“Is it safe to say he was using magic more than the others?”
My stomach twists. “Well, I don’t know for sure, but if I had to guess, yeah. Why?”
He runs a hand through his hair. “I saw mention of this in my research, but I thought it would take longer to affect them, that’s why I didn’t say anything. But if they’re using the magic this liberally… They’re becoming dependent on it, and the magic in the crystal is infusing their systems.” He says everything quickly, almost under his breath, like he’s talking to himself and not me.
I take him by the shoulders, giving him a shake. “Seth.”
When he meets my gaze, his eyes are hard. “If we don’t separate them soon, it will be impossible to do it at all.”
“But we can’t do it now—look what happened to Zane!”
“We’ll take precautions—”
I throw up my hands. “I can’t do this right now. I have to get to the hospital.”
“You need to finish the spell—”
“You need to figure out how to sever the connection without hurting anyone!” I pivot and head for the door. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
Seth calls something behind me but I’m on the stairs. When I’m halfway down, I hear footfalls behind me.
“Owen?”
“Do you even know where the hospital is?” Without waiting for an answer, he holds up a set of keys. “I’ll take you.”
Chapter Thirty
Owen parks in the lot closest to the emergency room and cuts the ignition. When his hand goes to the belt buckle, I cover it with mine. “I should go in alone. You coming in… It’ll just make things complicated. Fox is already upset enough.”
Owen’s jaw clenches but he nods.
Guilt swells, but I tamp it down, opening the door and climbing out of the car. I run through the parking lot to the emergency room entrance. If Zane arrived by ambulance, that’s where he’ll be. And if he’s not, I’ll figure that out when I get inside.
From all the movies and television shows I’ve ever seen, I expect the ER waiting room to be bustling and full of energy. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth: A dozen seats in the waiting area are full of people in varying states of lethargy and boredom. The nurse behind the main desk looks harassed but not frenzied. Neither Zane nor Fox are anywhere in sight. I cross to the nurse, a woman in her late forties with her frosted blonde hair pushed into a high pouf on the top of her head, and hover, not sure the best way to attract her attention. Her eyes remain on the computer screen before her as she clicks deliberately on her mouse.
I clear my throat. “Excuse me?”
She arches an eyebrow and turns her face incrementally toward me, but her eyes don’t shift. “With you in a sec.”
I count to ten, my agitation growing. Fox sounded so panicked on the phone. He has to be out of his mind with worry. “I’m just looking for someone. A boy—seventeen? He would have come in on an—”
“In a sec,” she repeats.
Irritation flares and I dig my fingernails into the palms of my hands. Anger rises from the pit of my stomach. In the past, such uncontrolled emotions would be cause of concern, but now I understand what’s happening, and I know how to direct the energy building. I focus on the computer monitor and release a pulse of power, a wave of satisfaction overtaking me when the monitor buzzes and the nurse’s eyes go wide, her face bathed in the glow of the dreaded blue screen. Her gaze flicks to me just as I hear a familiar voice coming from the hallway behind her. Without a second thought, I take off around the corner, not caring if I’m allowed to or not.
Fox stands at the end of the long corridor, gesticulating wildly at a man in a lab coat who looks both concerned and nervous. The man holds an allaying hand toward Fox, but the gesture seems to have the opposite of its intended affect.
“Young man, if you don’t calm down, I’m going to have to ask some orderlies to come remove you—”
“Just tell me what’s going on!” Fox’s voice is strained. “They just wheeled him in there—I just want to know—”
“Fox?” I’m still several feet away, but I want him to know I’m here, I came.
He turns and the lab-coat-clad man takes the opportunity to disappear through the double doors behind him. Fox’s face is splotchy and red, his eyes wide. His mouth opens but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, in two steps, he’s closed the distance between us, wrapping me up in his arms. His breath is hot and labored against my neck and I return his embrace, stroking his hair. Fox’s shoulders shake and I squeeze him tighter. “Sh. It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”
We stand like that for several minutes. Occasionally, someone walks in or out of the double doors, but no one gives us a second glance. A display like ours must be commonplace here. Finally, Fox straightens, taking a step away from me. I feel the absence of his warmth and resist the urge to pull him close again.
“We were headed to Jodi’s shop,” he says, his voice small and distant. “He said he needed supplies for a spell. I asked him what he needed and he pulled a list out of his pocket and—it got caught in the wind and I started to chase after it, but he said he’d get it. The wind picked up in the other direction and the paper started coming back toward him and… he just dropped.”
I freeze. Wind. Wind ripped through Seth’s apartment when I was trying to break the anchoring spell. It must have been Zane’s cord I was severing—that’s why I felt his spell. I grab Fox’s arm and squeeze it. “It’s gonna be okay, Fox.”
Voices rise at the far end of the corridor, drawing our attention. Crystal, Bridget, and Lexie turn the corner and take off at a shuffling run toward us. Lexie displaces me unceremoniously, fixing me with a withering stare. “You can go now.”
She reaches for Fox and I bristle. Is she honestly using this moment to make a move on him? I grab her by the elbow and spin her around. She has a couple of inches on me, even without her heels, and glares down. “What? Why are you even here?”
I open my mouth to respond but am cut off by a male voice calling my name. Owen. When I turn, he’s heading up the hall toward us.
“Dammit, Owen,” I say through clenched teeth. “I said wait in the car—”
Fox tenses, his jaw clenching.
My stomach sinks. Fox is already upset and worried about Zane—the last thing I wanted was to bring more drama. “I didn’t have my car. He just gave me a ride.”
The tension drains from Fox’s body and he rubs a hand over his face. “You were together?”
“I told you,” Lexie says fiercely, tugging Fox’s arm so he faces her. “I told you not to trust her. Since she’s not the best at magic anymore, she’s gotta get her power trip somewhere. Looks like she’s collecting guys so she can—”
My hand connects with Lexie’s cheek, the resounding smack satisfying. She reels back, bringing her hand to cover the red mark blossoming, her eyes murderous. She steadies herself before starting for me, but I’m ready and launch myself at her before she gets any forward momentum. She pinwheels backward and slams against the wall behind her, pressing her palms against it to keep from falling. I draw my arm back, aiming a punch at her chin, but a force pulls me backward. At first I figure Bridget or Crystal have pulled me back, but I don’t knock against anyone’s body. Instead, I rocket backward until I’m pinned against the wall opposite Lexie. She presses herself to standing and grins maliciously before taking a step toward me. I fight against the invisible barrier holding me in place, but can’t budge it.
Lexie is halfway across the hall when she buckles, her hands going to her head as she crumples to the ground. The force holding me in place dissipates but I’m too dumbfounded to do anything. Fox, Crystal, and Bridget moan, their postures copies of Lexie’s. I open my mouth to call for help, but no sound comes out. I cross to Fox, crouching so I can peer into his face.
“I’m okay,” he murmurs, pushing me away. He’s pale, but his movements are sure as he presses himself to standing again.
“No, you’re not.
” I reach for his face, but he pulls back. “Fox, what was that? That wasn’t normal. Why did you all fall?”
Fox takes a step back and Lexie snorts. She’s standing again, too, her hair mussed and her complexion ashen, but looking otherwise normal. “Take a hint. He doesn’t want you here.”
I ignore her. “Fox?”
His eyes flicker to Owen. “Maybe she’s right. You should go.”
I grab his hands before he can pull back farther. “I’m not leaving until I figure out what happened just now. The four of you just collapsed in unison—clearly something’s wrong.”
Lexie crosses her arms over her chest. “Like you care if something happens to us.”
I turn, catching her gaze. “Honestly, I don’t care if something happens to you.” My eyes flick to Owen, whose face is tight. “Except that I do. I care more than you can understand.”
Lexie’s expression clouds, her lips parting.
Fox curses quietly as his cell buzzes. Pulling his hands from mine, he reaches into his back pocket and swipes at the screen. His eyes narrow. “It’s Griffin. He says, What the hell was that?”
A thrill of dread courses through me. “You mean—did he feel whatever happened to you guys a second ago?”
Fox shrugs. “Maybe. Why? What—”
I shake my head, backing down the hall. It can’t be a coincidence. Zane was doing magic and collapsed when I was trying to work the de-anchoring spell, then everyone collapsed when Lexie used magic to pin me against the wall. Whatever I did is having effects for the circle. I need to get back to Seth, to figure out what’s going on. “I have to go,” I say, my eyes on Fox. “Promise me you won’t do magic until you hear back from me.”
Lexie presses her hands to her hips. “I’m sorry, but since when does he take orders from you?”
I point at her. “You either. And text Griffin. Don’t do any magic.”
Crystal’s eyebrows lower, her expression pinched. “What’s going on?”
Before I can answer, the double doors behind them open to reveal a female doctor in her forties, her brown hair streaked with gray at the temples. I figure she’s just passing through, but her eyes fix on Fox. “You came in with Mr. Ross?”
Fox nods. “Yeah. I’ve been trying to get someone to tell me what’s—”
She holds up her hand and a cold wave rushes over me. Before she forms the words, I know what she’s going to say. And when the news breaks and Fox’s face crumples, I know the cause—or near enough. Zane was tapped into the crystal when I tried to sever his connection to it. And although I didn’t finish the spell, I did something to alter the circle’s relationship to the energy.
When Lexie used magic just now, it affected all the other circle members, including Zane. But he was already weak from before, and whatever affected them all was too much for him. Whatever was happening to him, he wasn’t strong enough to survive it.
And it’s my fault.
Chapter Thirty-One
I don’t speak to Owen the whole drive back to Seth’s apartment. It’s not until he makes a move to follow me in that I break my silence. “You should go.”
His face tightens. “You’ll probably need me for whatever the next spell is. I want to help.”
I shake my head. “You’ve helped enough. I asked you to do one thing, Owen. One thing. Stay in the car. But no.” I gulp down a breath. “If you hadn’t come in, Lexie wouldn’t’ve started in on me. She wouldn’t’ve used magic and Zane…” I clamp my hand over my mouth, not allowing the building sob to rise and escape.
He closes the distance between us, pulling me into his arms. My body instinctively relaxes into his embrace for a moment before my mind demands I pull away. Owen presses his lips together, his eyes wounded. “I didn’t mean for anything bad to happen. I planned on waiting in the car, but I felt how upset you were. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”
My emotions swirl so quickly I’m not sure how to feel. I want to be mad at him, to blame him for what happened to Zane, because doing so relieves some of my own guilt. But that’s not fair to him. I want to fold myself in his arms, to allow him to hold and comfort me, to make me forget the last hour of my life—hell, the last few weeks. But that’s not fair to him either.
“I need to tell Seth what happened. I’ll text you if we need you.”
Owen’s shoulders droop at the brush-off. “I want to help.”
A pang of guilt shoots through me. I should let him come upstairs with me, but I can’t. My mind keeps conjuring the look on Fox’s face when he showed up, Lexie’s words, the resounding smack when my hand hit her cheek. I should be with Fox right now. I should be the one comforting him—not Lexie. But it’s more important for me to figure out how to fix whatever my spell did to the circle’s connection to the crystal before someone does magic and hurts the rest of them.
Owen’s face tightens and he nods, even though I haven’t said anything. He gets back into his car and takes off.
The sun is low on the horizon and the darkness brings with it a sharp wind that lashes against my exposed parts—my ears, my fingers, my neck. My feet pound against the metal stairs, which shake with every footfall. I bring my fist down on the aluminum door, hoping Seth’s figured out a way to fix things. I want the circle to be severed from the crystal, but not this way. There has to be something else we can do.
The door swings open and my fist continues on its trajectory. Seth catches me around my wrist and smiles. “Eager to get back to work?”
I press past him into the sparse apartment. The candles and circle still stand in the center of the room, like I never left, but besides Seth, the room space is empty. “Where is everyone?”
He closes the door. “They ran out to get something to eat. They’ll be back soon.” His cocks his head to the side. “What’s the matter? Is Zane all right?”
A dam bursts inside me, unleashing a heavy wave of emotions. Everything I’ve been tamping down since the hospital bubbles to the surface. My eyes fill with tears so quickly that my attempts to blink them back only result in sending them over my cheeks. I double over, my hands clenching into fists as I bring my arms across my chest. Seth crosses the room and takes me into his arms. I try to push away—I don’t deserve comfort, not after what I’ve done—but he’s too strong. I stop trying to choke back the sobs rising up in my throat and let them out, my body collapsing against his. He holds me up, making soothing sounds, but I barely hear him.
“He’s dead. I did it.” I gulp, the words piercing my heart. “It was the spell. I did something and… I killed Zane.”
Abruptly, Seth grabs my shoulders, holding me at arm’s length. His face is drawn, inscrutable, and the intensity burning in his eyes quiets my cries. “He died?”
I nod. “And now every time one of them does magic, they all… collapse. I’m afraid… I’m afraid something bad’s gonna happen to them all.”
Seth’s eyes glaze and he looks through me rather than at me. He runs his hand through his hair again absently. His gaze drops to the floor and his tongue wets his lips. “This changes things. I wasn’t prepared for this development.”
I open my mouth to ask what he means, but he’s already turned, heading for the center of the circle drawn on his floor. He flips open a book and leafs through its pages. I edge closer. “Is there a way to undo it?”
Seth gives no indication he hears me. His fingertips skim the text for a moment before he stands, crossing to a folding chair and grabbing a paper bag from Jodi’s shop. After pulling out a few bunches of herbs and sniffing them, he selects two and adds them to the bowl from earlier. He murmurs under his breath as he works.
My phone vibrates in my back pocket and I pull it out. There’s a text from Owen. I’ve got a bad feeling. Are you okay?
I stuff the phone back into my pants. I should text back, but I can’t bring myself to. But we might need all the psychics back for whatever Seth has planned. “Should I text the others? Tell them to get back here?”
<
br /> Seth stirs the herb mixture in the bowl with his hand a few times before lifting it so it’s level with his chest. In a swift motion, he stands, turning toward me. “That won’t be necessary.”
My skin prickles. If the psychics were necessary for the spell that caused this problem, why wouldn’t they be just as integral to undo the damage? A wave of unease courses through me. We can undo the damage, can’t we? Otherwise, what spell is Seth preparing?
The corners of his mouth turn up as though he’s heard my unspoken question. Flames erupt from the bowl and I jump back, yelping. The flames of the candles around us leap and dance rhythmically. I choke on the thick smoke emanating from the bowl.
“What’s going on?” I step back, meaning to leave the confines of the circle, but the candle flames are too large, too erratic. I stare at Seth. He’s a witch—I know that—but I also know the limitations of his magic. He’s told me, yes, but I’ve felt the energy within him. The magic filling this room is more than he should be capable of. It swirls around, pressing in on all sides. It’s like he’s channeling it from somewhere, like I was doing with the psychics earlier—except he shouldn’t be capable of that kind of spell work.
I need to get out of the circle of fire. I wait for an opportunity and leap between two candles, but the bottom of my long sweater catches as it passes through. The rote knowledge that I should stop, drop, and roll is overcome by a more primal urge. If the elements are working against me, I must subdue the elements. Magic wells in my chest and fills me to my head, fingertips, and toes. “Flame out.”
Not only the flames on my sweater, but the red-gold firelight of all the candles disappears immediately, leaving behind so many puffs of smoke. Seth’s lip curls. Gone is the kind young man, the friendly distant relative, the mentor I’ve grown to know, replaced by a sneering stranger.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
Blackness encroaches on my peripheral vision. I’m careening toward the floor and I can’t stop it. As the darkness overtakes me, Seth’s green eyes are the last thing I see.
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