“A good sign,” Kieran said. “The magic could be weakening.”
As we neared the main part of the castle, I became aware of our appearance. We were both covered in dirt and debris. My hair was a tangled mess. And Kieran’s shirt sported a tear from his shoulder to his taut abdomen. Not to mention the dried blood on his palm.
“We look like we’ve been brawling with ghosts,” I said.
Kieran glanced down at himself and let out a snort. “I’ve looked worse after advisory meetings.”
“That’s not reassuring about your political process.”
“Politics.” He rolled his eyes. “Almost as dangerous as blood magic.”
We climbed the spiral staircase to my workshop, our shoulders brushing in the narrow space. Each point of contact sent little sparks dancing across my skin, aftershocks of our magical connection.
When we reached my workshop door, I hesitated. “What if it didn’t work?”
“Then we try something else. We’ll keep trying until you’re safe.”
My chest tightened, and I pushed open the door.
My workshop looked exactly as we’d left it, crystals scattered across the workbench, tools in disarray. But something felt different. The air was lighter, cleaner somehow.
Quandary flew to the corner where we’d found the anchor rune.The blood mark is gone.
I hurried over, kneeling to examine the spot. Where the blood rune had been, only a faint scorch mark remained, as if it had been burned away.
“It worked,” I breathed, relief rushing through me.
Kieran checked the other locations where we’d found smaller runes. “They’re all gone.” He turned to me, a rare smile transforming his face. “You did it.”
“We did it.” I grabbed a clean cloth from my workbench and gently took his injured hand. “Let me see this.”
I cleaned the dried blood from his face and palm. The cut was already healing, vampire magic at work, but it still looked painful.
“Does it hurt?” I asked softly.
“Not much.” His eyes never left my face as I tended to his wound. “It was worth it.”
I reached for a small pot of salve I kept for burns and cuts. “This will help it heal faster.”
As I smoothed the cool balm over his palm, his fingers curled around mine. “Thank you.”
“I should be thanking you.” I closed the pot but didn’t pull my hand away. “You could’ve been seriously hurt.”
“So could you. That was reckless, sharing your magic with me like that.”
“Says the man who cut his own hand to create a magical shield.”
A corner of his mouth quirked up. “We make quite the pair, don’t we?”
Warmth unfurled in my chest at the word pair. Before I could respond, one of the crystals on my workbench began to glow.
“Look.” I pointed with my free hand. “The enchantments are working again.”
One by one, the crystals I’d created earlier lit up with golden light, their magic restored now that the blood runes were destroyed.
Kieran picked up the brightest one, turning it in the light. “Perfect, just like their creator.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Hardly perfect. Just determined.”
