Page 76 of My Faire Lady

“What if it doesn’t have to be a witch?” I extend my arm. “Flood me with your magic again, if you think that will help.”

“But what if it hurts you?”

I wave a hand toward the clock in the corner. “If we haven’t decoded this by the time that clock strikes midnight, every single creature on this land might as well be dead. The magic won’t last another year until your next birthday.” Leaning forward, I lay my hand on her knee and hold her gaze. “If it hurts me, I’ll be fine. But if we don’t try, the depleting magic can kill you. I can’t lose you, Scarlet.”

Her breathing falters. “Lottie⁠—”

“Please. I told you I would do anything to help you, so let me.”

Boden sets a hand on the back of Scarlet’s chair. She glances up at him and nods, as if there’s a silent conversation taking place between them. A shadow crosses her face, and as she straightens, her eyes glaze over.

Frankie huffs, tail flicking the air. “I hate when they do this.”

The clock ticks in the corner, and each time the second-hand jolts forward, it pricks at my nerves. I have no idea if my plan will work, but I have to help her. I can’t sit here and do nothing.

“Okay,” Scarlet says, blinking. “Let’s try it.”

Boden smiles down at her, and he looks toward Frankie, gesturing to the door.

“We’re leaving?” she says.

“We’re a distraction.”

I raise a brow as Frankie gently closes the book in front of her and follows Boden out. The door closes with a soft click.

“What was that about?” I say.

She studies me, her gaze more intent than ever before. “Give me your hand, and I’ll explain.”

I don’t hesitate. I hold out my hand, and she supports it as she traces a rune against my palm.

“My mother passed before she had a chance to teach me all the spells she knew. Once she was gone, I had to teach myself. I knew the basic ones, but I studied spell books and, well, learned from trial and error.” She switches directions on my palm, sending a rush of magic into my fingertips. “But Boden remembers a rune in particular that my mother used only once, one that was close to her heart. She traced it onto my father when they married.”

“Which one?” I whisper as her magic floods my arms, through my torso, and dives into my legs.

She doesn’t call upon the touch like she did the other day, but I’m drawn to her nonetheless. Her lips move as she talks, and I stare, entranced.

They curl into a lopsided smile. “My magic can sense what you’re feeling.”

Some deep-rooted embarrassment tickles the back of my neck, but I shove it aside. “Should I apologize?”

“No. Fates, no.” She scoffs, eyes intent on my palm as she works. “But they’re a bit…distracting.”

I swallow. “What was the rune your mother used?”

“Hang on.” She lifts her hand, finger poised over the center of my palm. “This one might sting a little, but it’s quick.”

She hesitates, but blows out a breath and draws a circle. A sting, no worse than a paper cut, scrapes my skin, and I bite back my reaction as blood blooms within the lines of my palm.

“Didn’t even feel it,” I say.

Her hand slides out from underneath mine, and she traces the same rune onto hers, bringing forth a fresh bead of crimson. She curls her hand into a fist over the scroll, and a drop of blood splashes onto the paper. “Now you.”

Blood gathers at the side of my palm and drips to the page, mixing with hers.

The scroll shifts, like an electrical current ran through it.

“The rune my mother used was called a twin flame,” Scarlet says, dragging her finger through the blood as she draws the first line.