Page 54 of Raising Hell

“You won’t regret this! We will be such…” He leaves another noisy, smacking kiss on my lips before pulling back, grinning like a maniac. “Suchgood boys.”

“I’ve heard that before,” I mutter, completely wry, and Amon barks out a loud laugh. The humor fades quickly, though, as I realize the magnitude of what we’re about to do. “How do we do this?”

“The spell is right here,” Cas says, and we move as one, dropping onto the couch to begin.

My heart thunders as we stand around the rune on the attic floor. It’s been three days since we discovered the spell, and we’ve spent almost every waking hour of those days preparing.After my first fiasco with spellwork, we’re double and triple checking each step.

The rune needed to be adjusted. There were a few scratches in the paint that changed the shape enough to affect the magic. We suspect it’s what caused the original mishap with my summoning spell, and I’m positive I’ve identified the culprit.

When I interrogated Shadow, she only meowed happily, refusing to admit that she was the one who scratched the rune.

Damn cat.

“Are you ready, Rory?” Amon asks me, the picture of calm on one side while Cas dances between his feet on the other. On the desk, the elixir awaits, cool enough that it no longer emits steaming wisps of smoke. Time ticks away, only minutes remaining until we speak the incantation.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” I ask for what has to be the thousandth time, and Amon silences me with a kiss.

“We’ve been through this. No backing down, not when we’re this close.” He keeps his face near mine as he begs me with his eyes. “Donotmake me give you up.”

My throat works in a rough swallow as I nod, and the relief that washes over him is a potent thing. “Get the potion,” he instructs Cas, who hurries to grab it and place it in the center.

We stand around the outside of the rune, shaky hands entwined in a complete circle. Cas’s hand squeezes mine, and I glance over and soak in his comforting, devil-may-care smile before swinging my head to look at Amon’s more serious, controlled smirk.

“I love you both.”

“We love you, too, Rory,” Cas says, jiggling my hand as Amon nods. “Are you ready?”

“Ready as I’m going to be.”

We wait until the timer on my phone goes off, and then we speak the words together. “Carmine conturbo vitam vi ligatin aevum.” A glow fills the room, not red like before, but a blinding, serene blue—like staring into the deepest part of the ocean. It brightens, skimming over my skin in a comforting warmth, and they squeeze my hands as we repeat the spell.

“Carmine conturbo vitam vi ligat in aevum.” The ground underneath our feet trembles, but it’s less chaotic than before. Instead of a growl, it’s a purr, like the very earth beneath us approves of what we’re doing.

Three souls, three times to speak the spell.

I take a deep breath as they squeeze one last time. “Carmine conturbo vitam vi ligat in aevum.” The light flares until I have to close my eyes, and as it fades, we’re left in the all-encompassing silence.

My fingers flex, relieved to feel the resistance of their hands still in mine. “Did it work?” I whisper, afraid to speak any louder than the faint breath that escapes.

Amon releases my hand, inspecting the small pot that the potion was in. A surprised, huffing laugh leaves him as he leans closer. “Come see for yourself.”

I step forward, glancing into the pot to find… “A flower?”

Cas smiles as he reaches to pluck it out. “An amaranth,” he corrects, twirling it between his fingers. His eyes meet Amon’s, who nods. “It’s a symbol for immortality.”

“How do we know it worked?”

“It will have replaced our previous bindings to you,” Amon explains. We’ve been over it a hundred times, but at the moment, my brain is nothing but mush. “This is important, Rory, so I need you to focus, alright love? Order me to do something and put all your power behind it.”

I nod, taking a breath and drawing on the magic that wells deep inside me. My voice rings loud and clear as I say, “Amon, I command you to kiss me.”

He rushes over and smashes his lips to mine, and my heart sinks despite the butterflies that take flight in my belly from his touch. “It didn’t work,” I whisper, disappointment crushing me as the realization settles in.

“It did,” he whispers, a joyful laugh that I’ve never heard from him ringing out into the silence. “Itdidwork, Rory!”

Cas’s face turns hopeful as he edges closer. “But you kissed me,” I argue, then squeal as he sweeps me into his arms and spins me in a circle.

“Only because I wanted to.”

---