“But I’m not a witch,” I said. “I can’t do magic.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Think for a second about what they named my curse,” she said. “The genie curse. What do you know about genies, Annika?”

“You know my name,” I realized again. “I never told you my name.”

“I’m the most powerful witch in the world.” She straightened. “I have strong psychic abilities. But back to the point—the curse. What do you know about genies?”

“Genies are trapped inside lamps,” I said, and I held the ring out in front of me, everything clicking into place. “Or rings.”

“Yes.” She pressed her fingers together and leaned forward. “Continue.”

“I touched the ring—which I guess could be compared to rubbing a lamp—and you came out of it,” I said. “And you said your magic belongs to me. So does that mean I get three wishes? Like if you were a genie?”

“Worse.” Geneva frowned. “You see, my magic was so strong that the witches couldn’t kill me. So they trapped me in that ring and locked it in this cursed cavern. They never expected anyone to be able to enter and retrieve it. They intended for the ring—and myself—to be lost forever. Because as long as my spirit is connected to the ring, I’m bound to serve its wearer for as long as the ring belongs to them.”

“So you can get me out of this cavern.” I smiled, relieved that for once since being kidnapped last year, things seemed to be working out in my favor. “You can teleport us out of here.”

“I can.” She nodded. “I can take you anywhere in the world.”

Anywhere in the world? My mind raced with the possibilities. That was a huge offer.

The first place that came to mind was the Sanctuary that Jacen had mentioned—the place where humans could go and be free from all supernatural creatures.

But if I went there, what would happen to the ring? To Geneva? Surely she wouldn’t be allowed inside the Sanctuary. And Jacen… he’d risked so much to help me escape. I hadn’t seen him since Camelia and her guards had attacked us in the mountains. I didn’t know if he was okay. He didn’t know if I was okay.

Given all that he’d done for me, I needed to see him again.

And then there was Camelia. As much as I was wary of her, we’d made a blood oath. She’d promised to turn me into a vampire if I gave her the ring.

“What are you thinking, girl?” Geneva asked.

“I thought you were psychic,” I said. “Shouldn’t you know what I’m thinking?”

“It doesn’t work like that,” she said.

“Oh.” I frowned. “Well, I was thinking about a lot of things. Mainly that I’m not sure where I would go. You see, the vampires of the Vale killed my family. And given all that I know of the supernatural world, I could never return to living a normal human life.”

“Do you want me to wipe your memory of the knowledge of the supernatural?” she asked. “Because it’s in my power to do so. And if you wish it, I can—”

“No!” I said sharply. “I don’t want to forget. I won’t be ignorant. I won’t let myself be a victim ever again.”

“Good.” She smiled. “I was hoping you would say that.”

“Also, I made a blood oath with Camelia,” I told her. “She’s the strongest witch of the Vale. She has to follow through with her promise to me.”

“What did you promise her?” Geneva raised an eyebrow. “Because blood oaths are a strong, ancient magic—so strong that even I cannot reverse them.”

“I promised her that I would give her the ring, and she promised that in return she would try her hardest to convince Queen Laila to turn me into a vampire.”

“Those were the exact words?” Geneva asked.

“I think.” I scratched my head, trying to recall the conversation we’d had in the dungeons. I still hadn’t recovered from the vampire blood hangover at that point, so my memories were hazy. “I suppose I don’t remember the exact wording. But it was close.”

“Well, luckily you have me on your side.” Geneva reached for the crystal nearby, but her hand passed through it again. “Rhatz!” she cursed, turning back to me. “I can’t interact with anything in the mortal world unless you command me to do so.”

“What were you trying to do?” I asked.

“I was going to use the crystal to view the moment when you made the blood oath with this witch Camelia,” she said.

“Okay.” I nodded. “Then I command you to use the crystal to view the moment I made the blood oath with Camelia.”

Geneva reached for the crystal again, and this time, she was able to touch it. She grinned and pulled the crystal onto her lap, her hands hovering above it as she gazed inside.

“Well?” I asked, leaning forward. “What do you see?”

She looked up at me and smiled. “I saw the moment you made the oath with Camelia,” she said. “She promised that if you gave her the sapphire ring, she would tell Queen Laila of your feat and do everything in her power to convince her to turn you into a vampire.”

“If,” I realized. “Not when.”

“Exactly.” Geneva smirked. “You’re under no oath to give my ring to this witch Camelia. In fact, I urge you not to do so. This witch never had your best intentions at heart.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “She swore that she would do everything in her power to turn me into a vampire.”

“She also told everyone in the palace that you were dead,” Geneva said simply. “Including your vampire prince Jacen.”

“No.” I shook my head, my heart dropping deep into my stomach. “She wouldn’t.”

“She would,” Geneva said.

“Even if she did, he wouldn’t believe it,” I insisted. “Not without seeing a body.”

“Your instincts are correct,” Geneva said. “While you were sedated, Camelia stole a strand of your hair and created a transformation potion. She gave the potion to your friend Tanya—the short blonde girl who worked at that bar with you. Once Tanya had taken on your form, Camelia had her killed. She showed the girl in your form as proof of your demise.”

I shook my head, unwilling to so easily accept that Tanya was gone. “That doesn’t make any sense.” I reached for the crystal, but Geneva pulled it away.

“Do not touch that.” She held it out of my reach, her eyes ablaze.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because as long as you wear my ring, it’s my duty to protect you,” she said. “And the dark crystals contain powerful magic that kills non-witches on contact.”

“Oh.” I flexed my fingers, shocked that I’d just been millimeters away from death—and grateful to Geneva for saving me. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” she said. “If a wearer of the ring dies on my watch, I’ll be trapped in its depths until the end of time. I will always save its wearer. Anything else would mean condemning myself to an eternity of imprisonment.”

I wanted to point out how selfish that sounded, but I kept my mouth shut. Because she was my only hope—and she was apparently bound to do as I said and keep me alive—so I had to make sure this relationship got off on the right footing.

“Tanya’s truly dead?” I asked instead, my voice cracking.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

I didn’t respond to her empty condolences. Geneva didn’t care about my grief. In fact, I had an instinctive feeling that all Geneva cared about was herself.

Luckily, Geneva’s self was tied to my self. And I wanted revenge. On Camelia, for killing Mike and Tanya. On Laila, for creating this kingdom that treated humans like animals. On all the vampire nobles who followed her blindly, enjoying their lives in the palace while we lived in poverty. And on the vampire guards who had killed my family, along with countless other innocent lives.

And I had the most powerful witch in the world at my disposal to help me do so.

I would not let this opportunity go to waste.

“I should go to Jacen,” I realized, running my hands through my hair. “He’ll help me figure out what to do from here.”

“Are you so sure about him?” Geneva asked with a knowing smile.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “He tried to save my life. He’ll help me. I know he will.”

She placed the crystal down between us, watching me carefully. “When I looked for the moment when you made the blood oath with Camelia, I saw something else as well,” she said. “Something that I think you’ll want to see.”

“Show me,” I told her. “I command it.”

Then she held her hands above the crystal and showed me Jacen’s heartless reaction when he’d learned of my death.