The Indigo Spell

Adrian Ivashkov wasn’t easy to surprise, but I surprised him then when I brought his mouth toward mine. I kissed him, and for a moment, he was too stunned to respond. That lasted for, oh, about a second. Then the intensity I’d come to know so well in him returned. He pushed me backward, lifting me so that I sat on the table. The tablecloth bunched up, knocking over some of the glasses. I heard what sounded like a china plate crash against the floor.

Whatever logic and reason I normally possessed had melted away. There was nothing but flesh and fire left, and I wasn’t going to lie to myself—at least not tonight. I wanted him. I arched my back, fully aware of how vulnerable that made me and that I was giving him an invitation. He accepted it and laid me back against the table, bringing his body down on top of mine. That crushing kiss of his moved from my mouth to the nape of my neck. He pushed down the edge of my dress and the bra strap underneath, exposing my shoulder and giving his lips more skin to conquer. A glass rolled off and smashed, soon followed by another. Adrian broke off his kissing, and I opened my eyes. He had an exasperated look on his face.

“A table,” he said. “A goddamned table.”

A few moments later, the table was gone. I was in his apartment, on his bed, and was glad that I no longer had silverware underneath me. With the venue change complete, his lips found mine again. The urgency in the way I responded surprised even me. I never would’ve thought myself capable of a feeling so primal, so removed from the reason that usually governed my actions. My nails dug into his back, and he trailed his lips down the edge of my chin, down the center of my neck. He kept going until he reached the bottom of the dress’s V-neck. I let out a small gasp, and he kissed all around the neckline, just enough to tease.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “The dress stays on.”

“Oh? Is that your decision to make?”

“Yes,” he said. “You’re not losing your virginity in a dream. If that’s even possible. I don’t want to deal with the philosophical side of it. And besides, there’s no need to rush anyway. Sometimes it’s worth lingering on the journey for a while before getting to the destination.”

Metaphors. This was the cost of making out with an artist.

I nearly said as much. Then his hand slid up my bare leg, and I was lost again. Maybe the dress was staying on, but he didn’t mind taking liberties with it. That hand slipped under my dress, running along the side of my leg and up to my hip. I burned where he touched me, and everything within me became focused on that hand. It was moving far too slowly, and I grabbed it, ready to urge it on.

Adrian chuckled and caught hold of my wrist, pulling my hand away and pinning it down against the covers. “Never thought I’d be the one slowing you down.”

I opened my eyes and met his. “I’m a quick study.”

All that burning and animal need within me must have shone through because he caught his breath and lost the smile. He released my wrist and cupped my face in his hands, bringing his face down only a whisper away from mine. “Good God, Sydney. You are—” The passion in his eyes turned to surprise, and he suddenly looked up.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, wondering if this was some weird part of “the journey.”

He grimaced and began to fade away before my eyes. “You’re being woken up.”

\I OPENED MY EYES, groggy from the sudden shock of being pulled out of the dream. My body felt sluggish, and I squinted against the light. The lamp I’d left on last night was joined by sunlight streaming in through the window, but my phone’s display still showed a freakishly early hour. Someone knocked at my door, and I realized that was what had woken me up. I ran a hand through my disheveled hair and rose unsteadily from the bed.
“If she needs a geography tutor now, I really am going to Mexico,” I muttered. But when I opened the door, it wasn’t Angeline standing outside my door. It was Jill.

“Something big just happened,” she said, hurrying in.

“Not to me it didn’t.”

If she noticed my annoyance, she didn’t show it. In fact, as I studied her more closely, I realized she probably had no idea (yet) about what had happened between Adrian and me. From what I’d learned, spirit dreams weren’t shared through the bond unless the shadow-kissed person was directly brought into it.

I sighed and sat down on my bed again, wishing I could go back to sleep. The heat and excitement of the dream was fading, and mostly I felt tired now. “What’s wrong?”

“Angeline and Trey.”

I groaned. “Oh, lord. What’s she done to him now?”

Jill settled into my desk chair and put on a steely look of resolve. Whatever was coming was bad. “She tried to get him to sneak into our dorm last night.”

“What?” I really did need more sleep because my brain was having trouble understanding the reasoning behind that. “She’s not that dedicated to her math grade . . . is she?”

Jill gave me a wry look. “Sydney, they weren’t working on math.”

“Then why were they—oh. Oh no.” I fell backward onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “No. This can’t be happening.”

“I already tried saying that to myself,” she told me. “It doesn’t help.”

I rolled over to my side so that I could look at her again. “Okay, assuming this is true, how long has it been going on?”

“I don’t know.” Jill sounded as tired as me—and a lot more exasperated. “You know how she is. I tried to get answers out of her, but she kept going on about how it wasn’t her fault and how it just happened.”

“What’d Trey say?” I asked.

“I never got a chance to talk to him. He got hauled away as soon as they were caught.” She smiled, but there wasn’t much humor in it. “On the bright side, he got in a lot more trouble than she did, so we don’t have to worry about her getting expelled.”

Oh no. “Do we have to worry about him getting expelled?”

“I don’t think so. I heard about other people trying this, and they just get detention for life. Or something.”

Small blessing. Angeline was in detention so much that they’d at least have bonding time. “Well, then I guess there isn’t much to be done. I mean, the emotional fallout’s going to be a mess, of course.”

“Well . . .” Jill shifted nervously. “That’s just it. You see, first Eddie needs to be told—”

I shot up out of my bed. “I am not doing that.”

“Oh, of course not. No one would ever expect you to do that.” I wasn’t so sure but let her continue. “Angeline’s going to. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Yes. . . .” I still wasn’t letting down my guard.

“But someone still needs to talk to Eddie afterward,” she explained. “It’s going to be hard on him, you know? He shouldn’t be left alone. He needs a friend.”

“Aren’t you his friend?” I asked.

She flushed. “Well, yeah, of course. But I don’t know that it’d be right since . . . well, you know how I feel about him. Better to have someone more reasonable and objective. Besides, I don’t know if I’d do a good job or not.”

“Probably better than me.”

“You’re better at that stuff than you think. You’re able to make things clear and—”

Jill suddenly froze. Her eyes widened a little, and for a moment, it was like she was watching something I couldn’t see. No, I realized a moment later. There was no “like” about it. That was exactly what she was doing. She was having one of those moments where she was in sync with Adrian’s mind. I saw her blink and slowly tune back into my room. Her eyes focused on me, and she paled. Just like that, I knew that she knew.

Rose had said that sometimes in the bond, you could sift through someone’s recent memories even if you hadn’t actually been tuned into the bond at that moment. As Jill looked at me, I could tell she’d seen it all, everything that had happened with Adrian last night. It was hard to say which of us was more horrified. I replayed everything I’d done and said, every compromising position I’d literally and figuratively put myself in. Jill had just “seen” me do things no one else ever had—well, except for Adrian, of course. And what had she actually felt? What it was like to kiss me? To run her—his?—hands over my body?

It was a situation I had in no way prepared for. My occasional indiscretions with Adrian had come through to Jill as well, but we’d all brushed those off—me in particular. Last night, however, had taken things to a whole new level, one that left both Jill and me stunned and speechless. I was mortified that she’d seen me so weak and exposed, and the protective part of me was worried that she’d seen anything like that at all, period.

She and I stared at each other, lost in our own thoughts, but Jill recovered first. She turned even redder than when she’d mentioned Eddie and practically leapt out of the chair. Turning her eyes away from mine, she hurried to the door. “Um, I should go, Sydney. Sorry to bother you so early. It probably could’ve waited. Angeline’s going to talk to Eddie this morning, so whenever you get a chance to find him, you know, that’d be great.” She took a deep breath and opened the door, still refusing to make eye contact. “I’ve gotta go. See you later. Sorry again.”

“Jill—”

She shut the door, and I sank back into the bed, unable to stand. It was official. Whatever residual heat and lust I’d felt from being with Adrian last night had completely vanished in the wake of Jill’s expression. Until that moment, I hadn’t really and truly understood what it meant to be involved with someone who was bonded. Everything Adrian said to me, she heard. Every emotion he had for me, she experienced. Every time he kissed me, she felt it. . . .

I thought I might be sick. How had Rose and Lissa handled this? Somewhere in my addled mind, I recalled Rose saying she’d learned to block out a lot of Lissa’s experiences—but it had taken a few years to figure it out. Adrian and Jill had only been bonded for a few months.

The shock of understanding what Jill had seen cast a shadow over everything that had been sensual and thrilling last night. I felt like I had been on display. I felt cheap and dirty, especially as I remembered my own role in instigating things. That sickening feeling in my stomach increased, and there was no stopping the avalanche of thoughts that soon followed.

I’d let myself spin out of control last night, carried away by desire. I shouldn’t have done any of that—and not just because Adrian was a Moroi (though that was certainly problematic too). My life was about reason and logic, and I’d thrown all of that out the window. They were my strengths, and in casting them aside, I’d become weak. I’d been high on the freedom and risks I’d experienced last night, not to mention intoxicated by Adrian and how he’d said I was beautiful and brave and “ridiculously smart.” I’d melted when he’d looked at me in that absurd dress. Knowing he’d wanted me had muddled my thoughts, making me want him too. . . .

There was no part of this that was okay.

With great effort, I dragged myself from the bed and managed to pick out some clothes for the day. I staggered to the shower like a zombie and stayed in for so long that I missed breakfast. It didn’t matter. I couldn’t have eaten anything anyway not with all the emotions that were churning inside me. I barely spoke to anyone as I walked through the halls, and it wasn’t until I sat down in Ms. Terwilliger’s class that I finally remembered there were other people in the world with their own problems.

Specifically, Eddie and Trey.

I was certain there was no way they could be as traumatized as Jill and I were by last night’s events. But it was obvious both guys had had a rough morning. Neither one spoke or made eye contact with others. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen Eddie neglect his surroundings. The bell cut me off before I had a chance to say anything, and I spent the rest of class watching them with concern. They didn’t look like they were going to engage in any testosterone-driven madness, so that was a good sign. I felt bad for both of them—especially Eddie, who’d been wronged the most—and worrying on their behalf helped distract me from my own woes. A little.

When class ended, I wanted to talk to Eddie first, but Ms. Terwilliger intercepted me. She handed me a large yellow envelope that felt like it had a book inside. There was no end to the spells I had to learn. “Some of the things we discussed,” she told me. “Tend to them as soon as you get the chance.”

“I will, ma’am.” I slipped the envelope into my bag and glanced around for Eddie. He was gone.

Trey was in my next class, and I took my usual seat beside him. He gave me a sidelong look and then turned away.

“So,” I said.

He shook his head. “Don’t start.”

“I’m not starting anything.”

He stayed silent a few moments and then turned back to me, a frantic look in his eyes. “I didn’t know, I swear. About her and Eddie. She never mentioned it, and obviously, they don’t talk about it around here. I never would’ve done that to him. You have to believe that.”

I did. No matter what Trey’s other faults were, he was good-hearted and honest. If anyone was at fault for bad behavior here, it was Angeline.

“I’m actually more surprised that you’d get involved with someone like her, period.” I didn’t need to elaborate that “someone like her” referred to her being a dhampir.

Trey put his head on his desk. “I know, I know. It all just happened so fast. One day she’s throwing a book at me. The next, we’re making out behind the library.”

“Ugh. That’s a little more information than I needed.” Glancing up, I saw that our chemistry teacher was still getting organized, giving Trey and me a little more time. “What are you going to do now?”

“What do you think? I have to end it. I shouldn’t have let it get this far.”

The Sydney from three months ago would have said of course he needed to end it. This one said, “Do you like her?”

“Yes, I—” He paused and then lowered his voice. “I think I love her. Is that nuts? After only a few weeks?”

“No—I don’t know. I’m not really good at understanding that stuff.” And by not really good, I actually meant terrible. “But if you feel like that . . . maybe . . . maybe you shouldn’t throw it away.”

Trey’s eyes widened, and surprise completely replaced his blue mood. “Are you serious? How can you say that? Especially you of all people. You know how it is. You’ve got the same rules as us.”

I could hardly believe what I was saying. “Her people don’t, and they seem to be fine.”

For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of hope in his eyes, but then he shook his head again. “I can’t, Sydney. You know I can’t. It would eventually end in disaster. There’s a reason our kinds don’t mix. And if my family ever found out . . . God. I can’t even imagine. There’d be no way I’d ever get back in.”

“Do you really want to?”

He didn’t answer that. Instead, he just told me, “It can’t work. It’s over.” I’d never seen him look so miserable.

Class started, and that ended the discussion.

Eddie wasn’t in our cafeteria at lunch. Jill sat with Angeline at a corner table and looked as though she was delivering a stern lecture. Maybe Jill hadn’t felt comfortable consoling Eddie, but she certainly had no problem speaking out on his behalf. I didn’t really want to hear Angeline’s excuses or meet Jill’s eyes, so I grabbed a sandwich and ate outside. I didn’t have enough time to check Eddie’s cafeteria, so I sent him a text.

Want to go out for coffee later?

Don’t feel sorry for me, he responded. I hadn’t known if he’d answer at all, so that was something.

I just want to talk. Please.

His next text wasn’t nearly so fast, and I could almost imagine his mental battle. Okay, but after dinner. I have a study group. A moment later, he added, Not Spencer’s. Trey worked at Spencer’s.

Now that the Angeline drama was on hold, I was able to return to my own messed-up love life. I couldn’t shake that image of Jill’s expression. I couldn’t forgive myself for losing control. And now, I had Trey’s words bouncing around my head. It would eventually end in disaster. There’s a reason our kinds don’t mix.

As though summoned by my thoughts, Adrian texted me. You want to get the dragon today?

I’d forgotten all about the callistana. He’d stayed with Adrian during my St. Louis trip, and now it was my turn. Since Adrian couldn’t transform him back into quartz, the dragon had been in his true form all weekend.

Sure, I wrote back.

My stomach was in knots when I drove to Adrian’s place later. I’d had the rest of the day to think about my options, and I’d finally reached an extreme one.

When he opened the door, his face was aglow—until he saw mine. His expression transformed to equal parts exasperation and sadness. “Oh no. Here it comes,” he said.

I stepped inside. “Here what comes?”

“The part where you tell me last night was a mistake and that we can’t ever do it again.”

I looked away. That was exactly what I’d been going to say. “Adrian, you know this can’t work.”

“Because Moroi and humans can’t be together? Because you don’t feel the same way about me?”

“No,” I said. “Well, not entirely. Adrian . . . Jill saw it all.”

For a moment, he didn’t seem to understand. “What do you—oh. Shit.”

“Exactly.”

“I never even think of that anymore.” He sat down on the couch and stared off into space. The callistana came scurrying into the room and perched on the arm of the couch. “I mean, I know it happens. We even talked about it with other girls. She understands.”

“Understands?” I exclaimed. “She’s fifteen! You can’t subject her to that.”

“Maybe you were an innocent at fifteen, but Jill’s not. She knows how the world works.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Well, I’m not one of your other girls! I see her every day. Do you know how hard it was to face her? Do you know what it feels like to know she saw me doing that? And, God, what if there’d been more?”

“So, what’s this mean exactly?” he asked. “You finally come around, and now you’re going to just end things because of her?”

“Kissing you isn’t exactly ‘coming around.’”

He gave me a long, level look. “There was a lot more than kissing, Miss ‘I’m a Quick Study’”

I tried not to show how embarrassed I was about that now. “And that’s exactly why this is all over. I’m not going to let Jill see that again.”

“So you admit it could happen again?”

“Theoretically, yes. But I’m not going to give us the chance.”

“You’re going to avoid ever being alone with me again?”

“I’m going to avoid you, period.” I took a deep breath. “I’m going to go with Marcus to Mexico.”

“What?” Adrian jumped up and strode over to me. I immediately backed up. “What happened to you working undercover?”

“That only works if I can stay undercover! You think I can pull that off if I’m sneaking around with you?”

“You’re with me half the time already!” I couldn’t tell if he was angry or not, but he was clearly upset. “Nobody notices. We’ll be careful.”

“All it takes is one slipup,” I said. “And I don’t know if I can trust myself anymore. I can’t risk the Alchemists finding out about you and me. I can’t risk exposing Jill to what we’d do together. They’ll send another Alchemist to look after her, and hopefully Stanton will take precautions against the Warriors.”

“Jill knows I can’t put my life on hold.”

“You should,” I snapped.

Now he was angry. “Well, you’d know all about that since you’re an expert in denying yourself the things you want. And now you’re going to leave the country to make sure you can deprive yourself even more.”

“Yes, exactly.” I walked over to the callistana and spoke the incantation that turned him back into his inert form. I put the crystal into my purse and summoned all my will to give Adrian the coldest look I could manage. It must have been a powerful one because he looked as though I’d slapped him. Seeing that pain on his face made my heart break. I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t want to leave him! But what choice did I have? There was too much at stake.

“This is done. I’ve made my choice, Adrian,” I said. “I’m leaving this weekend, so please don’t make it any more difficult than it has to be. I’d like us to be friends.” The way I spoke made it sound like we were closing a business arrangement.

I walked toward the door, and Adrian hurried after me. I couldn’t bear to face the agony in his eyes, and it took all my resolve not to avert my gaze. “Sydney, don’t do this. You know it’s wrong. Deep inside, you know it is.”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer. I walked away, forcing myself not to look back. I was too afraid my resolve would falter—and that was exactly why I needed to leave Palm Springs. I wasn’t safe around him anymore. No one could be allowed to have that kind of power over me.

All I wanted to do after that was hide in my room and cry. For a week. But there was never any rest for me. It was always about others, with my feelings and dreams shoved off to the side. Consequently, I wasn’t in the best position to give Eddie romantic advice when we met up that night. Fortunately, he was too caught up in his own emotions to notice mine.

“I should never have gotten involved with Angeline,” he told me. We were at a coffee shop across town that was called Bean There, Done That. He’d ordered hot chocolate and had been stirring it for almost an hour.

“You didn’t know,” I said. It was hard maintaining my half of the conversation when I kept seeing the pain in Adrian’s eyes. “You couldn’t have known—especially with her. She’s unpredictable.”

“And that’s why I shouldn’t have done it.” He finally set the spoon down on the table. “Relationships are dangerous enough without getting involved with someone like her. And I don’t have time for that kind of distraction! I’m here for Jill, not me. I should never have let myself get caught up in this.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be with someone,” I said diplomatically. Unless that person turns your world upside down and makes you lose all self-control.

“Maybe when I’ve retired, I’ll have the time.” I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. “But not right now. Jill’s my priority.”

I had no business playing matchmaker, but I had to try. “Have you ever thought about seriously being with Jill? I know you used to like her.” And I was absolutely certain he still did.

“That’s out of the question,” he said fiercely. “And you know it. I can’t think of her like that.”

“She thinks about you like that.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. After my own romantic disaster today, a part of me longed for at least someone to be happy. I didn’t want anyone else hurting the way I did.

He froze. “She . . . no. There’s no way.”

“She does.”

A whole range of emotions played through Eddie’s eyes. Disbelief. Hope. Joy. And then . . . resignation. He picked up the spoon again and returned to his compulsive stirring.

“Sydney, you know I can’t. You of all people know what it’s like to have to focus on your work.” This was the second time today someone had said “you of all people” to me. I guess everyone had a preconceived idea of who I was.

“You should at least think about it,” I said. “Watch her the next time you’re together. See how she reacts.”

He looked as though he might consider it, which I took as a small victory. Suddenly, alarm flashed on his face. “Whatever happened with you and Marcus? The St. Louis trip? Did you find out anything about Jill?”

I chose my next words very carefully, both because I didn’t want to alarm him and because I didn’t want him taking some drastic action that could accidentally reveal my dealings with Marcus. “We found some evidence that the Warriors have talked to the Alchemists, but nothing that shows they’re working together or have actual plans for her. I’ve also taken some steps to make sure she’s protected.”

I hadn’t heard anything from Stanton today and wasn’t sure if that last part would actually pan out. Eddie looked relieved, though, and I couldn’t bear to stress him out any further today. His gaze shifted to something behind me, and he pushed the untouched hot chocolate away. “Time for us to go.”

I looked back at a clock and saw he was right. We still had a comfortable window before curfew, but I didn’t want to push it. I finished off the last of my coffee and followed him out. The sun was sinking into the horizon, coloring the sky red and purple. The temperature had finally cooled off to normal levels, but it still didn’t feel like winter to me. There’d been a bunch of badly parked cars in the front of the lot, so I’d parked Latte in the back in case some careless person opened a door too fast.

“Thanks for the moral support,” Eddie told me. “Sometimes it feels like you really are a sister—”

That was when my car exploded. Sort of.

I have to admit Eddie’s response time was amazing. He threw me to the ground, shielding my body with his. The boom had been deafening, and I cried out as some sort of foam landed on the side of my face.

Foam?

Cautiously, Eddie rose, and I followed. My car hadn’t exploded in flames or anything like that. Instead, it was filled with some sort of white substance that had blasted out with such force that it had blown the doors off and broken the windows. We both approached the mess, and behind us, I heard people coming out of the coffee shop.

“What the hell?” asked Eddie.

I touched some of the foam on my face and rubbed my fingertips together. “It’s sort of like the stuff you’d find in a fire extinguisher,” I said.

“How did it get in your car?” he asked. “And how did it get there so fast? I glanced over at it when we first walked out. You’re the chemical expert. Could some reaction have happened that fast?”

“Maybe,” I admitted. At the moment, I was too shocked to really run any formulas. I rested a hand against Latte’s hood and wanted to burst into tears. My emotions were at a breaking point. “My poor car. First Adrian’s, now mine. Why do people do stuff like this?”

“Vandals don’t care,” said a voice beside me. I glanced over and saw one of the baristas, an older man who I believed was the owner. “I’ve seen stuff like this before. Damn kids. I’ll call the police for you.” He took out his cell phone and backed away.

“I don’t know if we’ll make curfew now,” I told Eddie.

He gave me a sympathetic pat on the back. “I think if you show a police report at the dorm, they’ll be lenient with you.”

“Yeah, I hope that—ugh. The police.” I hurried over to the passenger side and stared bleakly at the wall of foam.

“What’s wrong?” Eddie asked. “I mean, aside from the obvious.”

“I have to get to the glove compartment.” I lowered my voice. “There’s a gun in there.”

He did a double take. “A what?”

I said no more, and he helped me dig through the foam. Both of us ended up covered in it by the time I reached the compartment. Making sure no one was behind us, I quickly retrieved the gun and slipped it into my messenger bag. I was about to shut the lid when something shiny caught my eye.

“That’s impossible,” I said.

It was my cross, the gold one I’d lost. I grabbed it and then immediately dropped it, yelping in pain. The metal had burned me. Considering the foamy substance was cool, it didn’t seem likely it had heated up the cross. I wrapped my sleeve around my hand and gingerly picked up the cross again.

Eddie peered over my shoulder. “You wear that all the time.”

I nodded and continued staring at the cross. A terrible feeling began to spread over me. I found a tissue in my purse and wrapped the cross up before adding it to the bag. Then I retrieved my cell phone and dialed Ms. Terwilliger. Voice mail. I hung up without leaving a message.

“What’s going on?” asked Eddie.

“I’m not sure,” I said. “But I think it’s bad.”

I hadn’t yet developed the ability to sense magical residue, but I was almost certain something had been done to the cross, something that had resulted in Latte’s foamy demise. Alicia hadn’t been able to find the cross. Had Veronica doubled back and taken it? If so, how had she located me? I knew personal items could be used to track back to a person, though the most common ones were hair and nails. As advanced as Veronica was, it was very likely an object—like this cross—would serve just as well.

Veronica might very well have found me. But if so, why vandalize my car instead of sucking out my life?

The police came soon thereafter and took our statements. They were followed by a tow truck. I could tell from the driver’s face that it wasn’t looking good for Latte. He hauled my poor car away, and then one of the officers was nice enough to return Eddie and me to Amberwood. Against all odds, we made it back just in time.

As soon as I got to my room, I tried Ms. Terwilliger again. Still no answer.

I emptied out my bag onto my bed and found it had gathered a number of items today. One of them was a donut I’d picked up at the coffee shop. I put it and the quartz crystal into the aquarium and summoned the callistana. He immediately went after the donut.

I found the cross and discovered it was now cool. Whatever spell it had been used in was gone. The gun was near it, and I quickly hid that back in the bag. That left Ms. Terwilliger’s envelope, which I’d neglected all day. Maybe if I hadn’t been so distracted by personal matters, I could have saved Latte.

I pulled the latest spell book out of the envelope and heard something jangle. I removed the book and then saw another, smaller envelope inside. I pulled it out and read a message Ms. Terwilliger had written on the side: Here’s another charm to mask your magical ability, just in case. It’s one of the most powerful out there and took a lot of work, so be careful with it.

That same guilt I always felt about her helping me returned. I opened the small envelope and found a silver star pendant set with peridots. I gasped.

I had seen this charm before, this powerful and painstakingly made charm that could allegedly hide strong magical ability.

I had seen it around Alicia’s neck.

\           FOR A MOMENT, I THOUGHT it had to be a coincidence. After all, what was so special about a peridot star? For all I knew, Alicia might have been born in August and was just sporting her birthstone among that mess of necklaces she always wore. And yet, if there was one thing I believed more than ever, it was Sonya’s adage that there were no coincidences in the world of the supernatural.
I sank to the floor and tried to reason my way through things. If the charm Alicia had worn was like this one, then it meant she too was a strong magic user trying to mask her abilities. Did she know about Veronica? Was Alicia trying to protect herself? If so, then it seemed like she wouldn’t have been so casual about Veronica staying at the inn. So, that meant either Alicia didn’t know about Veronica’s true nature—again, a suspicious coincidence—or that Alicia was covering for Veronica.

Could Alicia be in league with Veronica?

That seemed the likeliest answer to me. Although Veronica apparently sought out young, powerful magic users, it was totally possible that she’d seen the advantage of having one as an assistant. And, as we’d observed, Veronica had plenty of other victims to choose from. Alicia could therefore help and cover up Veronica’s nefarious plans—like when a curious couple came asking questions.

I groaned. Alicia had been playing us from the beginning. From the instant we’d stepped through her door with stories about our anniversary and “friend” Veronica, she’d known we were lying. She’d known we weren’t actually friends with Veronica, and she might have been strong enough to fight Adrian’s compulsion a little. She’d gone along with everything—even being so helpful as to call me when Veronica had shown up again. I had no idea now what was true, if Veronica had ever left in the first place or returned from being gone. I did, however, have a sinking suspicion that my car wasn’t the only one she’d incapacitated.

I could understand if she’d used the cross to find me, but how had she initially located the Mustang? I racked my brain for any identifying information. Adrian’s spirit magic should have muddled our appearances, covering up any connection to us. Then I knew. Alicia had walked us out and admired the Mustang. A clever person—someone who was already on high alert because of our visit—could’ve made note of the license plate and used it to track down where Adrian lived.

But why slash the tires? To delay us, I realized. That was the night Lynne had been attacked. And we had arrived too late to warn her.

The more I began to sift through the events of the last few weeks, the more I began to think we had been very, very careless. We’d thought we were being so cautious about concealing ourselves from Veronica. No one, not even Ms. Terwilliger, had considered that she might have an accomplice we also had to watch out for. And the dreams . . . those had started the day Adrian and I had been on the velvet bed. The day my garnet had slipped and had possibly been enough for Alicia to sense a magic user in the inn.

Which brought me back to the present. Ms. Terwilliger. I had to tell her what I’d found. I called for a third time. Still no answer. Although I often had images of Ms. Terwilliger conducting late-night rituals, it was entirely reasonable that she’d be in bed right now. Was this the kind of thing that could wait until morning?

No, I decided on the spot. No, it wasn’t. We were dealing with dangerous, violent magic users—and my car had just been attacked. Something might be happening as I stood there, trying to decide. I would have to wake her up . . . provided I could get to her.

It took only a moment to make my next decision. I called Adrian.

He answered on the first ring but sounded wary, which I couldn’t blame him for after what I’d done earlier. “Hello?”

I prayed he was the noble guy I thought he was. “Adrian, I know things are bad between us, and maybe I have no right to ask, but I need a favor. It’s about Veronica.”

There was no hesitation. “What do you need?”

“Can you come over to Amberwood? I need you to help me break curfew and escape my dorm.”

There were a few moments of silence. “Sage, I’ve been waiting two months to hear you say those words. You want me to bring a ladder?”

The plan was already unfolding in my head. The security guards that patrolled at night would have eyes on the student parking lot, but the back property would be relatively unguarded.

“I’ll get myself out of the building. If you come up the main road that leads to Amberwood and then go past the driveway you’ll see a little service road that runs up a hill and goes behind my dorm. Park there near the utility shed, and I’ll meet you as soon as I get out.”

When he spoke again, his earlier levity was gone. “I’d really like to believe this is some awesome midnight adventure, but it’s not, is it? Something’s gone really wrong.”

“Very wrong,” I agreed. “I’ll explain in the car.”

I quickly changed into clean jeans and a T-shirt, adding a light suede jacket against the evening chill. To be safe, I also decided to pack my bag with a few supplies and bring it along. If all went well, I’d simply be warning Ms. Terwilliger tonight. But with the way things had been going lately, I couldn’t presume anything would be simple. Bringing the suitcase this time would be unwieldy, so I had to make a few quick decisions about chemicals and magical components. I tossed some in the bag and stuffed others in my jeans and coat pockets.

Once I was ready, I headed down to Julia and Kristin’s room. They were dressed for bed but not asleep yet. When Julia saw me with my coat and bag, her eyes went wide.

“Sweet,” she said.

“I know you’ve gotten out before,” I said. “How’d you do it?”

Julia’s many dates often occurred outside of sanctioned school hours, and both she and Kristin had bragged about Julia’s exploits in the past. I’d hoped perhaps Julia knew about a secret tunnel out of the school and that I wouldn’t have to attempt some crazy feat of acrobatics. Unfortunately, that was exactly what I had to do. She and Kristin walked me to their window and pointed at a large tree growing outside it.

“This room has a view and easy access,” said Kristin proudly.

I eyed the gnarled tree warily. “That’s easy?”

“Half the dorm’s used it,” she said. “So can you.”

“We should be charging people,” mused Julia. She flashed me a smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll give you a freebie tonight. Just start on that big limb there, swing over there, and then use those branches for handholds.”

I found it amazing that someone who’d claimed badminton in PE was too “dangerous” would have no qualms about scaling a tree from her third-floor room. Of course, Marcus’s apartment had been on the fourth floor, and that fire escape had been a million times more unsafe than this tree. Thoughts of Alicia and Ms. Terwilliger snapped me back to the importance of my mission, and I gave Julia and Kristin a decisive nod.

“Let’s do this,” I said.

Julia cheered and opened the window for me. Kristin watched just as eagerly. “Please tell me you’re running off to meet some breathtakingly handsome guy,” she said.

I paused, just as I was about to climb out. “Yes, actually. But not in the way you’re thinking.”

Once I made it to the limb Julia had indicated, I discovered she was right. It was pretty simple—so simple, in fact, that I was surprised no school official had noticed this easy access escape route and chopped it down. Well, so much the better for those of us with late-night errands. I made it to the ground and waved goodbye to my watching friends.

The dorm’s back property had some lights on it, exactly for the reason of deterring wayward students like me. It was also along the patrol route of one of the security guards but wasn’t a spot he stayed regularly stationed at. He wasn’t in sight, so I crossed my fingers that he was busy with another part of his beat. There were enough shadows on the lawn that I was able to stay within them the whole way—until I reached the back fence. It was lit up pretty well, and really, the only assets I had were that I was a fast climber and that the guard hadn’t surfaced yet. Falling back on that hope that the universe owed me some favors—especially after tricking me about Alicia—I gulped and scrambled over. No one shouted at me when I landed on the other side, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d made it out. Getting back in would be harder, but that was a problem for later, hopefully one Ms. Terwilliger could help out with.

I found Adrian waiting for me in the Mustang, exactly where I’d indicated. He gave me a sidelong glance as he drove us away. “No black catsuit?”

“It’s in the laundry.”

He smiled. “Of course it is. Now, where are we going, and what’s going on?”

“We’re going to Ms. Terwilliger’s,” I said. “And what’s going on is that we’ve been walking around in front of the enemy this entire time without even realizing it.”

I watched Adrian as I related my revelations and saw his face go from disbelieving to dismayed the more I spoke. “Her aura was too perfect,” he said once I finished. “Perfectly neutral, perfectly average. No one’s is like that. I brushed it off, though. Figured maybe it was just a weird human one.”

“Can someone influence how their aura looks?” I asked.

“Not to that extent,” he said. “I don’t know enough about these charms you guys use, but I’m guessing it was one of those that skewed the way her colors looked.”

I slumped into the seat, still angry at not having figured this out sooner. “On the bright side, she doesn’t know we’re on to her and Veronica. That could give us an advantage.”

When we reached Ms. Terwilliger’s house, we found all the lights on, which was a surprise. I’d assumed she was in bed, though this certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d missed a phone call. Only, when we reached the house and knocked on the door, there was no answer. Adrian and I exchanged looks.

“Maybe she had to leave abruptly,” he said. The tone of his voice conveyed what his words didn’t. What if Ms. Terwilliger had already found out what we had and had taken off to fight Alicia and Veronica? I had no idea how powerful Alicia was, but the odds didn’t seem promising.

When no answer came from my second knock, I nearly kicked the door in frustration. “Now what?”

Adrian turned the doorknob, and the door opened right up. “How about we wait for her?” he suggested.

I grimaced. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable breaking into her place.”

“She left the door unlocked. She’s practically inviting us in.” He pushed the door open farther and looked at me expectantly.

I didn’t want to go back to Amberwood without speaking to her tonight, nor did I want to sit on her doorstep. Hoping she wouldn’t mind us making ourselves at home, I gave a nod of resignation and followed Adrian inside. Her house was the same as ever, cluttered and redolent with the scent of incense. Suddenly, I came to a standstill.

“Wait. Something’s different.” It took me a moment to figure it out, and when I did, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized it immediately. “The cats are gone.”

“Holy shit,” said Adrian. “You’re right.”

At least one of them always came to greet visitors, and others were usually visible on furniture, under tables, or simply occupying the middle of the floor. But now, there were no cats in sight.

I stared around in disbelief. “What in the world could—”

An earsplitting shriek made me jump. I looked down toward my hip and found the dragon sticking his head out of my satchel and trying to claw his way up my side. Belatedly, I realized I’d forgotten to cover the aquarium. He’d apparently slipped inside the bag back in my room. The sound he was making now was similar to his hunger cry—except even more annoying. Then, impossibly, he nipped my leg. I bent over and tried to pull him off me.

“I don’t have any pie! What are you trying to—ahh!”

Something zoomed over my head and smashed into the wall behind me with a loud splat. A couple wet drops of something landed on my cheek and began to burn. It was a wonder I didn’t hear a sizzling sound.

“Sydney!” Adrian cried.

I turned toward where he was looking and saw Alicia standing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. Her palm was raised toward us, a shimmery and gooey substance cupped in it. Presumably it was the same substance that currently seared my skin. I almost wiped it away but feared I’d simply be spreading it to my fingers. I winced and tried to ignore it.

“Sydney” said Alicia pleasantly. “Or should I say Taylor? I figured I’d be seeing you two again. Just not so soon. I guess your car trouble didn’t delay you tonight.”

“We know everything,” I told her, keeping on an eye on that goo. “We know you’re working for Veronica.”

The smug look on her face momentarily shifted, overcome by surprise. “Working for her? I got rid of her ages ago.”

“Got rid of. . . .” For a few seconds, I was at a loss. Then the rest of the puzzle pieces fell together. “You’re the one who’s been absorbing those girls. And that witch in San Diego. And . . . Veronica Terwilliger.”

I’d been able to track Veronica back to the inn with the scrying spell. When Ms. Terwilliger had attempted a different locating spell, she’d come up blank. She’d assumed it was because Veronica had some sort of shielding. But the truth, I was suddenly certain, was that Veronica was already comatose. There was no active mind for Ms. Terwilliger to reach because Alicia had consumed Veronica.

Ms. Terwilliger . . .

“You’re here for her,” I said. “Ms. Terwilliger. Not me.”

“The untrained do make easy targets,” conceded Alicia. “But they don’t have the same power as full-fledged witches, who can be just as easy to absorb if you break them down first. I don’t need the youth like Veronica did, just the power. Once she showed me how the spell works, I was able to catch her in a weak moment. That other college girl tided me over until I wore down Alana Kale.” Where had I heard that name? Alana . . . she was Ms. Terwilliger’s comatose coven sister. “And finally I can take out the big hit: Jaclyn Terwilliger. I actually wasn’t sure if I’d be able to break her, but it turns out she’s done an awesome job of wearing herself out these last few weeks, all in the service of protecting her sweet little apprentice.”

“I’m not her . . .” I couldn’t finish. I’d been about to say I wasn’t her apprentice, and yet . . . wasn’t I? I wasn’t just dabbling in magic anymore. I had joined the ranks. And now, I had to protect my mentor, just as she’d protected me. If it wasn’t too late.

“Where is she?” I demanded.

“She’s around,” said Alicia, clearly delighting in having the upper hand here. “I wish you hadn’t found out about all this. You would’ve made a good hit, once you’d learned a little bit more. You’re just a small spark to Jaclyn’s flame right now. She’s the big score tonight.”

“Tell us where she is,” ordered Adrian, a powerful note in his voice that I recognized.

Alicia’s gaze flicked from me to him. “Oh, please,” she scoffed. “Stop wasting my time with your vampire compulsion. I realized what was going on after that first visit, when I kept having trouble remembering your faces.” From her jumble of necklaces, she showed us a jade circle. “I acquired this afterward. Makes me impervious to your ‘charms.’”

Something that resisted vampire magic? That would be a useful item to have in my bag of tricks. I’d have to look into it . . . provided I survived tonight.

I saw Alicia tense to throw again, and I managed to jump out of the way, pulling Adrian with me toward the living room. More of that goo splattered behind us with a hiss. I produced a dried thistle blossom and crumpled it toward Alicia, shouting a Greek incantation that would blind her. She made a small wave with her left hand and sneered at me.

“Really?” she asked. “That remedial blindness spell? Maybe you aren’t a prodigy after all.”

Adrian suddenly flipped open a small panel in the wall beside us. I hadn’t even noticed it, largely because I’d been too distracted about having my face melted off. I saw a flurry of motion from his hand, and suddenly, we were plunged into darkness.

“Now this is remedial blindness,” he muttered.

Alicia swore. I froze, immobilized by the blackness around me. As much as I appreciated any attempts to slow Alicia down, I was kind of at a loss myself.

I felt Adrian’s hand grab hold of mine, and without a word, he tugged me farther into the living room. I followed quickly, relying on his superior vampire eyesight to guide us. I could already hear Alicia chanting and was sure some light-giving spell was coming soon. Either that or something that would magically fix a fuse box.

“Careful,” Adrian murmured. “Stairs.”

Sure enough, I felt my foot hit a wooden step. He and I hurried down as quietly and as quickly as we could, descending into a basement. My eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the darkness, and I wondered if I’d just entered some secret dungeon. Yet as he wound us through stacks of boxes, I realized the basement was just used for ordinary storage. There was a lot of junk down here. After seeing Ms. Terwilliger’s already messy house, I wondered what more she could possibly own.

Adrian finally stopped when we were in a far corner behind some oblong boxes stacked nearly as high as me. He pulled me to him, keeping me in his arms so that he could speak softly in my ear. My head lay against his chest, and I could hear his rapid heartbeat, a mirror for my own.

“That was a good idea,” I said in as low a voice as I could manage. “But now we’re trapped down here. It would’ve been better if we could go outside.”

“I know,” he whispered back. “But she was too close to the door, and I didn’t have time to mess with a window.”

Above us, I could hear the floor creaking as Alicia walked through the house. “It’s just a matter of time,” I said.

“I was hoping it’d give you a chance to think of something to get us out of here. Can’t you use that fireball? You were pretty good at it.”

“Not inside. Especially not in a basement. I’d burn this place down around us. And we don’t know where Ms. Terwilliger is yet.” I racked my brain. The house was small enough that there weren’t that many places Alicia could have stashed Ms. Terwilliger. And I had to assume she was stashed somewhere, if she hadn’t come to our aid already. Alicia’s language made it sound like she hadn’t sucked away Ms. Terwilliger’s power yet, so hopefully she was just incapacitated.

“You must be able to do something,” said Adrian, tightening his hold on me. “You’re brilliant, and you’ve been reading all those spell books.”

It was true. I’d consumed tons of material these last couple of months—material I wasn’t even supposed to have learned—but somehow, in this one terrified moment, my mind couldn’t focus on any of it. “I’ve forgotten everything.”

“No, you haven’t.” His voice in the darkness was calm and reassuring. He smoothed back my hair and pressed one of those half kisses to my forehead. “Just relax and focus. Sooner or later, she’ll be coming down those stairs after us. We need to take her out or at least slow her down so that we can escape.”

His reasonable words centered me and allowed the gears of logic that ran my life to take over again. A little light was coming through from the basement’s small, high windows, allowing my eyes to finally adjust and make out some of the dark shapes in the basement. I could still hear Alicia moving around upstairs, so I crept away from Adrian and walked over to the staircase. With a few graceful hand arcs, I chanted a spell over the steps and then hurried back to my corner with Adrian, slipping back under the shelter of his arm.

“Okay,” I said. “I think I’ve got a minor delay ready.”

“What is it?” he asked.

Just then, we heard the door at the top of the stairs open. Light spilled down, though we still remained in the shadows. “You’re out of options,” I heard Alicia say. “No place left to—ahh!”

There was a loud thump-thump-thump-thump as she went sliding down the stairs and hit the bottom with a crack.

“Invisible ice on the stairs,” I told Adrian.

“I know I’m not supposed to say this,” he said. “But I think I love you more than ever.”

I took his hand and tried not to think about how happy his words made me, even in this life-or-death situation. “Come on.”

We left our hiding spot and found Alicia sprawled ungracefully on the floor, trying to get to her feet. A silver orb of light hovered in the air near her, bobbing along faithfully with her movements. Seeing us, she snarled and waved her hands to cast at us. I’d anticipated this and had an amulet ready. I swung it on its silken cord and said a few quick words as we passed her. A brief, shimmering shield flared between us and her, just barely absorbing the small glowing darts she hurled our way. The shield was similar to the one Ms. Terwilliger had used at the park but had to be summoned on the spot and didn’t last long.

I didn’t know what Alicia planned on doing next, but obviously, something bad was coming. I cast a preemptive spell I’d never used before, one of the ones that Ms. Terwilliger had told me not to bother with. It took a lot of energy and was powerful if used correctly, yet was deceptively simple and elegant in its effects. I merely blasted Alicia across the room with a wave of power just as she was about to stand. She flew backward, into a stack of Christmas items. A box of ornaments fell down, shattering near her on the hard floor.

Casting the spell left me dizzy, but I managed to keep moving. I summoned a fireball when we reached the stairs but held it in my hand, keeping it low as though I were going to roll a Skee-Ball—though my intent was simply to carry it. I prayed it would melt the ice, and after my first few steps, I knew I was right. “Careful,” I warned Adrian. “They’re wet.”

We made it to the top, but Alicia had already scrambled after us. From the bottom of the stairs, she used the same spell on me that I’d used on her, throwing a wave of invisible energy at Adrian and me that knocked us to the floor. I’d been holding on to the fireball, despite Ms. Terwilliger’s warnings about how doing so would drain my own power. When Alicia knocked me down, the fireball flew from my hand and landed on Ms. Terwilliger’s couch. Considering it looked as though it was covered in some cheap fabric from the 1970s, I wasn’t entirely surprised that it lit up so fast.

On the bright side, the fire solved our darkness problem. On the downside, it meant the house was likely going to burn down around us after all. The callistana, who hadn’t been fast enough to keep up with us when we’d gone downstairs, came scurrying over to my side. I had only half a heartbeat to make a decision.

“Go look in the rest of the house for Ms. Terwilliger,” I told Adrian. “I’ll stop Alicia.”

The growing fire created weird shadows on his face, highlighting his anguish at this. “Sydney.”

“This is one of those times you have to trust me without question,” I said. “Hurry! Find her and get her out.”

I saw a thousand emotions flash through his eyes before he obeyed and ran off toward the other wing of the house. The fire was spreading rapidly throughout the living room, in a way that had to be magical. The increasing smoke gave me an idea, and I cast a spell that enhanced it, creating a hazy wall at the entrance to the basement stairs. It allowed the dragon and me to make a short retreat before Alicia appeared, parting the smoke as cleanly as though she were opening curtains.

“That,” she declared. “Hurt.”

I cast a spell that should’ve encased her in spiderwebs, but they fell away before they even reached her. It was infuriating. I’d memorized so much, but these “remedial” spells weren’t working. I understood now why Ms. Terwilliger’s main strategy had been for me to lie low and hide my ability. How would I have ever been able to take on Veronica? True, Alicia had taken her out, but only after probably weakening her as she had Ms. Terwilliger. I even understood now why Ms. Terwilliger had told me to get a gun—which, I realized now, I’d left in the car.

The ice spell had worked because Alicia hadn’t seen it coming. The only other spell that had worked on her was the blast of power, an advanced one that had still left me weak. It was going to take another one of those, I realized. I had no idea if I had the ability to do a second one, but trying was the only chance I had of—

I screamed as what felt like a thousand volts of electricity shot through me. Alicia’s hand movement had been so subtle, and she hadn’t even spoken. I fell down again, writhing in pain as Alicia strode toward me, her face triumphant. The dragon bravely put himself between the two of us, and she simply kicked him aside. I heard him yelp as he skittered across the floor.

“Maybe I should absorb you,” said Alicia. The shocks abated, and I could only sit there and gasp for breath. “You could be my fifth. I can come back for Jaclyn in a few years. You’ve turned out to be a lot more powerful than I thought—and annoyingly resourceful. You even made a good effort tonight.”

“Who says I’m done?” I managed to say.

I cast the first of the advanced spells that came to mind. Maybe it was inspired by the broken Christmas ornaments, but suddenly, I had broken shards on the brain. The spell required no words or physical components and only the slightest of hand movements. The rest was taken from me—a draining of energy and power that hurt almost as much as the electrifying spell Alicia had just used.

But oh, the results were breathtaking.

On Ms. Terwilliger’s coffee table (which was now on fire) sat a set of five perpetual motion balls. I used a transmutation spell on them, forcing them out of their spherical shape and breaking them apart into thin, sharp razor blades. They broke free of their strings and came at my command. That was the easy part.

The hard part was, as Ms. Terwilliger had told me, actually attacking someone. And not just making them slip and fall. That wasn’t so bad. But an actual physical attack, one you knew would cause direct and terrible damage, was an entirely different issue. It didn’t matter how terrible Alicia was, that she’d tried to kill me and wanted to victimize Ms. Terwilliger and countless others. Alicia was still a living person, and it was not in my nature to show violence or try to take another’s life.

It was, however, in my nature to save my own life and those of my loved ones.

I braced myself and ordered the razors forward. They slammed into her face. She screamed and frantically tried to pull them out but in doing so lost her balance and went back down the stairs. I heard her shriek as she fell into the basement. Although I couldn’t see her, her magical lantern orb merrily followed her all the way down.

My triumph was short-lived. I was more than dizzy. I was on the verge of passing out. The heat and light from the fire were overwhelming, yet my vision was going dark from the exhaustion of casting a spell I was in no way ready for. I suddenly just wanted to curl up there on the floor and close my eyes where it was comfortable and warm. . . .

“Sydney!”

Adrian’s voice jolted me out of my haze, and I managed to peer up at him through heavy eyelids. He slipped an arm around me to help me up. When my legs didn’t work, he simply scooped me up altogether and carried me. The dragon, who’d suffered no permanent damage from the kick, clung to my shirt and scurried into the bag that was still draped over my shoulder.

“Where . . . Ms. Terwilliger. . . .”

“Not here,” Adrian said, heading swiftly toward the front door. The fire was spreading over the walls and ceiling now. Although it hadn’t quite made it to the front of the house yet, our way was still thick with smoke and ash. We both were coughing, and tears ran out of my eyes. Adrian reached the door and turn the knob, yelping at how hot it was. Then he managed to kick the door open with his foot, and we were free, out into the clean night air.

Neighbors had gathered outside, and I could hear sirens in the distance. Some of the spectators watched us curiously, but most were transfixed by the inferno that was Ms. Terwilliger’s bungalow. Adrian carried me over to his car and gently set me down so that I could lean against it, though he still kept an arm around me. We both stared in awe at the fire.

“I really did look, Sydney,” he said. “I couldn’t find Jackie in the house. Maybe she escaped.” I prayed he was right. Otherwise, we had just abandoned my history teacher to a fiery death. “What happened to Alicia?”

“Last I saw, she was in the basement.” A sickening feeling twisted in my stomach. “I don’t know if she’ll get out. Adrian, what have I just done?”

“You defended yourself. And me. And hopefully Jackie.” His arm tightened around me. “Alicia was evil. Look what she did to those other witches—what she wanted to do to you guys.”

“I never saw it coming,” I said bleakly. “I thought I was so smart. And each time I talked to her, I dismissed her as some dumb, scattered girl. Meanwhile, she was laughing and countering my moves every step of the way. It’s humbling. I don’t meet many people like that.”

“The Moriarty to your Holmes?” he suggested.

“Adrian,” I said. It was all I needed to say.

He suddenly did a double take, noticing my attire for the first time tonight now that the jacket had come open. “You’re wearing your AYE shirt?”

“Yeah, I never wage magical battles without—”

A small mewling noise suddenly caught my attention. I searched around until I spotted two green eyes peering at me from under a bush across the street. I managed to straighten up and found that my legs, though weak, could support my weight again. I took a few halting steps toward the bush, and Adrian immediately ran to my side.

“What are you doing? You need help,” he said.

I pointed. “We have to follow that cat.”

“Sydney—”

“Help me,” I pleaded.

He couldn’t resist. Supporting me with his arm again, he helped me walk across the street toward the cat. It ran ahead between two bushes, then glanced back at us.

“It wants us to follow,” I told him.

So we did, cutting through houses and streets until when we were about four blocks from the bungalow, the cat dashed off into a park. Whatever energy I’d had when I started after the cat was long gone. I was panting and dizzy again and fighting hard to resist asking Adrian to carry me. Something in the center of the park caught my attention and gave me one last burst of adrenaline to run forward.

There, lying on the grass, was Ms. Terwilliger.

She was awake, thankfully, but looked nearly as exhausted as I felt. Tears and smudges suggested she’d been through quite an ordeal. She had managed to escape Alicia, but not without a fight. That was why we hadn’t been able to find her in the house. Seeing me, she blinked in surprise.

“You’re okay,” she said. “And you found me.”

“The cats led us,” I said, pointing. All thirteen of them were sitting around in the park, surrounding their owner—making sure she was okay.

She glanced around at them and managed a weary smile. “See? I told you cats are useful.”

“Callistanas aren’t so bad either,” I said, looking down at my satchel. “That ‘pain in the ass’ screeching saved me from a face full of acid.”

Adrian put his hand to his heart in mock horror. “Sage, did you just swear?”

Glancing over, Ms. Terwilliger noticed him for the first time. “And you’re here too? I’m so sorry you had to get dragged into this mess. I know you didn’t ask for any of this trouble.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Adrian, smiling. He rested a hand on my shoulder. “Some things are worth the trouble.”

\I FELT PRETTY BAD about burning down my teacher’s house.
Ms. Terwilliger, for obvious reasons, seemed to think that was the least of her problems. She wasn’t sure if her insurance would cover the damage, but her company was pretty speedy in sending someone out to investigate the cause. We were still waiting to hear their verdict on coverage, but one thing they didn’t report finding was any sign of human remains. Part of me was relieved that I hadn’t actually killed anyone. Another part of me feared we hadn’t seen the last of Alicia. What silly comparison had Adrian made? The Moriarty to your Holmes. I had to imagine that being hit in the face with razor blades and then left in a burning building would make anyone hold a grudge.

A little investigation eventually turned up Veronica at a Los Angeles hospital, checked in as Jane Doe. Visiting her comatose sister became the greatest of Ms. Terwilliger’s priorities, and she harbored hopes of possibly finding a way to undo the spell. Despite how busy she now was, my teacher still managed to urge me to meet her coven, and I agreed for a few different reasons. One was that it was kind of impossible for me to act like I didn’t want to wield magic anymore.

The other reason was that I didn’t plan on being around.

I was still resolved to go with Marcus to Mexico, and the week flew by. Winter finals were a breeze, and before I knew it, it was Friday, the day before our trip to Mexico. I took a risk by telling my friends goodbye. The safest thing would’ve been to disappear without a trace, but I trusted them all—even Angeline—to keep my secret and feign ignorance once the Alchemists discovered they had a runaway. I told Trey as well. No matter what had gone down between us, he was still my friend, and I would miss him.

As the day wore on, the dorm grew quieter and quieter—aside from unending Christmas music playing in the lobby. Not wanting to exclude other religions, Mrs. Weathers had also set out a menorah and “Happy Kwanzaa” banner. Tomorrow was officially the last day before everyone had to be out, and a number of people had already left for winter break. I’d finished my own packing, which was light. I didn’t want to be burdened down with excess luggage since I really had no idea what to expect in Mexico.

I still had two people I needed to say goodbye to: Adrian and Jill. I’d avoided them both for very different reasons, but time was running out. I knew Jill was just a flight of stairs away, but Adrian was more difficult. We’d been in touch a couple times after the fire, simply to sort out some details, but he’d soon gone silent. No calls, no texts, no dreams. Maybe I should’ve been glad. Maybe I should’ve welcomed the chance to leave without any painful goodbyes . . . but I couldn’t. My chest ached with the thought of not seeing him again. Even though he was the reason I was leaving, I still felt like I needed some closure.

It’s not about closure, Sydney. You want to see him. You need to see him. And that’s exactly why you have to leave.

Finally, I took the plunge and called him. It took me so long to work up the nerve that I could hardly believe it when he didn’t answer. I resisted the urge to immediately try again. No. I could wait. There would still be time tomorrow, and surely . . . surely he wasn’t avoiding me?