“Back the hell up, earth princess. Or your friend gets a broken neck.” Alice’s Blood Magic seizes control of my body, forcing bone and muscle to move under her direction. Pain screams through my body, and I lose contact with the floor. Lose the ability to breathe.
Morgan rushes us, twisting Alice’s wrist until the pressure around my neck releases. I drop to the floor, coughing as air rushes back into my lungs.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” Morgan shoves Alice back a few steps and positions herself between the two of us. “But I won’t let you touch her.”
“Who says I have to touch her?” Alice’s expression shifts, a feral flash of teeth masquerading as a grin. Then my whole body trembles as my muscles contract tighter and tighter and tighter. A scream gets trapped at the back of my throat. I shut my eyes against the pain, tiny shooting stars flying behind closed lids.
Her power is an invasion, foreign and grating against each cell of my body. I reach for the elements, trying to steal the air from her lungs. To freeze the water in her blood. Anything. But I can’t find them through the agony, can’t concentrate on anything, not even my own breath.
There’s a scuffle above me. The crunch of bone and a sharp intake of breath. Then the pain in my body fades, replaced by the thrum of Morgan’s magic. It spreads like a gentle stream, soothing the ache in my muscles, but it doesn’t do anything to help with the headache already pounding at the base of my skull. When I manage to open my eyes, Alice is glaring down at me, wiping blood from beneath her nose.
“You brought a Blood Witch this time.” Derision drips off her words. “Smart.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Morgan asks before I can launch into the speech I’ve been practicing all week. “How can you use your magic like that? That’s not what our Clan is supposed to be. Not anymore.”
Alice glares at Morgan and perches on the edge of her mattress. There are two large trunks beside the bed, presumably filled with supplies for her show. I can’t imagine it’s all clothes. “And you’re not supposed to turn on another Blood Witch in favor of some . . .” Alice waves dismissively in my direction. “Some hotheaded flower child.”
“I’m—”
“Hannah is not a hothead. You’re the one who attacked her when all we wanted was to ask for your help.” Morgan crosses her arms. She’s a little scary when she’s furious, but it’s also kind of cute.
“My help?” Alice laughs, yet somehow even that sounds cruel. “That’s perfect. Of course she wants my help. Do you have any idea what she tried to do to me? She’s lucky I don’t stop her heart right now.”
“I—”
“She told me what happened the last time she was here. It wasn’t her fault. It was the Caster Witches.” Morgan doesn’t even hesitate when she adds. “Hannah said she’s the one who helped you escape, and then how did you repay her? You hurt her, just like you’re doing now.”
Alice’s blue eyes turn to ice. “Letting me go was the least she could do. She’s the reason I was caught in the first place.”
“What?” Morgan glances back at me, where I’m still sitting against the wall. I wish I could deny Alice’s claims, but they’re technically true. She probably wouldn’t have been caught if she hadn’t seen me in Central Park.
With both Blood Witches silent for a moment, I struggle back to my feet. My body protests, every muscle sore from Alice’s magical assault. “Let’s back up and start over, okay? The Council sent us. We desperately need your help.”
But Alice only redirects her glare at me. “I already spoke with the Council.” She practically spits the word. “I want nothing to do with their plans.”
“Staying out of it isn’t going to protect you. We’re all doomed if we don’t stop the Hunters.” I take a tentative step forward. My legs hold, but it hurts enough to make me wince. “If you don’t help, it’s only a matter of time before they dose every last one of us. And trust me, their drug fucking sucks.”
Alice’s expression softens into cautious curiosity, like she’s seeing me for the first time. “Wait, you’re not . . .” She glances between Morgan and me. “You’re the girl from Salem?”
Maybe I should have led with that. I nod. “I’ve faced these Hunters, Alice. They’re so much worse than the rogue Casters who tried to hurt you. I know you don’t believe me, but as soon as I understood what they wanted to do, I tried to stop them. No innocent witch deserves to have their powers taken from them.”
I squeeze my eyes against the sudden rush of emotion for Zoë and my grandparents. “Too many witches have already suffered. I’m asking for your help. Without you, it won’t be long until the Witch Clans are nothing but a memory.”
Alice tugs on the end of her pink braid and stares at the floor, a crease forming along her brow. She’s silent for a long time, and it takes everything in me not to interrupt or push. To give her space to talk herself into helping.
Finally, she looks up.
“I can’t do this. I have a tour to finish. I have sponsors to answer to.” Her voice is thick with emotion, and the shift in her is so complete I hardly recognize her as the same girl who threatened to snap my neck five minutes ago. “I finally have my life together. I can’t drop everything for some doomed mission.”
“But you’re our best hope to save the Clans.” I approach cautiously, remembering Archer’s advice. When logic fails, go for guilt. “The Hunters took everything from me. They murdered my father. They ripped away my magic, and when it finally came back, it wasn’t the same. I can’t reach the elements without pain. I don’t know if it’ll ever stop hurting.” My voice cracks, and I don’t bother trying to stop the tears. “Please, Alice. You could do something about this. You could be the one to save us.”
She considers me, and I feel the weight of Morgan’s gaze at my back. Feel the guilt I tried to wield as a weapon turned back at me. I let Morgan believe everything was okay. Now she knows I’ve kept this from her for weeks. Every time she asked if I was okay. Every time I deflected instead of telling her. But if this secures the help we need, I’ll shoulder the fallout.
“Alice . . .” I reach for her hand, but she yanks away from my touch.
“Get out. Both of you.” She stands abruptly and grabs me by the collar of my shirt.
I stumble behind her, and she shoves me into the hallway. Morgan follows me out.
“Find yourself another savior,” Alice says, and slams the door in my face.
9
SARAH IS WAITING FOR us when we get back to our room. “How did it go?”