Night Witch (Weatherstone College, #2)(69)

“You’ll be able to find that soul again,” Logan added. “You can call on their essence whenever you need.”

I jerked at the abhorrent thought. “There are necros who continually drain a soul’s essence? Surely if you keep calling for their essence, you’ll eventually destroy their energy completely.”

“No, it doesn’t work like that,” Logan told me. “You’re essentially draining their magic, and like ours, it will regenerate. Magic is eternal and spans the planes, so you’re free to have what is the equivalent of a soul familiar.”

A dead familiar. Amazing.

“I think I’ll stick with my plans to get a cat,” I said, shaking my head as my stomach flipped. “No other familiar required.”

Logan smiled for the first time since I’d woken in the car. “Misti will be pleased to hear that.” His smile faded quickly. “Are you sure you have the strength for this final item? I can find another necro.”

“It should be tied to me,” I said with a shake of my head. “I’m the initiation of the curse, which will make the counter-curse more effective if I call the energy.”

“Maybe we should wait until the morning?” Mom said, wringing her hands as she watched me. Fuck, I must look terrible, since they all wore expressions like I had one foot in the grave.

“Great idea,” Logan said, on his feet in a single leap. “We can wait until tomorrow.” He hoisted me into his arms before I could protest, heading for the stairs to a chorus of “bye” and “see you in the morning.” This was a case of choosing your battles, and I decided that sleep before calling the dead couldn’t be a bad idea.

Tomorrow it would all be over, one way or another.





Chapter 32




“You ready, Precious?”

Logan’s concerned expression hadn’t left me all morning. Not when I woke up feeling like crap, or when he joined me in the shower—not for fun times, but to ensure I didn’t slip and crack my head—or when he guided me through calling on the essence of the dead.

I now had a magical seal, which resembled a pouch formed by air and water, attached to me and invisible to everyone else. It trailed behind me, tethered to my magic.

It had been the weirdest sensation, dragging a magical essence between the planes. I’d lost control of the first two, but by the third attempt I managed to keep and trap the power in the seal. My icy brush with the dead still filled my center, even as Logan’s heated power wove through mine.

We were now standing in the doorway of Rafael’s headquarters. Businessmen and women bustled around us, without the knowledge that we were about to break a deadly curse. Logan held all the items required for the counter-curse in his own pocket of magic, carrying it because I could barely manage to keep myself upright. I’d avoided mirrors this morning, but the gray pallor of my hands told me all I needed to know.

I was on borrowed time.

We had to end this curse today, or it’d be too late.

Logan didn’t address anyone as we strode inside. There were multiple reception desks between the entrance and the top floor, where Rafael’s office resided. None of the beautiful women behind those desks said a word as Logan marched through the building. The look on his face would deter any but the strongest . . . or most foolish.

Rafael apparently didn’t hire either, so we made it to the impressive double doors without interference. Logan’s power slammed them open, and Rafael, who was seated at his desk, shot to his feet. He didn’t look surprised to see us, since there were undoubtedly multiple security cameras all over this place. Not that a spellcaster needed such means to feel Logan’s rage.

Still, he did look mildly affronted by Logan’s aggression. “Son,” he said softly, shaking his head, “we are not alone here.”

Except for the pretty redhead assistant outside his office, there was no one else to notice us. “Fix your fucking curse now,” Logan snarled.

Rafael finally glanced my way, his lips twisting into a cruel smirk. “She doesn’t look very good, does she? We might be too late already.”

Logan crossed his arms. “Then we all die, and I’ll be reunited with her in the Eternal Lands, while you live forever in Purgatory or Hel, because I’ll never let you cross into any plane that offers you peace.”

Rafael’s face darkened, his cheeks mottled with his anger, but Logan didn’t give a fuck. He dumped the invisible bag on the heavy mahogany desk, releasing his power over it to reveal the items within. “We collected what you require. Now break the curse before it’s too late.”

The doors to Rafael’s office closed suddenly and he waved a hand to lift the items off his desk. I kept the essence of the dead with me for now. He strolled toward a large bookcase along the back wall and pulled out a book. The shelf popped open to reveal a door, and I cursed at this evil villain getting a cool hidden lair. An excellent use of his billions, but entirely unfair when he was an asshole and deserved nothing.

Logan grasped my hand and I leaned on his strength to move forward and follow my spellcaster down a set of metal stairs spiraling into a well-lit room. It was lined in iron, the usual to contain elemental and spellwork. Tables sat in a long row down the middle of the room, with pentacles, candles, and a multitude of other equipment neatly filling the shelves below.