Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“We can’t do this alone,” I say as I turn toward Salem. “All we did was piss it off. We didn’t hurt it. We need the whole coven this time.”
“Agreed,” Jonas says with a nod. “We need much more magic than what’s in this car, and that’s saying quite a lot, given how talented we all are.”
“We need a plan,” Breena adds.
“There’s no time for any of this.” Lorelei’s mood seems to be bordering on hysterical now. “It has him. We have to find him and get rid of it, and all without killing Xander. My goddess, he’s in agony. Did you see it? Feel it? It’s killing him.”
“No,” I say quietly, thinking about what I just saw. “It’s using him. Yes, it’s hurting him because it’s sadistic and likes the torture, but he’ll use Xander before he kills him.”
“He’s going to use Xander to kill us,” Breena finishes.
“Xander won’t hurt me. Not physically. I mean, he destroyed my heart, but he won’t physically harm me. I know that. He’d do anything to keep us all safe,” Lorelei insists.
“Which is why he was suffering so much in that hellhole,” I reply. “Without us. Because he knew it was dangerous, and he was determined to keep us all safe.”
I don’t stop at my house or any of theirs to drop them off. Instead, I head straight for Astrid and Hilda’s house.
“Call the coven,” I order as we get out of the car and hurry inside. “Call everyone we know and tell them to get over here.”
“Something’s happening,” Hilda says as she opens the door and embraces Breena. “Are you okay, darling?”
“No. No, I’m not okay. And neither is Xander. We have to call the others. Right now. It’s an emergency.”
“We need a broken ties spell,” Poppy says as she paces the courtyard.
“I don’t think burning some twine between two candles is going to do the trick,” I reply to my mom.
“Don’t discount it,” Astrid says, shaking her head. “It can be a very powerful spell, and one that we definitely should have going in the background on this. It’s going to take more than one thing to break Xander loose from the hold this spirit has on him. We need to be in teams, working on different spells and incantations at the same time. We have to hit it from all angles.”
“She’s right.” My father looks up from the grimoire he’s been studying. “Teamwork is the way to get that thing out of Xander so we can save our leader but also kill the demon.”
“Is that what it is? A demon?” I ask him.
“I don’t know what else to call it. I don’t necessarily believe in demons, devils, or even in hell. But whatever it is, it’s pure evil. Pure hate.”
“Wait.” Breena holds up her hand and stands. “How do we defeat hate?” We all look at her as she looks around the room, meeting everyone’s gazes. “With love, of course.”
Hilda smiles at her daughter and takes her hand. “You’re very sweet, darling, but—”
“It’s not about being sweet,” Breena interrupts, clearly annoyed. Her mother’s eyes widen in surprise. “I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day love here with flowers and pretty underwear. I mean love. This thing has so much hate, I think it’s actually hate itself, manifested into energy. That energy has the power to move, and killing fuels the energy. That’s why it always comes around to kill a witch once a year. For the magic and the energy boost. He turns it into more of his own hate.”
“I like where you’re going with this,” Jonas says. “Keep going.”
Breena twists her fingers together as she thinks it over. “It’ll be really pissed off if we throw a whole bunch of love at it. And I’m talking pure, absolute adoration. I know that we all feel that for Xander. He’s our leader. Our friend.” She turns to Lorelei. “And he’s way more than that for you, even if you don’t want to admit it. Even if you won’t be with him forever, what you feel for each other is important.”
Lorelei shakes her head, but Lucy takes her hand. “Lora, if you didn’t love him, you wouldn’t be as freaked out as you are right now about what’s happening to him.”
“I can’t love him.” She lets out a sob and drops her head into her hands. “It destroyed me once, and I lost everything because of it. I moved on.”
“You healed,” Astrid says as she rubs her hand over the back of Lorelei’s head. “But, my darling daughter, you can’t just shut off what is. You and Xander are meant for each other. Your bond is an incredibly strong one, even if you don’t mate for life. Breena’s right. We all love Xander. And it’s going to be our love for him and one another that saves him.”