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So why was I feeling this nervous?
Kit and Angela stepped into the chalk star and faced each other.
“The rest of you stay outside the circle, no matter what happens,” Kit warned.
Well, that wasn’t exactly reassuring. I glanced at Thane, debating whether we should stop this while we still could. Sensing my worry, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and smiled.
If he had faith, then so would I.
She brought the container to her lips and paused, the murky liquid splashing against the sides thanks to her trembling arm. Angela took her free hand and squeezed it. Getting whatever she needed from her fiancée, Kit tipped her head back and downed the brown substance in one gulp.
I scrunched up my nose. Kit’s hesitation and fear weren’t about the flavor, but if looks had anything to do with it, that had to taste disgusting.
Kit tossed the container to the side in an overly dramatic yet badass move, and it shattered against a wall. She took Angela’s other hand, and they chanted the spell, their eyes never leaving each other’s. A light breeze swirled around them, fluttering strands of their hair.
As the spell grew in intensity, so did the wind, though it remained calm and peaceful outside the chalk circle. In seconds, a roaring gale tugged at their clothes and whipped their hair into their faces, but they didn’t stop chanting.
A spark ignited along the circle and quickly spread, ringing the two witches in fire. Dark storm clouds formed over them, and thunder boomed within the room, echoing off the high ceiling.
Rain poured from the clouds, splashing within the circle and drenching the two women, making their shirts cling to their bodies. Steam rose where the drops met the flames, and Angela’s teeth chattered as the wind drove into their wet clothes.
Still, they didn’t stop chanting.
I chewed my lip, wanting nothing more than to bust in and help. But I had no desire to disobey Kit’s warning this time. I’d learned my lesson.
The floor buckled and heaved, contained within the chalk but nearly throwing the two women to the ground. As if it were trying to separate them. Kit gripped Angela’s hands tighter, their knuckles turning white.
Despite the chaos within the pentagram and circle, they didn’t stop chanting.
Unease prickled along my skin, and I took a step forward. Yes, she’d warned us to stay back, and I would do my best to obey, but I couldn’t stand idly by if things went wrong. Because if such a thing were possible—and it very well could be—the binding spell seemed alive and clung desperately to Kit.
The pentagram lit up with a golden glow, and the chalk lines rose and swirled around the witches’ ankles, becoming thin tendrils that slithered up and around their legs. The tendrils thickened as they spiraled, the physical chain-like manifestation of Kit’s binding.
When the glowing chains reached both women’s shoulders, the free end around Kit floated through the air toward Angela, transforming into the shape of a lock. The glowing chain’s other end, now shaped like a key, extended from Angela’s chest toward the lock.
The chain’s key dipped inside the lock as the two witches chanted a final resounding word. The air surrounding them crackled with lightning, and a sharp clap had me covering my ears and wincing in pain.
The lock clicked open, and the golden binding fell from Kit and Angela’s bodies, falling into a heap, then dissipating.
The tumultuous chaos and noise within the circle stopped so suddenly that it was like it had never existed. Eerie silence stretched through the cavernous room. The floor wasn’t even cracked after the buckling and heaving, and both women were dry.
Magic could do some crazy shit.
I peeled my hands away from my ears, catching sight of Lena doing the same.
“Is it done?” Angela asked, panting. Her pale skin had lost the little color she’d gained earlier.
Sucking in deep breaths, Kit’s eyes remained closed. She vibrated with power, visible as a rainbow aura, elemental colors churning around her. She dropped Angela’s hands and clenched her fists at her sides, grimacing as if in pain.
Angela stepped closer, hesitant with each step. “Babe, are you okay?”
When Kit finally opened her eyes, her already dark irises had turned completely black, blending with her pupils.
My best friend was gone.
10
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
