“It’s done what?” Ivy pulled a strand of her hair over one shoulder and saw it was now a deep red color.
She glared at Kristoff. “Did you do this?”
“It may be a small side effect of the power transfer.” Kristoff grinned slyly. “But I’ve always wanted to see you as a redhead.”
“This has nothing to do with the power transfer. You did this deliberately.”
“It’s a temporary thing,” said Kristoff. “You never know, you may get to like it. The color makes your whole face glow.”
“The glow probably has more to do with the way he siphoned the power off you,” whispered Bryony to Ivy.
Ivy growled at her sister. “Don't think I enjoyed that.”
“Now for your turn,” said Kristoff to Bryony.
“Are you going to change the color of my hair, too?” Bryony walked cautiously towards Kristoff.
“Nothing so dramatic,” said Kristoff. “And we can hold hands to do the siphoning.”
“So you don’t need to kiss someone to take their power?” Ivy's hands clenched into fists as she realized she'd just been played.
“I don’t have to,” said Kristoff. “But I enjoy doing it. Especially with you.”
Ivy cursed under her breath and stalked over to the bar, before helping herself to a bottle of brightly colored liquor.
“You shouldn’t mess with my sister,” said Bryony to Kristoff.
“I couldn’t resist the temptation,” said Kristoff. “She is such a feisty witch, and I rarely get an opportunity to be near her. Ivy has a habit of throwing insults at me and running.” He took hold of Bryony’s hands.
“So long as she isn’t hurling fireballs at you, you should be fine,” said Bryony.
“I have experience of both her insults and her fire magic,” said Kristoff. “I enjoy them both.”
“Can you also create the circle of protection now? It will be good to know everyone else is safe from the poisoner.” She dropped her hold on Kristoff's hand and extracted another copy of the list of names from her purse.
Kristoff read through the names and then passed his hand over them. “That is a lot of women you want me to protect.”
“Are you able to do it?”
“Yes, I can work on the circle of protection as I take your powers,” said Kristoff. “It is not a complicated spell, and with the assistance of your powers, it will be easy to do.”
Bryony nodded. “Shall we get started?”
Kristoff took hold of Bryony's hand again. “This will feel warm, given that I’m a demon. All of my powers come with a warming side effect. But it shouldn’t be unpleasant. Let me know if it does get uncomfortable and I can turn the furnace down a little.”
“I’m used to colder magic,” said Bryony. “That’s how Ivy’s feels when her abilities touch me.”
“She had a cooling effect on me when I transferred her abilities into me. It was an unusual feeling. I’ve never experienced it before. Dark magic is usually spikier and more violent. But hers felt like a cool stream running into me.”
“Do you feel any different now you have some of Ivy’s power?” asked Bryony.
“I do,” said Kristoff. “I can already sense your sister’s powers in me. And Ivy is hiding just how powerful she is.”
Bryony felt the palms of her hands heat up. “I sometimes wonder if Ivy keeps her abilities suppressed because she doesn’t want to hurt people.”
“She doesn’t suppress them when she’s around me,” said Kristoff.
“But she does around most other people,” said Bryony. “I know she would feel bad if she ever harmed me because her magic got loose.”
“Ivy is fascinating.” The red rings around Kristoff’s dark eyes gleamed. “You are the one thing she seems to really care about.”
“She cares about the rest of the family,” said Bryony. “Family is important to us all.”
“My family are not so close,” said Kristoff. “My mother spends most of her time in the regions of Hell, only coming to earth when she wants to cause mischief.”
“And your father?”
“We visit now and again. He has plans for me in the family business. But I like it in Old Sarum.” Kristoff’s gaze moved to Ivy. “I’m not sure I want to leave. Not just yet, anyway.”
“I shouldn’t say this.” Bryony swayed on her feet as her power drained, “but I think Ivy does like you.”
“I wouldn’t be pursuing her if I thought she didn’t have some interest in me.”
“She thinks you chase after her because you like the challenge.”
“I’ll admit, there is that element to it too,” said Kristoff. “I do like to chase the unobtainable. But I have a feeling your sister will give in one day.”
“No, she won’t,” said Bryony.
“You sound so certain,” said Kristoff.
“Because of our family curse,” said Bryony, annoyed with herself for talking so openly with Kristoff, but not seeming able to stop. “I know Ivy will never date you.”
“Ah, yes, your small problem with an ancient curse,” said Kristoff. “Tell me more.”
“We don’t like to talk about it,” said Bryony.
Kristoff leaned in close. “But you can tell me. Now we’re sharing powers, we’re practically family.”
Bryony felt lightheaded as her power slowly siphoned out of her. “Neither of us dates because if we fall in love, the other one will die.”
“It is that simple.” Kristoff tilted his head to one side. “But how effective. Your love for your family keeps you from loving anybody else. I assume whoever cursed you had the idea to keep you lonely for life and unable to continue the family lineage?”
“The curse must have happened hundreds of years ago,” said Bryony. “Decades before it was acceptable to have children outside of marriage. That’s the only way the family line has been able to continue.”
“The women in your family choose wisely when it comes to mates. They give birth to children sired from powerful magic users.”
“We've all got strong abilities,” said Bryony. “My cousins, Raven, Jinx, and Seren not only have Aunt Lilith's abilities but also powers from their fathers. They can slow time, transform into other animals, and rip holes into different dimensions.”
“I would like to meet these cousins,” said Kristoff.
“They would eat you alive,” said Bryony.
“That doesn't sound too objectionable,” said Kristoff. “What you Thornhearts have done is clever. Your family’s abilities continue to grow and you outwit your curse.”
“It hasn’t always been successful,” said Bryony. “Witches in our family have died because someone was weak and fell in love.”
“Love shouldn’t be seen as a weakness,” said Kristoff. “It is a powerful and beautiful thing.”
“Only if it doesn’t kill somebody else you love,” said Bryony. “My heart would break forever if I killed my sister by falling in love.”
“That would be a tragedy,” said Kristoff. “But you would like to see your sister happy, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course,” said Bryony. “And we are always looking for new ways to break the curse. But it sometimes feels as if we’ve exhausted all avenues. Until we find the original source who actually cursed us, there’s only so much we can do.”
Kristoff's grip on Bryony’s hands tightened alarmingly and he let out a gurgling sound.
“Is everything okay?” asked Bryony.
“I’m not certain,” said Kristoff. “I feel... strange.”
Ivy stalked over, a bottle of liquor in one hand. “What are you doing?”
“He said he feels strange.” Bryony peered intently at Kristoff.
“I can’t, I’m not...” Kristoff sank to his knees.
“Maybe the power transfer has gone wrong,” said Bryony.
“Or he’s playing with us.” Ivy toed Kristoff with one of her boots. “Stop messing about.”
Bryony knelt down next to Kristoff. “He’s not playing. The red in his eyes has faded and I can feel the power transfer has stopped. Kristoff, what’s wrong?”
“I felt it as I activated the circle of protection,” gasped Kristoff. “Somebody else has been poisoned.”