“Okay, but what do they mean by that?” asked Calli. “Maybe they just have to prick their fingers and squeeze a few drops?”
“For a spell powerful enough to protect a town for hundreds of years? I’m worried they’ll need a lot more blood than just a few drops.”
Calli frowned. “Yeah. But still, it doesn’t have to mean all their blood, does it?”
“Depends what the ward is drawing its power from. It might not have been the blood at all, but their witch-locked souls.” He briefly closed his eyes before catching her gaze. “It’s too much of a risk. You know that, right? Nothing is worth your life.”
“Or yours,” she countered. “But I understand what you mean. We shouldn’t have to die to protect the town. There must be another way. Maybe we need to look at other kinds of spells. Forget the guardian one, maybe we create one of our own. Witches invent new spells all the time.”
He threaded his fingers into her hair and cradled her head so he could kiss her. She sighed against his lips, and he was soon drunk on the taste of her. She was a magic all her own.
“I like that idea better,” Malcolm agreed. “But it’s also not that easy. Before I lost touch with my magic, my father would tell me about the difference between innovation and invention. When most witches and warlocks create a new spell, they’re actually building on or modifying old ones in creative ways. Innovation. Inventing a truly new spell is a lot harder, and takes a lot longer.”
“Then we’ll innovate the hell out of it,” said Calli.
“It’s a place to start,” he agreed.
“Good. Let’s tell Sage and Jasper and we’ll start on some research tomorrow.” She slid off his lap and stood. “But we’ve done enough for now. Tonight I just want to get you home.”
“And into your bed?” he added with a grin as he stood up with her.
“Aren’t you being presumptuous?” Calli teased. “Maybe I have something to take care of in the gardens?”
“I’m pretty sure the only thing left to harvest there were your pumpkins, and I took care of them when I arrived.”
She laughed as he caught her by the waist and kissed her soundly. How easy it was to lose herself in this man’s kiss, the way he held her. There was a magic to falling in love and Calli was addicted to it now. He moved his mouth down to nuzzle her throat. “There’s still so much I want to teach you, little hedge witch.”
“Teach me? I thought I was giving you magic lessons.”
“I’m not talking about those kind of lessons.”
She hummed in excitement as she kissed him back. “Oh really? Then I can’t wait to be the teacher’s pet.”
Sarah stared at her husband, concerned. Reginald sat in his chair by the fireplace, his breathing shallow, his eyes gaunt. He was still pale, even after a good night’s sleep. Onyx lay listless by the fire, the cat’s eyes glassy. He had been reading a book, but hadn’t turned any pages in the last half-hour. She didn’t have to be a witch to know something wasn’t right.
“Reggie?” It took him a little longer than she liked for him to react.
He turned his face toward her. “Yes?”
“You would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”
A flash of something crossed Reginald’s face. “Sarah…” She recognized what she saw in his eyes. Regret and remorse.
Oh God, what had he done?
“Please Reggie. You promised me honesty.” Her chest clenched with a wave of anxiety. “You swore that there would always be honesty between us, even when you couldn’t tell me everything.” She put her hands on the back of the couch, watching him from across their living room. “If this is one of those things from the witching world I’m not allowed to know, tell me what you can. And if it’s not, tell me everything.”
“It’s—it’s all my fault.” Reginald slowly stood. Her once tall, strong husband seemed so frail now, so fragile. He wavered, then collapsed forward onto the ground.
“Reggie!” Sarah screamed. Fear like she’d never known her life punched her in the gut, knocking the wind from her, yet she didn’t hesitate to act. She rushed to his side, kneeling by him on the carpet and turning him over into the recovery position.
“Call Serafina,” he rasped. “She’ll know…what to do.”
“Serafina Batsford?” Sarah swallowed hard as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She’d only met the woman from the Council a few times, but that had to be who Reggie meant.
She searched through her contacts to find the woman’s name. She hit the call button and put it on speaker. It rang so long that Sarah feared it would go to voicemail, but finally someone answered.
“Hello? Blast… How does this damn thing work again? Curtis, help me here. Hello?”
