“But it also gave you the halo. And your preternatural sight.”

I grinned. “The sight thing has been mighty handy.”

“I can’t imagine how other humans live without it,” he admitted. “But regarding the ritual, I’ve never run across any mention of it in my books. Do you know what they did exactly?”

I stared at him. “Umm … they had sex? My mom got pregnant?”

“The spell,” he clarified.

I shrugged. “While some old mage from our order officiated, they had ritual sex inside a silver circle outside in the woods during some special lunar phase.”

Lon looked at me like I was crazy.

“Dude, you’re preaching to the choir. I know it sounds nutball. My parents aren’t exactly apple pie and Leave It to Beaver. To hear them talk about the conception ritual, you’d think it was the greatest achievement in the history of the universe. My mom claimed my conception was a holy experience, and that she wore white the entire time she was pregnant with me to ensure that I was ‘blessed by the moon.’ ”

“So everyone in your order thought it was an urban myth until your parents proved them wrong?”

I shrugged. “I guess? I kinda tuned it all out. Who wants to think about their parents having sex? Not me. The only thing I know is that every year I used to get a shitload of expensive birthday presents from all the bigwigs in my order. Not anymore. Now I’m just a bartender who can see halos and kindle Heka.”

Lon was reserved and thoughtful. I hoped I hadn’t weirded him out; this wasn’t something I shared with people, ever. But I guess I didn’t need to worry, because a few seconds later, he stood up and stretched, as if we’d just been discussing the weather. “Now then, why don’t you take me down and show me your prisoner.” He scooped up the grimoire and thumped it with a knuckle. “I’m thinking since The Wheel spell works, then the other spells in here might too.”

25

“Who the hell are you?” Riley Cooper asked again, glaring at Lon as he pulled down the last of the antimagick bedsheets. I slid out a copy of the Memory Erase by Time Period spell from his book.

Brushing off his hands, he continued to ignore her and spoke to me as if she weren’t there. “I’m thinking we should wipe out all her memories since the day your parents were spotted in Texas two weeks ago.”

I nodded. “That should cover things. She won’t remember what we look like or where she’s been.” Most importantly, she wouldn’t remember Jupe; he’d be safe.

Riley scooted backward on the couch into the corner farthest from us. “What do you mean, ‘wipe out’ my memories? What kind of spell book is that?”

“Then we can try the Memory Twist spell to convince her that you’re someone else … so you won’t have to keep her chained up.”

“That will be a relief. You’ll need blood,” I noted, reading the text for the second time, just to make sure we didn’t skip anything. “Sure glad it doesn’t require what The Wheel spell did.”

He cocked one eyebrow at me, then removed something small and metallic from his jeans pocket. I realized what it was and laughed. “A pocketknife?”

“You said men my age should carry one. This was my father’s. I got it sharpened. Do I need my blood, or will hers do?”

I skimmed the text again, a little happier than I probably should have been in a dank basement with my kidnapped enemy. “Any blood will do. The spell just needs a bit of Heka to set it in motion, and she should have plenty—she’s got Magus Zorn’s Heka-rich genes.”

He flicked open his knife and eyed Riley. “All right, let’s do this.”

“You sure you don’t want me to do the spell? It’s my problem, you know. I’m willing to be responsible for it.”

He shook his head without looking at me. “Nope. It’s my problem too. I won’t sleep if I think she might come back after Jupe. Key to the handcuffs?” he requested.

I slipped it off her key ring and handed it to him.

Riley Cooper pulled her hands out of Lon’s reach. “Who the hell is Jupe? That mixed boy?”

“That mixed boy is my kid,” Lon clarified as he hovered over her. “Does the Luxe Order condone hurting children, or is that your own personal thing?”

Her eyes were dark and defensive. “He ran from me. If he’d just followed inst—”

“You broke his arm in two places.”

“He kicked me in the stomach!”

“He’s thirteen and built like a green bean.” Lon grabbed her by the ankles. In one quick tug, he yanked her down on the couch until she lay flat on her back.

“Fuck you!” she shouted, trying to kick Lon while he straddled her legs and did his best to hold her still. She was a fighter, I had to give her that. I helped him secure her as he removed the cuffs.

“Sigil, please,” Lon said, gritting his teeth.

I set the paper down. “Just use my blood.” I ran my finger along his pocketknife. The pain was sharp but brief, and a line of blood welled immediately. “Ready?”

“My father is going to kill you,” she threatened. Her eyes were wild and menacing.

“Ready,” Lon confirmed in an angry voice. He switched his grip to put a hand over her forehead, his palm covering her eyes. I held my finger over the sigil and squeezed while he spoke the incantation.