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“Hmm. About what I said too…”
“What? Are you going to tell me that you didn’t mean it?”
“No. I meant it. That you’re here for the task and that’s it, but I will make sure your time with me is fair and just. I’m not going to let our siblings’ past affect it.”
I didn’t mean it. But I want to protect you.
There was a heavy pause, stifling the air. Her shoulders straightened.
“Okay.”
She looked the same and sounded the same. But it felt like things had shifted and he still hadn’t caught up.
“Are we good?” he asked.
His mind screamedno,but Pearl nodded.
“Sure. Now that you’re here, let’s finish it.”
“Finish?”
“Forget talking to spirits. I talked to a few more in the graveyard and it just led to a lot of useless conversation. Interesting, but useless.”
Just like that, she had put on her mask of professionalism and prompted him to do the same. Then her statement clicked and he bristled.
“You went alone?”
“With Ruby and Mad. They would never let me go alone.”
“Good.”
Her brows furrowed at his response, but she shrugged it off again. “Anyway, we’re off to the next portion.”
“Which is?”
“A potion hex. To hurt the shadow for good and eventually trap it. We don’t need to track it down anymore.”
“Okay,” he said slowly, thinking of the hexes he knew and certain that her potion hex was of a different level. “Tell me what I need to do.”
Pearl smirked. “I’ll just show you.”
They were back on his property in no time, where he gave Martin a fright when they entered the front door together and marched toward the throne room. But the butler left them alone as she went to the center once more, set up her materials, and got to her chanting. His bubble was up without her asking for it, protecting her from the red hue. She didn’t protest, her chanting getting louder until her energy blossomed out and filled his nostrils with its magnificent familiarity. Bit by bit, rune lines formed on the ground and spread out. But they stopped and stilled for long gaps and her fingers visibly trembled.
Henry waited her out, not saying anything. Finally, she reluctantly glanced in his direction.
“Henry?”
“Hmm?”
“A little help, please?”
Her voice was just on the verge of chilly. He bit back a smile and knelt beside her. “I’m here.”
White-gray eyes flicked to him at his choice of words before she looked away and jerked her chin. “Your energy, please. Join mine.”
He continued watching her, then examined the center of her magic. Cautiously, he lowered his palms on top of hers, bridging the gap between her magic strands. The stilling motion restarted and the rune lines spread wider until it was encompassing the walls and the ceilings.
Sparks flew from her fingers, transferring to his, and vice versa. It tingled in his bones and curled his toes at some point, his body responding in a way that wasn’t professional at all. That it was beyond the physical stunned him, but what was even more astonishing was how Pearl was having a hard time keeping it professional too. Her trembling intensified for a different reason and her breathing became harsh. When her elbow brushed his, he watched her bite her lip and forcibly restrict a sound from coming out—and just like that, his imagination ran wild.
