After Roman had run out of the room to face the demon and Arto had closed the door, Larissa’s heart galloped like being dragged by wild stallions. She might never see Roman again.

With three demons outside clashing with the gargoyles, it all came down to this. Either she woke Janie, or the demons would get to her and take her soul.

She could never let that happen.

Larissa’s hands trembled at her sides. Fear blossomed like a dark dahlia in her grandmother’s garden—a burgundy that was almost black. Every particle in her body resisted venturing back into that dismal place where she’d encountered the demon magic. That bleak, suffocating veil had smothered Larissa, seizing control of her with its insidious magic. She’d lashed out at Roman—who stood by her even now. He believed in her. He had since that first night. What did he see in her that she couldn’t?

She couldn’t hurt him again. Someway, somehow, she’d block the dark magic from poisoning her thoughts.

A smash against the window made Larissa turn. The demon had shoved Roman against it, pressing his back against the glass.

She gasped. “Roman!”

A demon’s red eyes glowered at her, pulsing with raw fury. He raised his hand, reaching for her.

Arto sprang forward, now in gargoyle form, and hollered at the demon. He prowled before it, back in forth, holding his sword aloft.

A ferocious roar sounded as Roman hurled the demon backwards.

Focus. Focus!

The sounds of the battle outside surrounded her, piercing her concentration. Punches and the inevitable cry after fist met flesh. Massive gargoyle and demon bodies slammed against the glass, leaving cracks. She had to block it out. She had to concentrate on helping Janie! She closed her eyes and took a deep inhale, pushing the tightness in her ribs out on the exhale.

Where was her amulet?

She placed her hand on the necklace. An immediate sense of relief flowed through her. But, wait, what was that? Heat pulsing from it?

A current of energy vibrated and then moved into her hand. It traveled up her arm, spreading through her torso. Did she imagine it? Was it some sort of placebo? Or, was there more to this amulet than she knew?

She cleared her mind and pictured a safe space. Walden Pond formed. How peaceful she’d felt swimming in the water; the first time she’d done so in years.

When she’d returned to the shore, Roman had been there. He’d come for her. Followed her, technically. It had pissed her off at first, but what did it matter now? They were together again.

She raised her hand above Janie’s heart. On the next exhale, Larissa projected her energy into Janie. She steeled herself, wary of the demon’s dark magic to push forward this time and overpower her.

Enigmatic sensations vibrated as her energy flowed from her and into Janie. It lulled her into a trance, like a mother’s lullaby on a tired baby.

But, then darkness slammed into her, as hard as if she’d been punched in the solar plexus.

Since she’d been expecting that this time, she was able to block the full impact. She recovered from the blow and then pushed back at the attack with her own energy. Sparks flared inside, the crackle of energy crashing against each other. She wouldn’t back off from it—wouldn’t let the darkness drag her back into that despair.

She didn’t know whether she was inside Janie’s body or inside her own. Or in some space where bodies didn’t exist, merely their souls. The battle of energy mirrored that of the one outside—dark magic versus light. A battle for Janie’s soul.

Although Larissa struggled to force the oppressive force back with her magic, forming it into a protective shield, some of the demon’s darkness seeped through cracks. It was too powerful and insidious. It threatened to take her under. She was merely a mortal facing an immortal far more practiced with magic. How would she ever compete?

Doubts slithered in, crippling her with insidious whispers—you’re out of your league. You can’t win. Give up.

And then she faced the evil. It didn’t slither out at her like creepy fingers this time. It appeared like a shadowy orb, which then rumbled and shook.

The center of the murky sphere stretched open. The gap reshaped into what appeared to be a mouth with frigid, putrid breath. Larissa stared at the monster taking form inside her friend. Icy, prickling sensations spread over her skin like goosebumps. She was trapped in some other realm of existence with this monster, and she was alone. Shadows wrapped around her like a monstrous shawl, whispering of her defeat and dragging her down into despair. She couldn’t resist it. It would entrap her like Janie.

The demon’s mouth spread wider, preparing to swallow Larissa.

She inhaled and forced the doubts from her mind. Roman believes in you. Nana believed in you.

But, how? She envisioned herself as they’d described—not as a wreck or a freak masquerading as a normal person, but one who embraced all the magic she had within her. One who had the potential to be a powerful witch.

You are not just a human. You’ve descended from a long line of witches. They persevered through centuries, their blood and magic run through your veins. You can’t deny who you are any longer and run from the truth. Think of your mother and your grandmother. They live in you.

Her mental pep talk gave her a brief surge of energy, enough to keep those tentacles that crept over her from advancing.

Fight for Janie. Fight for Roman.

Fight for love.

Right. That was it. It all made sense to her now. The pleasant lightness that had filled her when she’d been driving to her grandmother’s, that had been a gift. Her grandmother had passed on her magic in her final moments when facing the demon.

Magic. Love. Energy. Light. It was all from the same place deep within.

Larissa focused on the dark magic that shrouded her. She wouldn’t let it defeat her.

She gathered all the light within her and hurled it at the ominous presence with a primal, desperate howl.

Magic burst out of her like a blast of light and pierced the barrier that enslaved Janie. The darkness jerked back, like Roman had hit the glass of the hospital earlier.

A tremendous sense of love swelled within. She sensed her grandmother and her mother’s presence, smiling upon her. Wherever they were didn’t matter. Whether it was real or in her head didn’t matter, either. They lived within her. And would be with her always. Their magic was there within hers.

Her grandmother and Roman—and even Janie—encouraged Larissa in her mind. Don’t stop. They believed in her. She sure as hell wouldn’t let them down.

The darkness recovered from the blow. It reshaped into a sphere, no longer with that hideous mouth. It slithered back toward her.

“Get out of her,” she seethed.

She gathered her energy again on the inhale. On the exhale, she unleashed her power at the shadowy orb once more.

The sound of breaking glass pierced the air, drawing Larissa’s attention back into the hospital room. Roman and the demon crashed beside Janie’s bed showering them all with shattered glass. The demon approached with its red eyes aglow and claws outstretched. Arto stepped before it, brandishing his sword, yet the massive being continued toward Larissa and Janie, undeterred.

With a war cry, Larissa unleashed the full blast of her energy into Janie, pinpointing the negative magic. Lightning-like sparks from her shot over and around it, like luminescent fireworks. It was more magnificent than anything she’d ever seen. It soared from Larissa and into Janie, alighting all the dormant nerves and cells.

Larissa stared at it, entranced by the beauty of her power.

A raven-colored curtain draped over her, and she was powerless to escape it.