Page 85 of Rise of the Melody
“Chrys?”
His dark eyes narrowed on me, and he stepped into my house slowly, making me step back.
“Take back the curse,” he said in a low voice.
My sluggish heart gave a roughthwap-thwapin my chest. “W-what?”
“Take it off me, Letty.”
“I….” I shook my head, his words not computing.
His face leaned down into mine. “Remove the hex, right now, and I won’t tell anyone it was you.”
Disbelief filled me. “It couldn’t be me. I’m wearing this.” I held up my wrist.
Chrystamos let out a series of cuss words telling me what he thought about my useless cuff. “I still feel your power, Letty, even with that! And you’re the only person who’s ever told me they wished I was fucking limp!Take it back.”
Ohhhh…oh, wow. My head began to clear as we stared at one another, and realization tumbled over me, giving the sensation of falling down the stairs.
It really had been me.
“Oh, my gods,” I whispered.
“Oh, my gods,” he mocked.
And then a tiny snort escaped me. His eyes widened. I knew the burst of humor was completely inappropriate, but it felt out of my control.
“Who were you with?” I asked, feeling a teensy bit petty even though I knew I shouldn’t. “When it happened?”
“You think this is funny?” he challenged. “This is my life you’re messing with!”
I bent over, laughing again, even though I knew it was wrong. So wrong of me. I blamed it on the shock. I felt like I was losing my mind a little.
“Letty!” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Your reputation is about to be ruined if you don’ttake it back!”
“I’m sorry,” I said, pulling myself together and daring a peek at his unamused face. “I am. Okay.” I cleared my throat. “What do I do?”
“How should I know?” He threw his arms out, his agitation and fear reaching a crescendo.
“Okay,” I said. “Just stay still. Hold on. Wait, what if it doesn’t work? Because, you know, the cuff?”
He flapped his arms in a panic. “Just say some words, for the love of Gaia!”
I closed my eyes and forced myself to calm down and focus. Then I looked into Chrystamos’s frightened, annoyed gaze. I needed to mean these words. As much as he made me mad, I could not under any circumstances interfere with his life in this way. I sucked air into my lungs and released it through my nose. I thought about the words I’d said to him that night, and I focused on taking them back.
“I remove this curse from you,” I said, truly meaning it. “And I’m sorry.”
I watched as if, in slow motion, the cloud dissipated from around his shoulders, making me feel dizzy. Oh. My. Gosh. I sucked in a breath of surprise. I really could do magic with my cuff on!
Chrystamos gave a full body shiver and looked over his shoulder, as if he could see. “Is it gone? Letty! Is it gone?”
“I think so,” I whispered. “Yes.”
He bent his knees and threw his head back in relief. “Thank the gods! I’ve never been so scared. You have no idea.”
I reached for his arm, but he yanked back, eyes widening. “Oh, hell no.”
“Chrys,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”
