Page 124 of Magical Academy for Delinquents

I squeezed his hand back as my eyes returned to Z.

Even if the serum wasn’t there. Even if the serum didn’t work … I’d tried.

And the journey had brought me back to Evan, had brought me to my crew.

In a way, this quest had given me all the ethereal things people search for all their lives.

A purpose.

People to share it with.

Zavier reached into the drawer and pulled out a vial that was slightly longer than his hand. It glowed with yellow-green light. Zavier stared at it, then into the drawer, then back at the vial. He used his elbow to push the drawer shut.

His every movement felt like pinpricks. Every step made my heart jump forward. I wanted nothing more than to run forward and put my palms underneath his to make sure he couldn’t drop that vial.

Z walked back toward us, staring at the vial in his hand. “Mushroom, olive, pineapple, orange juice, soda crackers, lemon-lime,” he chanted as he walked through the vault door. The door swung shut behind him, closing with an ominous clank. The dial spun on its own and golden magic fell from the ceiling, renewing the protective spell on the door.

I ran toward Zavier and grabbed the vial, which felt so inconsequential in my hands. Too small. Too delicate.

I stared at it, chest heaving. It felt like I’d just run a marathon and swallowed fourteen doves. My heart felt heavy and light—I was falling and flying—and there was a cooing noise coming from somewhere. As I cradled the vial, I realized it was coming from me. I was cooing at the vial, like it was my baby.

It was.

It was my baby, my prize, my Golden Fleece, my everything.

I turned to the guys with shining eyes. I made blurry eye contact with each and every member of my crew.

Gray leaned against a wall, still exhausted and recovering. Andros stood straight and so fucking tall, his arms crossed, looking as gruff and intimidating as the first time I met him. Malcolm wore a small smile, which was actually huge for him. Evan was openly crying. And Zavier was bouncing around the room, giving out high-fives and backslaps.

“Thank you,” I said, shakily, as I swiped at my eyes. I didn’t have words. They weren’t enough. That was all I could say.

But each one of them nodded, as if they understood.

We’d done it.

We had the serum.

Disbelief left my head in a fog as I carefully retrieved a padded pouch from inside my fire-retardant suit. I placed the vial inside. “Time to blow this popsicle stand,” I said, with a teary grin.

But cold prickled along my back.

Ice formed along my neck like a collar.

“Don’t thank them just yet.”

Claude’s voice set me reeling. I turned to face my father’s killer, who appeared out of thin air, as though he’d been down here, hidden by a disguise spell, waiting for us. Claude’s smile practically dripped with blood. “Hayley, don’t just stand there. Aren’t you going to greet your daddy?”