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CHAPTER THREE

Justice fell to his knees, his face contorted in agony as he clutched his wrist, a string of curses hissing through his clenched teeth. The foul creature melted into the shadows of the woods, its malevolent presence still palpable.

I scrambled to Justice’s side, my heart pounding. “Justice, oh my god,” I choked out, my fingers trembling as I clasped his arm. The heat of his skin seared my palm.

Brody slipped an arm around Justice and hauled him up. “We have to get him inside before the envy’s poison takes hold,” he gritted out, his gaze darting toward the tree line.

Cold sweat prickled my spine. “Poison?” I whispered.

“I don’t know what else to call it.” His grip on Justice tightened, his knuckles turning white. “But when those tentacles leave a mark—” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “That’s how the poison gets in.”

Justice’s legs gave out, and he collapsed, his body convulsing as he hit the ground. His eyes rolled back into his head, the whites stark against his rapidly paling skin.

Damon stalked forward, his eyes narrowing to glittering slits. “Great, just what we needed—demon venom,” he spat, his nostrils flaring. “Let’s move, people!” He gestured sharply toward the house, his voice cracking like a whip. “We’ve got a ticking time bomb here.”

Lisa met us at the door, her eyes widening as she took in the scene. A hand flew to her mouth to stifle a gasp. “What happened?”

My lower lip trembled, and I fought back a sob, my vision blurring with unshed tears. “A demon attacked him,” I managed.

“It had long black tentacles.” Damon panted, his chest heaving as he and Brody lowered Justice onto the couch. “You’ve got to use your mojo to help him like you did Maggie.” His gaze locked with Lisa’s, a desperate plea.

Tears streamed down my face, leaving hot, salty trails on my cheeks. “Can you?” My voice cracked, raw with emotion.

“I don’t know. Let me get my bag.” Lisa’s words came out in a rush as she ran back to her bedroom.

She returned with her bag, her face pale and drawn. Her arms trembled violently as she wrenched the bag open. She plunged her hands inside, rummaging through the contents with a desperate urgency. The items within clattered and shifted like a chaotic orchestra.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she rifled through the bag’s depths. Her wide, haunted eyes flicked erratically between Justice’s still form and the tools she extracted with shaking fingers, each one seemingly more inadequate than the last for the daunting task.

“Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.” The words tore from my throat as I collapsed to my knees at the edge of the couch. My heart clenched so tightly that I could barely breathe, each beat a painful throb against my ribcage.

With trembling fingers, I gently brushed his sweat-soaked hair off his forehead. A shuddering gasp escaped my lips as I traced the lines of his face, committing every beloved detail to memory, terrified that each moment might be the last.

His chest rose and fell in shallow, labored breaths, the only sign of life in his otherwise still form. I watched, transfixed, as I silently willed his eyes to open, to look at me with that familiar, heart-stopping intensity. Yet they remained closed, his lashes dark smudges against his ashen skin.

Lisa spread out various vials and herbs on the table, her hands moving with practiced urgency.

“Hold him steady,” she instructed.

Damon and Brody held Justice as Lisa found a small vial of green liquid and a sprig of an herb.

“This won’t cure him, but hopefully, it will slow the poison,” she explained. She poured the green liquid into a bowl, crushed the herb into it, and stirred, muttering an incantation under her breath.

“By the earth’s breath and the moon’s light,

Hold back the poison’s blight.

Slow its course, delay its harm,

Until we find the cure’s charm.”

She dipped a cloth into the mixture and gently applied it to Justice’s wound. The liquid sizzled on contact. Justice’s eyes flew open, and he gritted his teeth, a groan escaping his lips.

Lisa placed her hands over the wound, her eyes closed in concentration. A soft glow emanated from her palms. Justice’s eyes closed, then his breathing began to steady.

“There, that should buy us some time. At least, I hope it does. I have never treated anything like this before.” Lisa pulled back and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “We need to find a permanent cure—and fast.”

I stroked Justice’s thick hair, my fingers trembling as they combed through the soft strands. “What does that mean?” My voice was barely a whisper, as if speaking the words too loudly might make them real.

Lisa didn’t waver from my gaze. “He’s a vampire and stronger than us, but I don’t know anything about this type of demon venom.” Her eyes filled with a helplessness that made my stomach twist.

My hand stilled in his hair as a wave of icy fear washed over me. “You’re not saying…” I choked out, my throat tightening around the words. “You’re not saying he could die, are you?” My heart thumped, the blood roaring through me.

She pressed her lips together as she searched for the right words. After a long moment, she released a shaky sigh, her shoulders sagging. “I don’t know, Sawyer,” she admitted.

I wiped my tears away. “I can’t lose him. I just can’t. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

She grasped my hand, her fingers cold and clammy. “I wish I had answers for you. Damon and I met with a coven, though. Maybe they’ve encountered these envy demons.” Her eyes reflected the same despair that threatened to engulf me.

Sean came into the living room. “What happened?”

A red-haired woman with big blue eyes followed him. The woman wore a long black robe like something a monk would dress in. She looked down at Justice. “If you don’t find the Crown of Envy, he’ll die before the next full moon.”

Lisa put her hand on my shoulder. “That’s in less than three weeks.”

I stared at the red-headed woman. “Who are you?”

She gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m Zara McLeod.”

Lisa squeezed my shoulder gently. “She’s a witch from the Thistlewood Coven in Edinburgh and here to help.”

I glanced at Damon. He shrugged, but there was a tick in his jaw. A sure sign he didn’t trust this woman.

I stood slowly. “What exactly is this Crown of Envy?”

Brody straightened, his gaze filled with determination as he surveyed the room. “All right, everyone, listen up,” he announced. “Justice needs some rest, but we can’t afford to waste any time. Let’s gather around the dining room table and assess our current situation.” He gestured toward the table, his movements purposeful and efficient.

“We need to discuss the mirror and the crown, then formulate a strategic plan for our next move. Every second counts, and we must work together to overcome the challenges ahead. It won’t be easy, but I have faith in every one of you. Together, we will find a way to protect the innocent and bring justice to those who threaten our world.”

The crew followed Brody as I lingered back. Justice slept peacefully.

Damon came up alongside me, his eyes narrowed. “Friggin’ witches, man. I’m telling you, Sawyer. We gotta be careful with this one. Those magic-slinging chicks from Edinburgh are bad news.”

“I thought you went with Lisa to this coven.”

He shrugged and smirked. “I did. Doesn’t mean I trusted anything they said. Their meeting place was like a Halloween store complete with cauldrons, masks, potions, and creepy-shaped candles.” He shivered as if he’d walked through a ghostly apparition, then crossed his arms, leaning against the wall, his gaze focused on Zara.

I clasped his arm, feeling the tension in his muscles. “Come on. We don’t want to miss anything important.”

“They may be creepy, Sawyer, but I could feel their power,” he told me. “They’re a force to be reckoned with. If they know where this crown is, I bet they’re up to their eyeballs working with those envy demons.”

I swallowed hard, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach. The thought of the witches collaborating with the envy demons sent a wave of dread through me. They’d already wounded a vampire. What could they do to the rest of us?