Page 9 of Make Me (Immortal Vices and Virtues: All Hallows’ Eve #1)

KASHA

I ’m not sure how I’m still upright after everything Vaelora said in that hallway and what Talon confessed, but somehow, I keep moving. One step at a time, one shaky breath after the next. I refuse to stop now. Not until I know the truth for myself.

Vaelora may have shown up with her mysterious powers and her truths, but I can’t take her certainty and make it my own.

I need to feel the bond. I want the racing heart, the tingling skin, the kind of breathless recognition I’ve seen in my friends when they look at their mates.

I want to know Talon is mine the moment I look at him.

Being told we’re fated either by him or even her isn’t enough. Not for me.

Which is how, once I use the portal spell to return back to the center of Crossroads, I end up practically dragging him through the streets toward Natalia’s shop, chasing a hope I’m not sure I deserve .

My thoughts twist with every step, tangled between disbelief and desperation. I didn’t just bind my wolf but sacrificed her. A piece of me has been missing all this time, and I had no idea how much I gave up to survive.

I tell myself Natalia will help. That if anyone can restore what I’ve lost, it’s her. But even if she can , what happens after that?

What if my wolf rejects me? What if she forces a shift and goes feral, claiming control I can’t take back?

What if I deserve it?

The closer we get to the shop, the less those thoughts feel like fears and more like facts. My life already feels half-empty, and if this doesn’t work—if she can’t forgive me—maybe becoming a rogue wolf isn’t punishment. Maybe it’s fate.

The streets of Crossroads are quiet, the usual nighttime hum of magic and muffled conversation dulled beneath the pressure in my chest. Talon stays silent, his presence a steady thread of calm I didn’t know I was craving until now.

I catch myself glancing at him more than once. At the way his dark hair shifts in the moonlight, how his jaw flexes like he’s chewing on too many thoughts at once. How he walks half a step behind me, like he’s guarding my back without saying a word.

It’s unsettling and comforting and could possibly be too much if I let it.

So instead, I focus on the cracked stone pathway beneath my feet as we approach a narrow corner storefront glowing faintly with magic .

The letters painted on the window shimmer in silver script: Spells, Secrets, and Sorcery.

I swallow hard against the knot rising in my throat. I’ve been here plenty of times. But never like this. Never when the stakes were so high. Never when it felt like my future was hanging in the balance of one spell.

I stop just shy of the door.

Talon reaches for the handle but pauses. “Do you want me to go in first?”

I shake my head. “No. It’s better if I do.”

He nods, stepping back without hesitation.

I inhale slowly and exhale through barely parted lips.

Natalia doesn’t take well to surprises, and the last thing I need is her casting hexes on Talon, a stranger to Crossroads, if she’s not in the mood to be interrupted.

I square my shoulders and push open the door.

I walk forward with my head high, even though everything inside me feels like it’s unraveling.

The moment I cross the threshold, the familiar scent of sage and violet-laced bourbon hits me, grounding me more than I expect.

The shop smells exactly as it always has.

Earthy, warm, and ancient, like secrets steeped in magic.

Soft light flickers from enchanted sconces, dancing across glass vials, bundled herbs, and cracked leather books tucked between shelves of glowing spell rings. Magic hums here, thick and pulsing like static just before a storm.

Before I can reach the counter, Natalia steps through the black curtain at the back, her expression unreadable.

The signature braid draped over her shoulder sways as she crosses her arms, olive-toned skin catching the warm glow of the hanging lanterns.

Her hazel gaze lands on me with the same precision as always—cool, discerning, but not cruel.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Kasha Flinn?” she says, arching a brow. “Or should I say… Kamishola Havensflint? ”

I sigh and shake my head. “I’d rather you not.”

She hums, a flicker of something close to amusement playing at the corner of her mouth. “Fair enough. What can I do for you?” Her gaze moves past me. “Or for your friend, the stray who seems to have wandered a little too far from his home.”

Talon shifts forward, quiet but solid, his presence like armor at my back.

“I need your help,” I say, cutting straight to the point. “To get my wolf back.”

Natalia’s eyes narrow, the air between us stretching taut. “You know that kind of binding isn’t something you just snap open like a lock, right? That sort of magic latches onto the soul. The damage isn’t just magical. It’s personal . It doesn’t come undone with salt and moonlight.”

“I know.” My voice stays steady. “But I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”

Natalia studies me for a moment longer before nodding. “All right. I’ll help you. For a price, of course.”

There’s always a price.

“What do you want?” I ask, hoping whatever it is, she doesn’t ask for too much blood or gold. Rebuilding my home took most of my stash, and the relics I used to keep, well, most of those went up in smoke with the rest of my house.

Natalia taps her lips thoughtfully then her face lights up like a fox who’s just cornered its prey. “You still have those termite fairies Spencer told me about?”

“I do,” I say, remembering that I’d lent them to Spencer just before I lost my house, so they’d remained unscathed.

“Perfect.” She claps her hands. “I’ll take those.”

Well, that’s easy enough. I consider asking what she wants them for but think better of it. Witches and their hobbies are better left unexplored.

Natalia turns her focus back to Talon, giving him an obvious once-over. “So,” she drawls, “are you going to tell me who your bodyguard is? Or do I have to guess?”

“This is Talon,” I say. “He’s from Fire and Fluorite and apparently my mate.”

She chuckles. “Well, this is making more sense now.”

“I was already talking to Spencer about coming here to do this earlier.” My words are defensive, and I quickly realize they’re not meant for me. I say them for Talon. I don’t want him to think I’m only doing this because I don’t believe what I’ve been told.

Natalia doesn’t react. She simply steps forward, grabs my hand, and turns it palm up with a firm but not unkind grip. “Doesn’t much matter to me,” she mutters as she places both of her hands over mine.

A spark flares to life where our skin connects.

Energy hums between us like a wire pulled taut, buzzing through my veins, a storm awakening beneath my skin. My knees nearly buckle from the pressure before Natalia jerks back with a sharp hiss, her eyes narrowing.

“You left a few very important details out, Kamishola,” she snaps. “There’s only the barest sliver of your wolf’s spirit in there. Where’s the rest of her?”

The knot in my chest tightens as guilt coils through me. I swallow hard, forcing the words out. “A witch back in the fae world took her. I didn’t know it at the time. I only asked her to bind my wolf, but she…she took more. I was just a kid. I didn’t know?—”

Natalia snaps her fingers and glares. “I don’t need to know your excuses.”

Talon steps forward then, voice low and dangerous. “And she doesn’t need your judgment.” His shoulders square like he’s ready for a fight. “You offered help in exchange for a price. You don’t get to shame her as part of the deal.”

Natalia arches one brow and leans forward, elbows on the counter, unimpressed.

“I was right about the bodyguard type. Either way, I don’t care if she’s your mate, I’ve known Kasha for a while now.

I might even consider her a friend on the occasional Tuesday.

So, I’ll say as I damn well please. Thanks, though. ”

I place a hand over his forearm before he can fire back again. “It’s okay, Talon. She has every right to judge. What I did was wrong.”

He turns to me, and gods, the look in his eyes could bring down mountains. “Like you said, you were a child. It doesn’t matter why you did it. Anyone with half a brain, and who claims to know you, should also know that you must have had a good reason.”

I glance away. He’s not wrong, but he’s not right either. The truth is, the young me thought I did, but now I know I was just running from the hurt I allowed other people to cause me. That’s no reason at all. That’s cowardice, which is why I’m willing to take the risks now.

My wolf deserves that.

Natalia crosses her arms, eyeing Talon with obvious suspicion. “I’m not sure I like your friend.”

“Mate,” Talon corrects coolly, and I can’t help the small grin that pulls at my lips. That one word settles something in my chest, even if it’s still fragile and uncertain.

“I’m sorry,” I say to her instead. “It’s been a long night for both of us. Will you still help me?”

She studies me then flicks a glance at Talon. “I want the fairies. And blood from both of you.”

“Done,” I reply.

“Absolutely not,” Talon says at the same time.

I look up at him, still holding his arm and enjoying the warmth beneath my palm. “I know you have no reason to trust her yet, but will you trust me ? Natalia might not seem like it to you, but she’s one of the good ones.”

His shoulders relax, and he turns toward me, his face softening. “If you believe her, so will I.”

“Thank you.” I look back over at Natalia. “So, we have a deal? You’ll help me get my wolf back? ”

Her long black nails drum over her arms. “I’ll try. I make no promises this will work.”

“That’s all I can ask.”

She turns toward her back room, hidden behind the black curtain, as she says, “But I’ll need time to gather a few ingredients. Come back in an hour.”

“Thank you, Natalia,” I call out, but all I get in reply is a gruff harrumph .