Spell Bound (22 page)

What will happen to her if you go on like this? I can feel you, Sophie. You’re going to be in agony until you touch that damn spell. So I say go touch it and see what happens.

Jenna lifted her hands to frame my face, tilting my head down. “Soph,” she said. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but…I think Elodie is right. With your powers, there’s a chance you might be giving yourself over to the Casnoffs, yeah. But without your powers? There’s
no
chance we’ll get out of this.”

Elodie turned and opened the top dresser drawer. There, on top of a pile of clothes, was the grimoire.

How did that get in here
? I asked, suddenly understanding why its pull had been so strong this morning.

I brought it here to do this.
My hand picked up the book, flipping to the spell, and Elodie brought my palm over the page.

NO
, I screamed, and Elodie hesitated.

You have to
, she finally said, her voice firm.
I thought it would be easier if I did it for you.

No,
I said again, but even inside my own head, I sounded weak.

Do it,
Elodie replied.
End this.

I felt her leave, and stumbled back against the dresser. After getting my breath back, I raised my head and stared at the open door. My magic was rioting inside of me.

Jenna took my hand. “You can do this,” she said. “I know you can. You’re stronger than they are.”

I wasn’t so sure about that.

But I was sure about what I had to do.

I didn’t let myself think about it. I just snatched the grimoire off the floor where I’d dropped it when Elodie had left. My fingers unerringly turned to the spell that was screaming for me. And then, without letting myself so much as take a deep breath, I pressed my hand against the page.

It was like something exploded inside my chest. I stood, frozen, as my powers uncurled, magic spilling into my veins. The hardwood floor around my feet cracked, and Jenna leaped back with a shriek.

Breathing so heavily I was nearly panting, I flung the grimoire to the floor and slammed both my hands against the mirror.
Torin
, I thought, and yanked.

He appeared so suddenly in the glass that I jumped.

“What in the bloody hell was that?” he cried, blinking furiously before his gaze finally landed on me. When it did, he grinned. “Oh, well done, Sophia.”

I didn’t have much time. I could feel something, like an itch at the back of my mind, and I knew Lara, somewhere on Graymalkin Island, was suddenly becoming aware of what had happened. “Why were you trying to reach me? Where are my parents?”

“Hmm? Oh, right, my glorious mission. After you left—”

“Save it!” I barked. “What do you want and where are they?”

He frowned. “All right, all right. They’re in Ireland. At Lough Bealach. I was supposed to get through and see if you were harmed in any way, but—”

I was already moving, scooping up the grimoire, shoving it once again into my waistband.

It was easy work to blast the lock off the door. It was even easier to use my magic to call for Cal and Archer. Cal was in his cabin, Archer in his room, and I spoke in both their heads at the same time
. Meet Jenna and me outside. Get ready to run.
And then, because I realized I’d just basically screamed inside their brains, I added,
Please. And sorry about the yelling.

Jenna followed me out onto the landing. I was maybe three steps down the stairs when it happened.

With a sudden jerk, I came to a stop. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t leave the island. How foolish of me. No, what I needed to do now was go to Lara. Lara needed me, and she would—

“Sophie?” Jenna asked, touching my elbow.

I turned and looked at Jenna. She was in my way. She would try to stop me from getting to Lara, from fulfilling my destiny. So there was only one thing to do, really.

I had to kill her.

I
clutched Jenna with one hand, wrenching her toward me, and there was no regret or sadness in my heart. If anything, I felt a little disgusted, like I was killing a bug. This…
thing
was in my way. I had to dispose of it.

Magic surged from the soles of my feet, making me feel giddy and whole.

I saw her realize what was about to happen, saw the fear and despair that crashed over her. But once again, I didn’t feel anything. Not pity or even satisfaction. I just wanted her gone so that I could get to Lara.

But before the spell could make its way to my fingertips, Jenna grabbed my face. “Sophie,” she said quietly. Urgently. “Look at me. You’re better than they are. You can fight them.” Tears filled her eyes, and there was a twinge in my chest. Her fingers dug into my cheeks. “Please,” she begged. “Soph, you’re my best friend. I love you, and I know you. I know you can fight this.”

I screwed my eyes shut, even as everything within me ached to kill her. To destroy her, to destroy everything. Gripping the banister, I felt the wood crack and bend under my hands.

“Sophie,” Jenna said again, and suddenly I could see her, sitting on her bed, laughing the first night I’d met her. I could feel her arms around me last night as I’d cried about the grimoire.

Jenna
, I thought.
I can’t hurt Jenna.

Something inside me gave way, almost like a chain had snapped. Inside my head, I could hear Lara’s howl of rage, and then I was crying and hugging Jenna so tight I was surprised she didn’t snap in half.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” I told her.

She laughed, but it was a watery sound. “I told you you were better than them.”

In the distance, something rumbled, and I pulled back from Jenna to look at the broken stained-glass window. The day had gone even gloomier, and tendrils of fog were starting to curl around the window frame. “Let’s hope so,” I said.

“Mercer!” I turned to see Archer standing at the top of the stairs. At the same moment, Cal burst through the front door.

I looked back and forth between them before saying, “Okay, I promise I’ll explain more fully when we’re not dead. But for now, I have my powers back, I know where my parents are, and we’re going to the Itineris to get off this island. So let’s go!”

I don’t know if it was my tone or the fact that the rumbling had gotten louder, but both guys leaped into action.

The four of us ran out of Hex Hall and into the pelting rain. The fog was rolling forward, and I stopped, raising one hand. Sparks shot from my fingers, and the fog rolled back, churning in on itself. A feeling of contentment flooded through me as I felt magic surging up from my feet. I flung another hand out, and the fog seemed to flinch in its rush to pull back. “Okay,” Jenna said, tugging at my arm. “You’re back to being a badass. Now,
run
.”

From behind I could hear the front door of the house opening. I didn’t look back. Cal, Jenna, Archer, and I sprinted out across the now-clear lawn, heading for the woods. I only dared one quick glance over my shoulder. Someone stood framed in the doorway. From his height, I thought it might be Nick. And then the figure leaped off the porch and began running toward us, and I
knew
it was Nick. Nothing could move that fast, not even a shapeshifter. As he got closer, I could see his face, those terrifying, blank red eyes. I’d been strong enough to throw off Lara’s control, but it was obvious Nick was still very much her plaything. I threw out an attack spell, but he countered it with a simple wave of his hand.

I stopped, bracing myself, but he wasn’t coming for me. Hands out, claws extended, he reached for Jenna. “No!” I screamed. And then everything happened at once. Jenna stopped to look behind her, Nick lunged, and suddenly Archer was between them, grabbing Nick’s outstretched arm and wrenching it away from Jenna, just as Nick’s other claw raked across Archer’s chest. I saw both of them grimace in pain before sending another bolt of magic at Nick. This one hit him hard enough to blast him away from Archer, and he crumpled to the ground.

Archer’s blood splattered the grass. Cal moved toward him, but Archer shook him off. “We don’t have time. Come on.”

I reached Jenna, who was pale and shaky, but unhurt. “Th-thank you,” she said to Archer, who just repeated, “We don’t have time.”

And he was right. Something was moving toward us from the house. I could feel dark magic rolling off it, and I knew it was another demon. We plunged into the woods.

I stopped long enough to tell Archer, “Lead them to the Itineris.” Archer had used the Itineris on Graymalkin to escape before. “I’ll bring up the rear.”

He didn’t reply, just jerked his arm toward Jenna and Cal, who dashed after him. I jogged behind, my shoulder near my ears in anticipation of an attack spell. But even though I could hear shouts and cries from behind us, no magic came.

We emerged from the woods onto a stretch of beach.

And then I remembered something. Holy crap, I’d obviously been without magic for way too long to have forgotten one of the coolest spells I could do.

“Stop!” I yelled. Archer, Cal, and Jenna all skidded to a halt on the sand. I waved my hands at them to come closer. “Okay, everybody hold hands,” I said.

Archer stared at me, one hand pressed to his bleeding chest. “Sophie, this really isn’t the time for a friendship circle.”

“It’s not that,” I said. “It’s this.”

I closed my eyes and channeled all my magic into a transportation spell. There was a rush of icy air, and then we were standing in the grove of trees that housed Hex Hall’s very own Itineris.

“Wow,” Jenna breathed. “It is
awesome
to have you back.”

Magic and satisfaction rushed through me. “You said it,” I agreed. “Now come on.”

And with that, the four of us dove into the Itineris.

 

 

Thus slowly, one by one, Its quaint events were hammered out— And now the tale is done, And home we steer, a merry crew, Beneath the setting sun.

—“A Preface,”

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

 

 

Y
ou know what would be great? If I had one instance of magical travel that didn’t leave me feeling like someone had just tried to rip my spine out through my nose. I lay on cool, stony ground, my inner organs trying to rearrange themselves. Next to me, I heard someone gasping and gagging, and a familiar voice saying, “It’s okay. Just give yourself a few minutes.”

Mom.

I rolled my head to the side to see her kneeling over Jenna, who was curled on her side, shivering. Itineris travel was especially hard on vampires. I clambered to my hands and knees, looking around. It was evening, and we were by some large body of water. I could hear it lapping against the shore, and the air felt damp. Behind me was a big boulder, a shallow alcove carved in its center.