She pointed to a gray marble slab that had intricate carvings around its perimeter.

“So you can heal her?” I pressed. “For sure?” I wanted absolute certainty.

She grinned, a full pearly white smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Honey, I know the keeper of souls. There’s not much I can’t do.”

The keeper of souls was like the god of the dead. I gulped. Not exactly the reassurance I’d wanted.

“Come on,” Nell nudged me as she hefted Kaja under her armpits with a grunt. I grabbed Kaja’s ankles, and together, we hoisted her onto the cold, stone slab.

The mage walked around the marble slab, poking and prodding Kaja’s body, finally leaning in at her neck where she took a deep inhale. She straightened and faced us, eyes narrowed.

“She’s an alpha heir,” she stated. “To heal her will cost you double.”

Double … what? I crossed my arms, but before I could speak, Nell nodded.

“Name your payment.”

The dark mage flicked her gaze my way, letting her attention linger on my chest before running the length of my body. Magic washed over me, the same way as when creepy Kian, the high mage, inspected me.

“One thimble of blood.” She nodded as if confirming the price to herself.

My stomach dropped. Blood? The one thing I promised Rue I wouldn’t let Nell do.

“A thimbleful of blood every full moon, for a year,” she added quickly.

“A year?” WTH? Shaking my head, I protested, “What about when school is out?”

That was only about seven months away. Maybe I could barter.

“I’ll do it,” Nell blurted out.

She thrust her wrist at the mage, and I stepped forward to cut her off.

“Not from you…” The mage waved Nell off and then pointed at me. “From her.”

Relief and trepidation washed through me with equal measure. Why me? No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I shook my head. Who cares? I’d help my friend and, for some creepy reason, also get to keep my promise to Rue.

Nell glared at the mage. “What? Why? She’s my sister.”

The stunning dark mage raised one eyebrow. “Because she’s more powerful than you.”

My cheeks flamed with mortification as if the statement were an insult to Nell.

However, Nell merely nodded before facing me with a pleading look in her eyes. “I can’t expect you to do this—”

“Oh, I’m doing it.” I extended my arm. “She may be your sister, but she’s my bestie. I’ve got this.”

Sort of. I hoped. Once a month, I’d take a boat trip over here, no big deal. Right?

Remembering my other friends, I faced the mage. “I’ll do it if you give me enough potion to save two people.”

The dark mage’s brow furrowed, and she chewed on her lower lip. Finally, she shook her head. “I don’t negotiate.”

I frowned as if considering whether or not I was willing to drop my price. But I wasn’t. The Midnight prince’s mom had shown me kindness even if her husband was a total asshole. He’d left the island during the attack, and she’d nearly died trying to protect her students. I’d save her too. That was non-negotiable. One of them, either Rage or Justice, was my mate, and they hadn’t been on campus to protect their mom, so this was the least I could do. This was how a mate should act. Maybe my mate didn’t know how to be a good companion and partner, what with the way King A-hole treated his mother.

And Kaja…

I’d been clueless when I started school here, and it would’ve been an absolute lonely hell if it weren’t for her barging into my dorm and befriending me.

I let the silence stretch, my heart thundering against my ribs as my panic swelled. Come on, greedy witch…

“Fine,” she snapped. “Healing potions for two lives in exchange for a thimble of your blood.”

Nell lowered her voice, stepping closer to me, and said, “I don’t think you understand. A blood sacrifice is dangerous.”

“I don’t care,” I told her, waving away her concern.

Holy-frickin’-mage, this had better work.

The dark mage grinned wide, and her elation made my skin prickle. Holding her hands into the air, she clapped twice, fast and sharp.

A stout hairy man with a hunchback shuffled into the room from the courtyard. “My lady?”

“Fetch two life potions from the dungeon.”

Dungeon? I scanned the silk tent, realizing how much bigger it was inside than it had appeared outside.

Magic.

The dark mage crouched and pulled boxes out from under the stone table, muttering to herself.

Nell sidled up next to me, her eyes brimming with tears. “Thank you.”

There was no way to tell her all I felt, so I just nodded and squeezed her hand.

“Come … sit here, child.” The mage motioned to a dusty couch at the back of the room that I was 99.5% certain hadn’t been there when we first walked in. With one last squeeze, I dropped Nell’s hand and walked over to the dubious piece of furniture. When my gaze landed on a jagged knife lying on the armrest next to a giant jar labeled “thimble,” I got woozy.

“What’s that?” Nell growled, pointing to the jar.

The mage turned, sneering. “This is my thimble.”

Nell frowned, and my stomach churned.

Not gonna lie; when the dark mage started cackling, doubt hit me like a pickup truck.

“It’s huge! That’s not fair,” Nell snapped.

The mage shrugged. “If you wanted something smaller, you should have stated so before the contract.”

Contract? What the what? When did I sign a contract? Were verbal contracts binding … oops.

Leaning in, she smelled the skin of my palm and then groaned, a guttural sound deep in her throat. “A virgin? I would have given you twenty vials of life potion had I known.”

Frick. How did she know I was a virgin? Seriously, mortifying and creepy! Also, I might not be so good at this whole dark mage negotiation thing.

I glanced nervously at Kaja. “Just hurry.”

The mage nodded and picked up the knife before she drew it across my wrist with one clean slice.

I hissed as the fresh wound seared across my skin. Holding the “thimble” under my wrist, the mage collected the dark crimson blood oozing in thin rivulets from my arm.

Mother Mage, protect me. The burning began to work its way up my arm, skittering over my shoulder and across the top of my back. Sweat broke out on my brow.

“Ahhh,” I hissed, and my cry became a roar as fire exploded from the base of my skull all the way down my neck. Damn. That was another mark! I knew that feeling by now.

Why did this keep happening, and what did these marks mean?

“Are you okay?” Nell’s voice warbled above me, and I blinked, trying to focus my now-blurry gaze. I glanced at the giant jar. Wait … it was halfway full a moment ago, but now it looked empty again.

What the hell?

Wooziness overwhelmed me, and I scanned the area for Nell. As soon as I spotted her, she morphed into Rage.

“It’s me. I’m your mate,” Nell-Rage said.

“I knew it.” My words slurred together, and I started to giggle.

The mage then turned into Justice. “No, Nai, it’s me. I’m in love with you.”