Ramona sat up too fast and the room spun. She grabbed the edge of the mattress, waited for it to steady.
Her magic responded immediately to her distress.
The lamp on the nightstand flickered. The curtains rippled despite the closed window. Small objects on the dresser vibrated.
She took a breath, trying to calm down.
The fox appeared from somewhere — under the bed maybe. He jumped up, lying down across Ramona’s lap. Heavy and warm and real. She placed a hand on his soft head, petting between his twitching, alert ears.
The magic settled instantly. Settled, like it was listening to her, responding to her will instead of fighting it.
It felt strange. Clean and easy, like it had never been broken at all. In a way, she supposed it hadn’t been. She had never been broken, not really. Now that the curse was gone, her magic could stretch its wings, fledge into possibility.
The curse was gone, she reminded herself, blinking at the too-bright light coming in through the window. Her shoulders hunched. The curse was gone, and Zara with it.
Ramona pressed the heel of her hand to her chest, like she could physically hold the grief in. Keep it from spilling out.
Zara’s last moments replayed in her head. That panicked look, the way her dark-tipped fingers dug into the earth, desperate and frightened. It hadn’t been a peaceful goodbye. Zara had been ripped out of this realm right before Ramona’s eyes, and now she couldn’t stop picturing that constantly cool and collected woman looking small and scared in the end.
Her chest ached, and she pressed her hand harder against her bones.
A knock on the door startled her, leaving one moment before the door opened. Felix stuck his head in. Gerald rode his shoulder, his eyes sharp and beady like he was looking for his next victim to bite. Ah, back to normal. He was alert, cooing as he looked around the room. Not at all like he’d been lying unconscious with a broken wing when she last saw him.
“You’re awake,” Felix said. His voice was careful. Gentle. “How do you feel?”
“Like shit,” Ramona said honestly.
“Yeah.” Felix came in, sitting on the edge of the bed. Gerald cooed softly. “That tracks.”
The fox lifted his head, sniffing at Gerald. They touched noses, and the fox rested his head back down on Ramona’s lap.
“He hasn’t left your side,” Felix said. “Apparently he can teleport? Or walk through walls. Both? We’re not really sure. He was just suddenly here when Eleanor brought you back.”
“Back from where?”
“The convergence point. You passed out after—” Felix stopped, clearing his throat. “After the ritual. Eleanor brought you here. Said you’d be safer at the manor with wards and protections. We all came with you. Wouldn’t let her separate us.”
Ramona stroked the fox’s fur. He rumbled with a sound that was not quite a purr, but close.
“How long was I out?”
“Only about eight hours. It’s almost noon.” Felix paused. “Eleanor said magical exhaustion plus curse-breaking plus tether severance was a lot for your system. You needed rest.”
Eight hours.
Zara had been gone for only eight hours. Was she back in Hell already? Had she been recalled to the same position the instant the tether broke, pulled across planes in seconds? Or was there a process? A reintegration period?
Ramona didn’t know. Had never thought to ask.
“Come downstairs,” Felix said gently. “Everyone’s worried. And Cammie made coffee. The good kind. She didn’t let Kashvi help.”
Ramona nodded. She let Felix help her up. Her legs felt shaky, but they held under her.
She followed him down the familiar stairs, the fox at her heels, to the sitting room.
Everyone was there.
Kashvi was on the couch with her laptop. Posey was by the window with a smoothie, staring out at the garden. She looked pale. Drained. But, strangely, she also looked okay. Alive. Cammie was on the other couch, fidgeting with her phone.
