The old cabin sat at the base of a deeply wooded hill. I looked at it in trepidation as Ash led me around to the back. No matter how chilly things had been lately, I knew snakes would make an appearance as soon as it warmed back up. This was Mississippi. It would warm back up.

"You don't have some kind of spell you can cast to make all the creepy crawlies go away?"

Ash shot me a surprised look. "We've been running from demons and my sister for days now, and you're afraid of a few snakes?"

"Um, it's Copperhead mating season right now, and we can't save the town if we're snake bit."

Throwing me a wink, he put an arm around my waist and tugged me against his side. "I'll take care of you Rose. Always."

He spoke as though teasing, until he said the last word. The hitch in the syllables, the lowering tone as he reached the s... all were signs of fear he refused to let me see in his expression. I wanted to tell him I would be fine. That this was simple, and I believed in him.

But we were dealing with tricksters and tyrants. Men, who no doubt had rigged the system. Ash would blame himself if anything went wrong.

"There," he puffed as we reached the hilltop. He swung a finger toward a rock. "I found it last night. We can use it as the altar. I think it'll catch the sun's light perfectly."

"You've got the bowl?"

He held it up before setting it on the rock. Then, in went the purified water. The stream falling from the bottle turned lavender in the brightening morning, the color deepening as it filled the container. Soon, hints of bronze and pink would infuse the liquid, but we had to wait for gold.

"Stone is next."

Ash trembled as he dropped the Vampire Stone into the water. It broke the surface tension with an audible thunk, but it didn't sink straight to the bottom. Instead, it moved slowly, almost like it was falling through mud instead of pure water.

"Is that supposed to be happening?" I asked when the water started to boil.

"It is. The book says the purified water is trying to fuse with the stone and cast off the negative energy, but it's the blood and sun that completes the bond."

"Okay. How much time do we have?"

"Sunrise is 7:11 A.M. It's 7:07."

Four minutes. I gulped and tried to ignore the lyrics to "Four Minutes" that suddenly popped into my head. As much as I loved the song, I didn't want to share my last thoughts with Justin Timberlake and Madonna. My eyes slid to the boy at my side. I would share them with him.

"You okay?" he asked as we crouched over the bowl. I held my finger over the surface while he pressed a pin to my skin.

"Sure," I replied, the lie clear to both of us. "Willow and I did something like this one summer."

"You poured your blood into spell to stop a warlock who summons demons?"

I snorted. "No, smartass. During my first year at school in St. Augustine, Flannery mentioned this thing impoten girls do with their friends when they want to become sisters. They each prick their finger and mingle their blood together."

Ash's eyes never left the clock on his phone as it counted down to sunrise, but I could tell from the stiff way he held himself that was listening. So, I kept talking.

"I went home and found Willow first thing. I figured if impotens could do that kind of magic, then I definitely could, and we know how much power there is in blood."

"Did anything happen?"

"Magic wise? No."

"Were you disappointed?"

His words caught me off guard. In that moment, I'd been so excited, waiting for a physical sign that Willow and I were bonded together as sisters, but nothing happened. No puff of smoke or sparkle. No tingles or vision blurring. Just a surge of hurt because I really was a terrible, odd creature if I couldn't even make impoten magic work.

"I was, but now I know that's something you don't need spells or potions for. Friendship and love are their own form of magic, and in their truest form, nothing else is needed. Willow has always been more of a sister to me than my own two. Maybe blood isn't as powerful as we think it is."

The hand holding mine squeezed tight just before Ash pushed the pin through my skin. A bright burst of crimson welled up and immediately slid to the side. Before it fell, Ash raised his eyes and whispered, "This is where I have to hope that you're wrong."

The viscous substance struck the water at the moment the first ray of sunlight touched the water. Bubbles quit forming. The ones in existence froze, then congregated around the stone in a rush, hiding it from view.

"How do you-"

The glass bowl cracked, then shattered, sending water and sharp slivers all over Ash and me. We covered our faces and fell to the side, but I could feel the stinging places on my cheeks and hands.

"Rose," he spluttered, crawling to my side. He pulled on the hands still cupped over my eyes. "Look."

Letting him help me up, I peeked at the altar and then shouted. "It worked!"

Snatching up the stone, I examined it closely. Before, it had been a red so dark it was nearly black. Sickly. Now, it was the color of a new rose blossom. Luminous and lovely and sparkling against my palm.

"How do you feel?" Ash asked.

I threw my arms around his neck. "Fine. I feel perfectly fine." Pulling back, I ran my thumb along a cut on his face. "You did it."

He caught my hand and held it against his cheek. "We did it."

"I just cut my finger. You did the hard work."

"If it wasn't for your bravery, we wouldn't have the stone in the first place. You punched my sister in the face."

Smirking, I replied, "I did, didn't I?"

"Rose...when all this is over, let me take you out on a date. Even if-"

"Even if," I pushed, wondering at the stricken expression that formed on his face.

"Even if you want to go out with Charlie still. Just promise you'll give me a chance?"

"Hmm."

Ash wouldn't appreciate being teased, but I couldn't help but pretend to have to actually think about what he asked. I couldn't deny that something had been starting between Charlie and me, but whether it was that my heart wanted Ash more or the events of the past few days had drawn us closer, I knew he was who fit me best.

"Rose," he growled. The sound made my toes curl.

"Only if you kiss me again," I said, leaning into him as the sun rose above the trees, its rays turning from the amber shade of dawn to the lemon hue of early morning.

The left corner of his lip twitched, but he didn't bend his head to give into my demand. Instead, he traced the outline of mouth with his eyes, lingering on every sweep and curve as if to commit them to memory so that when he closed his eyes and banished the distance between us, he retrace the path with every touch.

This would be no quick kiss like before. I trembled in equal parts anticipation and fear. What if I was terrible at this? I'd had too much time to overthink things, and he'd been filled with adrenaline and success before.

Now, we were just a boy and a girl who wanted something we didn't quite understand yet. Oh, we got the gist of the physical, but it was what went beyond the touching and tasting that was unknown. That I wanted most of all. 

"Ash! Rose," Willow shouted from the cabin's back porch. "Hurry. I just got a message from my mother."

The boy holding me muttered a string of curses that made me blush, and when he stepped away, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Heart in my throat, I nudged him and said, "And you were gonna kiss me with that mouth."

"Still plan on it," he replied, taking my hand as we raced down the hill.

Willow smirked when she saw us. "If I didn't know what y'all were doing up there, I'd be concerned. Do we need to have a talk about being safe?"

"Willow, I've recently learned I can throw a mean punch. Don't tempt me," I hissed. "How'd your mother get in touch?"

"Don't worry. I trust her," Willow insisted. "And it's good news."

"Go on," Ash said. "It better be good."

Willow rolled her eyes, but she didn't look at her cousin. "It's your dad, Rosey. He's awake."