Chapter 32
Elyse
Barefoot on the patio, Elyse watched her friends pour a thin circle of salt along the smooth stones.
She rocked from her heels to her toes and back again, a gentle cadence despite the roaring in her blood, her bones, every crevice of her mind.
With a deep inhale, she drew in serenity and pushed out her worries as best she could.
When she noticed Killian watching her, she flashed him a confident smile.
She refused to show them weakness. Not because she didn't want to be vulnerable in front of her friends—that fear had dissipated long ago.
To admit fear was to give Lazarus power, something he didn't need any more of.
So she smothered the embers of worry brewing within her as she prepared to face the truth.
If the experiment worked, it meant two things.
First, that they had a plan for how to trap Lazarus and weaken him. That was something worth celebrating, and she would gladly face this discomfort for a chance at taking him down.
Second—and Elyse tried to remind herself that this was less important—she would know if she had demon blood running through her veins. The thought was enough to send bile up the back of her throat.
Of course, if the experiment didn't work, it didn't mean anything definitive.
She could still be the spawn of a hellion, and they had simply done something wrong.
Or it was possible that the spell didn't work on corporeal beings, only those possessed spiritually.
Yet something—be it her magic, her intuition, or the intensive power of dread—told her that in a few short minutes, she would have her answer.
Killian stood with his arms crossed, a pensive look on his face as he surveyed the others.
Ever the lieutenant, even without the title.
Manny carried a burlap sack of salt, which he let pour in a slow drizzle, while Sera scooped and guided the wayward crystals back into a neat pile.
Corin and Nina stood together near the door, their arms entwined at their elbows.
They’d gone, along with Killian, to visit the priest who’d performed the exorcism, and the man had kindly written down the incantation for the spell.
It looked as if the mission had somewhat rejuvenated the women.
They seemed less frail than they had in the morning, though their postures were still slumped, and their eyes were still lined with dark shadows.
When the circle was completed, Killian strode to Elyse. Though he offered a smile, his gaze held a glint of concern. Perhaps she wasn't hiding her fear as well as she thought.
He laid a hand on the small of her back, and she felt the warmth of his energy. Something about his presence soothed the frantic hammering of her heart into a placid drumbeat.
“You okay?” he asked, voice barely a murmur so that the others couldn't hear—a gentle secret shared between the two of them.
“No,” Elyse admitted. She shifted closer to him, the movement a silent addition to her answer: But I'm better because you're with me.
“Want to get it over with?” he asked her.
Elyse nodded as she stared at the circle of salt. Such a ridiculous thing to fear—nothing more than a simple spice. She noted how flat it was. No sheen, no reflection of sunlight. Just little pellets of white, like the absence of everything.
When she looked up, she realized all eyes were on her. One by one, her friends, who had stood by her side through so much, gave her an encouraging nod. Corin slid her hand from Nina’s and stepped forward, ready to speak the incantation.
Elyse blew out a breath and stepped forward as well, but paused when she felt a gentle touch at her elbow. She twisted her head to find Killian smiling down at her. Even before he spoke, the glimmer in his golden eyes gave away his message.
“I love you,” he said, this time loud enough for everyone to hear. "I love you now as you walk into that circle, and I will love whoever comes out."
Elyse had to bite her lip to keep from grinning. Being vulnerable in front of others was something she’d grown more accustomed to, but grand declarations of love still made her feel…
Well, gooey was the word that came to mind.
“I know,” she said with a wink, then pivoted back to the circle.
As she stepped toward the thin line of salt—no thicker than her thumb—she knew Killian was still watching her. Still pouring his adoration into this space, still confident in his decision to love her unconditionally.
Elyse toed her way into the circle, careful not to disturb the salt. Nothing changed as she crossed the threshold. The breeze continued to offer a mild reprieve. The clouds above drifted lazily across the expansive sky.
Anticipation brewed heavy within her. She was extraordinarily aware of her body—of all the places her clothes stuck to her skin, of the sweat on the back of her neck, of the cool stone and rough grout beneath her bare feet. She took slow, steady breaths, though her heartbeat was rapid in her chest.
“Do it,” Elyse declared before she lost her nerve.
Corin’s throat bobbed, but she complied. “Aspurnum al jupari,” she uttered. Though her voice was quiet, it captivated the courtyard.
The world seemed to shimmer and warp for a second—or maybe Elyse imagined it. She couldn’t tell if the others had seen it, or if their wide eyes were merely anticipatory.
Elyse peered down at the salt. It hadn’t changed, hadn’t shifted or caught fire or melted into the stone.
She let out a huff, something like a laugh.
She gazed past the circle to Killian, who peered back at her with curiosity and pinched brows.
The smile she gave him was a quivering, confused sort of thing.
Then, she felt it. It started in her toes, her heels, spreading inward and up. A subtle throbbing that pulsed along her legs in a slow wave, leaving her skin prickly and her muscles shaky. When it reached her core, she doubled over as the foreign sensation seemed to clamp onto her heart.
It wasn’t painful so much as it was wrong.
So wrong, as though her very life was being siphoned away.
She’d endured something similar before, when Longfellow had trapped her in his study.
She’d felt woozy, almost drunk then, and equally as debilitated.
But this time, it was accompanied by a harsh emptiness.
Killian was instantly moving toward her, his curiosity replaced with a determination fueled by fear.
Elyse held out a hand to stop him from entering the circle. “No, don’t,” she barked at him, but he ignored it.
He crossed the threshold of salt and placed his hands on her upper arms. “I’m right here,” he said.
Elyse leaned into him, allowing him to bear some of her weight. The oppressive grip on her chest had already begun to subside. It faded nearly as quickly as it had come on, leaving her feeling disoriented and drained.
She raised her eyes to Killian’s face. His brows were knotted together, his full lips pursed, but otherwise he was calm, steadfast. “Are you okay?” he asked. “What’s happening?”
Her stomach sank.
“You don't feel anything, do you?” she managed to ask, the world still spinning around her.
Killian’s gaze was unwavering as he shook his head.
Elyse’s shoulders dropped. Of course he didn’t feel any different. Killian wasn’t part-demon.
But she was.
“Hey,” Killian whispered. He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted it so that she peered into his softened eyes. “We can leave right now. I can break the circle and we can go hide in our room. Just say the word.”
Elyse took a deep breath, her chest pressing against Killian’s as her lungs filled with air. Her muscles still trembled in the aftermath of the spell, and her heart felt heavy with this new knowledge. Killian’s offer was tempting.
“Or, you can stay,” Killian continued. “And I’ll be right here while you test the limits of the spell. It’s entirely up to you.”
Elyse twisted to her right, where Sera stood.
Her hands were clasped at her chest, and worry was evident on her face, but she did not cower.
She didn’t run or sneer or look even remotely surprised.
Next to Sera, Manny appeared more fascinated than appalled.
Corin and Nina merely watched with curious expressions.
A spark of hope could even be noted in their eyes.
Had she expected them to condemn her? She had, she realized with a wave of shame. As she took in Killian’s encouraging smile one more time, she realized that the only person condemning her for her heritage was herself.
“I’ll stay,” she decided, a piece of that same hope she’d seen in Nina and Corin’s faces now seeping into her soul. “I’ll stay,” she repeated, nodding fervently.
“I knew you would,” Killian said. He stooped and placed a kiss on the corner of her lips, vanquishing the last of her doubt.
He stepped back as much as he could in the cramped circle and let go of Elyse.
“Can you try to get out?”
Elyse lifted her bare foot and tried to move it toward the salt, but an invisible force halted the motion. She pivoted and tried again, but the undisturbed circle was like a wall.
“I can’t,” she admitted.
“That’s good,” Killian said, voice light. “That means Lazarus won’t be able to get out either.”
Elyse nodded again, letting the truth he spoke sink in.
“Now, can you test your powers?” he pressed.
Elyse bit her lip. She hadn’t thought far enough ahead to devise a simple way to test her magic, to see how weakened it was.
Her mind wandered to another time she’d been incapacitated—why had she recently been deprived of her magic so often?
—when Siamus had held her prisoner. He’d drunk her blood, hoping it would give his magic heightened abilities.
It hadn’t, and the flame he’d produced to test his theory had been pathetic.
She lifted both hands palm up and let a small flame flicker there. It gave off a gentle heat but didn’t sear her skin. Narrowing her eyes, she commanded the flames to grow. They multiplied, blossoming higher and spreading to her wrists and forearms, their heat growing slightly.
Killian raised his brows but did not balk at the fire. He knew he was in no danger with Elyse.
The flames spread until they encapsulated Elyse’s arms, flickering just over her shoulders. She grit her teeth & tried to make them grow larger, but her magic felt strained.
“Is that good?” Manny asked from outside the circle. “Can you normally do more, or..?”
Elyse waved a hand and extinguished the flames before turning to face Manny. “It’s great,” she explained, letting some excitement into her voice. “I can normally do a lot more, which means, hopefully, that Lazarus will be significantly weaker, too.”
“But so will you,” Nina called, a note of caution in her voice.
Elyse gave her friend an auspicious smile. “Yes, but only if I’m in the circle,” she pointed out. She turned back to Manny. “Hit me with a spell.”
Manny looked all too delighted as he shook out his hands and flicked a speeding ball of blue light at her. It zapped Elypse in the shoulder, the sensation like a small pinch.
“I'm guessing based on your reaction,” Manny said, “that my spell was also weakened inside the circle?”
Elyse snorted. “No, I just don’t get worked up about a simple pinching spell like you two do.”
A defensive slew of “Hey now!” and “It really hurts!” spilled from both Manny and Killian, and Elyse couldn’t help but laugh. For a second she felt so… normal—like she hadn’t just confirmed she was fathered by a demon. She smiled wide and tried to savor the feeling.
“Your spells shouldn’t be able to leave the circle,” Corin chimed in, voice still a bit hoarse but more confident. “Try it though, to be sure.”
Elyse flicked her fingers toward Manny and shot out the same ball of blue light he’d sent toward her. Manny winced in preparation, but the light fizzled out as soon as it tried to cross the salt barrier.
“Hmm,” Killian pondered aloud. “I was hoping it would bounce back, and we’d have a shot at Lazarus taking himself out. But I suppose it’s better if Manny and I are going to be inside the circle as well. Less chance of ricochet.”
He said it so casually. Elyse whirled to face him.
“You and Manny—inside the circle?”
“Of course,” Manny called. “What do you think all this training has been for? To sit in the stands and watch?”
“No, but—” Elyse sputtered, grasping at a way to tell Killian “No” without actually forbidding it. She couldn't fully protect him—or Manny—if they were inside the circle without her.
“Are you…” Killian began, cocking a brow and smirking. “Are you worried for me?”
“Of course I am, you nitwit!” she shouted back, slamming her hands into his chest. He was a wall that hardly moved. “The other day you let Manny knock you out. Manny,” she emphasized.
“To be fair, I was having a phenomenal day,” Manny added from behind her.
Killian’s smile was broad as he placed his hands on Elyse’s upper arms. “It’ll be okay.
Let’s just step outside the circle—” He slid the toe of his boot across the salt, breaking the barrier.
As soon as he did, a warmth floated through Elyse, and her fingers & toes began to tingle.
“—and we'll calmly discuss it until we decide on a plan that makes everyone happy.” He held out his arm over the broken salt as if he were holding open a door, and continued to grin at her.
“Fine,” Elype huffed. She stepped directly onto the salt, its power now useless, and stomped over to the table where they’d been studying before.
With an enthusiasm that had been absent for weeks, their team sat down to form a plan. And no one, not once, commented on Elyse’s true heritage.
As Elyse watched her friends scheme ways to take down Lazarus, she realized she was blessed, not cursed. That was the truth of it.