Page 45

"There's one more piece I need you both to hear." Amelia's humor drained from her voice as fast as it had come. She flipped forward two pages and tapped it. "This one will change how tonight ends. Once the ink sets and the binding takes, the cost won't come due gradually. It will all come due at the second the circle closes. And it’ll affect both of you."

Sarah's fingers tightened this time. "How bad are we talking?"

"I don't have an answer, because nobody's done this with a full bond feeding the casting before." Amelia lifted a shoulder and sucked in a slow breath. "But every twinned working I've found splits close to even between the two people casting it. Expect the drain to hit you both at the same time. Neither one of you is walking away steadily. Your power will also be drained."

The library door swung open before anyone could say more. Izzy was shouldering through with a rolled bundle of parchment tucked under one arm. Donovan was a half-step behind her. Sarah noted the tight set of his shoulders had vanished. He must have gotten enough rest to heal the lingering pain from his injured ribs. Thank the gods their warriors were back to 100%.

"Camael sent us to find out what she needs to do and how we can support her. Apparently, 'permanent binding' isn't enough detail for him to finalize the orders." Izzy dropped the parchment onto the table hard enough to rattle a stack of loose notes, her braid swinging with the motion. "So. What do we need to know?"

"The short version," Sarah began as she scrubbed a hand down her face, "is that Abraxos has to stand in a spot unshielded the whole time I'm drawing a circle around him. When it closes, we both go down at once. We need people left standing to watch our backs. I’m not sure if that’s all or if there’s an uglier part."

"There is more. And it’s not pretty." Amelia flipped back a page, one finger dragging under a line of Enochian Sarah hadn’t seen yet. "You need to speak the binding while you draw the circle. There are seven lines, and they must be chanted in order. Stumble on the words, and the ink stops taking the shape it needs to."

"I need to learn how to pronounce Enochian before tonight?" Sarah's laugh came out flat. It was more hysterical than humorous.

"That’s not all. You should've paid better attention to your Nana's lessons," Amelia teased. "There's prep before you ever touch the stylus, too. You need to create a draught of grave dirt, wormwood, and three drops of your own blood. You have to drink that an hour before moonrise. It's what convinces the circle you're the one with the power to draw it and not just some witch holding a stylus."

"How bad does it taste?" Izzy asked, already grimacing as if she knew.

Amelia cocked her head and regarded the princess. "I have no idea, but given the ingredients, I imagine it's like death." She lowered her gaze and turned the page. "You'll need a raw, uncut moonstone, too. It needs to be set at the north point before you start drawing. It's your clock. Skip it, and the ritual can drift without you knowing until it's too late to fix."

"And the Tellstone?" Sarah asked as her head tilted back. She could feel the relic through two floors of the house because she was connected to it.

"The Tellstone's what ties you to the fault. The moonstone binds you to the hour and draws power from the ley lines to keep fueling the prison you create. The draught is needed to get you through the door in the first place." Amelia shut the journal and sighed. "Each piece of this is vital. Miss one and it won't hold worth a damn."

Donovan pointed to Abraxos. "That changes where we need warriors positioned," he said. "That’s the easy part. It’s the prep until we leave that we need to consider. Sarah can’t do everything and learn the Enochian as well.”

Abraxos was nodding in agreement before the young warrior finished speaking. “Can we have the Rowan sisters brew the draught while I help her with the chant? And maybe they can set the moonstone before we ever hit the alley.”

“They can also cast a wall around both of you before you finish,” Donovan added. “You’ll need protection if neither one of you is able to defend yourself."

“I’ve already messaged them,” Amelia admitted. “I knew we’d need magical backup, and the high priestesses are the best suited for the job.”

"We need to work out the positions." Izzy unrolled a fresh sketch with new marks scattered across the alley, and her cramped handwriting crowding the margins.

Sarah looked over the diagram, something in her chest loosening at the sight of it. Every position was clearly marked. Despite what Izzy said about needing to rework things, every angle was already covered. "I’m not a warrior, but I don't see what you need to move around."

"We've been fighting Lucifer and his demons a lot longer than you two have been mated, sweetheart." Izzy's grin came back. It was wide and eager, despite the exhaustion etched across her face. "Somebody always ends up standing in the worst spot at the worst time. That’s what the changes should avoid, instead of hoping it doesn’t happen this time."

Elsie filled the doorway as her daughter was talking. She had on her battle leathers. They looked as if they'd outlived a few wars. Hopefully, that meant they were her lucky ones. She had a stack of folded fabric over one arm, unrelated to weapons or wards. Zander came in behind her, his sapphire eyes tagging who was where.

"You'll want to hear this before positions get decided." Elsie set the fabric down at the edge of the table, careful of the open journal. "I had another dream of the alley and the fountain. This time I saw the end of the fight."

The room went quiet, and all eyes moved to the vampire queen. "What did you see?" Sarah held her breath, hoping they all came out of this in one piece.

"You're standing alone in the center when the rift closes. You aren't near Abraxos." Elsie's eyes moved to him. "You have both hands up, and the alley turns a blinding white for one second before everything goes quiet. The next thing I see is Abraxos on his knees beside Sarah when the light clears. You're not hurt, and you’re holding her up."

"That could fit nicely in the ritual Amelia just laid out." Sarah's grip on his hand tightened. "We need Jace waiting inside the perimeter when I do this. Just in case one of us needs healing to finish things. If he’s waiting on the perimeter for a signal, things could go sideways."

"We'd already talked about that. He’s prepared to be as close as the ritual allows," Zander admitted.

“The Rowan sisters are in the kitchen, working on the potion Amelia sent them,” Micah announced as he wandered into the room.

“I didn't know they were coming,” Donovan said, smiling. “I’m going to go say hi. I’ll meet you in the war room.”

Zander inclined his head and focused on the table again. "Jace will go in with Izzy’s team. He’ll be close enough to reach you both. You willna need to signal him. He’s going to be monitoring you two."

"One thing worth keeping in mind," Amelia said as she stood up. "The fault won't just close when the binding takes. It’ll scar over. There will be a few minutes of lag time before the spell hardens. Once it does, whatever's been feeding Lucifer through that tear will be cut off the second the seal locks in place."