Page 51 of Knot Cursed

“I couldn’t agree more, little witch,” I said as I studied the work table again. “What are we working on here?”

She let out a breath and refocused her attention on the table in front of her. She pulled a book closer and tapped it.

“I’m always just grasping at straws with my curse. I can’t test anything out on any others,” she explained quickly. Something I knew without her having to tell me.

“But it’s always hard to pinpoint exactly what to call my curse because there’s not a lot of rhyme or reason to it. Chaos is the best I can do, but really, bursts of magic are the issue. So, I’m finding cures for those versus the curse as a whole. I found one that’s supposed to channel your magic. It essentially gives you more control over your powers. It could apply to all three of us if it works.”

“So, with the pack bonds, it should be even easier?” I guessed.

“Exactly,” she nodded along. “It will give me a chance to use my magic without being afraid that it’s going to burst out of me.”

“You haven’t exactly had magic outbursts lately,” I pointed out.

“Not in a while,” she agreed. “After that day in the clearing, I found Merrick and Dorian, too. Now that we’ve all gotten closer, I think it’s centered me enough to be in control.”

“Maybe we should practice more before going big. Have you looked into doing simple potions, not just ones based on the curse?”

She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, looking at me stunned.

“No,” she admitted.

“Maybe do a simple energizing potion,” I suggested. It was one of the basics. “I have all the ingredients here. Do you need a potion book?”

She shook her head. “No, I nearly graduated with my degree in alchemical chemistry.”

I remembered her story well enough, so I simply waved her on. “Then show me what you’ve got, little witch.”

I could see the excitement bubbling on her face as she gathered the ingredients and tested the heat on the cauldron. There was no doubting herself as she worked. She was in her element and it was amazing to see.

Then she faltered.

Just as she was about to add the final ingredient, she looked at me.

“I’m trying this on myself. I don’t trust anyone else to try it. My potions go wrong. Even when I do everything right.”

I shook my head, not letting her stop. “You told me that story. The strange ingredient was not your fault. You should’ve never been charged for that.”

“Technically, I wasn’t. I was sent here because of the curse, not because of the accident.” Okay, she had me there.

“They were one and the same,” I argued. “Quit doubting yourself.”

She finally dropped the last few bits into the cauldron. It changed from a strange green color to a bright electric blue, the exact shade it should be.

She carefully placed a bottle under the spigot and poured the potion into two bottles.

Before she could say a word, I snatched the second one and downed it.

She gasped, horrified, as she watched and waited for some sort of reaction. When I didn’t sprout a second head she picked up the remaining potion and drank it.

I took stock of my body. Energy crackled through me the way that it should.

This one was right. I started to open my mouth to tease her when the energy shifted. It was subtle, but there. Something was brewing in my stomach and coursing through me now. It was warm and alluring and strange.

“Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no,” she muttered over and over. Her hand was on her stomach, and I had a feeling she was experiencing the same strange side effect that I was now. “I told you that something always goes wrong.”

I wasn’t about to show her that I agreed, but something was definitely wrong.

“It’s going to be fine,” I promised.