“I’m so sorry,” I whispered to her.
But there was precious little time for guilt. Mama coyote was nosing the ground where I’d smashed her babies, and another group of coyotes emerged from behind the sugar pines—three adult males, big and ferocious.
“Ash?”
No response. His eyes were half shut, sweat beading across his forehead. His skin was so pale he looked blue.
Fuck.Fuck!
“What the hell do I do?” I shouted.
As if it heard my call, the book heated up in my hands, suddenly pulsing with a soft, blue-green light. I let the book fall open in my hands, and it flipped to a page near the beginning.
An unraveling spell.
It was one of the first Calla had taught me, mostly used in potion-making for fixing simple mistakes like using the wrong ingredient or going a bit overboard with the hemlock.
Not exactly the same situation here, but I had to try.
The bookwantedme to try.
I quickly memorized the verse, then closed my eyes, reciting it out loud as I walked backward in a counter-clockwise circle:
“Backward I step, like time rewound
Unravel the ties I’ve thusly bound
Unmake my mistakes one by one
And what I’ve made wrong is now undone.”
As I spoke the words, I visualized the animals backtracking into the woods where they’d lain before my magic had disturbed them. I imagined each one lying down on the sacred earth, resuming the long process of decay until they were once again at rest.
I repeated the verse three times, completing a backward circle for each recitation, directing all of my focus and will into the desired outcome.
Into unraveling this horrible mistake.
“It’s… working…” Asher whispered, barely conscious.
I opened my eyes. A spark of excitement zinged through my body when I realized he was right. The animals were retreating.
When the last of the skeleton mice had finally left us, I dropped to my knees and checked Asher’s injuries. His sweatpants were drenched with blood, his leg trembling.
I wasn’t sure how much time he had, but there was no way I could get him back to the house or go for help.
Sweeping the chestnut fall of hair from his eyes, I leaned over him and offered a gentle grin. “Guess I have to make an exception on that one-time deal, huh?”
Without another word, I lowered my head, pressing my lips to his.
Unlike the night in the devil’s trap, he didn’t pull away this time. His lips parted, and I deepened our kiss.
My hair fell into his face, and he moaned softly, sliding his hands into my curls and cupping the back of my head.
His tongue swept across mine, and despite the dire situation, a groan of pleasure escaped my mouth.
Despite his depleted state, the electric heat of his kiss fluttered all the way down to my toes.
Pulling back just for an instant, he met my eyes and whispered, “Are you okay?”
