I throw myself from his lap, dash to our bedroom, slam the door behind me, and sit on the balcony. Reaper takes flight from his moon tree and lands on the railing.
‘I’m guessing things aren’t going so well?’ He mind-links.
‘No, he won’t let me go back to Pandora’s Box until the bond between Alec and me is severed.’
‘What if it’s unbreakable?’ Reaper says.
‘Then I’ll have no option but to go against Magnus’s wishes and meet Alec, or I can wait it out and eventually die from being separated from Alec for too long,’
I spend the following days primarily in the basement concocting potions practising spells, and reading Mysteria: The history of supernaturals to avoid Magnus. My mind and body are constantly fighting me to rush to Magnus and be with him, but they are also fighting me to go to Pandora’s Box and be with Alec. I already feel like I’ve betrayed Magnus from the kiss Alec and I shared. I don’t want to betray him again and defy him to see Alec in Pandora’s Box. Every day it becomes worse, but I push past it and concentrate on making potions in the bubbling cauldron.
Ela, Fern, Lilac and Ria have come down many times over the few days to help me, but I sent them away every time, telling them I needed to be by myself. Another two days pass. Magnus has been trying to talk to me at every opportunity. ‘I’m not ready to talk about it, Magnus,’ I say each time. I let him still hug me and kiss me because I love him, and it brings some comfort to me. Returning to the basement, my body begins to heat up, but I ignore it thinking it’s from all the steam and plumes of smoke and continue my work. Reaper has been sitting on his perch I made him. He is the only one I have allowed to stay by my side.
‘You should get some rest, Luna. You’ve been working on this for more than five days. You don’t appear to be in good health,’ He mind-links.
I ignore him, but he continues to speak. ‘Perhaps you could shift and go for a run, and I’ll fly beside you?’ he says.
Sweat beads collect on my face and torso. ‘It’s boiling down here,’ I complain.
‘How about we walk outside for some fresh air?’ He says. I cave and nod. I manage to mutter ‘Skedad’ before slumping to the floor. I’ve suddenly become exceedingly weak and unable to cast a spell.
‘Luna! I’ll get help,’ Reapers says.
‘No, don’t do that. All I want is Magnus and Alec,’ I whimper.
‘I can get Magnus for you.’ He adds as he rushes up the stairs, leaving little time for me to say no.
Reaper caws furiously as feet stampede below. Magnus gets down on his knees at my side and places his hand on my arm. ‘How come she’s so hot? Is she sick?’ Magnus asks Reaper, then realises he and Reaper cannot mind-link.
Magnus picks me up and carries me up the stairs while yelling for help. May and Lilac come running over to us. ‘Magnus, what’s the matter with Luna?’ Lilac asks.
‘I’m not sure. Reaper came up to me wildly cawing. I followed him down the basement and discovered her on the floor. She is unbearably hot to the touch. I’m struggling to hold her any longer. She is burning my skin,’ he says.
‘Take her to her room and place her in a cold bath. I’ll go to Pandora’s Box and bring Yiselda back with me,’ May says.
Magnus can’t remove my clothes as the sweat and heat make them stick to my skin. He turns the water on and places me in the bath, and holds my head up with one hand. He uses his other hand to trickle cold water onto my face.
Magnus lifts me out of the ice-cold bath and puts a towel over me. He rests his palm against my temple. ‘You’re still flaming hot, Nina,’ he exclaims, horrified.
A knock comes from our bedroom door. ‘It’s May, and I’m here with Yiselda,’ she adds.
‘Please send her in quickly,’ Magnus begs, his voice shaking with fear.
Yiselda enters the bathroom and stares at Magnus, soaking wet on the floor with me on his lap.
She speaks with a heavy sigh, ‘It’s begun,’ she says.
‘What has begun?’ Magnus asks.
‘Did Luna not warn you that the blood flame will continue to pull her and urge her to Alec and that if she resists it for too long or fights it, there will be implications?’
‘I knew she’d be battling their bond, but she never mentioned any negative effects?’
‘When you resist it or stay away from your blood flame for too long, you physically start to burn. It begins as a fever, then your body continues to heat up, and you die,’
‘She’s going to die!’ Magnus snarls. ‘Argh,’ he groans as he places me on the tiled floor. He glances down at his scorched hands from holding me.
‘What do we do? How can I help her?’ He pleads.
‘The only way to prevent her death is to bring them together,’
‘What! There has to be another way,’ he says.
‘The only other option is to break the bond, but we don’t know how to, and it appears that we don’t have much time left. If you wish to save Luna, you must bring her to Pandora’s Box right now,’ she warns.
Magnus growls and battles his inner demons. He doesn’t want me near Alec, but he also doesn’t want me to die. With no choice, he grabs a blanket and lifts me with it to avoid his hands being burnt from skin contact. Yiselda dashes out the front door. Reaper and Magnus rush after her. Yiselda grabs the back of Magnus’s shirt and pulls him into the circle as they approach.
For a brief period, my eyelids flutter open, and I glimpse someone else walking out of the portal, but they don’t follow us inside. Instead, whoever it was darted into nearby shrubs. I extended my arm and gestured to the bushes, hoping to draw the attention of whatever was lurking there. But, with no time to spend, Magnus ignores his surroundings and my arm’s motion and rushes into the door. He is captivated by the enormous mirror Yiselda stepped through, but he does not have time to linger and enjoy it before leaping through. Yiselda opens the door on the right and says, ‘Materialise,’ and a book emerges, ‘Sprouto Spawniate,’ she adds, dropping the book at her feet. Magnus steps back as the book grows into a staircase. Reaper flies ahead and hovers by the dark wooden door.
‘I must warn you, Magnus, Alec is in a worse state. You mustn’t be afraid to hand her over to him. Blood flames will never hurt each other, no matter what,’
‘What do you mean he is in a worse state?’
‘I have been trying to persuade him to sever the bond or at least tell me how to do it. But, because he refuses, I’ve been depriving him of his daily nourishment of blood, which leads vampires to become erratic and savage,’ she says and opens a large black door.
‘I don’t think I like the sound of any of this, Yiselda,’ he says, following her through the dungeon. He sees the Grimghouls as he walks past. ‘They are more vicious-looking than I ever imagined them to be,’ he says.
‘Don’t get too close to them. If not your whole arm, they will rip your hand off, given the opportunity.’
We can hear agonising moans emanating from further up as we approach the Shadow Reapers, who are spell-sealed in their area of the dungeon.
‘Alec,’ I murmur.
Magnus stiffens, and a sombre expression develops on his face as he approaches the cell where Alec is.
Alec snarls and hisses. He appears to be physically and emotionally warring with himself. Yiselda was correct when she defined his current situation as erratic and savage.
