It was not often that Granny screamed.

Thus, when Ellie heard a very identifiable shriek ring through the house, she dropped the book she was reading upstairs and clambered down to the kitchen as quickly as possible. Granny had the itch to cook today, and when Granny wanted to do something, it was best to just let her do it.

Granny also kept things particularly spick and span around the house, insisting on cleanliness and a sanitary brewing environment wherever possible— and that extended to potions of a witchy nature, perfectly mundane medicinal brews, and any food cooking on the stove.

That was why it was particularly surprising to see a mud-covered ball of fur squeaking and hissing insistently at Granny, tracking dirt all over the floorboards with its little paws as it paced in circles.

"Why is there a possum in my kitchen?!" Granny shrieked. "Y'all know what happened with the damn raccoon, and we are not havin' a repeat of that day!"

No one on God's green earth would want a repeat of that day.

Luckily, Ellie was fairly certain

"Missy, calm down," she said.

The possum stopped chittering and sat still. Granny just stared.

"You speak animal? When'd ya learn that?" She looked back and forth between Ellie and the possum, squinting. It would have been comical if Ellie wasn't a little worried about why the animal was here in the first place.

"It's Alice's possum, Granny," Ellie said pointedly, picking up the furry little creature... and holding it as far away from her as she could. "Whooo, and you need a bath, don't ya?"

Missy was absolutely covered in sludge. Leaves and twigs stuck to the top of the sticky, foul-smelling layer, making her look a little more like a bush than an animal It almost seemed like the mud had been ground into her furry coat, as though she'd purposefully—

Ah.

Alice must have done it, Ellie realized. It would help disguise Missy's natural scent as she traveled through the woods on the way here. That was good thinking, but... it also made her wonder who or what could have followed along behind. It could be nothing, of course, but why send Missy without anyone else, especially when Alice knew none of them possessed animal speak?

As Ellie sat the little creature down in the sink, she noticed a chunk of something rolled up and tied to Missy's neck on a now stained length of ribbon. It was in one piece, though, and it looked readable.

"You read the note. I'll wash the critter," Ellie said, handing the paper to Granny. The older woman held the equally sludge-covered paper with two fingers, nose wrinkling unpleasantly, but she didn't complain.

Missy the possum was surprisingly well-behaved during her bath. In fact, it seemed as if she liked being scrubbed down clean, which was almost a little comical. The sludge came off easily with a little soap, but Ellie was more concerned about he contents of the note Missy brought with her, checking over her shoulder as she worked to watch Granny's facial expressions as she read.

Her face was, unfortunately, almost unreadable. The old woman had a poker face when she wanted to, and this was absolutely one of those times. It only made Ellie more anxious, though.

"Shit," Granny hissed, sighing.

"What? How bad is it?" Ellie briefly turned away from Missy to look over her shoulder. The grave expression on Granny's face did not fill her with warm and fuzzy feelings.

Harper and Willow burst through the front door before Granny could answer, both looking around in a panic.

"What's happening? I heard a scream," Willow said, blinking furiously.

"Possum scare. Note from Alice," Ellie said curtly as she rinsed Missy. Granny waved the note from her position at the kitchen table.

"May I?" Willow asked, holding out her hand. Granny passed the note without comment, which did not make anyone in the room more comfortable. No comment meant "difficult to explain," which often went hand in hand with trouble.

Harper leaned over her shoulder

"Shit," Harper said.

Well, that wasn't good.

"Gimmie that," Ellie said. She wrapped the newly scrubbed and rinsed Missy in a kitchen towel to dry her, then sat her on the floor and snatched the note.

The writing was messy, but it was clearly Alice's penmanship. The scariest part, though, was that it was only two lines.

I need help.

Come ASAP.

"Shit," Ellie said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Alice was long-winded. She liked to explain things. If she hadn't taken the time to say everything that was happening, it meant she was both afraid of the note being interception on the way and in a big hurry.

That was bad. Big hurries were always bad in crucial situations.

Ellie had almost agreed with Florian while he was here. Almost. She thought it would be a good idea for Alice to stay where it was safe, if she was completely honest. However, she also knew that none of them would ever forgive themselves for leaving Florian behind.

Alice especially wouldn't forgive herself.

More than anything, Ellie knew what it was like to be in love, and she knew that if it had been Ben or Kaz in that situation... Well, she'd have gone back, too. No one could fault Alice for that decision.

"We need to move, and fast," Willow said. "You did a great job, Missy, but there are only hours left before the full moon."

"Where we goin'?" Ellie asked, spreading a map out in front of Willow. The fae woman pointed towards a spot past the Virginia border, deep in some of the roughest parts of the mountains.

"Here. That's where the Shadow Court is."

"There's no way we can get there in a day," Kaz sighed, tapping his foot. "I could travel if she summoned me. We could send a message for her?"

"That spell takes time to set up, and I'm not sure we've got that time," Ellie muttered.

"Then we'll run there," Willow said, nodding.

"Run?" Harper spluttered. "I mean, I could, sure. I don't know how everybody else is gonna keep up, though."

"I'm fast, and I can carry one with me on my back when I'm in half shift," she explained.

"Take Ellie," Harper said immediately. "She's got the strongest magic."

A hissing sound came from the corner, where Missy was already trying to crawl her way up Willow's leg. Luckily, Willow didn't seem bothered by it.

"I'll carry Missy," Harper said, reaching out to pick up the possum. "Can Rosemary ride with y'all? She's not gonna leave Ellie."

"You'll... carry her?" Willow's brow furrowed.

"I can keep up," Harper said, smiling so her fangs showed. "Vampire speed and stamina."

Missy immediately stopped attempting to climb up Willow's body and jumped into Harper's arms, seeming perfectly content now that she was included in the plan. She settled onto the vampire's shoulders like she belonged there, little claws grabbing at Harper's sweater.

"I think I can manage one person and a dog, then" Willow said, nodding. "We need to leave now, though."

"I'll get my shoes. Granny, grab the emergency bag, will ya?" Ellie called, already shuffling towards where her boots sat by the front door.

"I'll let the boys know what's happening and meet you at the door," Harper said, Missy still settled on her shoulder.

She was off before it was even possible to blink, leaving the front door open in her wake. Vampire speed was something Ellie still couldn't get used to. Harper didn't use it often, as it took quite a bit of magical energy, and she said she liked to enjoy the scenery, but in times like this, it was useful.

"Perfect. That's three of us." Willow nodded, but she still seemed a little uneasy.

"Better than nothing," Ellie conceded.

The odds were not incredible, of course. It would be better to have as many people as possible on their side, but this was the option available, and Alice needed help. They'd just have to take their chances.

The afternoon before the ball, Alice was still waiting on Missy. Time was running short, and that made her nervous. She still wasn't entirely sure what to do or how this plan might work, but it was the only chance she had.

She needed to get dressed, and then she planned to excuse herself for a brief walk to the gardens to meet with Florian before the ball. In preparation for the event, she'd swapped from keeping the watch in her pocket to around her neck, and she wore it at all times. The bottle of holy water was already in the pocket of her dress for the evening... just in case.

She felt like crying, wondered if she was shaking, but the mirror said no. She imply looked tired.

Standing in her nightgown in the bedroom, Alice was surprised when Xavier came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. It was surprisingly gentle for him, though he pulled her back towards his body firmly, placing one hand on her hip as he bent to kiss her neck.

Alice knew what was coming next. It was the same thing that had happened for the last three days.

He still wanted to sleep with her.

Each time it happened, it was a little more gentle but a little less subtle all at once, like he planned to coax her out of her shell. With luck, though, this would be the last time she'd need to deny him.

"Won't you let me touch you?" he asked gently, tracing his cold hand up her jaw. It gave her the shivers, and not in a good way.

She could fake calm and affection, she could even go along with playing stupid and acting as though she knew nothing about Xavier's plans or history... but not this.

Not after knowing what it felt like to touch Florian.

Not knowing that Xavier didn't care if she lived or died.

Not knowing that consummation would complete the bargain he planned to use to take over her magic entirely.

"No," Alice said, taking a step back. "I'm not ready. I'm sorry."

She kept her tone as gentle as she could. She tried to look sorrowful, shy, hesitant— anything to make him think that this was still a case of a young woman with nerves.

However, somewhere deep in her bones, Alice knew something was wrong.

Xavier pursed his lips. For a moment, he looked almost sad. It was a little strange to see an expression so full of regret on that face, knowing that Xavier inhabited the body and not Florian.

"Then you've made your decision."

And then he smacked her across the face.

It was a hard slap, and it sent her reeling across the room. For a moment, she was too dizzy and disoriented to do anything but watch the scenery spin, but when the fog cleared, Xavier was walking towards her.

This was a familiar dance now. He raged, she ran. They knew the steps, and now would be no different.

Alice tried to bolt on instinct, but Xaiver was too fast. He grabbed her arm and hauled her backwards with one hand, ripping one of the curtains from the bed with the other. She pulled against him, but running was useless. His grip was too strong.

Clearly, this was a dance that Xavier had chosen to let her lead in the past. He could have stopped her if he wanted to, but he chose to let her go, to put on the performance of a weak man who wouldn't force anyone into submission. Now, the tables had turned, and Alice was not prepared.

"Be a good girl and stay still," he grunted, hauling the fabric around her waist.

She didn't. She bit his arm instead, teeth not quite managing to tear through like they would human skin, but it was painful enough that he hissed and lost his grip. Alice tumbled to the floor and rolled across the room, tangled in the black fabric. As she struggled to her feet, she was pleased to see a line of turquoise blue blood welling up in a half-circle mark on his forearm.

Good.

She took off for the door without looking back again—

And promptly fell to the ground, feet caught on the stupid bed curtains wrapped around her like a cocoon.

This time, Xavier gagged her first, tying a separate strip of fabric around her mouth before he bothered to try and get her off the floor.

"That should muzzle you," he muttered distastefully, rubbing at his arm, but he didn't try to heal it.

Interesting... That meant he didn't know about the power contained in the very antlers he'd chosen to borrow. Alice was fairly certain that healing wasn't all it could do, but it was too late to test anything now.

"I'm sorry it's come to this, for the record," he murmured, reaching out to brush a lock of hair out of her face. "I thought we might be able to live a life together... but the only way to end things is to proceed with my original plan."

She would have bitten him if she wasn't gagged.

He wrapped the fabric even tighter around her torso and roughly tossed her into the single armchair in the bedroom, wrapping the rest of the curtain length around the back. She pulled against the black silk, but to no avail. It withstood every attempt, and slipped away from even scratching with her nails.

"You know, I'd really, really wanted to try not killing you," Xavier growled, continuing like she wasn't tied to a chair. "I think that offer is off the table now, though."

He reached under the bed to pull out a coil of rope, and Alice's eyes went wide. How long had he been planning for this exact scenario?

Xavier hummed a soft tune as he wound the rope around her body, tying Alice to the chair. Her arms were locked to her sides from the silk curtains, but he finished by tying her ankles together, rendering her entirely immobile in a way that made her feel claustrophobic.

"Comfy?" he asked sarcastically, raising a single eyebrow.

Alice tried to curse at him, but her voice was muffled through the gag. It was a little difficult to breathe with it on, actually.

"What? More to say?" he deadpanned, crossing his arms. Sighing in exasperation, Xavier pulled away the cloth, apparently satisfied now that she was unable to move her limbs.

"Are you— Alice coughed, gasping as she took in air. "Are you telling me you actually thought you loved me?"

"I could have, if you'd simply done as you were told."

"That's definitely not how that works," she scoffed. "You don't get to tell me you'd love me if I was a good little doll. My momma tried that once already."

All it had left her was bitter.

Bitter, and with a better understanding of real love.

"It doesn't have to go this way—" Alice tried, still struggling against the ropes. It was futile, though. She might have been able to tear her way through the fabric or the ropes alone, but not both. She was stuck.

This was... bad. Very, very bad.

She was supposed to meet Florian before the ball to go over the last bits of the plan. If she wasn't there, he'd know something was wrong... but who could he call for help? Missy was already on her way to Ellie, assuming she'd even made it all the way to Howard's Knob.

"It does. I need it to go this way," he said noncommittally. "If your magic is strong enough to turn the bargain my way, it's surely strong enough to complete the rest of my plan. Once I take it from you, that is."

"What?" Alice gasped. "What else do you want?"

"Finishing the bargain is only half the story, stupid girl. Thought you knew everything, hmm?" Xavier scoffed. "Why? Because you found my journal? Thank you for returning that copy, by the way. It was rather helpful, even if I'm not certain how you managed to translate it. It certainly wasn't with the translation glass you stole from our poor librarian," he said, a smug smile crossing his lips.

"H—how did you—"

"You really need better hiding spots, treasure." He rolled his eyes and shrugged, adjusting his robes.

"You're all washed up, anyhow," Alice muttered. "No sex, no complete bargain, no usin' my magic. I know how this goes."

Just as Florian had said, she was safe as long as she didn't consummate the marriage. It had to be a willing consummation, too, which meant that Xavier was entirely stuck without her consent. She might be slightly less safe now, of course, but she was still a walking well of some kind of power.

He still needed whatever lay at the bottom of that well. Seventh daughters of seventh daughters were rare, as well as seventh of seventh sons. He wouldn't come across another one of those easily. It would be better to make use of what he had... which both gave Alice hope and scared her.

Xavier outright laughed at her, though.

"Luckily for you, I can complete the vows with or without consummation," he said. "It's more complicated, but it's worth it for the payoff. If you hadn't been such a stubborn ass about it, we wouldn't have to deal with it, though."

... Shit.

That was new.

"The library is wonderful for finding unorthodox solutions, don't you think? I heard you've been doing lots of research," Xaiver said, that same smug smile taking over once more. "Perhaps we could go there together sometime."

Alice wanted to scream. How long had he been onto her? How long had he known that she was suspicious? She should have been more careful, should have taken more precautionary measures—

But it didn't matter now. She was in this situation, and there was no getting out of it.

"Ain't no 'we' in this deal, you shit-eatin' hellspawn!" Alice spat, resuming her struggle against her ties, but all she managed to do was tip her chair over with a painful thunk that reverberated through her entire body.

Xavier did not look happy about that, but he didn't respond to the insult. He also didn't bother to put the chair upright.

More importantly, he'd learned how to complete the blood vows without consummation. Alice wracked her brain, wondering if she'd come across the information in her own searching, but she couldn't remember anything of the kind. She'd also wanted to know more about the purpose and function of blood bargains than the making and breaking, though, so it was possible she could have skipped it.

Shit. That must be why Hart was always on her about reading carefully and completely. She'd never tell him that, though... assuming she made it out of here.

For now, though, she needed Xavier to talk. There was the possibility of gathering information if she could keep asking questions, if he thought that she was at such a disadvantage that revealing information wouldn't hurt. It didn't matter what innocuous or inane question Alice asked— she just needed him to talk.

"So this is it, huh?" she grumbled. "Killing a random person to fix your stupid bargain that you fucked up in the first place?"

Okay, making him angry wasn't part of the plan, but it certainly made Alice happier about the whole situation.

"You're hardly random, seventh daughter of a seventh daughter," Xavier sighed. "Still stupid, I see."

She chose to ignore that, quite literally biting her tongue to stop from lashing out. Alice knew better now. She wasn't stupid. She was smart and capable and even kind some days. It just took a while for her to be able to see it in herself

Xavier continued, ignoring the Alice's glare.

"Besides, breaking a bargain likely won't kill you in the process. Probably. That's not my main concern, at least. It's raising the dead that's the real issue." He practically yawned as he said it, but the impact was like a strike of lightning.

Raising the dead was nothing to be taken lightly. It was magic considered to be against the natural order. Not to mention, it was easy enough to raise a body from the dead, but to bring back a soul?

Horrifying.

It was like someone coming over after you'd moved away to drag you out of your new house and back into the old one, completely against your will and after you'd become used to life in a new place. It might not even be possible to find the address of the new home, in which case the person casting the spell would be left with a soulless husk of a body... which was even worse.

Then there was everything around healing the body and restoring the flesh to working order on a level as small as every organ and piece of tissue and cell—

Needless to say, it was complicated, messy, and dangerous. There was very little reason that anyone would want to do it unless it happened to be tied with a healing spell immediately after death. Fatal gunshot wounds and the like? Sure. If a person was gone for thirty seconds, it was very different than if they'd been gone thirty years, or even thirty days.

She'd already come to the conclusion that Xavier was some kind of psychopath, but this absolutely confirmed it.

"Raisin' the—" Alice cut off with a gasp, thoughts whirling as she desperately tried to put together the pieces. She understood exactly what he wanted now.

All that time that his journal was missing, he'd been trying to remember the rest of his plans. Breaking the bargain was one thing. It was right in front of him, and it was clearly causing problems.

Now, though? Now Xavier effectively had his history back, and there was one person in particular that stayed throughout his entire existence... until she died.

"Falina. You wanna bring back Falina," she said slowly.

"I don't 'wanna,'" Xavier said mockingly, hauling Alice's chair back to an upright position with one hand as though it weighed nothing. "I will bring her back."

Gritting her teeth against the impact of the chair legs on the hard floor, Alice decided this was not the time to fight him about her accent. Though, when this was over, she certainly would never be made to feel ashamed of it again.

"Why? You didn't love her." Alice's nose wrinkled in confusion. The thought popped out of her mouth almost before it entered her conscious mind. Falina showed up in the journal, of course, but she was a twisted obsession, not a true love.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.

"I did! I lost the other half of my soul when she died!"

"Well, ya damn well didn't sound like it in your stupid book!" she spat, stomping her foot from sheer anger. "Sounds like you lost your fuckin' soul when ya traded it for some stupid long life! You don't even want her, you just want somebody to make you feel like you're not all alone in your godforsaken power quest—"

Alice cried out as he slapped her, his large hand leaving behind a warm stinging sensation. It felt hard enough to bruise, but she didn't even care. They were clearly done playing games and dancing around the truth.

He couldn't make her shut her mouth anymore. No one could.

"Her body waits for me to restore her spirit," Xavier hissed, breath coming in ragged, enraged gasps. "I will siphon the magic off you, and then I will go to her."

"Oh, so you remember where she's buried?"

Xavier practically snarled as he opened his mouth, clearly set on correcting her...

But he paused, mouth open, hand halfway reaching out, face frozen as his expression transformed to something like shock, or maybe even sorrow.

He didn't remember where she was buried. He'd lost that, too. It was yet another piece of his memory only preserved in that journal. How much of him had wasted away over the years? How many opportunities had he rejected that might have led to a transformation into a better man?

Instead, he chose to hold on to who he was, to keep his claws firmly latched onto his past self, past motivations, and past fears. Xavier could have stepped onto the path to a better existence many times.

He chose to become what he was, though.

"You're lucky that I need to wait till moonrise to kill you," he snarled.

Anger boiled in her chest, and rather than frightening her, those words gave her confidence. As long as the moon wasn't up yet, she was safe. She had time.

She could needle him for information.

"Bringin' back Falina won't help you," Alice spat. "I don't know what you think you're planning, but I'm willing to bet her spirit's already moved on—"

"She has not!" Xavier roared. "Her spirit will wait for mine, and then we will shape the world in the image we want. It will be ours, and it will be that way into infinity."

He was truly furious now, and that was good. Furious might keep him talking. It might be enough to get him to slip, to stumble, to feel overconfident. Even if Missy managed to carry that message back, she might be on her own for this one, and she needed Xavier at his weakest.

"Oh, it'll be that way without ever really being able to love her again? Without being able to love anyone again?" Alice pressed, struggling against the ropes. "How do you plan to do that without your soul, Xavier?!"

"I don't need a soul to rule the world, and I don't need your pathetic, mortal opinion about it!"

"Well, you're definitely not gonna get me to do as I'm told, so ya better get used to it!" she snapped back immediately, anger taking over rather than fear.

"Oh, don't you worry about that. Once you see what's waiting for us in the ballroom, I think you'll do exactly as you're told," Xavier said slowly, a cold smile spreading across his face.

That was not a statement that gave her much confidence or hope. Whatever he had planned

Alice kept glaring at him from sheer spite, determined not to flinch or show weakness. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing any chip in her defenses.

Now... now she felt the fear, though.