“A fabulous spirit bird.”
Ori shook her head. “I don’t know what that is. Like a stylized bird of paradise, maybe? Oh, here it is, Huma or Homa.”
“Huma, as I said. The stones were a mix of red, white, brown…?”
“Got it. This will be expensive and takes a bunch of places off the list to look. Definitely Viv,” Ori said, picking up her phone and huffing annoyance. “I really need cell or Wi-Fi. Why can’t we be in here with the ward down?”
“Because the house isn’t safe.”
“I don’t get it. Didn’t it used to be?”
I tucked underwear between the shirt and skirt. “The new demons are different. They can get into the house.”
Ori’s eyes went wide, and her pink glossy lips pursed. “That’s not good.” She glanced at the wall where the door should be.
“Don’t worry. We’re safe in here because the room has extra wards containing it.”
“That’s a relief.Sheesh. But how are you going to fix the house, then?”
“Excellent question,” I said, turning back to Ranth. If what he said was true, then all I had to do was reset the house wards the same way the bedroom ward was crafted, but Mom had done all the heavy work. I’d have to figure out how to do it, and I didn’t really know where to start. His gaze raked from my bare toes to my exposed arms, sending a wave of heat down my belly. I grabbed a baggy overshirt while Ori photo’d the sketches.
She tucked her phone in her pocket. “Okay. I think I’ve got all I need. I should get going, but I’ll hit the library after my meeting.”
I nodded. “I’m gonna take a shower, then I have an intention oil to craft.”
“You sure you’re going to be okay?” Ori asked, glancing at Ranth.
“All good. I’ve got this. Let’s go.” I walked to the door and moved my hand over the ward bar. Sleek fingers slid around my wrist. Warmth crawled over my skin as amber, sandalwood, and smoky tea clouded around me.
“Don’t. Not yet. If you leave, you’ll be exposed…” Ranth’s voice was whispery and melting into me.
I let go of the ward bar and shook off his hand. “I’m entirely aware of that. Were you even here? We just talked about it.” I was almost panting. I hated the effect he had on me because it was a drug I couldn’t control.
“We will need to make sure the house is safe from the Essifers,” Ranth said, rubbing his jaw.
“We?” The idea—one, I wasn’t the only one who could make things happen magically, and two, the enormity of what we were facing—spiraled me.
Stuck between screaming and crying, I grabbed the pile of clothes I’d assembled, then dashed into the bathroom. I slammed the door behind me and locked it. The darkness of Brenda’s almost-death, my strange attraction to Ranth, the bizarre encounter with Harold, and now the split curse, whipped around me like a tornado. I had no clue where to start to fix the wards, but Ranth obviously did. Trusting him meant not only putting my life in his hands but everyone else’s. I was supposed to be the strong one, the one in charge. The one to protect people. I wasn’t a trained witch who had advisors to go to. I was self-taught. There was no way I could know what he knew.
I stood up and leaned over the sink. The mirror reflected the hours of stress in smudged eyeliner and limp hair. I stared into my eyes, envisioning who I wanted to be. I was powerful. I was strong. I was focused—but none of that mattered if I wasn’t trained. Ranth had something I couldn’t get. An understandingof what I was, what we were… I smothered a scream, gripping the sink like I could pull it off the wall. I wanted what he had. I wanted to know what he knew, but with the demons hunting us, the clock was ticking. I turned the shower on. Getting the pink goo off me would make things marginally better, but the water flow would help re-center me. I had to get over myself. This was on me. If I screwed things up, people I loved could die.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
My skin glowed with lilac oil, and I had a towel wrapped around me when a knock at the door brought me back to the moment.
Ranth was in the other room.
I unlocked the door but stiffened as it cracked open, ready to face Ranth. But it was Ori who stuck her head in.
“You okay?” She came in and shut the door behind her, like the bestie she was.
“It’s you. I’m glad it’s you. Didn’t you have to go somewhere?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I can still make it. What’s up?”
I crossed my arms. “Every time we make progress, Ranth has the upper edge because he knows what he’s doing.” I nodded at the wall between us and the bedroom.
“And you have a problem with that? Because?” Ori put her hand on her hip, signaling I was in dangerous lecture territory.
