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“We will help—he is our l’lorna.We will not fail him!”my Drake promised, speaking for both of us.

I felt a surge of joy and determination rush through him and felt it echoed in myself.No matter what was wrong with ourl’lorna,at least he was still alive!But I knew my Drake wouldn’t truly believe it until he held Avery in his hand and “cuddled” him.Until then, we were both going to be worried and anxious.

“Faster!”I urged him.“Fly faster!”

But I didn’t have to tell him that—already we were flying as fast as we could and I knew that if there was any way to save ourl’lorna,my Drake and I would do it or die trying.

41

EMMA

“Okay, is everyone ready?”Megan looked around the Norm Dorm.We were all assembled there—well, all of us but Ari, who had gone to get Saint earlier that day and Bran, who had gone to fetch Avery.Megan had found a spell she thought would lift the conversion-therapy magic Avery’s father had placed on him, but she had informed us that it would take a full coven to perform.

“Are you certain this will work?”Lachlan asked.He was sitting beside me on one of the overstuffed couches.“After all, Fae magic and Witch magic don’t mix.”

“It’s not about what kind of magic you have, it’s about your love and caring for Avery,” Megan told him.“We’re going to try to break the magic around him—which is kind of like a shell—through the power of love and friendship.”She got a look of grim determination on her face.“And if that doesn’t work, I’ll use Blood Magic.”

“Megan, you know you’re not allowed!”I exclaimed.

“If Headmistress Nightworthy finds out, you’ll be expelled,” Kaitlyn added.

“I don’t care.”Megan lifted her chin.“This is worth expulsion.We can’t let Avery stay this way—he’s not himselfat all.We need to get this spell done right away to bring him back to us before the magic hardens around him into an unbreakable shield.”

“What about waiting for Ari to bring Saint?”Kaitlyn asked.“I thought Lachlan said that would help?”

“It would.”Lachlan nodded.“But I agree with Megan—we can’t wait for him.The longer this conversion magic is on Avery, the more it will harden and the more difficult it will be to remove.We must act fast—we can’t wait any longer.”

“I’m going to do the spell out on the athletic field,” Megan told us.“That way we have plenty of room for all of us to call the corners.”

“Will it work with just one witch, though?”I asked.“I’ve never called the corners before and neither has Kaitlyn.”

“Actually, this spell will be strongerbecausewe’re a diverse group,” Megan told me.“I’ll be calling the North, Kaitlyn will be the South.You’re East, Emma, and Griffon will be West.That way we have a Sister, a Drake, a Fae, and a Nocturne—our powers will combine to help break the spell.”

“Okay, I’m willing to try if you’ll tell me what to say,” I agreed.

“Me too.”Kaitlyn nodded.

“Where will Bran and I be?”Lachlan asked.

“Standing by in case of trouble,” Megan said.“We don’t want anyone getting into the circle while we’re casting.And we don’t want Avery breaking out of it either,” she added.“As long as the circle remains unbroken, I think we have a decent chance at getting that nasty magic off of him.”

“All right—let’s do it!”I said, standing up.

“The sooner the better,” Kaitlyn agreed.

We all stood up and trooped out of the Norm Dorm, climbing the spiral staircase that led up into the Dining Hall.From there, we made our way out onto the athletic field.

This time, thank goodness, it was empty.The short grass glimmered in the light of the full moon.I was glad to see that—generally moonlight amplifies any kind of magic, so this was good.

Megan got everything set up and told us all what to say.Just as she was mostly finishing drawing a circle with salt, Bran came towards us.He had one arm hooked through Avery’s, though I could see that our coven mate was resisting.

“What’s all this about?”he complained, as Bran pulled him over to the circle.“What do you want with me?I don’t have time for this nonsense—I have to pack.I’m leaving for my new school tomorrow.”

“Oh no you’re not,” Megan said grimly.“Not unless we can’t get that nasty gay-away spell off you, Avery.”

“Gay-away spell?What the hell are you talking about?”he snarled.“I’m not gay and I never have been!”

Megan and Kaitlyn and I exchanged glances.Did the spell his father had put on him have memory altering effects as well?If so, it was worse than I thought!