Page 71 of Surviving in Everton

“Wow. Y’all were homealoneand you talked aboutme? I’m disappointed, Q. I thought you had better skills than that. Guess all this time out of the game has had an effect on you after all.”

We all laugh our asses off at that. Quinn doesn’t find it so funny though. She lunges out of her chair in an attempt to attack Rowe. Luckily, she was sitting next to West. He grabs her in midair and pulls her down onto his lap, where he holds her tight until she stops fighting. Which she doesn’t do until he whispers something in her ear. Then she goes completely still, eyes wide, mouth agape. Damn, I wonder what he said to her to get that kind of reaction.

“Right. Well, we’re gonna need everyone to make this potion. Declan is learning his spell now. Mine was super easy. No surprise there. But whenever y’all are ready… we’re doing this in the solarium.” I nod awkwardly then head back to check on Dec.

“Hey man, you about ready? Everyone should be in here soon.”

“Yeah, I’m good. Just wanted to make sure I don’t mess up the words. I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Hey does anyone know where Nate is?” I ask when the others start filling the room. “Why didn’t he come home with you, Hudson?”

“I had to go back to BB’s house to get the book. Nate had a customer walk in as I was leaving. I’m sure he’ll be here soon, but I can call him if you want.”

“Yes. We need everyone. Besides, I think Nate might actually kill us if we start without him.”

“Good point.” He chuckles, pulling out his phone and putting it on speaker.

“On my way. Don’t you fucking dare start without me,” Nate growls down the line.

“Well, hurry up. We’re waiting for you,” Hudson retorts.

Not two minutes later we hear the front door slam shut.

“Kitten! Where are you?!” Nate roars.

Rowe rolls her eyes then heads out to the hall to meet him before the grump tears the house apart looking for her. I hear muffled voices then a high-pitched squeak. Next thing I know, Nate’s walking into the room with Rowe thrown over his shoulder with her delectable ass in the air. When he finds an open spot, he stops, smacking her ass so hard the sound bounces off of the walls, then slides her down his body until she’s standing in front of him. Her hair is a mess and her face beet red.

“What was that for?!” she huffs at him.

“Thatwas for trying to start without me.” He narrows his eyes at her, daring her to argue with him.

“I was not!” she starts to argue, but Declan cuts her off.

“Enough, you two. Let’s get this over with, please.”

“Right. What do we do?” Hudson asks Declan, effectively handing over the reins.

“Okay, I’m goin’ to mix the potion. Ayden is goin’ to perform the love spell, directin’ it to the potion. Then I’ll do the same with the control spell. To finish the potion, the five of us will take turns infusin’ it with our intent. When the time comes, remember to keep your head clear. Focus on what you want this potion to do. That is, erase any foreign magic inside of Rowen. That’s all you can think about. Think about how much you love Rowen and how much you want her to get better. Tell your magic to join with the other positive magic in the potion and work together to heal her and rid her body of any magic but her own,” he instructs.

We watch in tense silence as Declan prepares the potion. At his sharp nod I walk over to the table and perform my spell, directing it into the potion as instructed. Once finished, I step out of the way so he can perform his spell. He whispers the words and I wonder if he’s afraid one of us will memorize the spell and use it or something. I don’t know why else he would be reciting it so low no one can hear him. But I’m not about to distract him. It’s a long spell, but he takes his time, making sure he gets it just right. I’m really thankful I let him have the complicated spell. I’m pretty good at spells and potions, but I’m nowhere near Declan’s level of expertise.

Finally done with his spell, Declan nods at Hudson, who quickly steps up to the table. He closes his eyes and hovers his hands over the potion. After a moment, his red magic starts to flow from his hands into the potion. He pours a lot of magic into it before finally stopping and stepping back for Kayden to take his place.

We continue taking turns, first, Nate, then me, with Declan going last and finishing the potion.

“Okay,A Stor. You ready?”

Swallowing, she takes a deep breath, letting it out in a rush. She’s getting herself psyched up to take the potion. It’s like every nervous tic she has is on display at the same time. She covers her face with both hands, running them over her head and then down the back of it, pulling on her hair. Finally, she shakes out her hands and nods while biting her lip.

“Everything will be fine,A Stor. Trust me.”

“I do. I trust all of you. I’m just scared. What if it doesn’t work? Everything is riding on this potion fixing me. What if…”

“Don’t say it. Don’t even think it. Only positive thoughts are allowed right now. When you take this potion, you will think about each of the men that made it. How you feel about them. But only happy thoughts.Doyou understand, Rowen?” he cuts her off before she could say what she’s really afraid of. Hell what we’re all afraid of, but none of us will even let that thought enter our heads. Declan’s right, she can’t let that thought in either.

“Okay… I’m ready.”

“Alright,A Stor, when I talked to Dr. Johnston earlier he said you need to drink all of it at once, but do so slowly. It will make you tired. Especially with all five of us infusing our intent. That’s a lot of magic going into your body at once. Don’t expect it to be instantaneous.” He looks around the room, making sure we’re all listening. “It will take time for it to work. He wants to give it twenty-four hours before he does another scan, so you’ll go back on Thursday morning. Until then, you need to rest and try to keep yourself distracted.”

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