Chapter 39

Islapped Crash on the chest. "You didn't know for sure that the deal would work and you did it anyway."

He slipped one hand around the back of my head and pulled me gently to him. "I had a high degree of confidence that my heart and soul belonged to you. So I made the gamble, believing that the love and bonds between us would protect me."

I crushed my lips to his before the sobs could escape my mouth. He'd gambled everything to find me, to rescue me. He'd proven just how far he was willing to go for me, same as I was for him.

This…this was what a partnership and a love between two people should look like. The willingness to keep each other safe, happy, and whole at any cost.

Crash kissed his way over my body, from my face to my neck, touching every piece of me as if he couldn't get enough. There was a frantic edge to every touch, every kiss, as if the fear of what almost was lingered still. I felt the same and found myself examining him for injuries while we stripped each other naked.

We weren't out of the woods yet, of course. We still had critters to deal with. We still had Evangeline to face down, and a spell to cast. But for a few moments, we just had each other, and that was enough to make me believe that maybe, just maybe we could survive what lay ahead.

I lay in his arms, skin to skin, flush and languid at the same time. Crash's breathing deepened, but his sleep was restless. I had no doubt that there was more to his story, more to what had happened in the fae realm.

He'd said something about his mother. What had happened to her? Would I meet her?

I'd never had a mother-in-law before—Alan's mom hadn't been part of our lives.

I curled closer to Crash, the sunlight streaming in through the window touching the silver bits of his hair.

The door creaked open, and Penny put her head in. "Bree. We need to practice the spell."

I nodded, and she closed the door. Much as I wished I could keep lying there and pretending we didn't have a fight coming, it wasn't smart.

I found my clothes in the closet, my leathers that I'd gotten from Gerry all those months ago. I slipped into them, making sure I had every bit of armor I could. I mean, it was all super comfortable, and the leather really helped with the thigh rubs which was an added bonus to the protection it gave.

"Me, you gotta take me too," Nancy said. I scooped up the blade and tucked him into the sheath at my side. Because I felt like he was right—Nancy had to come with me now.

"Bree?" Crash's voice was sleep-filled—I had no doubt he was exhausted. We all were.

"Just going to see Penny and practice."

"Did you sleep? At least for a bit?"

"No. I'll sleep when I'm dead." The words slipped out of me, and I winced. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say, but whatever. There we were.

He grunted and rolled into a sitting position. "I'll meet you downstairs."

I slipped out the door and made my way to the main sitting room, where Penny did all her spell work. She sat at a table with a single piece of paper in front of her. A quick glance revealed it was the spell…or what we'd thought to be the spell before my kidnapping.

"Now, you said Vesuvius told you the proper words to use when casting the spell? The exact words?"

I nodded. "He did. I need to make a few changes. They've done it all wrong, Penny. All wrong."

My pen scratched away as I crossed out and added the pieces that Vesuvius had impressed on me.

Of demon skin and angel wing

Of stolen cross and healing spring

Blood of a ghost, and an unmarked grave

Soul of a witch, and a siren's cave.

I bind Bound thee swiftly neath the darkest night

Those of the blood who've died shall have their sight

Of death and power, of magic and pain

I call to That which comes shall find those slain

And raised anew and to give them life

A warning once, this call is strife

One last line to lock to seal this spell

A soul whose blood has tasted hell.

Thus shall the ambrosia spell be brewed cast and given life gifted to death the dead."

Penny shook her head. "That…that is a spell for raising dead, not vampires."

I nodded. "Vesuvius wanted to bring back someone he loved. He lost her, but by the time he finished creating the spell, he was dying. He chose to leave it hidden, but Evangeline found it. Realized that done incorrectly with the wrong kind of intent…well, you know the rest."

Penny tapped her fingers on the paper. "We need to practice. Were there any movements associated with the spell? For the wand, or your hands?"

Yeah, that's where it got tricky. "None that he said, but Bramble and…" I didn't know the name of Gran's grandmother.

"Cynthia, her name was Cynthia." Gran stepped into the room, her hands tucked into the pockets of her long skirts. "If Vesuvius didn't say anything about hand or wand movements, then I think you should not."

The two friends looked over the spell again. "You need to do it in the place where you touched the first ingredient?"

I nodded. "That will be the swamp, out past Eric's place. It was the fairy ring and cross. Because Eric was never the ghost."

They both looked up, and I held up the blade that Crash had made for me. "A demon blade can cut a ghost and draw the equivalent of blood."

"That's me!" Nancy quipped.

Gran's jaw dropped. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yes. When Vesuvius explained it all, it made sense. So maybe, just maybe, your grandmother wasn't trying to cast the spell wrong but did it by accident? She might have misinterpreted the ingredients."

I was trying to soften the blow for her. I would have hated to believe Gran had purposefully tried to bring about the destruction of the world. She probably felt the same way about her grandmother.

Penny nodded. "Then the usual practice. You will need to create a circle around yourself." She handed me a small bag of salt that fit in the palm of my hand. "And you will need to sit on the unmarked grave…" She trailed off and looked at me, her eyes widening. "Bree. Tell me there is an unmarked grave near the fairy cross."

Her question that wasn't really a question floored me. "I…I don't know. But Vesuvius said the spell had to be cast where the first ingredient was found. But how can that be if…"

If there were no unmarked graves?

I had no ducking idea.

Penny paled and slumped back onto the couch. "What now? Because if this is wrong, even a little bit?—"

She clamped her mouth shut, but she didn't need to. I was very clear on what would happen.

The sounds of my friends making their way through the house to join us interrupted whatever else Penny might have said. She looked at me and shook her head.

Don't say anything.

That much was clear.

Suzy, Eric, Eammon, Sarge, Winnifred, Kinkly, Damian…they all joined us. Almost light-hearted—because they thought we had the answer. I wasn't sure I could break it to them that we might still be in trouble.

Crash was the last one to step into the room. His eyes shot to mine, narrowing immediately as if he knew something was up. He could read me like an open book on a summer day.

"Everyone." Penny lifted her hands. "Everyone, tonight is the night we take Savannah back from the Dark Council. With Bree's help and spell work, we will end the threat of this darkness once and for all."

A cheer went up from my friends. They all believed in me.

I shook my head. "Don't do that. I could still screw everything up."

Sarge snorted. "Even if you do, you're still taking a stand. That's better than letting them win outright. We're fighting for everyone. Not just us, but the city, maybe even for the world."

Winnifred nodded. "The pup is right. This is greater than anything else—this night will be the turning point."

I swallowed hard. "No pressure."

Eammon gave a grunt. "Now. We got Suzy in a mock-up of what Breena here be wearing. Penny made a spell that will make her look a little more like her, too."

I took a step back, and Crash crossed the room to join me. "What is it?"

I had a choice. I could tell him that we didn't know exactly where the spell was supposed to take place. That I feared we were going to rip open the realms even though we were trying not to.

I could tell him that this might be the last time we would all be together.

So I did.

I told all of them, because secrets never helped anyway. Because we were all in this together.

I ended with, "The thing is…I can only do what Vesuvius told me. I believe I have the correct spell, I can…well I can feel that it's right." Holding the paper with the words on it, I knew I was right about that much.

"But you think the place is wrong?" Suzy asked.

"You got any unmarked graves out there, Eric?" I asked.

He grimaced and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I mean…probably. But how would we find one close to the fairy ring?"

That was the question of the day. How indeed? I could search for one, but would we have time? And if it was wrong, what then?

A tap on the window above the door drew all our eyes.

Jinx peered in. "Hey. We got company!"

Funny, but I was betting it wouldn't be a Girl Scout troop selling cookies.