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“What if it’s more than that?” Ari mused. “What if this power she’s channeling or stealing requires sacrifices? What if it feeds from life?”

A bad feeling stirred in my gut. “She used to garden all the time. Most witches have herb gardens, but she didn’t have anything like that in the cabin. The seeds I used to grow that plant were baked and maybe inert enough not to react to her.”

Growing that plant was a miracle. Those last few sparks of magic I held onto must have saved my life.

“What about her life force?” I asked Ari.

Soren gave me an odd look. He would sense my emotions bouncing all over the place.

“Difficult to say. She’s fueling herself somewhere.”

From me. When I was a child, I thought it was because she wanted to be immortal. Not something this sinister. Had this come later or had she always been under another master’s thumb?

And how had she been fueling herself for all those years once I finally escaped?

“Moira?” Soren probed.

I blinked. “Um. She siphons life force from others.”

Our eyes locked. Soren’s face went blank, but his eyes flared gold. His jaw clenched tight.

Ari stared at me for a beat before she let out a heavy sigh. She leaned over and reached for me. “May I?”

My gaze was still locked with Soren’s. I nodded.

Ari touched me, her cool magic slipping into my body. Evie’s magic felt like life. Ari’s felt like cold metal, not unpleasant, just odd.

“No wonder they call you gods touched,” Ari murmured as she withdrew her hand.

Soren was still staring at me, no doubt putting the pieces together.

I finally dropped my gaze. “What did you see?”

Ari scooted against the wall and put her head back. “My power is a little different. Your Evie works with plants and the earth. I work with elements and metals, but I’m stronger in metals. The body holds several pounds of metals, and I can use those to slip into someone’s consciousness and see what makes them tick.” She grimaced. “Sort of.”

“Cool,” I said. “So you’d know if I had anemia.”

Soren snorted.

Ari laughed. “I suppose I would if I were looking for such a thing. You’ve been touched multiple times by fae magic, especially being in such close proximity to Evie and Rowan. You’ve absorbed those powers into your bloodstream.” She tilted her head, the watery light from outside turning her eyes into pure silver. “Moira, you are something of a succubus.”

Soren’s grave expression lightened. “Like a sex demon?”

“Stuff it,” I growled.

“A succubus is a demon who needs someone else’s life force to survive, but Moira needs the magic instead.” Her eyes narrowed. “You consume blood, and depending on what blood source you use is whether you actually receive any sustenance. Humans have little to no magic in their veins. Consuming their blood won’t benefit you much. Consuming magical blood gives you what you need to survive and thrive.” Ari gasped. “What if you don’t need blood at all? What if the blood is only a tool?”

Soren’s expression sharpened. “You think she can pull the magic from someone through a vein or something?”

“I only bite people I’m mad at.”

Ari rolled her eyes. “It’s worth a try. You could disable someone pretty quickly if you drained them fast enough.”

“Huh. I wouldn’t know how to separate the two, and I haven’t taken blood directly from a vein since—” My cheeks heated.

Since Cernunnos.

A sly grin slid over Ari’s face. “Since Evie’s daddy.”