Page 99 of Magic's Rise

When nothing happens, Tris grabs one. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

When the key he tries is another dud, I snort. “Wow, I’m so amazed by your skill.”

“Shut up.” He elbows me. “Let’s see you do better.”

We split the remaining charms, taking turns.

After several failed attempts, Tris finally finds the winning charm, and the cabinet swings open with a satisfying click.

“Jackpot!” Tris thrusts the key into the air. “I win!”

I peer over my shoulder at Aris. “Where are those moon-madness charms?”

“Bottom drawer.” She points to the base of the cabinet.

I kneel to open the drawer, wiggling it when it sticks, and spot a box of ugly, wolf-shaped charms in the back left corner.

Lifting it out, I carry the box to the table and upend it on the wooden surface. “Can you tell us if any are missing?”

“I’ll try.” Aris goes through the amulets, her expression growing more concerned with each one she inspects.

When she finishes, she goes through them again, more slowly, before her wide eyes lift to Levi. “There’s one that I know is missing.”

“Which one?” Levi asks, his voice tense.

“It’s the most recent one I made a couple of months ago.” Aris pales. “Elana said she would destroy it, but I knew she wouldn’t. I should have done it myself. It was too wrong.”

“How was it wrong?” Levi asks.

“I was trying to strengthen the wolf, to make it strong enough to overcome the curse,” Aris whispers. “But it did the opposite. It gave the wearer the ability to take on the curse of the werewolf when activated. It even worked for a non-paranormal.”

An image of the malevolent darkness among the light floods my memory, like an absence in the magic. A sense of unnaturalness. So that’s what was wrong. Both Haut and Levi had said the man from the hotel and the gas station wasn’t a werewolf, and they were right. It was someone riding the bloodthirsty curse.

My heart skips a beat as I exchange worried looks with Tris and Levi. “It appears our suspect pool narrowed.”

Our attacker is officially a human.

THINGS OF IMPORTANCE

Islump over my coffee-spiked hot chocolate, still not awake yet. Once I laid down last night, I’d crashed before Tris could even join me. So much for our plans to snuggle. The guilt would be real except that he wasn’t in any condition to do more than sleep, either.

Who knew that working magic for hours on end would steal our souls?

Haut took pity on me and didn’t protest when I stole a dollop of caffeine, which is saying something. Probably about my appearance, since I had brushed my teeth with my eyes closed and hadn’t bothered to untangle my braid.

At this point, it can wait until I’m home where Ros can work out the knots.

A desire for extra comfort drove me to pull on my bunny sweatshirt, but it doesn’t give me the same sense of invulnerability that it usually does. I guess magical armor can only do so much in the face of exhaustion.

On Tris’s other side, Aspen looks asleep in front of his breakfast, where a waffle dissolves inside a pool of syrup.

Our hosts stare at us with concern, and Griffen clears his throat. “Aspen, do you need a ride back out to the forest after you’re done eating?”

Aspen rouses himself and reaches for his fork. “No, Elana pushed her limits last night. I’ll stay at the compound to work on…”

He trails off, staring at his plate.

Ezra turns to me. “I picked up all the ingredients you requested.”

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