Page 103 of The Secret Life of a Witch

The unfamiliar voice startles me. I snap my head up as I jolt. Then I relax a drop when I realize where the voice came from.

The front door is now open and a girl around Evalee’s age is standing in the doorway with a frown on her face. She’s dressed all in black, which contrasts strangely with her nearly white hair and the most silvery eyes I’ve ever seen.

Rowan, the Ghost Breather. She must be her.

“If you want to say your goodbyes, you should probably do it now,” Rowan tells me. “She’s about to go.”

My brows pull together. “Go where?”

Sighing, she steps forward onto the porch beside Peyton. “To the Afterlife.”

I shake my head in fucking denial. “No, Evalee’s a ghost. She accidentally cast this spell on herself a while ago, and?—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rowan cuts me off, glancing at Peyton. “Spell or not, I can tell her spirit is fading, which means she only has a few minutes left before she permanently dies.”

Peyton shakes her head. “No … She can’t … I don’t …” She turns away with her head lowered. “Goddammit, Eva, why’d you have to go and get yourself killed? You’re, like, the only witch I was ever able to stand.”

“Tell Eva to hold on,” I beg Rowan. “You’re the Ghost Breather, right? Tell her to hang on until we save her.” Tears burn my eyes. I’ve never been much of a crier, but I can’t fight them back no matter how hard I try.

I can’t lose her yet.

I can’t lose her at all.

I’m so sorry for lying to you, Eva. I should’ve told you the truth a long time ago.

“Her ghost isn’t here,” Rowan whispers apologetically. “She’s probably already heading toward the Afterlife.” She presses her lips together. “I’m so sorry.”

Shaking my head, I cup Eva’s ice-cold cheek. “Eva, please don’t leave me.”

Nothing but silence. Not even the whisper of a breeze.

“Please,” I whisper, begging. “I can’t lose you. I need you, okay? I’ve needed you since the day I met you. You’re the only witch in my life I can stand anymore. Everyone else … my family … There’s so much you don’t know. I should’ve told you. If you come back, I’ll tell you everything. Please, just come back.”

I restlessly wait for a sign that Eva is here, that she can hear me. But silence crushes my soul.

Perhaps that’s why I do what I do next. Perhaps the pain is too much and I lose my damn mind.

Or maybe I’m thinking clearly for the first time in my life.

Shifting Eva into one arm, I retrieve my wand from my pocket.

Peyton turns around and frowns at me. “What’re you doing?”

“What I should’ve done the moment she died.” I raise my wand, my hand trembling. “I’m going to bind her soul to mine. That way, she can’t die until I do.”

“That sounds like a pretty easy solution.” Peyton’s frown deepens. “Too easy.”

“That’s because he’s sugarcoating it.” Rowan wraps her arms tightly around herself. “He’s not just binding her soul to his. He’s binding his soul to hers, as well. Which means, if she dies, so does he. And it’s black magic, so a lot could go wrong. You could both end up soulless, or your souls could end up tainted by darkness. It’s a really risky spell.”

I already know all this. That’s why I was hesitant to perform the spell. But if I have to choose between losing Evalee or losing my soul, I choose the latter.

“How the hell do you know so much about black magic?” I ask Rowan suspiciously. “I thought you were a Ghost Breather?”

“Let’s just say I have a connection to the witch world and know a thing or two about black magic.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as the wind kicks up. “You shouldn’t do it. It’s too dangerous.”

“I know the risks, and I’m willing to take them.” I move my wand toward Evalee’s forehead.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Peyton asks warily. “I mean, what if Eva returns, but she’s like soulless or some shit like that? She won’t even be Eva.”

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