Page 144 of Cold Curses

Monster tried to reassure me, but it was mostly relieved at the possibility of what was about to happen and trying not to scareme off. It felt…overjoyed. And it seemed appropriate that I should offer it some last words.

Thanks for not killing me or getting me killed,I told it.

If internal magical consciousnesses could snort, monster did. And I felt the faint warmth of what might have been affection. And impatience.

“Come here,” Lulu said, and I walked over, positioned myself beside the table. The vibration was stronger the closer I moved.

“You promise we aren’t going to loose the Egregore on Chicago?Ouch,” I added when monster paranormally pinched me.

“Are you talking to me or it?” Lulu asked.

“Yes.”

“Then for my part, yes, I’m sure. Adding a missing piece to the puzzle doesn’t make the scene in the puzzle come to life. It just completes the puzzle. And you’re stalling.”

I totally was.

I looked at Connor, who nodded. “You’ll be fine, Lis. And we’re here, whatever happens.”

“Aww,”Lulu said sweetly. “Now back up,” she told Connor. “Alexei,” she prompted, and he came forward with the materials that Lulu had gathered.

“My mom went the alchemy route, so we’re doing the same.” This time, it was Lulu who looked at a friend for support, and that friend was Alexei. She got his steady, barely there nod in return, and nodded confidently.

“Now who’s stalling?” I murmured.

As if to prove me wrong, she made a blue flame appear over a small silver bowl. She tossed in what looked like flakes of salt; the flame flashed yellow, then settled again. She added a drop of something that made the room smell green and metallic.

“Hold out your hand,” she said, and when I did, she jabbed aslender needle into my fingertip. “Not blood magic. Just an ID check.”

She squeezed my finger over the bowl, so one drop, then two fell into it.

The blue flame shifted to purple, and magic settled over the room. Not the excited, hivelike buzz of vampires from the House, but something calmer, more serene. The lap of cool water at a sandy shoreline. The ring of crystal.

It was Lulu’s magic—the flavor of her power. And there was nothing evil in it. Strong, yes, and old, but clear and tranquil and unmalicious.

She murmured something, a chant with a rhythmic cadence, and then swept up a slender bamboo paintbrush. She dipped it into the substance in the bowl and began to paint symbols in the air, flourishes that glowed white as she drew the brush along, the previous mark fading even as she began the next.

Something rattled, and I looked up sharply. The sword vibrated on the table—visibly now—and I felt the answer pulse inside me. Not like the violence Black had used or when monster had nearly been dragged along with Cadogan House into another dimension. This was an invitation, a path back to its home.

The sensation of its exit was a cold prickle, and I could feel the metaphysical void left inside me. And that void was…expansive. I had no idea how much room monster had taken up. And I wondered how keenly I’d feel that absence.

I hope you find peace,I told it.

And then the world rippled—the entire House shuddered—as if something had settled into place. Something powerful long denied.

Magic. Strength.

My body trembled and I nearly stumbled. I reached out to the table to steady myself.

That ripple of magic, of power, wasn’t the sword. It wasme.

“Lis—,” Connor said, and I felt him move forward, but held up a hand.

“I’m fine,” I managed. “Give me a minute.”

And we all waited for my body to adjust to its new magical reality. When my legs were less wobbly, I looked up at Lulu, the question in my eyes.

“You were holding it in for a really long time,” she said gently, and I nodded.