Page 58 of Spelling Disaster

“Hey, whatever you need, I’m here. I am up to help in whatever way I can.”

“It’s a great offer, Blaire, but you should stay as far away from this as possible. Is Mom safe, at least?” I turn to Remi.

“The coven members are all acting like puppets. The magical border has been shut down around the coven. That’s what I didn’t tell you before.” She gnaws on her thumbnail, the way she always does when she’s nervous. “Atlas and I were able to escape in time before the barrier closed, but Mom is still inside. That’s why I came to the university to get some help. I’m not sure who else to ask, sis. I’m sorry.”

It’s my fault. The thought circles in my head, spiraling around and around without any end in sight. I’m the reason this is all happening and the coven is involved.

The Horned God is free and he’s gathering the powers of the coven to make his return. He’ll be gunning for me, to kill me, to make sure I don’t stand in his way anymore.

Since I’m the only one who would be able to put him back.

I run my hands through my hair and pull, like the pain will somehow center me.

“We’ve wasted enough time on talking, though.” Remi stands as well, keeping Gus cradled to her palm. He’s been oddly silent this whole time but I can’t look at him. Not when he knows the truth as well as I do. “You need to pack your bag. We have to return to the coven and deal with this.”

“With what?” I ask.

“The big bad. Surely you’ve got the brains to do it. You’re the smartest person I know, Yasmine. And maybe you can free Mom from whatever has her.”

“The Horned God…” I breathe.

“He’s got to want something more than just your mother, though,” Blaire says. “What could he want?”

Their gazes both fall to me. “Have you been seeing his shadow?” Remi asks.

Slowly, I nod. “I did the other day.” But then something strikes me. “Wait… How do you know about him?”

“I may be human, but I hear things. Mostly murmuring from Mom. Her worries.” Her gaze hardens on me. “Damn it. He’s been searching for you, then. Summoning you to return to him.” Gus hops up to her shoulder as Remi grabs me by the arms. “I’m afraid of what will happen if you don’t come home with me. Right now.”

My heart leaps into my throat at the knock at the door. Loud, rapping. Ominous. The Horned God…is here?

ChapterNineteen

Dizzy, I’m about to pass out from the stress of wondering what the hell is going on when Atlas pushes through the door. Sweaty, shocked. There are dark circles under his eyes and his hair is a lion’s mane around his head.

He glances at me and tries for a smile, failing miserably. “Remi told me everything on the drive,” he admits.

Atlas closes the door behind him and leans hard on the wood, blocking the exit with his body. “I always thought your family was just into some weird cult shit, not that magic was real.”

It’s so easy to forget that he’s human, too. Just like Remi.

“No one is going to turn me into a frog, will they?” He sounds worried.

What did I ever find attractive about Atlas? I wonder distantly as I stare at him right back. He’s soordinarynext to Theo. Lacking a spark that takes him from cute to downright handsome.

“He’s suffering from fear of the Brothers Grimm,” Remi says as she moves to take his hand and draw him further into the room. Each step her boyfriend takes is hesitant. “Since all the witches he’s heard about are from fairy tales. He’s been stressed since we made it onto the campus. Do you know how long it took us to get here?”

She shrinks a little, as though the weight of her exhaustion has finally started to make itself known.

“You’re going to be fine,” I tell him. “No one will turn you into a toad. Witches aren’t like that.”

Except some of them are.

I wish I could call Theo and tell him what’s going on. How all of this has gotten out of hand and I’m not even sure where to start. My head aches. Even if I know the ins and outs of casting spells, using those spells for combat is a foreign concept.

No reading is going to prepare me for going to war with an ancient and newly freed god. Not a real god, I correct myself, just a guy who managed to steal himself some god-like powers.

There’s really no difference but it helps to think about him as a man instead.

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