Page 70 of Dead End

He then pulled a vile from his pocket and threw it on the ground with a puff of smoke that swallowed him whole in seconds. I didn’t bother to watch him fully disappear because he should have told us about the Society earlier, and someone should have seen Payton for what she was before Jessica got hurt.

I tucked Jessica into my chest, applying a small amount of pressure to her wound, and prayed we made it back in one piece.

“I got you. Just hold on a little longer,” I whispered to her, and I gripped Maddie’s shoulder as she cursed under breath, then she pushed off the stone ground.

“Idcirco praecipio tibi ut avolare!” She cast the spell with complete authority, and I gasped as the broom shot forward.

The breath was knocked out of my lungs, and we both screamed when the broom dodged the corners of the university halls. Once we made it up the stairs, we shot through an arched doorway and into the night sky. The town was lit up by soft, twinkling lights between each building as they got ready for the festival tomorrow night, and we hovered over Main Street for a heartbeat before the broom shot forward with Maddie crouched over the wood handle. We passed in a blur over the town, and the only thing I could see were the beautiful fall colors of the trees and the twin moons just before we hit my aunties’ street.

“I don’t know how to land this thing, so hold on!” Maddie shouted over her shoulder and narrowly missed the peak of the manor as we started to descend towards the ground at a fast pace.

The greenhouse came into view, the midnight jasmine petals open for the moons, and in the middle of the yard were my aunties, running onto the grass barefoot with Cal on their heels as they directed their palms upwards, facing Maddie and me.

“Idcirco praecipio tibi ut terra!” They chanted a spell together, and the broom slowed its fast speed, slowly descending towards the ground, and then jerked to a stop.

Michael came running out of the house with wild eyes and my tracker panties in his grip, but he relaxed the moment he saw me as the guys slammed into his back with shouts of panic.

“Where did you go?” Freddy growled as he prowled towards me before stopping and dropping to his knees next to me. The moment we landed, I slipped off the broom and crumpled to the ground.

“Jessica is—she’s not doing so well,” Maddie explained through her tears, and she moved out of the way as the aunties came charging through with their arms full of plants and potion bottles.

“Oh, luv, what happened to her?” Damon asked, reaching down to stroke Jessica’s fuzzy spine, his brows lowered over his yellow eyes. I could see the concern in those eyes, which momentarily flickered back to gray.

“Payton had her! That crazy ass clown did this! I’ve failed Jessica. I didn’t know, but I should have!” I sobbed, watching the aunties grind up herbs in a bowl as they silently worked together. I choked as I added, “She was gone for three days, and I should have known something was wrong!”

“Oh dear… The clown girl will see consequences, I promise you that. We’ll try everything we can to save Jessica,” Auntie Fe muttered, exchanging a quick glance with her sister before applying a mushy substance to Jessica’s wound.

I felt her pulse flutter under my palm, and I snuggled my face against hers as we waited with our breaths held. I already knew it was too late. Jessica’s eyes blinked open, her gaze unfocused as she laid her head down into the palm of my hand, staring up at me.

“It’ll be okay, Toby. It’s still me, yo girl, Jessica... I love you.” She said the words so softly, it was nearly a whisper.

Her squeaky voice was broken, and I could feel the numbness in every word. Her eyes slid shut just as her pulse stopped thudding on my palm.

“No, no, no, Jessica!” I cried out, sobbing so hard that my shoulders shook and my tears soaked into her fur as I cradled her close to my chest.

My tears just kept falling, and I could hear Maddie crying off to the side. Jessica’s body was limp, her legs uncurling against my skin.

Norman’s cold fingers caressed my neck as he pulled me close and let me cry into his collarbone. “I’m going to kill that clown and drain her dry,” Norman hissed, his voice low and deadly. He stood as if to carry out that promise.

“I’m sorry, child,” Fe said sadly. “We’ll give her a proper burial.” Auntie Pip tried to grab Jessica, but my heart was too raw and broken. I couldn’t let go.

“No! She’s my familiar, and she’s coming back no matter what!” I shouted, pulling her closer to my chest. “No more pain, no more loss.” I stared down at her lifeless body, feeling my throat close up, and tried to concentrate with everything I had inside me.

“Toby, she’s gone. Let her rest.” Maddie knelt down, grabbed my shoulders, and placed her forehead against mine as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“She’s not completely gone yet.” I said desperately. “I need to try first because it’s all I have to give. I have to try.”

She nodded and hovered her hand over mine as it rested on Jessica. The guys gathered around me, each of them touching me, surrounding our crouched position to offer support, while the aunties started swaying in place with their eyes closed and their heads tilted back to the moons. I closed my own eyes, praying I knew what the hell I was doing so I could bring my girl back.

“I love you too, Jessica,” I whispered softly.

I thought about my parents, what I’d lost, and what more I could lose. I thought about the love I’d gained in return after I thought I’d lose the guys too. I could do this. I did it before without knowing what I was doing. It was in my blood.

“Please just come back!” I shouted, feeling something sharp and static pump through my veins, like a defibrillator had just shocked my nervous system.

“Something’s happening, October; keep going,” Michael said in excitement, his hands sliding through my hair, and I could feel him like his soul was somehow completely attached to mine.

A feeling built inside me, and it was like I could feel each of their individual energies as they laid their palms on my body. My four men, whom I brought back from the grave, funneled something into me—a power I’d never felt before, and it made me hopeful. In that moment, I could feel her.

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