Grim Magic (Book 4 of the Ink Series)

Withdrawals like a mother

I knew the spell. I knew all spells like I knew my birthday and social security number. Maybe I was some kind of witch savant, the amount of stuff going on in my mind when it came to magic astounded me.

But that didn't change the fact I was scared to death of Evan and what he would do to me and Slade if I failed to keep up my end of the deal.

I looked at him, clutching his cell phone in his big hands. He was only willing to give us eight minutes.

So after Slade performed the spell. I sat behind him on the couch watching Eve. She rubbed her hands together and dropped to her knees uncovering my dad. I looked away. I didn't want to see him in that condition.

"Six minutes," Evan announced.

I admired my shoes, and then I admired Slade's boots and the way both toes had perfect scuffs on them. And I thought about the first time we slept together. It was a stupid thought, it seemed pretty shallow but anything was better than the thoughts that would start if I didn't think about something.

"Four minutes," Evan reminded us. This time he sighed.

I bit down on my lip, I wanted it to work. I wanted to know my dad would be okay. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I had to go back to Cherry and tell Nona and my brothers he was dead.

Slade touched my arm. "Stand up."

I knew what was coming next. "When he says one minute I want you to start the spell."

I swallowed shaking my head. I repeated the words over and over in my head so I didn't forget them. "What if this doesn't work?"

"It's going to work," Slade said. "Stop thinking like that."

I closed my eyes forcing air through my nose. "I'm trying."

"It's working," Eve said breaking through my calm. I opened my eyes and dropped down beside her. I touched his face, he looked okay, better even. He was warm, he was breathing, he was everything I wanted him to be and more.

She stood up, leaving me and Slade to tend to him. I touched his chest feeling the rhythmic beating of his heart, it was the best feeling I ever felt beneath my fingertips.

Slade kissed my temple, squeezing me for a couple of seconds before he let me go back to my dad. I squeezed his hand smoothing his hair back waiting for more. I wanted him to look at me.

"It sometime helps if you talk to them," she offered.

I looked at her and smiled. "Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me." I looked her over. "Are you okay?" She looked okay.

She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm a little shaky. But I'm okay."

I squeezed his hand. "Dad. It's Hope. Wake up, look at me."

Seconds never felt so long. But soon enough I was looking at one of the most important people to me like it was the first time. He touched my face. "Hope."

His words meant the world to me.

"How do you feel?" I asked him.

He sat up. "Like I have the worst headache I've ever had in my life."

Slade kneeled down beside us with a glass of liquor in his hand. I raised an eyebrow but bit my tongue. Dad accepted the drink and looked around the room as he took his first sip. "Where are we?"

"Jersey," Slade told him. "But not for long."

Dad rubbed at his forehead with his free hand. "The last thing I remember is Hope singing down by the water." He looked down at the black bag and pulled one leg free. "What the hell is this?"