After putting the knife aside, Ava held Lily’s hand over the book. One, two, three drops, on the cover and the book opened by itself.
There was only one page of thick vellum inside.
“Three drops of virgin’s blood,” Ava murmured. “No more, no less.”
A low growl rose in Raedan’s throat as the scent of Lily’s blood filled the air. There was a sharp, crackling sound as the crimson drops hit the page, followed by a flash of yellow lightning.
Ava handed the chalice to Raedan. “According to the book, you must add the ingredients.”
He nodded, his jaw clenching as the silver burned his flesh. Picking up the flask that held the dragon’s blood, he poured it into the goblet.
Ava took Lily’s hand in hers again, made a small cut in the palm of her other hand, and held it over a small cup. “Seven drops,” she murmured, and handed the cup to Raedan.
A plume of black smoke rose from the chalice as he added Lily’s blood to that of the dragon.
Lastly, Ava handed him a vial. “Nightshade,” she said.
Jaw clenched, Raedan added the last ingredient to the chalice.
And the smoke turned white.
Lily glanced at Raedan as Ava wrapped strips of cloth around her hands. He stood rigid beside her, his jaw tightly clenched. The hand that held the goblet trembled, the skin red and blistered from the silver. She could feel the pain rolling off him in waves as the blood-demon fought for its life.
Leaning forward, Lily read the words that would unleash the spell. “By dragon’s blood and a virgin’s pure, if thou art worthy, I hold the cure. Your lifeforce shall then ever be strong, the demon within forever be gone. If thou art false, thy heart and soul beyond saving, nightshade’s poison will be your undoing.”
Raedan took a deep breath, his gaze on Lily’s face as he lifted the chalice to his lips and drank.
There was a sharp crack of thunder that shook the earth beneath their feet. Lightning crackled as it split the skies, unleashing a plume of fire that landed on the black book and turned it to ash.
Raedan dropped the chalice, then fell to his knees, arms wrapped around his middle as the demon fought to survive. Drops of dark red blood oozed from his pores. He writhed on the ground for several moments, his face a mask of agony.
He looked up when Lily knelt beside him. Crying, “No! Don’t touch me!” he vanished from their sight.
Lily glanced at Ava. “What does it mean? Where has he gone?”
“I don’t know, child,” Ava said, taking Lily in her arms. “I don’t know.”
“Was he unworthy? Was my blood not pure?” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I never should have let him drink that vile concoction!”
“It was his decision, Lily. Would you have rather let him live forever in pain?”
“No.” Her tears came harder, faster.
“Lily … ”
“I killed him!” She rocked back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably. “I killed him.”
Ava sat on the chair at Lily’s bedside, her thoughts turned inward. What had gone wrong? They had gathered the required ingredients, spoken the right words at midnight beneath a full moon. She wasn’t sure what she had thought would happen when Raedan drank the potion, but certainly not the results she’d seen. Perhaps she had been naïve, but she had expected him to either be cured immediately, or drop dead at their feet. Instead, he had collapsed on the ground, his whole body wracked with pain unlike anything she had ever seen. How could anyone survive that kind of torture for more than a moment?
Lily had cried for an hour before exhaustion overcame her and she felt into a restless sleep. Mason had carried her up to bed. Ava had shooed him out of the room, undressed Lily and slipped a nightgown over her head. She had left Lily’s side only once since then to call Quill and let him know what had happened. He would be here tomorrow to take Lily home.
That had been hours ago. It would be dawn soon. Guilt gnawed at her. She had failed to protect her great-granddaughter. Failed Raedan, who had done nothing more than love Lily. Failed Quill and Callie who had trusted her to keep their daughter safe and out of danger.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes and wept quietly.
A moment later, she felt Mason’s hand on her shoulder.
“It’s not your fault,” he said. “Nothing you could have said or done would have kept Lily and Raedan apart. Lily could not change Raedan’s mind. He knew the risk and was willing to take it. If you must blame yourself, you must also blame Lily’s parents, and Lily, too.”