“Shit, he really did it,” she murmurs, awe filling her voice.
“Yeah, he really fucking did it,” I growl, my leg bouncing with the need for action. “I need you to undo it. You have to heal Gina.”
“When hell freezes over,” she says so loudly that it wakes Connor, his low voice rumbling in the background.
“I hate to break it to you, but it’s cold in hell,” I counter, watching Nolan watch me. His eyes are narrowed into a glare, but he’s quiet—probably because he can hear the muffled sounds of Callie’s voice. “This isn’t for her. This is for Nolan. He’s a little too pretty for prison.”
Nolan mouths, “Fuck you.”
“Orange really isn’t his color,” she mumbles with another yawn.
“Callie, seriously, are you awake?” I question, my voice strained. “I need full spirit witch mode. It’s not just healing. There’s alotto cover up in here.”
“I got that fromTheShiningreference,” she grumbles, followed by the sounds of shifting bedsheets. “After I fix this, no more parties for any of us. Bad shit always happens at parties.”
Not bothering to touch that, I say, “Thank you for doing this. Covering up attempted murder probably wasn’t on your bucket list.”
“I willalwaysprotect the ones I love,” she vows, and it sounds like a threat.
Sexy and scary as fuck.
“Me too,” I agree, knowing she’ll understand what I mean.
With that, I give her all the information she’ll need to find the place and settle in to wait for her.
“You didn’t tell her about me,” Nolan comments, his voice raspy.
After he twists himself onto his side, I take pity on him and help him into a seated position against the wall. “I need her focused on fixing all of this.” I gesture at the room and then frown at my bloody hand. “Besides, it will break her heart when she finds out.”
“I’m dying.” He spits the two words out as if they offend him. “This was my chance to go out on my own terms.”
“You’re sick,” I rebuke, wiping my hand on my jeans again because there isn’t anywhere else in this room that’s clean. “Mildred or Callie will be able to cure you.”
He laughs grimly and nods toward the bedside table. “Check my phone. It has the bitch’s whole confession about every fucking thing she’s done. The curse? She doesn’t fucking remember shit.” He sneers at the whimpering figure on the bed. “She was really emotional at the time.”
“It’s better than nothing,” I counter, walking over and picking up his phone, also splattered with blood. I wipe it down with my black shirt and then stuff it into one of my jacket pockets that has a zipper. “Mildred will know what to do with it.”
“When did you become so trusting of witches?” he questions, his voice filled with that same ugliness like the day in the garage.
“I’m not in the mood to be the tool you punish yourself with.” I sigh, rolling my extremely tight shoulders. “Either shut up, or I will gag you. And no, that wasn’t an invitation.”
Nolan huffs but remains silent.
My gaze shifts to Anastasia, who’s still standing silently in the corner. Her eyes are now wide open and begging me to save her.
“I’m not your salvation,” I growl, crossing my arms over my chest. “If it were up to me, I’d set this entire room on fire and gladly let you burn. Remember that next time you try to fuck with us.”
Nolan flashes one of his unhinged grins.
She closes her eyes and quietly weeps.
Chapter 21
Callie
After hanging up the phone, I let it clatter back down onto the bedside table and groan as I sit up. I sigh and scrub at my face, feeling exhausted after my stupid stunt tonight. Going to the baseball game was a bad idea, but I was too stubborn to be talked out of it. I’ve changed so much in the past six months that I thought I could face one more fear and remove one more chain that holds me trapped in that damn basement. I was very wrong.
Connor slides to my side of the four-poster bed and wraps his muscular arms around my waist. The pearlescent scar on his shoulder practically glows in the moonlight, a constant reminder that my magic can be beautiful but never without cost. Everything in me wants to crawl back under the covers and snuggle into his warmth, and let Gina die in whatever manner Nolan designed. Unfortunately for me, I love him more than I hate her.
