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Magic pulses, the room, the air, going completely still before sucking in. The power of Preservation blasts from my hand, coating my fingers in frost until blisters form. If I had claimed my father’s position before trying this spell, perhaps that wouldn’t have happened, but I don’t give a flying fuck anymore.

The grimoire screeches, the mist solidifying, preventing it from shifting in and out of reality as I trap it. My vision is dimming, but I don’t release my hold on my magic.

Thank all the nonexistent arachnid gods that Lucas isn’t incompetent. The enchanted sword arcs through the air and slices through the grimoire. The two halves of the cover fall apart, my magic starting to fade with my vision. Lucas draws back a fist and punches it with perfect form. The detonation from the gloves blasts the spine apart, the Soul Thread in the binding dissolving as it fades back to the Tapestry.

I release a breath and my body gives out. My skull smacks the ground in an explosion of pain, and everything goes dark.

CHAPTER 19

VALEN

My head throbs, bile rising. My eyelids flutter as I struggle to open them. An echo in the distance calls to me. The pain explodes, and I gasp, eyes snapping open.

Lucas cups my face, his eyes tight like he is the injured one, not me. “Fuck, V. I was giving you one more minute before forcing you back home.”

The heel of my right hand presses into my brow. “What happened?”

“You passed out, but I was able to get the bolt bags out from under the register without losing any fingers. Fucking books are everywhere. I patched you up as best I could so you won’t bleed out.”

I glance down. My shirt is missing, and a combination of gauze and ribbons of cloth binds my left arm to my chest. I gingerly check his work before groaning, “Well done.” My head is a problem. A concussion at best. It’s hard to string two thoughts together, but I manage a pained, “Where are we now?”

“Basement. The wards were weakened enough that I was able to quickly crack them and pick the iron lock. I should’ve taken you back to the estate, but I would like to live to see the next day.”

I blink and, slowly, turn my head to the side, but Lucas gently uses his hand to block my view. He clears his throat and says roughly, “You should wait.”

But I can’t, especially not now. I’m badly injured, and someone painstakingly broke into the bookshop to steal something Astoria hid, something that Lucas didn’t even know was there. We’re not safe here, or anywhere, until I claim my inheritance and the Bauer wards are back to full strength. Stealing Astoria’s statue and working on breaking the curse while safely protected within my family home is sounding like a better and better idea by the second. But we’ll need to work fast.

“Help me sit up.” I mean it as a command, but it comes as a whispered plea.

Lucas’ face tightens, but he obeys. He’s careful with me, moving me up slowly, and I’m grateful because any faster and I’d pass out. My head swims, my vision blurring, and my throat works to keep the nausea at bay. I fist a hand in Lucas’ shirt as an anchor until I can see clearly again. He’s missing his jacket and shirtsleeves. I stare at his bare arms for too long before I blink down at my bandages, then at the jacket that was spread out for me to lie on. Emotion swells, and I squeeze my eyes shut and breathe slowly until it eases. I can’t break now, not when I’m so close.

I blink my eyes back open and spot the two packs sitting beside Lucas. They’re both ripped open with medical supplies scattered about. I uncurl my right fist to reach for them and pause at the sight of my frostbitten fingertips. I flex them. At least they’re not black. I got off lucky, but they’re stiff and swollen. That’s going to be a problem.

I rummage through what supplies he has and uncork two potions with Lucas’ assistance. I down both at once, then shove a willow bark stick into my mouth. I chew, mixing the potions with the oils of the bark. They fizz in my mouth, and it’s a fight to keep any from spilling, but finally I gulp it down, the bark sticking in my throat before dissolving.

The pain lessens, and my brain stops sloshing within my skull. My stomach cramps horrifically, but that’s the cost I bear for the relief. My fingers move a little more.

Slowly, I turn and face the body.

It’s a fight not to faint again, and Lucas wraps his arm around my middle to pin my good shoulder against him when I sway.

His voice is strained, and the concern penetrates some of the panic building in me. “Let me take you back. I’ll gather the body and bring it to the estate.”

I must be in worse shape than I realize if he’s willing to wait to save Astoria. Unfortunately, our options are limited. I barely shake my head and instantly regret it when my brain throbs within my skull. “No. I need to do this now.” I swallow, and a shudder quakes me. “Help me?”

I hate how small and broken my voice is almost as much as I hate that my statement was a question. Pressure builds within my eyes and my throat, worsening when Lucas says, “Whatever you need, V. I’ve got you.”

My lips press in a thin line, keeping my sounds of physical and emotional agony at bay when Lucas pulls me to standing. He says nothing about how weak I am or how disappointing a partner I turned out to be. He just secures his arm around me and bears my weight as I step up to the corpse that floats several feet off the ground.

The body is like something out of a healer’s book. All the skin is missing and two milky eyes stare at nothing. Magic ripples faintly around it, preserving it against decay.

Lucas’ strength is the only thing that holds me up. I pant, sweat chilling me. My throat is too tight, and I can’t get enough air. Spots threaten to reclaim my consciousness, but I manage to gasp out, “I need to access his right hand.”

Lucas uses his magic to rotate the body so that the correct side is before me. I swallow and try to keep my voice even. “I need you.”

“Anything.”

The hushed whisper is almost too much to bear, but it is nothing compared to the burden of my task. “Move my ring from my left to right hand.”