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“Mom?” I called quietly.
When she didn’t reply, I stepped inside. The room was empty.
Where the hell are they?Did she finally decide to take a tour?The sarcastic thought popped into my head.
I went to my room, put on my shorts and a tank, and headed downstairs. My bare feet didn’t make noise, and it was pretty quiet. Before I reached the fireplace, I heard voices coming from the library. Mom sounded upset, and Finn said something I didn’t catch.
Did she find out about us? Oh God, is she going to kill me?
Timidly moving toward the door, I was preparing a speech about being an adult now and some crap like that when I heard Finn’s voice.
“Clare, it will work.”
“She’s a powerful witch. One spell might not even do that,” Mom said in an angry, tearful whisper. “If it was that easy, it wouldn’t be called a curse.”
“I know.” Finn sighed. “Even with the bracelet around her wrist, she lit the candles today with a single wave of her hand.”
A curse? What curse?I stepped closer to the narrow gap between the flaps of the door.
“I tried every spell from that book.” There was panic in Mom’s voice. “There are spells in other grimoires, but what if they don’t work either? We’re running out of time.” Mom’s voice cracked. “I can’t watch her die.”
Die? I’m gonna die?
“Clare, there’s still tomorrow. We just need to find one that will suck the magic out of her.”
My heartbeat was racing, and my hands were shaking. I barely heard Finn’s next words.
“She’s awake. She’s here, and I didn’t hear her coming.”
The door opened, and with tears blurring my view, I looked at Finn.
“I’m going to die?”
“Oh my God,” I heard Mom’s terrified gasp.
He pulled me into his arms, and pressing me tightly to his chest, he muttered into my ear, “I won’t let that happen. Do you hear me? I’ll never let that happen.”
He led me to the couch and sat me down next to Mom.
“Mom?” I was in shock, and I didn’t even know what to say to her.
She wiped her face, pulled herself together, and said, “He's right. There’s still time, and we will figure this out.”
“Figure out what?” The tears were running down my face, and I was angry with myself for not being able to stop them. “What curse? And how many more secrets are there?” But then I shook my head. “Let’s just start with the curse because apparently in two days, the rest won’t matter. Not to me anyway.”
“We’ll tell you,” said Finn, “but please, I can’t watch both of you give up. You’re witches, and we just need to find the right spell.” He sat down across from me, glanced at Mom, and when she nodded, he spoke. “As I said before, you and I— we aren’t allowed to exist,” he said in a now calm voice. “But that’s not the only problem. The thing is that the half-witch half-wolf women can't survive the transition.”
“Why? Because they’re weak?”
“Not because they’re weak. Because they were cursed. And they were cursed because they’re much stronger.”
“So you’re saying that there were never hybrid women? Not even one who survived the shift?”
“There was one a hundred and twenty years ago. But unfortunately, there are no records of how she managed to survive the curse.”
“Hundred and twenty? Shouldn’t they . . . I mean you . . . our kind . . . live long. Maybe she’s still alive?”
Finn and Mom exchanged a nervous glance.
