him out soon, he’d overpower me, and Ethan and I’s bond. There’d be no bringing him back.
After Ethan had regained control, we’d carried him to his dorm to rest. The demon hadn’t taken over again, as far as I knew, and I hadn’t seen Ethan since.
He was hiding from me. Maybe that was a good thing. Since the attack, I’d been in the library every day reading about demon possession and trying to find out everything I could. I learned a lot about demons, but unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of options for getting them out. They had to be exorcised by powerful magic casters to avoid the demon repossessing someone else, and as students, none of us were there yet.
Kiara dropped her voice. “You can’t blame Ethan for attacking you the second time. The demon’s taking over.”
I sighed. I moved the key to another hand and said, “I know. Are you any further along in figuring out a way to save him?”
“Yes, but it’s going to take a couple of weeks. Exorcisms aren’t something to screw up,” Kiara whispered under her breath. “They should only be done by priestesses, and we’re playing with fire by doing it ourselves. I’m taking every precaution by making sure I know the spell through and through, and by only using the best ingredients for the exorcism. Learning a complicated spell like this, and having the advanced magic and confidence to pull it off, is really tough. I need time, Emma.”
Things never seemed to go right with us, but that was a negative thought that was going to ruin my spell, so I set the key down on the table and sighed. “I just don’t know what to do about Ethan. Every time I look into his eyes, it’s like there’s a little less of him there than there was before.”
“You can’t give up on him. Your bond is the only reason he’s still alive,” Kiara said.
I didn’t respond, but resentment festered within me. I wanted to give up. Watching Ethan suffer like this was worse than anything I could go through, and I only had so much power to stop it. I just wanted it to be over with, so Ethan could be put out of his misery.
I knew he was suffering. It was like watching a sick dog limp around, begging for mercy. I couldn’t let it continue.
I struggled to enchant the key with no success for another hour before class was dismissed. I wasn’t surprised I didn’t get the spell. My thoughts were on Ethan, and worrying about him would only mess up the anti-negativity spell every time.
“You all may keep your items that I’ve given you today, to continue practicing,” Calliope said, with a nod at me. “Keep in mind this will be on the test.”
“I have to go to Monster Theory,” Kiara said as she gathered her things. “Don’t give up, Emma. Things aren’t bleak just yet.”
They sure looked like it. It felt like there was a dark storm cloud over my head as I strolled around the castle. I had a class with Lord Lucien in an hour, but I was going to skip it. Tears were threatening my eyes, and I wasn’t going to embarrass myself by breaking down for the whole class to see. They’d think it was about the breakup.
In a fucked up way, kind of.
Moping around all day wouldn’t help Ethan, and it wouldn’t help me. I had to cheer up. If there was one person who could put a smile on your face, it was Odette.
I took a breath and steered myself toward the dormitories. When I knocked, Odette immediately opened the door. Her blue eyes blinked as she pushed her oversized glasses up her nose. She was wearing her hair in a messy bun, with a bow a foot across atop her head. Her baggy fuzzy sweater cut off at her midriff, and her skirt was designed to look like a frosted cupcake, sprinkles and all. Her galaxy tights finished the outfit with a splash of color.
She must not have class today. I thanked the gods she was free.
“Emma! What a lovely surprise.” Odette patted her hair. “I’m glad you stopped in.”
Before I could say anything, Odette noticed the key I was twiddling between my fingers. “What’s that? You get that from Calliope’s class?”
“Yeah. I’m supposed to be practicing enchanting with it,” I said. “It’s so small, though. I’m afraid I’ll lose it.”