to save my shocked future MIL.
As I returned to Elaine, I saw a dark green smudge—the same color as the mist Surlama had attacked me with—right over Elaine’s heart. In fact … the smudge was darkest over her heart, but a fine mist webbing covered her entire being, both human and wolf.
Keeping my eye trained on the sickly green smudge over Elaine’s chest, I pointed at it. “Can you wipe that away?”
She looked at me, perplexed.
‘What is that?’ Honor asked, cocking his head to the side as he stepped closer to his mother.
So he could see it too? Interesting.
“Bite me,” I commanded and then held out my arm to Honor.
‘What?’ He cocked his head to the side. ‘No.’
My gaze landed on my father’s pruning shears, and I scooped them up as Elaine’s eyes widened.
‘I see the magic spell—maybe my blood can heal it.’ I hoped. ‘Grandpa’s not back, so it’s worth a try,’ I told Honor.
Dragging the sharp edge of the shears over the fleshy part of my hand, I pushed hard enough so the wound wouldn’t heal right away. Pain seared my palm, and I winced.
‘You’re going to rub blood on my mom?’ Honor watched as I massaged my palm to get the blood flowing. ‘She’s … not so good with blood.’
How was that possible? ‘She’s a wolf…”
‘Just pin her down and do it,’ he said, his voice weighted with doubt. ‘Fast as you can.’
Okay … here goes nothing.
Without warning, I lurched forward and tackled my future mother-in-law to the floor.
“Nai!” she yelped.
“I’m sorry,” I gasped, wincing as she fell back onto the concrete floor. Stradling her, I rushed to explain. “I just need to wipe this blood curse away…” Without waiting for her permission … I rubbed my blood all over her skin just above Elaine’s heart. “Scrub-a-dub-dub … Surlama’s magic is a dud.”
Elaine sat up with a gasp and—crack!—smacked me in the head.
My vision became spotted, and I pressed my hand to my forehead, where we’d collided. “Oww.”
“Oh my mage, Nai. I’m sorry,” Elaine said while scooting out from under me. She glanced down where I’d been rubbing my blood and shrieked. “But what in the Mother Mage are you doing!”
She dragged the neckline of her shirt down over the crimson bloody smear, but … the green was still there.
Dammit.
I crawled off of her. “I’m … sorry. I … my blood has healing properties, and I thought…
Frustration pressed in on me.
“Grandpa Geoff!” I shouted into the smoky darkness above. “I could really use that spellbreaker root!”
Green lights flickered like sparks, and then three lines appeared, making a rectangle in the air by the potatoes. I blinked, and then my jaw dropped as Grandpa Geoff stepped through the lines, followed by Reyna.
“I tried to come through a few minutes ago, but the kitchen was in flames,” he said, holding out a small canvas bag.
Thank the mage!
“How do I do this?” I reached for the bag, trying to hold Callie’s coat closed over my chest so I didn’t have a nip slip.
“Chew up the root, spit the juice into your palm and mix it with your blood, then wipe off the spell.”
Riiight. Here we go, running out of time. I could sense Rage’s impatience through our bond. I bit a chunk off the end of the thick root and shoved the rest in the pocket of my borrowed jacket, relieved to discover the root tasted like star anise and cardamom.
“Don’t swallow it,” Grandpa Geoff warned, “Now, spit the juice into your palm.”
Gross.
I spat the now neon-green glowy fluid onto my bloody palm and watched as the two colors mixed.
“Like this?” I asked, my tongue feeling thick and slightly swollen.
He nodded and then tipped his head over to Elaine, who looked horrified.
Remembering how Elaine reacted to my tackling her, I decided I’d better try a different approach. “Elaine, I have to wipe this on you so that Rage can kill the king … before Declan kills your son first.”
Her eyes widened. “Do it.” She tugged the neck of her shirt down and exposed the green blotch of the curse.
I rubbed the concoction over her skin, surprised when it felt like warm lotion; some magical property was heating it up. The green magic seeped into her, melting like butter into warm bread, and then the putrid web of Surlama’s curse turned black.
Elaine gasped, clutching her heart, and my own leapt into my throat.
Then the black webbing fizzled and cracked, little pieces sloughing off Elaine as I ran my hand over her