about my shoulders with the motion. “What I want is a hug.”
Kaleb smiles, his expression soft and comforting. Standing up, he opens his arms in invitation. “I can do that.”
Clunking my glass down on the counter, I rush into his waiting embrace. I let the warmth of his body permeate the residual cold that blankets my soul from swimming within Gina’s corrupted darkness. Without warning, I start to cry. I mourn the person she could have been and for that bit of love trapped underneath the sea of her rotting soul.
He gently rubs my back as I expel all of the feelings. It feels like too much—too much pain, too much sadness, and too much loss—but I can’t give into the despair that chokes me with its clawed fingers. I can’t stop until I save Nolan.
Eventually, I cry myself out, but we continue to stand in each other’s embrace until we hear Mildred and Carlotta come downstairs. Kaleb pulls out a stool for me, and then he sits down next to me. It doesn’t take long for my grandmothers to find us.
With desperate hope quaking within me, I ask, “Did you get what you needed? Do you know how to save Nolan?”
My nan gives me an exhausted nod. “Yes, we got what we needed.”
I leap to my feet and give her a bone-shattering hug. “Thank you. Thank you for saving him.”
“Don’t celebrate quite yet,” she replies, weariness clinging to her thin frame. “Based on what you told me, it will require all of us to save him. The entire coven will have to lend their magic, and…” She looks down at me, a mixture of worry and sadness within her eyes. “You will have to be the one who performs the spell.”
“Mildred, I know you have faith in our granddaughter, but what you’re asking of her is too much,” Carlotta pleads, appearing as equally drained as Mildred as she clutches the Volkov grimoire. “She’s untrained. Being a conduit for that amount of power is foolhardy, and she’s at risk of becoming a victim herself.”
“I’ll do it,” I volunteer, my voice filled with desperation. “I don’t care what the risks are.”
“What exactly is she going to do?” Kaleb asks, his tone calm but insistent.
“That… child created a parasite that has attached itself to Nolan’s soul. The reasons behind it aren’t important, but what is important is that it can’t simply be destroyed or undone. It’s living magic. It must be starved out.” My nan rests her head against mine, and a hint of her rose perfume wafts across my nose. “The coven, Carlotta, and I will create a barrier to keep the parasite from escaping, but since Callie is the only one who can see it, she’ll need to be the one to extract it from Nolan.”
“What will stop the parasite from going straight to Callie?” he questions, no longer quite so calm.
“Once she extracts it, she’ll activate another barrier surrounding her and Nolan,” she answers as she leans heavily against me.
“How about you sit down?” I suggest, worried she’s going to topple over at any moment.
She nods and lets me lead her to the stool I was just sitting on. “Just for a moment.”
Placing the grimoire on the counter, Carlotta raids the refrigerator, pulls out a carton of orange juice, and then opens multiple cabinets until she finds a cup. Pouring out a generous amount, she sets the cup in front of Mildred. “Drink that.”
I know my nan’s exhausted when she doesn’t argue. She simply picks up the cup and takes a few sips.
Retrieving a cup for herself, Carlotta pours another glass and drinks half of it. She leans against the counter and stares at me. “To perform this spell, you’ll be required to harness enough magic to lure the parasite out, but before it can sink its claws into you, you will have to raise a barrier strong enough to fend off the beast for however long it takes to starve. Magic has a will of its own that is desperate to survive. It will consume everything trapped between the two barriers and use everything at its disposal to get free. If any part of this plan falters, it could kill you and your paramour.” She takes another sip of her juice. “Or it could escape and feed on all of life itself until we stop it or collectively die.”
“I can’t stand back and let him die,” I reply, emotion tearing at my throat.
“If he dies, the parasite dies with him,” Carlotta states, her voice soft with pity. “Are you willing to risk everything to save this boy?”
“Yes,” I answer with a deep-rooted certainty. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save the people I love.”
“I told you there was no talking her out of it,” my nan comments, wrapping her hands around the cup. “If we don’t help her, she’ll just find a way to do it on her own.”
Kaleb and I trade startled looks, both of us complicit in just how right she is. One day, I will tell her about Felix… when I’m far enough away so she can’t strangle me.
“We’ll need a few days to collect everything we’ll need,” Carlotta announces with a sigh. “I suggest you get as much rest as possible. I do hope you’re as powerful as Mildred insists you are. I don’t want to lose my granddaughter when I just found you.”