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He doesn’t even stir.
I smooth his hair out of his face and slide my fingers down to the pulse point on his neck. There’s no warmth, no thrum, no sign of life.
“What was the point of giving me this magic if it meant you would die?” My voice cracks. “Please, open your eyes.”
When nothing happens, I swallow back a sob.
“Please,” I whisper to the goddess. “Give me a clue.”
The clouds part, letting out rays of morning sun. It bounces on the outer casing of my locket and lights up his chest.
An idea slides into place. What if something went wrong because of the locket? The locket stopped working when Grandma and Aunt Klara removed my magic, but it must have activated at some point during the sex ritual.
With cold, trembling fingers, I unclasp my necklace and place it over the Boogie Man’s heart. Then, I catch sight of the band of leather on my wrist.
My heart skips a beat. That’s Norbert’s bracelet.
I’m no necromancer, but what if I used my new power and the bracelet’s magic to revive the Boogie Man?
Hovering a hand over the necklace, I channel my power into the bracelet and recite a basic revival spell.
Black magic pours from my claws and seeps into his chest. It swirls beneath his skin, forming brand new markings. I push more power into the spell, but he doesn’t so much as twitch.
My shoulders sag, and my vision clouds with tears.
“You were supposed to be immortal,” I say through ragged breaths. “We were supposed to have a future.”
I continue transferring magic until the dark color leaches from my fingertips, and his chest inflates. Slippery leathery stretches beneath my shins, making me pull back. His wings have returned.
A sharp breath whistles through my teeth.
It’s working.
I wait for him to exhale, but when he doesn’t, I place my hand over his heart.
“There has to be something else,” I murmur. “What am I missing?”
The Boogie Man remains unmoving, making me wonder if I imagined him taking that first breath. As a wagon trundles past beyond the trees, a dog starts to bark.
My mind rolls back to the night before when he explained how he gained his immortality.
“If the Barghest transferred his magic through a bite, could I do the same?”
Running the tip of my tongue along my incisor, I drop my gaze to a faded scar on the Boogie Man’s neck. I’ve got to sink my teeth into his flesh. It’s not like I have anything to lose.
“I’m just trying something,” I murmur in case there’s anything left of him still inside struggling back to consciousness. “But it’s going to hurt.”
With a deep breath, I lean down, plunge my teeth into the side of his neck and wait. Wait for the magic to transfer. Wait for him to awaken with a noisy gasp. Wait for any sign of life.
A flock of birds flies overhead, reminding me of how much time has passed since the enchantment went wrong. My gaze flicks up to the sun, which now hovers over the distant trees.
Nothing can bring a man back from the dead. Not when he’s been unresponsive for so long. Not when he’s cheated death for centuries. Not when I have no idea how to perform necromancy or Unseelie magic.
My heart splinters, and a surge of emotion thickens my throat. Grandma would know what to do or at least know where to find information. The only hope I have left is to visit the library, but I can’t leave the Boogie Man’s side.
I pull my teeth out from his neck and whisper, “Nothing’s working.”
It’s too late to call emergency services. Even if I wasn’t technically a fugitive, two winged creatures would end up banished from the realm or dissected by the Council.
