Page 17 of Do You Even Hex, Bro?
"Save it for the Yelp review," she replies dryly. "Now sit down and shut up."
Killian reluctantly lowers himself back to the floor. I follow suit, giving Sean a warning look when he opens his mouth to make another joke that will reignite the tension.
"Good boys," Sadie mutters, and I can't help but wince at the deliberate dig. She knows exactly which buttons to push with wolf shifters. "Now, this won't hurt. Much."
Before anyone can protest, she takes Killian's hand and makes a quick, shallow cut across his palm. He hisses, more in irritation than pain. Wolves heal fast, but it still stings like a bitch. She lets three drops of his blood fall into the mixture, which sizzles on contact.
She moves to me next. I offer my hand without protest, letting her slice across my palm. The knife is sharper than it looks, cutting clean and precise. Barely even stings. My blood joins Killian's in the bowl, and I swear I see the mixture shift color slightly.
Sean actually holds out his hand eagerly, like he's been waiting for his turn at an ice cream truck. "Do me next!"
"That's what he says to all the girls," I quip, trying to lighten the mood.
Sadie ignores us both, taking Sean's meaty hand and making the cut. His blood joins ours. "Badass," he says, grinning.
Finally, she walks over to Rowan by the door.
"Seriously?" Rowan asks, eyeing the knife with distaste. "I have to participate in this shit too? I'm supposed to be keeping watch."
"All pack members or none," Sadie says firmly. "Unless you want your Bonded to only be connected to these three idiots and not you."
Rowan sighs heavily but extends his hand. After his blood joins the mix, Sadie returns to the circle, setting the bowl in the center.
"Now we wait," she says, sitting cross-legged opposite Killian.
"Wait for what?" Sean asks, peering at the bowl like it might explode. Which, knowing Sadie, isn't entirely out of the question.
"For the mixture to absorb your energy and create a beacon," she explains, absently tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear. "It's like... sending out a magical Tinder profile into the universe."
"Super swipe right on us, magic bitches," Sean grins, earning simultaneous eye rolls from the rest of us.
Minutes tick by in uncomfortable silence. The candles flicker, casting dancing shadows on the walls. The mixture in the bowl does absolutely nothing except smoke faintly. I find myself holding my breath, waiting for something—anything—to happen.
Killian shifts impatiently. "How long does this take?"
"At least you get to sit down," Rowan mutters, leaning against the wall by the door.
"Magic isn't microwave popcorn," Sadie retorts. "It takes as long as it takes."
Another five minutes pass. The tension in the room is so thick I could cut it with Sadie's ritual knife. Sean has resorted to drumming a beat on his thighs. Rowan keeps checking his watch. Killian looks like he's calculating exactly how much he's paying per minute for this silent ritual.
"Is it supposed to be this... quiet?" I finally ask.
Sadie shoots me a look that could curdle milk. "Not everyone needs flashy special effects, Micah. Some of the most powerful magic happens in silence."
As if to directly contradict her, at that exact moment, the mixture in the bowl suddenly ignites in a flash of blue flame. We all jerk back, startled. The flame shoots upward in a perfect column about two feet high, then just as abruptly extinguishes itself, leaving behind nothing but a fine black residue in the bowl.
"Holy shit!" Sean yells.
Killian's eyes are wide, his body tense. He's never been comfortable around magic. None of us are, really. Shifters have our own kind of power, but it's intrinsic, physical. Magic is something external, unpredictable, impossible to control with fangs and claws.
Sadie, in contrast, looks completely unruffled. "There. It's done."
"That's it?" I ask. "How do we know if it worked?"
"You'll know when your Bonded shows up," she says, beginning to pack up her supplies.
"When will that be?" Killian presses.
