Charging steadfast into the unknown, I run toward the creature, silently hoping I’m not running toward some wicked ambush. I don’t have time to fight witches or rogues. I barely have time to perform a locater spell with Will before the sun rises.
By the time I reach the base of a thick pine tree and circle it twice, I realize no one is there. Save for mine, there are no footprints in the snow either. Did I imagine what I saw? Am I so desperate to find Will that I’m now hallucinating help?
I scratch at my scalp, considering my options. Groaning, I begin walking farther into the woods. I’m venturing closer to town and farther from the manor, and I still have no clue where I’m going or what I’ll do when the sun rises. Lost in my thoughts, I don’t notice the onlooker.
“Couldn’t stay away, could you?” someone says.
Heart pounding, I spin to see Will. He leans against a tree, smiling. Relief washes over me, and I waste no time.
“You said you would help me find Liv,” I say as I close the distance between us.
He nods. “I did.”
His jacket is caked in white, and his hair is damp. I wonder if he waited for me to return to him. Perhaps he knows me better than I even know myself. He must have assumed my curiosity would get the best of me, because he didn’t leave when I chose the others over him.
“Does that offer still stand?” I ask.
“It does.” He runs a hand through his hair, and it snags in his locks. He brushes strands from his eyes as he watches me closely.
“No strings attached?” I confirm.
He chuckles and throws his arms up in defeat. “I just want to help. That’s all. I’m expecting nothing in return.”
Satisfied with his answer, I say, “Then tell me what I need to do.”
We sit cross-legged in the snow. With my hand, I draw a half circle, connecting the two ends to the opposite side Will has drawn. Together, we sit inside of a fully formed circle—our own version of a perfect ritual space.
Of course, we’re missing key items, like candles or relics to represent the elements. We aren’t surrounded by a coven of witches, and we don’t have a grimoire that harnesses the ancient spells. If we want to find Liv, we must do this by memory, trust, and faith alone.
Even without these things, the familiar pull of magic is already tugging within me. Will’s eyes burn brightly as he stares at me, smiling, and I wonder if he misses this. How long has it been since he performed a ritual? How long has he been alone?
I scan our surroundings. This ritual will leave us both vulnerable, but thankfully, the woods are barren. The cold and snow have kept away most animals, and it’s too late in the night for passersby. I fear the witches will return, but I pray their earlier loss will force them indoors until the morning.
I think about the last time I completed a locater spell. It’s been years. I’m not sure I remember the incantation. If we turned to the coven for help, they would be surrounding us now. They would be chanting in Latin and casting a spell to strengthen our power. Their arms would be cast out beside them, their heads tilted back so they stare at the moon. There would be candles to represent the elements, and they would be harnessing the power of the night.
Will and I have none of these things now. We have no coven to turn to, no spells to rely on. The strength that will save Liv must come from within us. If we—two hybrids—haven’t the magic to locate her, no one does. Even so, I can’t help but wonder if we’re fools for trying such a complicated spell without assistance. What if things go awry? Can I trust Will to bring me back from the edge?
“Are you ready?” Will asks.
His crimson gaze is piercing, and I feel my pulse rising. Practicing magic with someone is an intimate experience. I’m not sure I’m ready to rely on Will, a stranger, in such ways.
“I’m not sure what to do,” I admit.
“We’re going to link and share our power. With my strength and your connection to the witch, I think we can locate her as long as she hasn’t gone too far from Darkhaven.”
I swallow hard. “And how do we…link?”
“It’s a form of bloodletting,” Will says. “Our magic courses through our veins. This is why vampire blood can heal a mortal.”
Understanding what’s expected of me, I nod, but my nerves never settle. I want to find Liv, but I’m not sure I want to expose myself to Will in this way. Bloodletting is a tricky practice, and it’ll be even harder as a half-vampire hybrid. It will take a great deal of magic and strength to do this successfully.
Will smiles, calming my inner turmoil. “Don’t worry. I’ll do most of the work. You just follow my lead.”
I nod and watch as he bites into his wrist, fangs tearing through flesh. My stomach churns as the smell of his blood coats the air. It’s thick and nauseating but strangely seductive. I lick my lips, staring at his wound. Blood seeps down his arm, staining the white snow between us in crimson.
“Ava,” Will says, breaking my concentration. He ushers me to do the same.
I freeze and think about how Amicia made me commit a far too similar act. Her blood oath ritual ripped away my freedom. No longer able to act on my own, I succumbed to her will and made promises I wasn’t prepared to make.
I know Will has no intention of controlling me, but still, the initial fear remains. Bloodletting makes no promises, and though it’s a vulnerable practice, it’s not the same as a blood oath. If this is the only way to find Liv without asking the witches for help, then I need to let down my guard, walk to the edge, and leap. I must trust Will, or our locater spell will never find her.
I exhale slowly, loudly, but it’s unsuccessful at easing my nerves. I bring my wrist to my lips, hesitating ever so slightly. My throat tightens, but I don’t stop. The moment my fangs pierce my skin, I taste my own blood. It’s sweet and thick and fills my mouth. I slurp it down before pulling away from my wound.
Eyes wide, I stare at my bloody wrist. I tore into my own flesh with every intention of saving the life of someone who wants nothing to do with me. How has it come to this? Why do I keep feeling this innate desire to help the witches, to protect my blood relatives? Amicia was right; being so close to Darkhaven clouds my judgment. Maybe distance is all I need to see things clearly. When this is over, I might really leave with Will and never look back.
“Quickly. Before our magic can heal us,” Will says as he slaps his wound to mine.
Wrist to wrist, I grab on to his arm. He does the same. Where our bodies connect, his blood enters my wound, coursing through my veins. Streams of crimson swirling together, I can’t sense where his essence ends and mine begins.
Closing my eyes, I sway back and forth, relishing in the feeling of Will’s power. It seeps into me, filling my body with raw, pure, untapped energy.
Will is strong—too strong. His strength is similar to Amicia’s power, and the thought makes me shudder. Underneath Will’s friendly gaze, a dangerous, powerful predator lurks. It reminds me of the foreign presence I acknowledge within my own soul. Something about being a hybrid makes me feel like the magic inside me isn’t truly mine, like it knows it’s unnatural and shouldn’t exist and it has intentions of its own.
The air tingles around us as our blood magic takes control of my mind. It separates me from the physical world, and I welcome its embrace. I no longer feel the cool, brisk air dancing across my skin. The cold snow beneath me vanishes into a pool of warmth. The trees surrounding us are gone. I don’t even feel Will’s gaze or sense the animals that slumber in the woods.