The vengeful little part of my soul that hated Vega Bloodmire had gotten what it wanted. Yet I felt anything but satisfied. Vega had a great capacity for cruelty, but she’d also saved me numerous times as well. She’d saved me from eating Fae food as my familiar. She had hugged me when I’d been upset that Jeb intended to fire me the year before. Sometimes she’d behaved as an actual sister would.
I laid her on the floor as gently as I could. I started doing chest compressions and CPR. I checked her pulse in her neck. I couldn’t tell if she was alive or not.
I ran to the door and shouted for help. I resumed chest compressions, looking up to find Jackie Frost in the door. Yes! Another teacher who knew magic!
“What the hell are you doing?” Jackie asked.
“Artificial resuscitation. Can you help?”
Horror crossed her face. “Do you mean to say, you’re doing necromancy?”
“No! This isn’t necromancy. It’s CPR. First aid.”
Her expression didn’t change. Obviously an ice witch wasn’t going to be the most helpful.
“Go. Get. Help.” I returned to first aid.
Jackie lingered in the doorway.
I had successfully revived someone once before with an electrical stimulus out in the Morty Realm. But he hadn’t been Witckhin. I didn’t know how electricity would affect Vega. What if it turned her evil like it had with Derrick? Or had it been the Raven Queen’s curse that had done that? I didn’t know.
Jackie Frost left the doorway. “Get Gertrude Periwinkle,” I shouted after her. “Or Thatch.”
I hoped she didn’t get Nurse Hilda.
I weighed my options. Either I could use electrical magic and risk turning Vega more evil—and possibly get caught as a Red affinity—or I could let her die. Neither were the greatest options. I considered the necklace to call Elric that Thatch had told me I was never to use for any reason short of the Raven Queen because Elric could claim my soul for the keeping. Now that I knew all about Thatch and his impartial soul, I could see why he’d been so concerned.
I decided to try my magic and hoped Vega wouldn’t try to kill me after I resurrected her.
I didn’t know how much electricity to send through her or even if I could do so at will. I placed my palms on her chest as though I was about to give her a chest compression.
I focused on my core and pushed an electric jolt into her. Or I tried anyway.
Nothing happened.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Abra-Cadaver
I really did not feel like sexy thoughts at the moment, but I didn’t need passion for my affinity. I needed friction. I rubbed my hands together and placed them on her sternum. I dug deep into my core and tried again. A small spark of electricity crackled into my fingers. It didn’t sink deep into her chest.
I rubbed my palms together again and willed my magic up my arms. I imagined Thatch’s lips on mine. I placed my hands on her sternum and breathed the magic out of me. Vega’s heart contracted once under my fingers and then remained still.
It worked, even if only temporarily. I repeated, this time sinking into her body, using my awareness. Everything was still and void of sensation. My awareness splintered, one part of myself in my core. Another part of my mind imagined Thatch inside me. The last I left for Vega’s heart. I willed electricity into her again. This time, her back arched, and she gasped in a breath.
With my astral self, I held her heart, squeezing it to make the blood pump. I smoothed my hand over the raw edges of the wound where I had drawn out her sliver of past hurts. I slowly released my hold on her heart, bringing my awareness to other parts of her body, her lungs unmoving, and her muscles languid and inert.
Deflating her lungs with my mind was as easy as imagining I was pushing on them. Inflating them was another matter. I couldn’t figure that one out. I resorted to CPR again. After a few seconds, she turned her head away and coughed.
“Get the fuck away from me,” Vega said, sounding like herself.
She tried to shove me back, but she was too weak to actually push me. I slipped an arm around her shoulder and helped her up. She couldn’t sit up on her own and sagged onto me. I must have been exhausted too. Her weight pushed me onto the floor. She sprawled sideways on me, her head draped across my belly and arm.
On the plus side, she wasn’t trying to strangle me or kill me. Even if she had wanted to, she was too weak.
“What can I do to help you?” I asked. “Do you need a drink of water? A pillow?”
“A gin and tonic. And stop being so nice. It’s pathetic and annoying. You can’t even help yourself right now. Stop trying to help me.”
“Okay.” I tried to think of something useful to say. “Can you feel your toes?”
She was silent.
“Vega?”
“What happened to me?” she asked. “I feel like death warmed over.”
“I think . . . I don’t know how to tell you this. You died. I accidentally killed you. Your heart wasn’t beating. You weren’t breathing.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“You killed me? How is that even possible?” Her breath was ragged, as though speaking were an effort. “Your army of hands weren’t here to help you, and you aren’t strong enough.”
“Yes, I am. Maybe if you realized that, you wouldn’t try to kill me and do horrible things to me all the time, like send me threats with a bouquet of flowers.”
“Did you kill me in revenge or out of self-preservation because you thought I was going to kill you?” She actually sounded excited.
“Neither. I was trying to do a good deed.”
She laughed. “This is brilliant! I was dead. How long was I dead?”
“I don’t know. A couple of minutes.” It had seemed like a long time.
Footsteps thudded in the hallway. A mist of smoke appeared in the room.
“Why did you bring me back?” Vega asked.
“Probably because I’m a masochist. What would I do if I didn’t have you making my life miserable.”
She laughed. “Good one.”
The haze clouded the room, condensing and solidifying into a figure. Within seconds, Khaba appeared before us.
“What’s this? Did someone decide to start an orgy and not invite me?” Khaba winked.
“I have a feeling we aren’t your type,” I said.
He knelt beside me. “Who is hurt worse?”
“She is,” I said.
“No, she is,” Vega said.
“No, I’m not,” I said. “You’re the one hurt.”
“Pu-lease, bitch. I’m a Merlin-class Celestor. I do not get hurt.”
I gave her shoulder a little shove. “If you aren’t hurt, then get up off me.”
Khaba laughed. “Look at you two. Peas in a pod.”
The muscles of her back bunched up. She squirmed and dug an elbow into my neck, trying to push herself up. I regretted reviving her.
Khaba reached under her shoulders and gently lifted her from the floor. Slowly, as though she were a fragile invalid, he helped her lay across my bed. I sat up, hearing a jumble of voices from the hallway.
“Just so you know, I didn’t need your help. I was saving my strength,” Vega said.
“Certainly,” Khaba said. “A Merlin-class Celestor such as yourself needs to focus her energy on more important matters.”
Nurse Hilda cooed from the door. “The poor dear.” She turned to someone behind her. “Go fetch the stretcher. You strapping young lads can carry her into the infirmary.”
Jackie Frost stood behind the school nurse. “It isn’t just boys who can carry a stretcher. Women are quite capable as well.”
Nurse Hilda shuffled closer to the bed, setting a bag on the table.
“If you touch me, I will fucking kill you,” Vega said.
Khaba guided the nurse back toward the door. “Perhaps you could make a tonic instea
d. I’ll see to it that she gets it.”
“I haven’t even examined the patient yet.” She pulled a pair of pliers from her bag. I had no idea what she needed those for. She wasn’t extracting teeth. Nurse Hilda looked to me, where I sat on the floor. “And how are you, dear? Are you injured?”
“Yes,” Vega answered for me. “Clarissa is the one who needs medical attention. You should make her go to the infirmary and drink a tonic—not me.”
“I am in perfect health, unlike some people.” I jumped to my feet to show how spry and energetic I was. I definitely was not in need of one of Nurse Hilda’s horrible tonics.
I was exhausted from the magic, though. I swayed, stumbled into the desk and tripped on the toppled chair. Khaba shook his head at me and helped me up. My head was dizzy. I had probably used more magic than I had realized.
Vega laughed. “See, she needs a tonic. I need a drink. Does anyone here know how to make an Old Fashioned? Khaba, you know where Jeb kept the good stuff. Do you mind bringing me something?”
Khaba sat me on Vega’s bed. I didn’t want to sleep there, let alone sit on her bed, but I dropped onto the pillows.
“Hey, off my bed!” Vega shouted.
“You do realize, I just saved your life,” I said.
“So?”
I took a page from Vega’s book and flipped the bird at her. She cackled. I closed my eyes. The exhaustion of sleep closed around me.
I very much hoped Vega didn’t try to return the favor and kill me in my sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Happily Ever Something
I slid into a hazy awareness, sleep unfolding around me like layers of fog. I became aware of my body resting in bed, blankets nestled around me. Exhaustion pulled at my frame, threatening to tug me back into the oblivion of sleep.
A warm hand brushed hair out of my face. Lips kissed my forehead. It comforted me to know Felix Thatch was near—even if I was too sleepy to tell him so.
A little smile laced my lips. I trusted that was enough to tell him how his presence brought me joy.
My skin tingled with magic where he had kissed me, the sensation cold and prickly. That pleasant tickle spread throughout my face and then throughout my body.
Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the happiness and love radiating from him like sunlight. His energy glowed golden and bright. He tasted of joy and the nectar from a thousand flower blossoms in the spring. This magic, this happy heart, was so unlike him. Maybe he was just happy I was alive.
My eyelids felt as heavy as mattresses. I didn’t want to lift them. Instead I reached out just past myself with my awareness and stroked his cheek. I expected the fragrance of dusty books and starlight mingled with oil paints. I anticipated the slow, steady rhythm of melancholy keeping tune with a wounded heart. This soul felt too whole. He was supposed to be missing a piece. There was something raw and sad underneath all the happiness in this heart, but it wasn’t the familiar rhythm that belonged to Felix Thatch.
I should have known upon tasting a soul full of sunshine who it was.
“Elric?” I asked, forcing my eyes open.
He sat on the bed, leaning over me. His silvery blond hair fell loose over his shoulders, and his elf ears poked out from between the strands, reminding me of Legolas. “There you are, sunshine. How are you feeling?” His voice was a quiet coo. He smiled and cupped my cheek in his hand.
He was so beautiful it hurt my eyes to stare too long. Not just the definition of his pretty-boy face, but the overpowering magic shimmering around him.
I took in his clothes, crisp and immaculate as always, with a touch of eccentricity. He wore a suit fashioned in the style of the nineteen twenties, an homage to Vega’s obsession. The yellow-and-blue plaid suit was worn over an emerald vest. The mismatched ascot, bright and loud with too many contrasting colors, attested to his Fae fashion sense.
I tried to sit up. My head ached, so I lay back down. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to pick up my date and found two sleeping beauties instead.” He glanced over his shoulder.
I spied Vega sleeping in my bed. That was right. She had been laid in my bed, and I was in hers.
“I hear you had quite an . . . exciting afternoon. Mr. Khaba mentioned something about you saving Miss Bloodmire’s life? One of the teachers kept insinuating you used necromancy.” He gave me a look of mock horror.
I rolled my eyes. “That was Jackie Frost who said that, wasn’t it? I kept trying to tell her I was doing CPR—that’s Morty medicine. Science.”
He winked at me. “That’s even worse.”
Of course, it hadn’t just been first aid I’d used but my magic—which was why I must have been so exhausted.
Elric’s grin broadened. “She’ll owe you a boon for saving her life.” He brushed a thumb over mine. He was even more beautiful than I remembered.
A shiver of desire fluttered through me. I tried to ignore the sensation. “I think she was more thrilled I was the one who had killed her in the first place.” I drew my hand away, not wanting his touch to influence me and make me a hot mess of complacency.
“Then two boons. I would milk her for what it’s worth.”
I sighed. “Vega isn’t a cow.”
“No, she’s Witchkin. She’d expect a boon from you if she did a favor for you. It’s only fair you do the same to her.” He resituated himself on the bed, lying down beside me and propping himself up on an elbow. “Are you going to tell me why you murdered my girlfriend in the first place? She’s so compassionate and innocent, I can hardly imagine what anyone might have against her.” He grinned.
It didn’t sound like he even cared that I had hurt her. That rankled me a bit. “It was an accident. I was trying to help her.” I hesitated, uncertain I wanted to say more. “She was threatening me, and she probably intended to kill me.”
“This is why I admire you, Clarissa. You are always trying to save the world—including your enemies.” He touched a finger to my nose, the gesture playful.
I scooted back. “I’ve been learning a new kind of magic. I could feel this heartache inside her. It felt like the past haunting her—maybe her past life—or maybe this one. I know she’s obsessed with death and ghosts, and I wanted to help her let go. It felt right to help her, so I pulled out the spike in her heart that was keeping her from healing and moving on. I think it might be what was making it so difficult for her to love.”
A dreamy look came into his eyes. “You are such a wonderful person. I’ve always loved that about you. You’re so selfless and courageous. Now that you’ve told me, I can see she owes you three favors actually. Aren’t you the lucky girl?”
I thought about the bouquet of flowers and spying on me. She hadn’t actually threatened to kill me, just get Thatch fired and make my life miserable. I couldn’t blame her for hating me. I had gotten Thatch—whom she was still bitter about—and from the way Elric gazed fondly at me, I still had him.
Whether I wanted to or not.
I glanced over at Vega, her eyes closed in sleep. “Can you possibly understand why she hates me so much?”
“No.” From the way he grinned, happily oblivious, I could see he didn’t.
Elric and Thatch apparently were both members of the same country club for cluelessness.
I selected my words carefully, trying not to bludgeon him with my anger. “When you stepped into this room, who did you go to first? Me or Vega?”
“You, of course, you.” He squeezed my hand.
“But Vega is your girlfriend. Why didn’t you go to her first? Don’t you love her at all?”
“Oh that?” He laughed and waved me off. “She’s isn’t really my girlfriend. It’s a business arrangement. She’s more like a . . . mistress. She calls us. . . .” He laughed now, unable to complete the sentence. “She says she’s my. . . . It’s really quite silly.” He laughed again.
“Fuck buddy?”
“Indeed
. She told you?”
I sat up, ignoring the way it made my head feel woozy. “Don’t call her that. Ever. Show her a little respect.”
The smile vanished from Elric’s face. “I don’t call her that. She says that. I apologize if the profanity offends you.”
“It isn’t about profanity.” I scooted back and leaned against the headboard. “It’s about love. Vega deserves someone who loves her, not someone who treats her as a friend with benefits.”
The corners of his mouth turned down. “I don’t disagree with you about Miss Bloodmire deserving love. It just happens that isn’t our arrangement.”
“What is your arrangement?”
His attempt at a smile wavered. “In exchange for gifts, outings that include dinner and dancing, and occasional trysts in graveyards, Vega is willing to. . . .” He bit his lip.
“Go on.” My eyes narrowed. I had a feeling I knew what she gave him in return. “And tell the truth, Elric.”
“She is willing to spy on you for me and try to keep you from falling in love with Mr. Thatch.” He rushed on. “I’m still in love with you. I’m sorry about before. I just want you back. We don’t have to have children if you don’t want. I won’t ever try to trick you into bearing my heirs again. And I won’t ever lie to you. I promise. I didn’t lie to you just now, did I? I told the truth, even though I didn’t want to and it might make you hate me.” He kissed my fingers and pressed my hand to his cheek. “I promised you I’ll be your truest friend forever. And I still am. That’s why I’m being honest with you.”
I didn’t doubt the sincerity of his words. Elric might have colossally messed up, but he wasn’t a bad person by nature. He wanted to do good.
I spoke gently, not wanting to grind the hurt in deeper. “Your honesty and courage mean a lot to me. I want to be as much of a friend to you as you have always been for me. But I can’t do that unless you’re always honest with me.”
“I am honest with you.” He smiled, so much hope in his eyes that I was about to shatter.
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