Chapter 7

The moment I close the door behind me, I lean against it and sink to the floor, the heavy bag thudding beside me as I drop it.

Crap.

I grip my head in pure devastation, thoughts swirling so fast my skull feels like it's buzzing.

What the hell was I going to do?

Those guys looked like they could tear through me with a flick of their fingers. Or their sharp swords.

Ash's words echo in my head.

"You will die."

I shiver.

How the fuck was I supposed to cure this Luna person when I didn't have the slightest clue how?

I lift my gaze and scan the small room. A single bed sits near the back beside a wardrobe. White walls surround me, and a crimson rug covers the floor.

I wasn't a damn witch. I knew nothing about magic. Not a single thing.

But I had to try, or I'd end up in the fire like a roasted pig again.

I stand abruptly, my chest heaving with panicked breaths.

Okay. Think, Rose.

Catherine was a witch, and I was in Catherine's body. Wouldn't that mean I had some magic in me too?

It was possible.

I chew on my lip, turning the idea over before shooting my hand forward, slicing through the air like those cool anime characters casting a spell.

"Fire, come forth!" I shout, pointing at the first object I see.

The nightstand.

I wait for something to happen.

Then I wait some more.

Nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing.

Back to square one. Panic mode.

I pace the room, staring at the crimson rug beneath my feet. I need something, anything that could help me now. But what?

My eyes dart to the bag I abandoned on the floor.

Suzy, please tell me you packed something that will get me out of this mess.

I dive for the bag and haul it over to the bed, dropping it onto the rough mattress. I untie the cord around it and look inside.

Clothes. A brush. A toothbrush. Some sort of container filled with smooth liquid. An apple. And beneath it all, an old box.

I pause, taking the long, rectangular box in my hands.

It's made of rough wood, its uneven texture scratching lightly against my fingertips. A dragon is carved into the lid, wings spread wide, sharp claws curling beneath its body. Beneath the dragon, a single name is carved into the wood.

Marvin.

I slowly pull the lid open.

Nestled inside is a wand.

My eyes light up instantly, and I carefully lift it from the box.

The moment my fingers close around it, a strange warmth spreads through my palm.

What the...

I glance down at the wand. For a moment, nothing happens. Then a faint pulse travels through my hand and creeps up my wrist like a tiny spark beneath my skin.

I almost drop it.

I'm about to raise it to cast a spell when...

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I jolt on the bed and snap my head up.

"I'm coming in," Mika's gruff voice calls from the other side.

The door bursts open.

Cold blue eyes lock onto me as Mika steps into view, still wearing the same attire as before.

"I hope you're ready." He narrows his eyes, as though he'd rather be anywhere but here. "We're meeting the Luna."

My blood runs cold.

Fuck.

I still have no idea how to use magic.

And it seems my time to figure it out has just run out.