Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Everything inside me burns, like my body is covered in tiny cuts and I’m being dipped into boiling hot lemon juice. It stings and aches and pinches and stabs. My body starts to go into shock, knowing something is wrong.

I’m being poisoned. Something that’s not supposed to be here is here, and it’s threatening to take over.

Trick me, half-breed…I think not! You will stand behind me. You will do my bidding and with you, I shall rule!

The demon’s voice echoes in my head. I fall back, head whacking the floor with a sickening thud. Pain radiates through me, mixing with the very real feeling that I’m dying. I fight against it, though I know it’s useless. The demon is in me, and soon I’ll lose my free will.

It will take over. Make me use my powers. Kill my friends.

“No,” I say through gritted teeth. I push myself up and tendrils of yellow light rise up around my fingers. The only other time I’ve ever conjured yellow light was when I healed the vampire bite on my neck, and that was according to Lucas. I’ve never seen it before, but this…this is so much more than yellow.

It’s gold and sparkling and mesmerizingly beautiful. I hold my hands up and the light brightens. The demon screams inside of me, and it’s like a thousand dark voices yelling all at once. It hurts my head and makes me pitch forward. Fighting through the pain, I turn my head up and let out a breath. Tears pool in my eyes and I clench my jaw and bring one hand to my chest.

It’s not the energy ball I thought I’d need to kill the demon. It’s something else…something that feels as familiar as it does different. I can’t explain it. I can only feel it. Conjuring this type of energy feels right.

“I told you,” I pant. “I. Stand. Behind. No one!”

The harrowing screams inside my head grow louder and louder, deafeningly painful. My eyes fall shut as tears roll down my cheeks. Then as suddenly as the demon forced itself into me, it leaves, smoke pouring out of my mouth. Instead of leaving and trying to find another host, it sparks, looking like an electrified storm cloud.

And then it explodes.

I fall back from the force of the blow, and stay flattened on the ground until the smoke settles. Little gold glowing embers sizzle out as they land on the cool stone. Lifting my head, I blink away the smoke from my eyes and slowly sit up.

Binx shadows over, shifting into cat-form and rubbing his head against me. “Hey, buddy,” I whisper, and run my hand over his sleek fur. “Kristy?”

“Cal? I’m here. Are you okay? I can’t see you.”

“Nobody move,” Tabatha instructs. “Ignus.” A fire roars to life in the fireplace, filling the room with light. She rushes over to Evander, and Kristy comes to me, extending a hand to pull me up.

“Is the demon gone?” Kristy asks, eyes wide.

“I think so,” I tell her.

Sister Ross, Ruby, and Tabatha help Evander up. He’s awake.

“Way to cut it down to the last second, sister,” he coughs. I rush over, tears filling my eyes again.

“I am so, so sorry.”

“Sorry?” He sits back down in the chair Ruby uprighted. “Sorry for saving us all?”

“You wouldn’t have gotten possessed if you hadn’t come out to help deal with the Ley line.” I make a move to wipe away my tears but remember something Lucas told me. Never be ashamed of how you feel, Callie.

“And then we’d all be screwed.” His eyes fall shut. “I need a drink.”

“You and me both,” I laugh and kneel down. “Are you okay?”

“Better than the demon, so I’ll call it a win.”

Sister Ross, who’s clearly still shaken, grabs her medical bag and begins an assessment.

“What went wrong?” I ask Kristy, moving to the side to let Sister Ross work.

“The hex-box wasn’t strong enough. I don’t understand why, though.” She shakes her head. “It should have worked.”

I flit my eyes to Ruth, who’s standing next to Tabatha, comforting her and probably filling her head with lies.

“I have a feeling I might know why, but I can’t tell you here. Oh, that reminds me…” I look at Binx. “Can you let the twins know we’re okay?”

He meows and trots out of the room. Kristy loops her arm through mine. “The demon possessed you, Callie.”

“It did.”

“And you…you burned it from the inside out. With golden light. I’ve never once seen you conjure gold light.”

“As far as I know, I’ve only done it once before. Recently.” I swallow the rising lump in my throat. “So we can add this to another thing that falls outside the range of normal witchcraft. Did I look evil doing it?”

“No. The opposite. The light…I can’t explain it, and I know this is going to sound really lame, but it was so pretty. I didn’t want to stop looking at it.”

“I felt the same way,” I confess. “I don’t think this is going to help my case.”

“Your vampire case?” she whispers and I shake my head. “What else…oh, that thing you can’t tell me.”

I put my head in my hands, expecting to feel exhaustion set it like it usually does after I do major magic like this.

But it doesn’t.

“Callie.” Ruby crosses her arms and strides over.

“Want to cuff me again?” I cock an eyebrow.

“Kind of. Though I don’t think it’s necessary. What you did…” She shakes her head. “How did you do that?”

“I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. “And I’m…I’m…” I have no idea what I am or what I should say. I’m digging myself into a hole and I’m getting tired of lying. “I’m just glad Evander is okay.”

“You and me both,” she says and looks me up and down. “You should get checked out.”

I nod, knowing I’m going to whether I want to or not.

“And can you, uh, walk in and out of that circle?” She points to one of the protective symbols drawn on the floor.

“I’m not possessed,” I sigh, though I can’t blame her for being extra careful. My body feels a little sore as I walk across the room, like I just completed an intense workout. I walk into the circle, hold out my hands and spin around, and then walk back out.

“No demon,” I tell her and come back over by Kristy, perching on the edge of Tabatha’s desk. The office is a mess and while cleaning it is one of the last things I want to do right now, it beats standing here being watched like a zoo animal by Ruby. Waving my hand, I use magic to sweep the broken pieces of the hex-box into a pile. Kristy, following my lead, straightens a bookshelf that looks as if someone was thrown into it.

“Callie,” Tabatha calls, motioning for me to come over and have a seat on the bench below the window. Sister Ross has her medical bag out, and does a quick assessment of me, taking my vitals.

“All within normal limits,” she says, trading the blood pressure cuff for a crystal to read my aura. Is it just me or did Tabatha tense? I think back to that morning she sat in my living room, looked me right in the eye and said there was nothing wrong with me.

I felt like she was lying then, and I hate it. I trust Tabatha with my life. She’s been more than a teacher to me since the moment she pulled me out of that medical laboratory, and I know she’d do anything to protect me.

Even keep a secret.

But the thing about secrets is they’re not ours to hide. They have a way of coming out, of making themselves known at the worst possible time.

Sister Ross holds the crystal above my head and slowly sweeps it down. “Interesting,” she mutters.

“What’s interesting?” I ask.

“There are no disturbances in your aura.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Oh, of course.” She holds the crystal above my heart and waits a beat. “But after a demon has possessed you, I’d expect to see traces of that energy clouding yours and you’d need a potion to help restore your natural energies. From what I’m seeing, it’s like it never happened.”

“Maybe because the demon wasn’t in me for that long?”

“Maybe, though whatever you did to make it explode should have depleted you.”

“I’m feeling really worn out,” I say, though I’m not. Not like I was after commanding the hellfire. It’s more like I’m unlocking part of me that’s been kept under wraps my whole life, and tapping into whatever power source this is feel so damn good. “I really want to go to bed.”

“You should. And while I have no reason to admit you to the infirmary, you are more than welcome to take a bed there tonight to be watched and assessed. Sometimes these things can take time and hit you hard out of the blue.”

“Thanks, but I’d like to go to my house. I sleep better in my own bed.” Because my undead lover will be there next to me. Naked, I’m sure.

“So do I.” Sister Ross smiles and starts packing up her bag. I’m fine. Evander will be fine. The Ley line is healed, the demon gone. Things are done. Over. Yet I don’t feel any relief.

My troubles are just getting started.

“Thank you all for your combined efforts,” Tabatha says, and this time the emotion in her voice is apparent. She looks absolutely exhausted, and I don’t want to imagine the fear she felt seeing both Evander and then me possessed by the same demon. “It’s been a long night and we all need to rest. Callie and Kristy, I assume you are leaving the Covenstead for your own beds tonight?”

“Yes,” we answer at the same time.

“I will walk you to the door.”

“Oh, darling,” Ruth coos, patting Tabatha’s shoulder. “You’ve been through enough tonight. I can walk them.”

“We’re fine,” I say quickly. Too quickly. “Tabatha was right. It’s been a long night for everyone, and Kristy and I have walked ourselves in and out of the door many times.”

Ruth puts on a pleasant smile. “I insist.”

I swallow hard. At least with Kristy with me, maybe she won’t try to get me to summon the Devil. Kristy looks at me out of the corner of her eye, and I can feel what she’s not saying. It’s weird and rude to decline someone of Ruth’s status like this.

“Well, I can’t say no to that.” I return the fake smile, give Evander a hug, and say goodbye to Tabatha. The gathering hall is empty as we pass by, leaving me to believe Nicole and Naomi have walked the students back up to their rooms. Binx is sitting by the door, tail swishing as he waits for us.

He lets out a low growl when he sees Ruth, and Kristy tenses. I try to give her a reassuring look, letting her know I’ve got this under control. Ugh, but I don’t want to lie.

Because I don’t have this under control.

We stop and say the incantation needed to open the door. As soon as the blue light starts to flicker into view, I give Binx the signal needed to slip out and get Pandora and Freya. I still don’t think Ruth is going to try anything with Kristy right here, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

“Thank you, Grand Mage,” Kristy says and reaches for my hand so we can walk through the door together. Suddenly, Kristy’s body goes limp and I fall to the ground trying to catch her.

“Kristy!” I shout as fear pulses through me. “Kristy!” My first reaction is to shake her and try to wake her up. She doesn’t move. So panicked I can’t think straight, I look up at Ruth and wonder why she’s not helping me.

“Keep your voice down,” Ruth hisses and drops an empty potion vial on the ground. It starts to roll away and I make a dive for it, pulling out the stopper and smelling the empty vial. It’s a valerian root sleeping spell that she must have slipped to Kristy while I was getting assessed by Sister Ross. I didn’t think anything of it when Kristy took a drink of water from the pitcher on Tabatha’s desk.

“You did this!” I clutch Kristy’s body. Valerian root sleeping spells are strong—dangerously strong. Unlike the sleeping spell we put on Evander, this one works magically as well as medicinally. It requires an antidote to be undone, and the amount of antidote has to equally match the amount of valerian ingested. People die from spells like this.

They’re put too deep asleep and stop breathing. They’re unable to be woken up and basically waste away.

“Wake her up right now!” Magic sizzles around my fingers. I jerk my hands back, so I don’t burn Kristy.

“Not until I get what I want.”

“You are insane.” I push myself up onto my feet and the anger I’m holding back threatens to break loose. Hitting Ruth with a big energy ball would be feel so fucking good right now.

“Am I?” She tips her head to the side. “I saw what you did in there and it was spectacular. So much power just dripping from you. You killed that demon from the inside out and there’s not a scratch on you or your aura. I want that power.”

“You promised.” I curl my fingers into a fist. “My friends would be okay if I took you to him.” I sweep my hand out at Kristy. “She wasn’t supposed to be part of this.”

“After I saw what you did back there, I knew I needed insurance. I have the antidote, mixed up and ready. Call upon your master and once I’m granted my powers, I will hand the potion over.”

I clench my jaw, not sure what to do. Terrified if I try anything, she’ll further hurt Kristy, I close my eyes in a long blink and nod. “Fine. We need to go to the woods.”

Binx, I call. Be ready. Pull out all the bloody stops. She needs to go down.

The blue light from the open door is starting to fade. Ruth strides forward and grabs my wrist, nails digging into my skin. She shoves me through the doorway, and my feet land on the soft forest floor.

She closes the door behind us and the silence of the woods surrounds me. Usually, being out here is calming. There’s something about the dark woods that instantly makes me feel better. But not tonight.

My heart is racing so fast and anxiety is threatening to take over again. Every time I blink, I see Kristy lying on the ground, eyes half open and unmoving. Ruth strides forward, going to the tree where the demon tied me up and tried to burn me. The bark is still singed from the fire and the grass and weeds around the tree are just now starting to grow back.

“I can feel his power!” She puts both hands on the tree. “Call him forth.”

Shit. I was hoping I could tell her I need to go to my dark altar to buy more time, but this spot makes sense. I think. Maybe? I have no fucking idea how to summon the Devil because I’ve never done it.

She runs her hand down the trunk of the tree and crouches down, picking up a handful of earth. She brings it to her face and inhales, smelling the brimstone.

“Call him forth,” she tells me.

I nod and go over to the tree. I put both hands on the trunk and close my eyes, listening for my familiars.

“Oh, Dark Master,” I start once I feel them getting closer. “I call you forth to…to…meet another willing child of night.” I step away from the tree, turn around, and hold my hands up. Maybe I can hit Ruth with an energy ball now. Knock her out and get back to the Covenstead. Kristy is all the proof I need to show I’m innocent and Ruth is the guilty one.

She used an illegal potion on an innocent member of the coven.

“I call upon you, Dark One.” I hold my hands up a little higher. “Come forth and meet your willing servant.”

“Nothing is happening,” Ruth says after a few beats pass.

“I told you he might not think you’re worthy. I held up my end of the bargain. Now give me the antidote.”

“Do not lie to me.” She holds out her hand and magic wraps around my throat again. I conjure an energy ball, throwing it before she squeezes her hand even tighter. I can’t breathe, and I can feel my windpipe starting to crush.

“You know,” she starts, tightening her hold on my neck. “There is a little bone right at the base of your neck. If broken in the right way, it will suffocate you even after I let go.”

I conjure another energy ball and throw it. It hits Ruth in the shoulder. She cries out in pain but doesn’t loosen her grip.

“If you kill me—,” I croak out, but she continues to tighten the grip until I can’t get any air. I fall to the ground, hands flying to my neck on their own accord, body taking over and trying to pull the invisible noose from around my neck.

Something whirls through the forest, moving so fast he’s just a blur. Lucas stands before Ruth, appearing so suddenly he startles her. She holds up her other hand, creating a shield that he can’t break through.

“Take one more step, vampire, and I’ll kill her right before your eyes.”

Lucas looks at me, dark blue eyes wide, and draws his fangs. “Let her go,” he growls. “And I’ll make your death quick.”

“You’re no match for me,” Ruth snarls back and pulses more energy into the shield. It’s loosening her hold on my neck, and I’m able to suck in a breath. My familiars shadow through the woods, drawing closer and closer.

The original plan could still work.

I pitch forward, coughing, and plant my hands on the ground. The Ley line is beneath me, and tapping into it is dangerous—obviously— but I don’t see what other choice I have. I close my eyes, fighting against Ruth’s hold on me, and reach down, deep down, into the ground, and take just enough from the Ley line to conjure another energy ball.

Fangs flashing, Lucas slowly advances. Ruth throws her hand out, hitting him with another wall of energy. It pushes him back, but Lucas doesn’t stop.

“Let her go,” he growls again. Ruth shifts her attention to him, and it’s all I need to spring up, gasping for air, and throw the energy ball at her. It clips her shoulder again, but this time it singes her skin, burning through her robe.

She falls back, and Lucas rushes forward. Before he can grab her, she casts the invisibility spell on herself and disappears from view. I’m on the ground again, coughing and sucking in air.

Lucas speeds over and scoops me up, cradling me to his chest.

“Callie.” He presses his lips to the top of my head. “Are you all right?”

“I will be,” I croak. “Once we get that bitch.”

“Did she teleport?” Lucas puts his hands on my shoulders, holding me upright as I try to recover. I shake my head, feeling the hair on the back of my neck prickle.

“Get down!” I shout, but I’m too late. Ruth conjures a string of energy and hurls it at us. Pandora shadows by at the last second, blocking us from the raw energy. It hits her hard, sparking and sizzling.

I throw an energy ball in the direction where Ruth was standing, but it flies through the forest, hitting a tree.

“It’s an invisibility spell,” I whisper, looking around the woods. Lucas moves to my side, holding his arms out defensively. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep me safe, and while part of me wants to let him rip Ruth to shreds, I need her alive.

Kristy needs the antidote.

And a Grand Mage going missing or turning up dead…I’m already in hot water with the coven.

“Can you sense her?” I ask Lucas. Binx and Freya shadow through the woods, searching for Ruth.

“No.”

“Dammit.” Heart racing, I slowly look around the woods. Everything is silent. Ruth has to be standing still. There’s one of her and five of us. Invisible or not, the odds are against her and she has to know it.

Pandora shadows by, already recovering. Being hit with the energy weakened her, but it takes much more than that to kill a familiar in shadow form. Especially mine, who have been taught and trained by ancient and powerful Binx.

Flames suddenly rise from the forest floor a few feet in front of us. I conjure strings of magic and my familiars shadow over. Lucas whirls around, looking behind us. He’s the only one who thought this could be a distraction, and he was right.

Ruth throws a magically charged branch through the air, broken with a sharp tip.

“Lucas!” I scream and throw up my hand to stop the branch. I’m not fast enough, and the tip of the branch plunges right into Lucas’s chest.