AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If you’re the one going, I think your blood needs to be—”
“I know.” I flip the blade out of my ring. I make the cut in my wrist for more control of where the blood lands, then follow Wes, allowing it to drip from my fingers to the protective circle, then head for the candles in the middle once the circle is complete. Beth fishes in Daniel’s bag for some matches, but I tighten my fist around the blood already pooled inside, eyes leveled on the wicks, and they alight at once.
“You should save your strength,” says Wes.
I roll my eyes and let my blood fall onto the flames. “I fake die once and you all think I’m helpless.”
“Not funny!” calls Daniel.
“Do you have some kind of vial?” I ask Beth.
“Let me check.” She digs around in the bag before pulling out a container no longer than her finger with a stopper in it. “Will this work?”
“Perfect.” I take the vial from her and squeeze my fist until a single drop of blood falls inside.
Wes’s gulp is audible. “You need ours too, don’t you?”
“Just a drop.” I extend the container toward him in one hand, the blade from my ring in the order. He pricks his finger and lets his blood join mine. One by one, the rest follow suit, and I stopper the vial as I find my spot in the circle beside Adrienne. She eyes the blood as I tuck the container into my bra, probably putting the pieces together.
A spell like this doesn’t need their blood, not if they don’t have blood magic. But it’s the best safety net I could come up with. A way to anchor myself to all of them if need be.
“Ready to get started?” Beth asks.
“If you’re not back in an hour,” says Monroe on my other side, “I will yank you back myself.”
Energy buzzes between our palms as we join hands, and I give her fingers a squeeze. “I’m counting on it.”
* * *
Apparently,I’ve been through the shadow world a hundred times. So really, there’s nothing to worry about.
Granted, passing through it for a fraction of a second while teleporting is pretty different from trying to keep a foothold for an hour, but teleporting was an impossible, terrifying construct before I tried it for the first time too.
I feel it the moment the spell starts. The chanting around me fades and numbness creeps into my extremities. The color leeches from our surroundings, draining into the ground like water. The air gets thicker like it’s filling with smoke, and the outlines of my friends turn blurry, their edges blending in with the haze around them. I take a step forward, and my foot makes no sound against the grass.
Then I turn, taking one last look at my body.
She’s standing in her place in the circle, her hands holding Monroe’s and Adrienne’s. Her eyes are closed, though her mouth is no longer moving along to the incantations. I step out of the circle, my shadow-body passing through her as if she isn’t there at all. I pat my chest, making sure the vial of blood is there, then flip the blade out of my ring.
There’s no time to waste.
My blood looks black here, dripping down my wrist like ink. Instead of my magic heating my skin, a chill washes over me. The teleportation actually feels easier here with one fewer barrier to cross.
I don’t risk teleporting all the way to the Carrington estate. Not without knowing if I’ll be able to get past the boundary first. I don’t know where the line is. From the sounds of that meeting, the boundary is not just around the estate, but the entire region. I play it safe by taking myself to the border.
A million memories resurface as I find myself at the checkpoint on the other side of the bridge, the same one Reid and I took after we left the wolf camp.
I had no idea what to expect coming back here, if it would be as deserted as last time, if it would be full of Wescott’s people, if there would be death and blood and destruction.
And still, I can’t tell because the boundary cuts through the space, reaching up as far as my eyes can see in a solid black wall. I don’t know if that’s what it looks like normally or if it’s because I’m in the shadow world. The edges are misty, like black smoke drifting off.
I can feel the power emanating from it. It chills me to the bone. I don’t know who created this boundary, who was powerful enough, what kind of magic they used, but it feels dark. Wrong.
I hesitate inches from the wall. Everyone had been so concerned about me getting stuck in the shadow world, but maybe we should have been more worried aboutthis.
I hadn’t really given a second thought to the boundary other than whether or not I’d be able to cross it, but what if it doesn’t just stop me from moving forward?
What if somethingelsehappens if I try?
