House Of Ivy And Sorrow Part 29

Thankfully, Prudence picks up on my diversionary tactic and comes at him from behind. She grabs both of his arms, and his eyes go wide. My spell is inches from his face when he holds out a hand to Tessa, and she screams in agony. All her fingernail beds run b.l.o.o.d.y as he catches her nails midair.

Prudence cracks at her sister's pain, and he uses the moment to get her by the neck with Tessa's b.l.o.o.d.y nails. "Nice try."

I drop the spell, my mind blanking as I watch the nails dig into Pru's pale skin. He won't hesitate to kill her; this I know for sure. Her eyes plead with me, and her lips mouth something I can't quite catch. Something that starts with a B.

She tries again.

Braid!

I hold out my dagger, telling the magic to cut Pru's hair. It frees itself from her, writhing in the air. It springs for his neck, wrapping around like a noose. I let it squeeze hard, hard enough that the nails fall from Pru's skin. He drops to his knees, and her impossibly long hair coils around his arms and torso, binding him in place.

Phase one complete. I can hardly believe . . .

He laughs, the sound strangled and disturbing. I try to go on with the next spell, but he seems too happy about being bound. That can't be good.

The air grows cold, so cold that I can see my breath.

His image blurs, the shadows around him flaring and pulsing as they leave his body. My fear becomes a crippling force that leaves me numb with panic. A black Shadow man-the same as when we freed my dad-forms next to Prudence. It smiles at her, and its wanting pours out everywhere.

"Eenie." He points to Gwen. "Meenie." To Kat. "Miney." To me. "Moe." The shadow turns to face Maggie, whose hands are frozen by her side. He pounces, and she's too far out of reach for me to stab the shadow and take the Curse instead.

FORTY-EIGHT.

Tessa screams as she runs for Maggie, her horror overcoming the pain of lost fingernails. For a moment I'm back under the willow, watching Nana come to my rescue. Except Tessa isn't fast enough, and none of us can stop it. Even if we could, it still wouldn't help. He'll have another magic well to use when we were finally chipping away at his enormous store of power.

In a last-ditch effort, I chuck the dagger at the shadow. It sticks in the gra.s.s, barely missing. Maggie tries to make a barrier with a handful of orchid petals, but it only provides a second's worth of defense.

It's just as Levi said-he'll Curse us one by one until we're all drained.

As much as I want to, I can't do this alone.

Maggie braces herself for the Curse, but right before the shadow touches her, a figure tackles it to the ground. I can hardly believe my eyes. Another shadow. They struggle in a mess of black smoke, and there's only one explanation.

"Better hurry." Levi's voice comes from behind, and I turn to find him on our porch, sitting there like I should have noticed him sooner. His smile is blinding against all the darkness. "I can't hold him off for long."

"Right." I focus on Jeff's other body, the one still trapped by Pru's hair. His glare is fierce, but it's not directed at me. It's Levi he's furious with.

"Traitor," he croaks.

"Murderer," Levi says back.

"Everyone, circle up!" I put my hand over my heart, determined to give what needs to be given. I have no idea what it'll do to me, but it's the only thing strong enough that I can think of. Closing my eyes, I dig into the earth's magic. I pull it toward me. I command it to listen.

Come, it hisses. Ours.

No, you are mine, but I will offer you a piece of me in exchange for a spell.

The magic simmers with excitement. A piece of soul. I imagine witches don't often give such a valuable payment. For a piece, you may bend us to your will.

"Josephine," Pru says in a warning voice.

"It must be done. I won't lose myself." A deal it is. I search deep down, to the dark place I found before, the place Astrid gave over to magic entirely. I section out the smallest portion I can and force it to leave me. It rips through my body, and I can't control my screams. It feels as if a knife cuts me from the inside out. I want to stop, to keep this small piece of my soul, but I push forward.

This is a worthy sacrifice.

My hands instantly warm when it emerges. The sliver is like a white firefly fluttering in my palms, beautiful and vibrant and much purer than I ever thought my soul would be. Magic surges into it, turning it red. I pour more in, telling the spell what it must do to earn this shred of my soul. I can feel my sisters add to it, intensifying and hastening its creation until my soul shard brims with power.

"Do it now!" Levi's voice is strained, and one glance at the battling shadows makes it clear he's losing ground fast.

I step forward so that I stand directly over Jeff. He glares, but I can see the fear in his eyes. I like it far more than I should. Slowly, I set the glowing red spell on his forehead, and it seeps into his skin until I can't see it anymore. But I can feel what it did, and I smile.

He laughs. "Nice try, but it seems even your soul can't kill me."

"I didn't ask it to kill you."

His eyebrow raises.

"She asked for something better." Nana stands at the porch, her tiny frame rattling.

"Better?" he says.

She nods as she holds out her hand. He screams when he feels what's happening. I can't hide how much I enjoy my success, watching him suffer like he made my mom suffer. His magic drains and drains. Nana takes back every ounce she can hold. Then she throws it away, gives it back to the place it belongs.

The ivy turns green again.

The house smiles.

The air sighs happily.

Nana stands taller, already looking better. "She reversed your Curse. Now I can take from you. And if you touch another witch, you better bet we'll do this again."

He collapses to the ground, gasping in panic. He's so empty of magic the shadows are gone, and without them he doesn't look so scary. Just a man. A weak, helpless man ravaged by Consumption. "Kill me."

I release the hair that binds him, and it turns to ash. "Sorry, I'm not that merciful."

We stand over him, as if no one can believe we actually did it. I certainly can't. I keep waiting for him to pounce and Curse someone, but all he does is shudder. He can't even get up. Levi stands next to me. "What are you going to do with him?"

I pull a frog eye from my pocket. "Send him back to your grandmother."

"She won't be happy."

"And I'm supposed to care?"

He smirks. "No, but I'll be out of a home."

I conjure a door to Blossom Ridge, and we roll him through and shut it. Old Lady Black should find him soon, but she's no match for us Hemlocks. Maybe she'll think twice before messing with us again.

Once Jeff is gone, my whole world tilts for a second. What now? But one look at Nana, her smile free of pain, and I know everything will be fine. She holds out her hands, and I run into them like I did when I was little. She strokes my hair, now streaked with white, and her tears wet my shirt. "You wonderful girl."

"No one will take you from me," I say. "No one but time, at least."

She laughs. "I think this calls for pudding, don't you?"

I nod. "Lots and lots of pudding. And maybe even cake."

Everyone heads inside, but I can feel Levi's eyes on me. He lingers by the gate, waiting, wanting . . .

Hoping.

I walk toward him, my head held high. He bites his lip, his dark gaze soft. There's something different about him. Something missing. His shoulders aren't as tense anymore, like the weight on his conscience has been lifted.

"Seems like you needed me after all," he says.

"Just not in the way you wanted." I look at my feet and stuff down my pride. "Thank you. For letting me go, and for protecting us when the time came."

He sighs, and all the hope goes out with it. "I'm too late, aren't I?"

I glance up at him, and he's so beautifully sad I almost want to tell him it's never too late. I want to take his hand and make it all better. I want him to smile. But I can't forget the darkness he holds inside, the shadows that would haunt us forever. I have enough darkness to deal with already-I can't shoulder his burden as well. I don't want to.

"I'm afraid so." My heart aches, the full reality of Winn leaving finally breaking through. "I want Winn, Levi. I really do. I've known him for years. I've adored him for months. That's not something I can magically get over, even if I can't have him. Even if he lied to me."

He sucks in a breath and nods. "Well, it was worth a try. Hate to say you're probably making the right decision."

I snort. "What are you going to do now?"

"Probably start by visiting Abby. I'll be safest there."

"Makes sense." It feels weird saying good-bye to him, but right, too. "Take care, okay? And if you're ever in a bind, you're welcome here."

He hugs me, but this time all the sparks are gone. He's just Levi. The boy whose fate is tied with mine, but not the boy I want to be with. "Thanks, Jo. For everything."

I wave as he pa.s.ses through the gate and disappears.

FORTY-NINE.

Even under the freeway, we can't escape the summer heat. Gwen, Kat, and I lick at Popsicles. The cool gra.s.s tickles my arms. A mosquito flies overhead, and Gwen zaps it with a flick of her finger. She giggles. "That will never get old."

"Seriously," Kat says.

"I would say it's already old, but I don't miss the mosquito bites." I throw my Popsicle stick at her. "Though I'm kind of jealous the white-hair side effect looks like highlights on you. I just look old."

"No way." She shoves me. "It looks like you had a few chunks bleached."

Kat pulls out more gra.s.s, her hands unable to keep still. "You look punk."

I laugh. "Yeah, I'm so hard-core."

"Hey," Gwen says. "You are pretty bada.s.s. Don't tell me you already forgot what happened a few months ago."

I sigh, wishing they wouldn't bring it up. I am proud of what I did. I mean, I love having real sisters, that I get to share my whole life with them, that we get to learn and grow together. I adore having my dad around. I'm grateful every day that Nana is still alive and well. But there's something missing. Someone missing. I'm not sure the feeling of loss will ever leave now that I've given up a piece of my soul.

"h.e.l.lo?" Kat waves a hand in front of my face.

I jump and then cringe. "c.r.a.p, was I doing it again?"

"Longing for Winn?" Gwen lies down and crosses her legs. "Yup. Aren't you ever going to talk to him about it?"

Now I'm the one picking at the gra.s.s. "What am I supposed to tell him?"

"Uhh, the truth?" Kat says.

I want to talk to him. I really do. Nana said I could, that we shouldn't blame him for what happened in our shared past. But every time I try, I can't even make it up the lane to his house. What if he's already moved on? I'm too afraid to find out. "I wish-"

"Jo!" Dad calls from the house. "Get in here! You have a letter."

"Coming!" Dad has been trying his best to cheer me up with favorite foods and, yes, even a car, but I think he knows that I won't ever be the same. "What is it?" I ask when I get inside.

He holds up the envelope. "I don't know, but it's from an L. Anderson."

My eyes go wide and I grab the letter, ripping it open. I can't imagine what he'd send, but it must be important.

Dear Josephine, I know I'll hate myself for this, but it will make you happy and that will have to be enough for me. I looked into Cordelia Black, and it turns out she's listed as a traitor in the Black records. There's no death date, but she and her Shadow, Phillip Carter, ran away after refusing to hunt down-wouldn't you know it-the Hemlocks.

I'm thinking that clears lover boy, but it still doesn't answer my questions about why he's different. I think you'll have to get the rest of the story from him. That's all I got.

Take care, Levi P.S. You so owe me for this.

I put my hand to my heart, its pounding threatening to break down my rib cage. Winn. He said I'd never forgive him, and yet Levi's words prove that his family was on our side. Clearly, I am missing something huge.

"Jo, are you okay?" Dad asks.

I walk past him, nodding. "I'm going to Winn's."