I knew, on some level, he would think it would explain his point of view, but unless my mom fell onto one of his icicles accidentally, he was a fucking murderer, and I wouldneverforgive him.
I shoved the baggie under my pillow in anger and stood.
There was no time to sort through my emotions and find understanding. I needed those crystals back now.
Chapter 3
“Morning,” Mara called out from behind her desk. Her red hair was braided over one shoulder, and she looked refreshed after a good night’s sleep. My gaze fell to her cuffs.
“Shit! I forgot to ask Indra about the cuffs again.” I was really fucking up this temp Queen thing.
Mara waved me off. “Don’t worry about it. Like I said, I was told the spell can’t be broken while I’m still living, and a few more days won’t hurt.”
I just couldn’t believe that. “Well, when things settle, I’ll find out for sure.”
She nodded, but her eyes were blank like she didn’t believe I’d find any answers.
Jasper, Trissa, and Elle filed in behind me. I decided to leave the others until I actually found something. I had a plan. It went outside my comfort zone, but it was a solid plan.
“Where to, love?” Mara started to tinker with the dials on her desk.
“Anywhere,” I stated.
She raised an eyebrow. “Okay… How about Colorado? I think that was next in our sweep.”
I sank into the seat and clipped into the wire harness. “Sure.”
Didn’t matter for my plan. Anywhere would work.
We traveled to Colorado, and I stepped out into a beautifully treed garden.
“I would love a real estate portfolio like this,” Jasper observed.
I looked up at my small group of friends and pulled out my knife, pricking the tip of my finger.
“Lily!” Elle gasped.
Blood magic.
It was the only way to do this. I’d seen Liam do it before, and I was sick of playing by the rules. We needed those crystals back now.
“I have to,” was all I said.
The red droplet welled on my fingertip, and Jasper laid his greedy gaze upon it. “I could reverse a woman’s age back fifty years with that single drop.”
Trissa pulled her sword and glared at him.
The warlock rolled his eyes. “I’m just saying.” He put up his hands in defense.
“Lily, are you sure you want to do this?” Trissa asked me.
Blood magic was dark. My mother always warned against it, but then she used it for her journal. That told me that in desperate times, it was okay to use.
I nodded.
Letting the drop fall to the earth, I sucked in a breath. “Show me where the crystals are.”
Then, I plunged my finger into the dirt, and my mind was suddenly squeezed like a vise. Pressure built on my brain, and I hissed. A strong gust of wind slammed into my back and nearly knocked me over.
