Chapter 41
AVA
I dial Luna, and she picks up in one ring. “Mission is a go, bitch. I’m going to need you to bring some candles and a large fry from McDonald’s, extra salt.”
“Uh … what mission?” she asks, confusion heavy in her tone.
“Mission protect Valen and all of us,” I reply. “I found a spell.”
“Is this a good idea?” she hedges. Her hesitation grates on that part of me that’s desperate to help Valen. “You’re still a new witch, Ava.”
“I have to try something,” I grump. “Are you going to help or what?”
“Of course.” She sounds offended that I’d even suggest that she wouldn’t.
“Great, just bring the goods.”
I hang up before she can say anything else.
“Mission?” Celine asks, sitting on a kitchen stool with a glass of wine. “I thought this was girls’ night—at least that’s what you insisted to the guys when you forced them to leave.”
As if anyone can force Zavier and Valen to do anything.
I just happened to mention that there was a new bowling alley opening and they were looking to start some leagues.
Since Zavier is weirdly obsessed with the game, I thought he’d enjoy it, and I figured that Valen could do with some guy time.
Although now that I think about Valen and Zavier sequestered together on a bowling team, Celine just might be down a mate.
“It is girls’ night.” I tuck my stubborn strands of flyaway hair behind my ears. “It just happens to include a little spell work.”
Her eyes narrow. “Shouldn’t Jade be here?”
“No,” I snap. “Because she didn’t exactly approve of all of this.
” I gesture around to the dimmed apartment.
“I know she wouldn’t help me since she wants me to go slow, but Celine, I have to try something.
” I hope she hears the desperation in my voice.
“You saw how many vampires came for Valen in those tunnels. They didn’t want us.
They wanted him. I have to protect my mate, and I don’t want you injured again either.
If this were Zav, wouldn’t you be doing the same? ”
“Hey.” She takes a sip of her wine. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t help. But I will be pleading the fifth when the guys find out what we’ve been up to.”
I plant my hands on my hips and try to ignore the feeling of Pom Pom pawing at me to get picked up. Hopefully he won’t tattle on me to Valen. “They’re not going to know—not unless I manage to break the spell.”
She arches a lone dark brow. “Or something goes wrong.”
“Nothing’s going to go wrong. You’ll see.”
Twenty minutes later, Luna knocks on the door with a bag of candles in one hand and a McDonald’s bag in the other. I snatch both from her.
“I still don’t understand what the fries are for,” she says, closing the door behind herself.
“I’m hungry and my period is about to start. I always crave McDonald’s fries when it’s coming. Plus”—I give the bag a shake—“we need salt for the spell.”
“You don’t have any salt?” Celine asks. “I could’ve brought some.” She purses her lips.
“This was more fun.” I stuff a handful of fries into my mouth and drop half of one on the floor for Pom Pom. “God, I’m starving. I should’ve had you get a burger too.”
“What do you need all the candles for?” Luna asks, taking the empty stool beside Celine.
“For ambience, obviously.” I stick my tongue out and down another handful of fries.
I’ve been extra hungry since coming into my powers. It’s as if my body is burning extra calories to sustain all the magic simmering inside me.
“It seems like this is a pretty simple protection spell,” I go on. “I’m not certain it’ll undo my ancestor’s, but I figure it can’t hurt, right?” I give a tiny shrug.
Both girls eyes me skeptically.
After another couple of fries, I dust off my hands and gesture to the floor.
“Let’s do this thing.”
I set up the candles in a circle and use salt to thinly line it—just as the spell said to do. It’s a crude circle if you ask me, but hey, we’ll see what happens. In the middle, I toss one of Valen’s T-shirts.
“Ow,” I grunt, ripping out a few of my hairs to sprinkle onto the fabric.
I’m hoping the hair of a witch instruction was literal.
“You need something personal of Valen’s?” Celine asks, eyeing up the shirt.
“Yeah,” I reply, tossing down his toothbrush for good measure.
“I might have something,” she muses.
“Of Valen’s?” Confusion fills me, along with a possessive feeling—I don’t like someone else having something of his. Even knowing Celine is my best friend, it’s like a primal side of me is staking claim at a threat.
“I forgot about it until now,” she says. “Let me grab it.”
She rushes next door to her apartment and is back a few minutes later. She hands me something wrapped in a bundle of fabric.
I slowly unwrap the object, and I’m surprised to find a necklace. It’s gold, but not our gold. Immediately, I know this is something not of this realm—something far too heavenly for earth. It has to be something he brought with him as an angel.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmur. It’s too beautiful, too precious. “He had this with him?”
She nods. “I … saw him holding it a few times, so I grabbed it when I escaped, but in the chaos, I completely forgot about it. I feel terrible. He’s probably thought that it was lost to him forever.”
“He’s never said anything about it to me,” I say softly.
I lay the necklace in my growing pile of items in the circle.
“Luna, I need you.” I motion her over to me. “I need some of your blood.”
“My blood? Why mine?” She eyes me skeptically.
“It said I needed blood of a vampire, and you’re a vampire, so you’re my lucky volunteer.”
She gives a small shrug. “Happy to help.” She bites into her own hand and holds the bleeding flesh over my pile. “How much?”
“That should be enough.”
Already her hand is knitting itself closed. It’s still odd to me—that supernaturals are real and things like accelerated healing exist.
“Now what?” Celine asks.
“Now, we sit, and I say the spell.”
At least I think that’s all there is to it. I should’ve consulted Jade first, since she obviously has way more knowledge than I do, but I knew she would say I wasn’t ready.
Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?
The three of us sit in a triangle formation—Luna to my left and Celine across from me.
Pulling out my phone, I read over the spell again just to be sure I’ve remembered the exact wording.
I reach for each of the girls’ hands and close my eyes.
Reciting the words feels foreign and not at the same time. I practiced a little when I wasn’t with Valen. It’s a different language, but it’s similar to English. I’m sure I fumble over a few words but try to stay as close as possible to the original.
I open one eye and look around, frowning when I see that nothing has happened. “Ugh,” I groan. “Did it work?”
“I don’t know,” Celine supplies. “It’s a protection spell. Maybe there’s not—”
The space on the floor where Valen’s shirt is seems to open up, the items disappearing into a massive shimmering red and orange hole.
I grapple forward when I see the necklace about to fall and sling it behind me.
I would never forgive myself for losing something that must be so precious to my mate.
“What is that?” I gasp, shielding my eyes from the sparkling colors.
“You’re the witch! Shouldn’t you know?” Luna shrieks, scuttling back from the hole.
“I’m kinda new at this whole thing,” I retort as a breeze fills the space, lifting our hair. Pom Pom whines from his spot in the corner.
That’s when the lights begin to flicker.
“I don’t like this,” Celine cries. “I don’t like this at all. This was a terrible idea!”
The lights go out entirely, and when I look toward the windows, I watch them go out all across the city.
“What the fuck?” I mutter.
The lights flicker again, and I swear I see a shadow of a man.
“Who’s there?” Celine asks, which freaks me out further because if she saw a man too, then…
The lights come back on and I scream, because there is a man. A very tall, pale blond, scary-looking man with tattoos, glowing golden eyes, and horns. He surveys us all in confusion before he zeroes in on Luna.
He cocks his head to the side and steps over the salt and candles.
Luna scuttles backward but stops when she collides with the armchair.
The giant man crouches in front of her and reaches out with surprising gentleness considering his formidable appearance. He grabs a strand of Luna’s hair and rubs it between his fingers.
I can’t see his face, but I swear I can feel him smile at her.
“Wife,” he croons.
She snarls at him and exhales one word.
“Demon.”