Blair didn't even realize that she was biting her lip because she was so lost in her thoughts. Maddox and Blair were still in the kitchen waiting for Anastasia's arrival to discuss the turn of events. The entity that paid them a visit today was sinister and had a purpose. Blair would not have been concerned about it if the entity wasn't so confident. The entity had the nerve to come face to face with a Lightwood witch fully knowing the consequences.

Blair had come across this type of insidious energy during her high school prom, but her grandma handled it before anyone got suspicious over why her entire family was in the school parking lot. Blair was grateful of that experience today because it meant that she had the knowledge on how to defeat whatever attached itself to her.

Anastasia arrived with a grim expression. "How are you two holding up?" she asked as she closed the door behind her.

"We're fine," said Blair. "Where's Holly?"

"She's at home, studying," answered Anastasia, when suddenly, she turned quiet and froze in her tracks. She covered her nose like she smelt something putrid. Her lilac eyes grew pale comparable to how the flower dies if there wasn't enough water to feed them. "This entity is getting too strong, Blair," she said.

"I know," Blair agreed with her cousin.

"It's almost like it's spreading, growing like a plague," cautioned Anastasia.

Blair got out of her seat and offered it to her cousin. "This entity hasn't reached full power yet," said Blair. "We will have to exorcise it as soon as we can."

"What did it look like?" asked Anastasia.

"A black shadow," said Blair. "This entity hasn't developed its body yet. It had no limbs, just a neck and evil eyes-"

"Red eyes," Maddox spoke up.

Her cousin and Blair both looked at Maddox. "You- you saw it?" asked Anastasia.

"Yeah," he answered.

"He still has the sight," Anastasia told Blair.

Blair nodded, because it took her just the same amount of astonishment like Anastasia to believe that Maddox wasn't some ordinary man. "Maddox saw the entity, just like me," she said.

"You probably have some witch blood in you, Mr. Steele," Anastasia teased with a grin. Maddox smiled at her joke, but Blair believed that this joke might have some truth to it.

"This entity is trying to grow a body, Anastasia," said Blair. "It's trying to take its full form so it can last longer amongst the living."

"How did it even get here?" asked her cousin. "This only happens if the spirit realm has been opened. And as far as I remember, nothing like that has happened."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Blair let out a weary sigh.

"What do you mean?" asked Anastasia when it clicked to her too. They both looked over the Maddox.

"When Maddox's father came to seek my help, he left the spirit realm for quite a long time," explained Blair. "Anything could have slipped past and came here."

"So, my father opened a doorway for ghosts?" asked Maddox.

"More like an extra small window," corrected Blair. "Only this one was able to see it and come through."

"This is not good," mumbled Anastasia.

"Things, like the entity we encounter today, wait for an opportunity when a portal between the living and the dead is opened," Blair explained to Maddox. "These entities wait in the shadows instead of crossing over to afterlife. And the longer they wait, the darker their intentions get."

"What does this entity want with us?" asked Maddox. "Wouldn't it want to stay away from you, since you're the only ones that can stop it."

Blair shook her head. "You see, Maddox," she began, "some entities that escape stay away from powerful witches like myself and my cousin. But there are some that want to test us, break us. This entity in particular is here for that exact reason."

Maddox raked his hair. "What are we going to do about this thing?"

Blair drew in a deep breath. "I need to go through my grandma's logs and see if I have a way to send it back," she said. "For now, we have stay cautious and watch each other's back."

"What about my family?" asked Maddox sternly. "How will I keep them safe?"

Blair laid her hand on his arm that had tensed up. "I will have to put up protection seals up in your suite. If your mom and sister stay there, they will be safe."

"And you?" asked Maddox.

"I'll be fine," she smiled. "We should get going. We've got some work to do."

Anastasia slipped off the stool. "Who would have thought that the moment I move here, a demon decides to pop up."

Blair chuckled as she handed Anastasia the cooler with all of the finished chocolate truffles. "Take this back home and don't eat them," she instructed.

"What about you?" asked Anastasia.

"I'm going to put up the seals in Maddox's suite and open a portal there," she said.

Anastasia pulled on the cooler's handle. "I'll see you at home and be careful," she waved behind her as she left them alone standing in the kitchen.

Blair put her hands on her waist. "Do you have candles in your home?"

"I think so," said Maddox.

"Grab some from here, will you," she said. "We're going to need them." Maddox did as she instructed.

Maddox lead Blair towards the elevators so they could go to his suite. "What do you plan on doing with the candles?" he asked her as the elevator climbed the floors.

"We will make a portal to use in your home," she told him. "I will connect them to my house and shop."

"Will I be able to go through them again?" Maddox asked out of curiosity.

Blair raised a brow. "Maybe," she answered. "You have some unusual gifts. You could travel through my portals and see an entity that wasn't from this realm."

Maddox stepped back and leaned on the elevator wall, like she was at the moment. "Does this mean that I could see ghosts and spirits all my life?"

"I don't know," she answered. "Maybe, I brought this to you. These unusual powers or the entity for that matter."

A frown creased through Maddox's brows. "This isn't your fault," he said firmly. "None of it is."

Blair gave him a small smile. "Thanks," she reassured Maddox, but deep in her heart she knew that all of this was her fault. She brought danger to Maddox's life and to his family. This entity was after her and she knew that it wasn't just going to leave with a just a mere banishment spell. Blair silently decided that she would do anything to protect this family's light- that was becoming just as precious to her as her own family.

They exited on top floor and made it into his home in no time. Eleanor and Melinda were going out to eat lunch, so that gave them just the right amount of time to complete the spell.

"We'll see you two later," said Melinda as she escorted her mom to a restaurant in town.

Maddox returned to Blair's side. "They're gone," he informed her. "Can you do this in a couple of hours?"

Blair grinned. "Of course, I can," she answered smugly. "We just need to find an appropriate door."

"I know exactly the one we should use," said Maddox.

He led her towards his office and Blair knew exactly where he was leading her towards. They entered his office and Maddox closed the door behind them. Blair walked up the short fleet of stairs where a bed used to stay, but after she reconstructed the office, a beautiful sitting area occupied the space. A door which used to lead to a bathroom, was now, closet space for extra storage. A few paintings hung on the side and a box of books that didn't fit the shelves also were locked up here. Other than those few items, the room was vacant.

"What do you think?" asked Maddox as he appeared behind her.

"Perfect," she smirked. Blair sat in front of the door after Maddox blatantly ignored her when she told that she could do this alone and joined her on the floor.

"So, how does this work?" asked Maddox.

"It's very simple," she told him. "I just use an enchantment connecting myself and my magic to this door and the one back at my shop."

"But doesn't the portal at your shop also connect to the one you have at your house," said Maddox. "Won't the portal get mixed up?"

Blair chuckled. "No," she said as she grabbed the candles from him. "The portal in my shop is like a highway. There's only one road but many exits and entries. As long as I know what entry to go through and which one I wish to come out of, I'll make it to my destination just fine."

Maddox leaned his back in the wall and quietly watched her. Blair pulled out the lighter from her purse, lighting each candle that was placed at the threshold of the door. Blair's focus tunnelled down to the four flames in front of her. She closed her eyes as the flames flickered and danced alongside her magic.

"Open for me and accept my call," she mumbled. A drift in her magic changed like the breeze over ocean tides. She sensed the portal opening in front of her. The cosmic energy washed through her body as a vessel and then entered the room.

Blair opened her eyes and although it looked like a simple room to the normal eye. She could see the twisting colours of the cosmos in front of her. The portal had opened for her to use.

"Wow," Maddox broke the silence. "That's beautiful. Is it done?"

Blair exhaled a deep breath to release the tension of her powers. "You can see the portal too," she gazed in awe at his nonchalant expression. "Yeah, it's done."

"That was easy," he remarked.

Blair titled her head. "I was the one who did all the work," she retorted.

Maddox chuckled. "I was giving moral support," he said, "it's a very hard job."

She sighed and shook her head. "I can't beat you," she said. "Come on, let's go to my shop and get my equipment."

Blair laced her hand with Maddox's and stepped inside the portal. They both easily walked through the door and came out the other end. Maddox opened the door, which revealed her shop just beyond.

"I need to grab some books as well," she spoke aloud as she strolled around her shop looking for everything she needed. Maddox held the bag she handed over to him as she dropped her stuff inside the massive pouch.

"What's with all the herbs and flowers?" Maddox asked.

Blair lifted her head from the box that had her grandma's notes and diaries. "It's to help me make the protection spell for your home," she told him.

"How will you make a spell out of flowers?" Maddox chuckled at the notion.

"It's not just flowers I need," she grinned wickedly, "I'll also need a sacrificial lamb and its blood." Maddox gaped at her horrified from what she had just revealed. "I was joking, Maddox."

He shook his head and let out the breath he was holding. "I wasn't going to let you kill a lamb in my house anyways," he muttered as she came out from her office with a large box.

Blair chuckled. "I have more books I should go through at home, but I shall get through these first," she said. She walked around the counter and picked up the last box she needed for the ritual. "Okay, all done. Let's go." Maddox opened the door to the portal once again and they returned to his home back at the hotel.

"Where should we do this?" he asked.

"Let's do it right here," she pointed to the dark floor of his office. "Just set the boxes on the floor, will you." Blair settled on the rug, which she knew now that it was the right choice since it was so comfortable to sit on. She pushed the box with her notes to the side and grabbed the satchel first to make the protection seal.

Maddox closed the door behind and joined her on the floor. "I brought wine," he poured the dark and rich wine in sterling clear glasses.

"If we're going to do this, then we definitely need wine," Blair giggled as she grabbed the glass from Maddox and downed the flavourful refreshment.

Blair set her glass aside and Maddox refilled it. She opened her bag and pulled out the ingredients to complete this spell. Blair laid out a black cloth first, then grabbing the canister of salt, she sprinkled it on the cloth forming a perfect circle. Inside the circle, she placed a dark purple satchel with its mouth wide-open.

"How long did it take you to learn all of this?" asked Maddox.

Blair opened the bag and pulled out the fresh herb and flowers, she arranged them beside her. "It took me a few years," she told him. "My grandma was my best teacher and she was the greatest witch I ever knew."

"Better than you?"

Blair smirked. "Way better than me."

"I would have loved to meet her," said Maddox.

Blair's smile saddened. "What I wouldn't give to meet her again," she said, but quickly brushed off her sadness. "She would have loved teasing you."

"Is that right," remarked Maddox.

"Oh yeah," chuckled Blair. "My grandparents would have had a fun time playing with since you're not a witch."

Maddox smiled playfully. "My parents love you too," he said.

Blair gazed into his earnest eyes and got lost for a heartbeat but it felt like a lifetime. "Everyone falls in love with me," she turned the mood light-hearted again.

"Apparently that entity hates you though," remarked Maddox.

Blair frowned. "That entity is just confused and lost," she said. "It needs to be guided back to where it came from."

"You're still kind to it even though it almost tried to kill us," assumed Maddox.

"If I were to hold a grudge against everything that wants to kill me, I'd be rich," she laughed at her own joke. Blair placed the four candles, that represented the elements (water, air, earth, fire) evenly around the circle. She lit the wicks with the snap of her fingers and assessed her handy work before she continued.

Blair then proceeded like how she was trained. She grabbed the patch of fresh rosemary and crushed the stem inside the satchel. "Rosemary that protects, protect this home and all within." Blair after reached for the thyme and broke the herb inside the satchel, like the rosemary and chanted; "Thyme that protects, protect this home and all within." Blair grabbed the canister that held the dill herb mixed with cinnamon and sprinkled it in the satchel. "Dill herb with cinnamon that protects, protect this home and all within." She did the exact same with the bay leaves and juniper berry oil.

The flames turned blue and blazed brighter as the lights around her dimmed. Her magic preserved and accepted the sacred power of the spell, so she sealed it within the satchel. With strings made from tree roots, she tied the thread around the satchel and after she tied the bow shut, she spoke faintly like a dreamy whisper; "Sea, air, fire, earth. Cleanse and bless this soul and hearth. Drive away all harm and fear, only good is welcome here." Blair opened her eyes to find the candles flames dead and the protection satchel completed.

"Is it done?" asked Maddox.

"All done," she smiled. "Let's go put this at the entrance."

Blair and Maddox both dropped on the couch after the ritual was completed. The sun was still high up in the sky but it felt like quite a long day.

The front door suddenly opened. "What have you two been up to?" asked Melinda as she entered with her mom. "You guys look beat."

Blair and Maddox exchanged that look that spoke louder than words. "If only they knew what we've been up to," whispered Maddox with amusement.

Blair laughed. "We still have one more task left to do," she told Maddox. "We need to go through my grandma's notes." 

"All work is for later," announced Eleanor as she arrived in front of her the pair. "I brought spaghetti and cupcakes. So, let's get some food in you two."

Maddox smiled up at his mom. "No point in arguing, Blair. Let's eat before we continue," he warned.

Blair may have joined the Steele family for lunch, but in the back of her head she kept thinking about the entity. Maddox distracted his mom and sister from getting suspicious over Blair's quiet mood, which she was thankful for.

After a plate of spaghetti, he pushed a cupcake into her hand. "You need some sugar," he said. "Using all of that magic probably left its toll on you."

Blair couldn't believe that Maddox remembered that her sugar levels dropped after using her magic. She grabbed the red-velvet cupcake from him and happily ate the sugary delight, even if her mouth was bitter from thinking too much about the entity.