Page 83 of The Cursed Fae

“What? What’s wrong?” Laz squeezed my hands harder to draw my attention. “What happened?”

“Um, he left.” I peered around the cove. “He’s just... gone.”

Laz wasn’t concerned. “He said Ray’s in the caves?”

I nodded. “Does that mean something to you?”

“Yeah. They’re not really underwater, though. You can reach them by swimming through the opening at the base of the cliffs. Or by hiking down, but that’s actually harder. It’s too cold to go in through the water right now, though.”

“Why can’t I summon him if he’s so close?”

“Ray is probably putting up some resistance. I can lend some power if you want to try again. Concentrate on his face. You haven’t been to the caves, so I’ll focus on the location. But you really need to open yourself up for this to work. Got it?”

I exhaled an enormous cloud of white air. “Let’s do it.”

I started chanting first, and Laz joined in. Cold stung my cheeks and made my lips numb. I pushed aside the physical discomfort and thought only of the guy who’d died way too young. He was tall and wiry. Sharp nose. Thin mouth. Brown eyes.

An image of a boy curled in the fetal position invaded my mind’s eye. I chanted louder, focusing harder. Please, Ray. I just want to ask you one question, I begged the ghost silently. He flashed through my brain again. It was impossible to catch and hold on to the vision.

My hands were sweating, and the vibrations started up. This time, I couldn’t maintain the physical connection. Laz’s fingers slipped from mine. The magical bond between us snapped like an overstretched rubber band. My head hit the ground hard. I blinked several times. Laz was laying across from me in the circle not moving. I tried to sit up, but the world was spinning too fast.

Ghosts swarmed the outside of the protection ring, banging on an invisible barrier.

“Hold on, Winter!” I heard a distant voice yell. Garrison elbowed his way to the front of the horde. “Help is coming,” he promised me.

A pleasant warmth settled over me. “I’ll just close my eyes until they get here,” I slurred, like I was drunk.

Garrison dropped to his knees and beckoned another ghost closer. The girl was young, maybe twelve. She knelt beside him and smiled down at me.

“Move your hand out of the circle, Winter,” she coaxed.

I hesitated. Laz had warned me not once but twice to be careful with unknown ghosts. He’d put us in a salt ring specifically to avoid hitchhikers. Now this adorable child wanted me to reach outside that protection.

“I know you’re scared,” the little girl said. “You have to trust me. You need magic.”

My vision clouded.

“Winter! Take my hand. I can help you,” she pleaded.

No fucking way, I thought.

“You need energy, Winter,” Garrison insisted.

He was right. Some part of me realized that was the problem. The spell was too advanced for me, just as everyone said it would be. Magic was leaking out of me as if someone had stabbed me with a supernatural pitchfork and left me to bleed to death. And yet, I refused to open myself up for the possibility of possession. So I did something else stupid that was worth a try. I reached toward the nearest candle, shoving my fingertips through the flame. There wasn’t much energy there, but enough that I felt it enter my body and ease some of the pain.

Then, I passed out.

I came to with Laz shaking my shoulders and shouting for me to wake up. I blinked. Relief swept over his features.

“You’re okay,” I mumbled. I touched my own arms and face and glanced at my hands. There was a red mark on my palm from the candle flame. “I’m fine,” I muttered.

“This is what happens when untrained fae try to do advanced magic,” a cold, female voice snapped.

I peered past Laz to find Tina in a thick coat with a furry hood glaring down at me. It was sort of hard to take her seriously when she looked like a fancy teddy bear.

“It’s my fault,” Laz said quickly. “I thought... This is on me. Do not blame Winter.”

“Whatever.” Tina rolled her eyes. “We’re all going to be in trouble if you two don’t get up.”

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