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“Do I need to leave so you two can have some private time?” I asked.
Fane scowled in my direction. “You’re not leaving this room.”
Alia pouted and dumped a bunch of ingredients into a bowl. The witch really hoped he’d bone her before performing this spell. “Why don’t you take a seat over there, Fane.” She pointed to the folding chair in the corner, the bell sleeves of her jacket fluttering.
The demon shifter silently moved across the room and dropped into the chair, the metal groaning under his substantial mass. His attention remained on us as Alia sat across from me inside the circle and placed the bowl down. She waved her hand, and several candles floated to the ground, the dancing flames creating shadows along the walls.
“Stay calm, and this’ll be over soon.” Alia moved her hand in circular motions over the bowl.
Stay calm? Right. A witch was going to perform a mysterious spell to see if the super powerful and old demon amulet stuck inside of me could be removed. Oh, and the amulet might have the power to turn people crazy, so I could wind up in a straitjacket after this.
Fane’s voice snaked into my mind as if he could feel my rising panic and quickening pulse.
“You’ll be fine. She won’t hurt you.”
My eyes narrowed.“Like you care, Maverick. You just want the Infernal Sol, and maybe a little private time with the witch. She can’t stop drooling over you.”
“Jealous? You think you’re the only one I can touch?”A smirk pulled his full lips apart, his piercing winking in the candlelight.“Well, I didn’t actually touch you.”
Heat burned my cheeks as his words settled in. Did last night…? Was that real? Did that actually happen?
Alia snapped her fingers an inch from my face. “Did you hear me?” She looked between Fane and me, her brows knitting.
I shook the worrisome thoughts off.Nope. No way. Didn’t happen.“Uh, what?”
“You’re going to feel some pressure in your chest, but don’t be alarmed.” She used magic to lift the mixture out of the bowl, directing the green mist to encircle me.
My heart tapped out a chaotic beat, and the hair on my arms rose when her magic skimmed over me. As Alia spoke an incantation, her irises became glowing amethyst crystals, and my lungs squeezed like someone had wrapped heavy chains around them.
“Connect to the power within this creature. Find a lock that needs a key. Bring it forth and show me.” The witch used her finger to draw sigils on the ground in front of me, each one glowing as if burned into the wood. “Ancient shadows and beasts, commune with my magic and deliver your secrets as I ask. By the stars and the moon, I give you this boon.”
Alia grabbed a dagger and sliced her palm, dribbling blood onto the sigils.
Electricity sparked within my center and slowly spread to my extremities. Tingles crawled over my scalp, slithering down my nape like spiders. I shuddered against the ghostly sensations.
Alia spoke more of the incantation, and the green mist around me condensed, brushing my skin. The area beneath my ribs itched and then warmed. The Infernal Sol prodded at the witch’s magic, testing to see if it was friend or foe.
My muscles tensed, and I battled the urge to dart from the circle. I didn’t like waking this thing up. Until now, the demon amulet had been dormant and unnoticeable within me.
I sure as hell felt it now.
The flames on the candles bent at odd angles, and a hot wind spiraled through the room, stirring my hair. Unease penetrated my bloodstream like sharp blades. Something was off.
Alia’s head tilted back, and she shook.
I glanced at Fane. “Is this supposed to happen?”
“Quiet!” Alia shouted. “The power within you is not what I expected.” The witch lifted her hands, purple bolts popping over her palms and fingers.
All the moisture left my mouth, and chills slinked down every vertebra in my spine from the eerie atmosphere descending through the room. The tightness in my chest intensified until it felt like I drew each breath from a slender straw. Sweat collected around my hairline, and a dribble ran down my temple. The edges of my vision dimmed.
Fane shot from his seat. “Something’s wrong.”
“Give it a minute.” Electric wires of magic shot out of her palms and hit the floor, crawling across the wooden planks toward me.
No one said anything aboutthiskind of magic.
I shook my head. “W-What are you doing?”
