Avoiding Alpha

“No!” Adrian and Chris said.



I held up my hands. “Okay. Okay. Jeeze.”



Adrian sighed. “It can’t be touched by anything other than glass right now. It’s really volatile.”



I widened my eyes at Dastien, who shrugged. Apparently I was the third-place witch now. I’d have to make a point of catching up on the bruja training after all this was behind us.



“We set up the roof for the ritual while everything was baking. We’re going to need Meredith there in fifteen.”



Dastien nodded. “I’ll get her and Dr. Gonzales.”



“That’s probably a good idea,” Adrian said.



I shuddered. I didn’t have anything against the good doctor, but her love of needles…those I had something against.



He brushed a kiss on my forehead. “Be back in a few.”



I tapped my fingers on the table. Nerves were working their way back into my thoughts. “Am I forgetting something?”



“Maybe you want to read the incantation? It can’t hurt to be familiar with it.”



“Probably a good idea.” I remembered what Rosa said, that the words themselves didn’t matter, but it would be good to have the gist of it down. It was going to be my will, my faith, my heart that made this spell work or not work.



The pressure had only gotten heavier in the last few hours. I’d never done anything like this before. It wasn’t anything like saying a few words and tossing vials at vampires. Meredith was my best friend.



I took the spell book from Adrian. “I’m going to make it work.”



My voice didn’t waiver as I spoke, and I almost believed myself.



***



The night was quiet as we walked out on the roof. Air conditioning units and their ventilation pipes stuck out in various places. I appreciated the three-foot-high ledge along the edge. Heights and me weren’t exactly the best of friends. Meredith might argue differently, given that in my first two weeks at St. Ailbe’s, I’d jumped out windows no less than four times. I’d walked away from each fall, but I didn’t plan on making a habit of death-defying leaps.



We walked around the air conditioning units, heading to where the spell area was set up. A Meredith-sized circle was drawn in white chalk on the roof within a circle of candles. The largest candles marked north, south, east, and west, and the smaller ones made up the distance in between. A table was set to the side of the circle. We placed the three beakers on the table. A large copper pot sat on the table, too. The modern day version of a cauldron, apparently.



“Double, double, toil and trouble,” I said.



“I thought it was ‘Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble,’” Chris said.



“No. ‘Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble.’ Gotta get your Shakespeare learnin’ on, boy.”



Chris chuckled. “Nerd.”



“This isn’t a joke, y’all,” Adrian said. “We’re here to be serious. You’ve got to respect the process if it’s going to work.”



I hadn’t meant to make fun of it. Or him. “I’m sorry. It’s the nerves. This has to work, you know?”



Dastien and Dr. Gonzales came through the door with another tall blond guy. He was older than the version of him I’d seen in the vision. His hair was longer, past his shoulders and tied back in a low ponytail. He cradled Meredith in his arms. She looked so frail, with her head lolling to the side. Her lungs rattled with every breath. The drugs were keeping her alive, but only barely. He stepped over the chalk, and lowered Meredith into the center of the circle.



“I should’ve brought her a pillow or something,” Chris mumbled.



“At least she’s not puking anymore. With any luck, when she wakes up, this will be like a bad dream for her.” Thinking positive was going to be my new thing. Light. I was going to be like the light.



Her brother stepped up to me. “I’m Max.”



I shook his hand. “Tessa.”



He exhaled and stared at his sister. “I hear you’re going to help her.”



“I’ll do my best. But if you’d rather I not…I mean it’s not a guarantee. It could end up hurting her more or—”



“No. I’ve heard about it. Your mate and I had a long talk.”



Huh. That was what Dastien was up to.



“Meredith doesn’t have much time left. Hours really,” Max said, his voice broke.



I glanced at Dr. Gonzales and she nodded. “I’m almost out of options in terms of treatments. The sedative I’ve been using isn’t working as well. She’s already built up an immunity. I thought the injections would last longer, but we’re out of time.”