Free Altered Souls by Karice Bolton

attributes…”
    “Logan, I love you. I do, but can we just get to how to reverse this? I don’t know how much time we’ve bought.” I placed my hand on his, searching his eyes for the sparkle I was so used to seeing, but only dullness was returned.
    “Do you have a small knife of some sort?”
    Nodding, I ran to the drawer where we kept all of our knives for preparing the herbs. Grabbing the smallest one, I poured a vinegar disinfectant over the blade while trying not to worry about what Logan wanted me to do with it. I had an idea, but hoped I was wrong.
    “Okay. Got it,” I said, standing in front of him.
    “When I recite the spell, there should be a part of the tattoo that glows. When that happens, I need you to insert the tip of the knife into that portion. Not deep, just into the flesh.”
    A lump formed in the back of my throat. I wanted to swallow but couldn’t. I was horrified at the thought of having to dig into his skin and couldn’t begin to understand why this would help. Maybe I should’ve let him continue explaining.
    “What will this do?” I asked, hoping he would look at me.
    “It should stop the person who cursed me.”
    “Trevor,” I stated.
    He nodded, “We are all bound together whether I want to be or not.”
    I wanted to learn more but didn’t have the luxury of time to find out.
    “I’m ready when you are,” I whispered. “You’re sure it will glow?”
    “Hundred percent,” he replied, attempting to smile. “You’ve got this.”
    I’m glad he had faith in this process because I sure didn’t. I took a deep breath and stared at the circle of darkness that swirled from quadrant to quadrant with one symbol after the other that I didn’t recognize while I waited for his words to deliver the spell.
    Quietness filled our space. The air was heavy with anticipation. I was about to look up when his words began.
    “ Nota liberaret ancillam inveniret, qui prodit mendacium ante omnes. ”
    Fixating on his tattoo, I began to get nervous when nothing happened. Afraid I might miss something, my eyes stayed glued to his abdomen.
    After a few moments of seeing only bare skin, a faint light began to radiate from a tiny portion of his tattoo. The area was no bigger than a pinhead, but it was large enough for me to complete the instructed task.
    I placed the blade against his abdomen, barely allowing the tip to enter into the ray of light that was guiding me. He’d been through so much agony in the last few hours. I didn’t want to make things worse, but I kept promising myself that this would end it all. The tip went in a little deeper and the light began to spread. Not knowing what to expect, I looked up at Logan who nodded his head, and he began again.
    “ Partum a somnis tantum possum perturbare . ”
    The apothecary shop filled with a brilliant light that poured out of Logan’s wound. He tipped his head back causing the light to disperse in all directions. Mesmerized by the beautiful glow that was canvasing the entire shop, I accidentally let go of the knife. Watching it tumble to the floor, I began to hyperventilate as worry rushed through me that I might have interrupted the process. How could I be so careless?
    “It’s okay. The process is in full swing now,” Logan whispered. Recognizing my panic, he softly touched my hand that was frozen mid-air. Moments earlier he was near death, and now he was taking care of me. Unbelievable.
    The muscles along his jaw were completely strained, but his expression no longer seemed filled with agony. He tipped his head back, took a deep breath in, and a smile spread along his lips as the light was sucked back into wherever it had come from. The tension inside me began to quickly dissipate as I realized that he was beating the curse. He was really going to be okay.
    Logan let out a groan that stopped my internal victory dance. I thought the worst was over. He squeezed my hand, slowly pulling me to him, but I was afraid I’d hurt him. He