Chapter 45

E mily smiled at Kerys, patting the examination table. "Come, sit."

My wife's eyes narrowed, studying the dark stains atop the wood. "Thank you, but I prefer to stand," she said, cringing while she shuffled closer to me.

A smirk tugged on my lips. For a first-time visitor, Emily's basement lab sure fit the "terrifying blood witch" narrative, especially with the thick scent of copper, herbs, and rubbing alcohol wafting through the room. Kerys's gaze wandered along the strange jars and mottled tomes lining the shelves, and she stifled a shiver.

Emily huffed, using a piece of string to tie her curly hair—back to a shade of chocolate brown—in a messy, low ponytail. "Suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you if you get woozy from the bloodlink." She spun around, lifting a leather doctor's bag atop the table before sticking both arms inside. Metal clanked as she searched through it, frowning.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Bloodlink? Hold up, Emily. No one has agreed to anything so far. We literally just stepped through the door, and we can't hear your thoughts out loud. You haven't even properly explained what you have in mind."

She paused, tapping her chin. "Right. I apologize. Sometimes, when it comes to hemomancy, I get a little ahead of myself." She cleared her throat and entwined her hands at her belly. "Before we begin … Skrain, you're keeping an eye out for Aculeus?"

I crossed my arms, grinning as I sniffed the air like a hunting hound. "Call me your guard dog. Woof."

Emily snickered. "Still, I wouldn't like to draw out this meeting longer than we have to. We never know when the demon will come knocking." She turned toward Kerys. "Skrain has explained your situation. He said we have two problems. One, we need to make Aculeus believe his chance at using the soulstone is gone forever, have him lose his temper so we can take him by surprise. And two, we need to weaken his powers before you can bind him into the gem. Correct?"

Kerys gave a nod, letting out a wry laugh. "It almost sounds simple when you say it like that."

"Well, I think together we can achieve this. It won't be easy, and it won't be without risks, but we can do it." Her head tilted as she raised an index finger. "Under one condition."

I groaned, teeth gritting. "Really, Emily?"

"Yes, really." She smiled softly, her tone calm and patient. "For this to work, I need you both to trust me— fully trust me. Especially you, Kerys. For safety reasons, I should know what you two have been hiding, why you're even in this situation. I mean, come on!" She pointed at me. "Kerys called you her husband , for crying out loud."

My shoulders stiffened, but when my attention flicked to Kerys, the annoyance melted from my chest. We exchanged a long look, and I knew what my wife was going to say even before she did.

"I think we should tell her," she said, reaching to squeeze my arm. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Skrain."

I exhaled a deep breath. "Fine."

"It's a complicated story, but to make it short," Kerys started, biting her cheek, trying to find the right, tactful words before blunt honesty won out. "I'm Skrain's dead wife, reborn. Nice to meet you."

My ribs tightened. What a way to rip the dressing from the wound.

Emily blinked, throwing a quick glance at the locket around my neck, but her smile didn't falter. "Love that spans lifetimes, hmm? A death-touched soul does make things a bit more complicated, though. I'm glad you told me, or we might've been in trouble. And how is the demon involved?"

Heat spiked through my blood, my pulse speeding up when I thought of all the times Aculeus had fucked us over. My tail thunked against the examination table as I swallowed to find my voice.

"He was the one who brought her back. The prick also knows about the soulstone and wants to use it to capture me . Kerys is playing along to flip the scheme on him at the last moment."

Emily nodded, chewing on the nail of her thumb. "Well, one part of my plan still works." She turned to the shelves, picking out a tattered tome, flicking it open where a torn bookmark stuck out. Her lips moved silently as her finger drew along lines of writing. She smirked as she looked up at us.

"A binding circle is the perfect method to temporarily imprison and weaken Aculeus," she said. "But not just any old binding circle will do for a demon of his strength. I'll draw it in Skrain's blood, and because they share the same taint, theoretically , the runes should react to his magic, snap like a trap. They'll sap him—to a degree—and turn his power against him, forming a barrier he can't break. For a while, at least."

I frowned. "So, it works on the same principle as my magic being unable to harm him?"

Emily beamed a grin. "Kind of. In this case, because of my spell, you can imagine it like two magnets repelling each other, like-poles pointing toward the other."

"Sounds like a good plan," Kerys cut in. "But how do we get him to step into the circle?"

Emily set the book aside on the examination table, closing it. Her fingers drummed on the cover. "I will use the same herbs you used for your cloaking enchant in the monastery, shroudgrass and veilweft root. Mixed into Skrain's blood, they will make the runes invisible to the naked eye until they are activated.

"The magical signature of the circle will still be noticeable, though. And with a spell this powerful, I won't be able to hide it without great effort, which would leave me unable to help you in any other capacity at the same time."

Kerys paced, wringing her hands. With a gasp, she froze. "What about a location where traces of Skrain's magic already linger? Would that help?"

Emily's brows rose. "It surely would."

I immediately realized what Kerys meant. "The ritual site at the old manor," I said, slamming a fist onto the examination table, and my wife smiled in agreement.

Emily laughed. "I feel like I'm missing another piece of crucial information."

"When we returned to Xar'vath, Kerys and I performed an advanced, very powerful ritual to help her regain the memories of her life with me before she died," I explained. "I also used some of my blood for it, and the signature of my magic should still be there."

"That should suffice," Emily said and returned to the shelves, humming to herself. Her hand drifted along the faded spines of old books. "At a distance, at least. But you will need to lure him right into the circle."

I huffed. "Do you have an idea for that part as well? I can stall him, evade him for a while, maybe even get him into the circle. But if it comes down to an actual fight, Aculeus will turn me into fucking mincemeat."

Kerys twisted toward me, fingers digging into my arm as she grabbed me. "I won't let you fight him."

"He won't have to," Emily interrupted. "Well, he will have to fight a little ." She plucked another tome from the shelves, flipping through the pages as she spoke. "I believe the best way to disguise the circle once the demon gets up close is to make him use his powers. Not controlled, but in a reckless fashion. We need him distracted."

"Angry," Kerys chimed in.

Emily's chin dipped in confirmation. "Exactly. We want him to lash out, uncaring about the consequences. That should mask the energy of the binding runes until it's too late."

I waved a hand. "Good luck with that. I've pissed him off in the past, but never to a point of him losing control. He's frustratingly calculated."

"A man, or demon, with nothing to lose is the most unhinged. Correct?" Emily asked.

Kerys and I nodded in unison.

"Then we just need to make him think he lost," she continued and glanced at me. "And that means the only person who can make this soulstone, the only person who can wield it, has to die."

My mouth gaped. It felt like Emily had just hit me across the head with that heavy book.

Kerys blanched. "I … what? I have to die?"

The word die from my wife's mouth had the reality of Emily's suggestion crashing over me like a tidal wave.

A roar broke from my throat, and I surged forward. Thorny vines lashed from my palms, but a hold on my sleeve made me pause. Kerys's fingers gripped my tunic, but even the gentleness in her eyes couldn't fully calm my rage. Out of respect for her, I would forgo violence—for the moment.

I glared at Emily. "How dare you suggest this?" My hands balled into fists, thorns burning as they dug into my flesh, trickles of green blood dripping onto the floor. "I should have you executed."

To my surprise, Emily stayed calm. Her stance was open, shoulders relaxed as she clicked her tongue. "After all these years of my loyal service to you, I thought you'd know me better than to assume I would hurt you or those you care about. Maybe I should feel a little insulted."

"Then fucking explain yourself," I growled through clenched teeth.

"I stand by my suggestion. Kerys has to die," Emily said, and I flinched, fighting to contain my fury. "But I'm aware we can't let her soul cross over because she died and was brought back once already. We need to keep it in this realm, hide and tether it until the trap is sprung."

My tail scraped along the ground, piercings screeching on the tiles. "Fuck that idea and fuck you, Emily! I?—"

Kerys raised a hand, and my mouth snapped shut. Terror was plain on her face and in the stiffening of her spine, but she regarded me with a small smile. "Wait, please, my beloved husband. Let her finish. Unless you have a better idea, I want to hear what she has to say."

I shook, cracking my neck as I slowly turned to Emily. "You get exactly thirty seconds to clarify, and it better be a fucking good explanation, or I'll make sure to rip you into so many pieces, even your Gods damned hemomancy can't fix you."

Emily inclined her head, regarding me with one of her annoyingly friendly, compassionate smiles. "Of course, Skrain. I understand why you're angry and worried, and I'm sorry I see this as the only option. This is why I said I need you to trust me, because I think I can keep Kerys safe—if you'll both let me."

Kerys swallowed audibly. "Go on," she choked out.

"Thank you for giving me a chance," Emily said. She set both palms atop the examination table as she leaned conspiratorially toward us. "Now then, have you ever heard of a bloodlinked soul covenant?"