Chapter 25

25

I slept like a baby that night, the sound of Mariana’s gentle snores as sweet as any lullaby Harp could play. Even Tenebris and Calum’s warring rumbles couldn’t mar the perfection that was Mariana’s presence in my cramped little cabin. Her walls were crumbling, and I was holding a sledgehammer, poised to bring them down once and for all.

But first, we had a curse to rein in.

Tenebris, Calum, and I stood in a line outside the shelter while Mariana brandished her spell brush, the first glints of sun highlighting her dark curls. She dipped the tip into the potion bottle clasped in her left hand and lifted it to the front of Tenebris’s shirt. Thick, black ink soaked into the soft linen as she scrolled the word invisibilis across his chest.

She repeated the process on Calum’s leather vest before moving her brush to my jerkin, her cheeks dusting a rosy pink when I leaned in a fraction of an inch, tracing her sweet, lilac scent. Her hand twitched as she scrolled ink across my chest—ink that shifted from black to a glinting silver as it soaked through my clothing.

I stared down at the glittering words in confusion. “Is that supposed to happen?”

She cleared her throat, avoiding my gaze while she painted the word onto her red cloak. “Magic can be… peculiar at times.” She exchanged her brush and potion for a small, suede bag. “Last step,” she added, taking a pinch of sparkly gold dust and holding it up to her mouth.

“Should we think happy thoughts?” Tenebris quipped. “Head for the second star on the right and straight on ’til morning?”

I smirked as Mariana shot him the look of someone who’d heard this same joke a million times over. “Try to keep your commentary to yourself while we’re out in the open,” she retorted. “I’d hate to see you devoured by a giant monster simply because you couldn’t keep your trap shut.”

Tenebris fired off a brisk salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good,” Mariana said. “Now close your eyes. This shit stings like a bitch if it gets in there.”

We all dutifully closed our eyes and held our breath while Mariana blew the glittery spell sealant across our painted clothing. Bright golden light lit the back of my eyelids as the spell took effect, and I slowly blinked them open to find the others were nowhere in sight. A glance downward made me balk—I couldn’t even see myself .

“Holy shit.” Calum’s deep voice sounded from the empty space on my right, and I felt someone brush my shoulder with a probing hand. “It actually worked.”

“You doubted your alpha?” Mariana’s voice came from somewhere in front of me.

“Um… no?” Calum replied tentatively.

“I doubted her a little,” Tenebris muttered.

“Seeing as it worked,” I interrupted, “how about we make use of it and get moving? Preferably before it wears off.”

“Jack’s right,” Mariana added. “I’ve never done this spell, so it’s hard to say how long it will hold. Best not to waste time.”

“Okay, but how are we going to keep track of each other out there?” Tenebris asked. “Say one of us falls behind or trips on the stairs because they’re not ninja warriors or supernatural beasts like everyone else.”

“Simple,” I stated. “We hold hands and stick together.” I took a step forward, feeling the air for Mariana. No way was I going to chance not having her beside me. My fingers brushed the heavy folds of her cloak, and I slid them down her arm until our hands lined up. Her fingers wove with mine, and I couldn’t resist lifting them to my mouth and pressing a silent kiss along her knuckles.

A soft intake of breath was her only response.

My heart swelled.

Next time it’ll be her lips , I promised myself, staring into the empty air as if I might be able to pick out the hint of her silhouette if I only looked hard enough. And she’ll be kissing me back.

A bump on my right snapped me from my reverie, and I shifted to grip Calum’s huge hand. “Everyone linked up?”

I nodded at the chorus of affirmations. “All right. Mariana, why don’t you take the lead. And everyone count doors to make sure we stay on track. Veloria’s Blessing should be twenty away from ours if my map is correct.”

“Wait, there’s a chance it isn’t ?” Tenebris yelped, but Mariana ignored him while she pulled us along in an invisible line toward the huge, freestanding oak door.

“Here goes nothing,” she whispered.

And the door creaked open.