Chapter 63 The Spell Took

Chapter 63 The Spell Took
Aliza POV

Kieran didn’t deny her being his girlfriend when Zaire said it.
He just sat there between her legs like the whole thing was completely normal. Like hearing another guy call my sister his girlfriend somehow included him too.
Like what the hell is wrong with him?
A few weeks ago he was mine. Three years of being together, and now suddenly he's sitting around kissing Kaelani and looking at her like I'm the one interrupting something.
I barely passed that stupid test, but I don’t care. Now that it’s over, I can finally go to the witch.
None of these stupid rankings matter right now. I can worry about the tournament later. Once Kieran is back where he belongs, everything else will fall into place.
Stephanie comes over after her test.
“Are you ready?” I ask her.
She doesn’t answer and starts twisting her fingers.
“I don’t know, Aliza. He said she was his girlfriend,” she says.
I suck my teeth and roll my eyes at her stupidity.
“He was just saying that to get under your skin. Did you see her face when he said it?” I ask.
“No, I was looking at him,” she says.
Of course she was. That's half her problem. She spends so much time staring at Zaire that she doesn't pay attention to anything else happening around him.
“They aren’t in a relationship. He can be yours in a matter of days, Stephanie,” I say.
“Are you sure about this, Aliza? What if something goes wrong?” she asks, worry lacing her voice.
“Nothing bad will happen. Trust me,” I say, looping my arm through hers as we make our way to the witch.
I don't know why she's suddenly getting scared now. We've already come this far. She wanted Zaire away from Kaelani just as badly as I wanted Kieran back.
Besides, we're not hurting anyone. We're just fixing something that never should've happened in the first place.
Kieran loved me before Kaelani suddenly decided to stop hiding underneath oversized clothes and become the center of everyone's attention. Whatever stupid fascination he has with her will disappear soon enough.
When we arrive at the witch’s shack, I knock.
“Enter,” she says.
Stephanie squeezes my hand as we step inside.
Inside smells like smoke and some type of herb. Bundles of dried plants hang from the ceiling, and candles burn along shelves crowded with jars filled with things I don't care enough to identify.
Stephanie moves closer to me.
“Do you have the items?” the witch asks.
“Yes,” I say.
She holds out her hand.
I hand her Kieran’s favorite sweatshirt and his hairbrush, and Stephanie hands her Zaire’s bracelet.
The witch's eyes linger on the bracelet for a second longer than they did on anything I gave her, but she doesn't say anything.
She examines the sweater before sniffing it. She tosses it aside and takes a few strands of hair from the brush.
She drops them into a bowl before grabbing my hand.
“Wait—”
She pricks my finger before I can finish, and my blood drops into the bowl. When she’s satisfied, she pushes my hand away.
I suck on the tip of my finger and watch her work.
She murmurs something I can’t hear, and the bowl begins to smoke before turning blood red.
The smoke curls upward, twisting around itself before spreading across the table.
Suddenly my body begins to burn from the inside.
I scream.
My knees buckle and I grab the edge of the table. It feels like fire is racing through my veins, spreading from my chest all the way to my fingertips.
Then, just as quickly as it starts, it settles.
I suck in a breath.
“What the hell was that?” I ask.
“It is done. In three days' time, he will be yours,” she says.
The pain immediately becomes worth it.
I grin wide.
Three days.
Three days until Kieran stops looking at Kaelani like she's the only girl in the room. Three days until he remembers who has been beside him for the last three years.
“This is wrong,” Seris says.
“Shut up, Seris,” I say.
She growls somewhere in the back of my mind.
“You cannot force what isn't yours.”
“He is mine.”
Seris retreats without answering, but her disapproval presses heavily against the back of my mind. I ignore it. She's been against this since the moment I decided to find the witch.
The witch calls Stephanie forward, but she doesn’t move.
“Why did you scream?” she asks quietly.
“It was bonding him to her,” the witch says.
“It only hurts for a second,” I say.
Stephanie looks at me before slowly stepping forward.
“Three days,” I remind her. “Then you won't have to watch him following Kaelani around anymore.”
That gets her moving.
She drops the bracelet into the bowl.
The witch repeats the same process, pricking Stephanie's finger and allowing several drops of her blood to fall inside.
The bowl begins to smoke.
Then it turns blood red.
“See?” I whisper.
But suddenly the red disappears.
The entire bowl flashes a bright white.
The witch jerks back slightly.
Her brow furrows.
For the first time since we walked into this place, she doesn't look completely sure of herself.
“What does that mean?” Stephanie asks.
The witch doesn’t answer.
She leans closer to the bowl, staring into the white glow as it pulses once...twice.
Something about the room changes. Even I can feel it. The air gets heavier and every candle around us flickers at the exact same time.
“What's happening?” I ask.
Before she answers, the white disappears and the mixture turns blood red again.
The witch watches it for another second before her expression smooths out.
Then she smiles.
Stephanie screams out in pain.
Her hand flies to her chest and I grab her arm as her entire body shakes.
Then silence.
She breathes heavily.
“It is done. Payment now,” the witch says.
Stephanie is still staring at the bowl.
“So the white didn't mean anything?” she asks.
The witch's eyes flick toward her.
“The spell took.”
That's not exactly an answer, but I don't care.
I dig in my purse and hand her the envelope with her money in it.
She takes the envelope and puts it away.
“Three days' time,” she says. “Now go.”
She begins counting her payment.
I grab Stephanie's hand and pull her toward the door before she can start asking more questions.
When we step outside, Stephanie turns to me.
“Do you think it worked?” she says.
“We will know in three days. Let’s go,” I say, walking toward my car.
She glances back at the shack, but I don't.
The witch said it worked. That's all I needed to hear.
In three days, Kieran will be mine again.
Kaelani can keep Liam. She can keep Zaire for all I care once Stephanie gets over whatever obsession she has with him.
But Kieran?
Kieran belongs with me.