Chapter 19 – Deal with the Devil

Anastasia's emotions churned—a tornado of rage, betrayal, and something more she couldn't quite put her finger on. Britney's smug grin, her dark eyes flashing with delight, was enough to make Anastasia turn red.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Anastasia moved toward Britney, hands clinched, ready to finally put her in her place. Jenny swiftly grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Don't, Anastasia. We need her.

Anastasia glared at Jenny, incredulous. "Need her? For what?"

Britney leaned back, crossing her arms with that maddening smirk. "Relax, dear sister. I'm here to help—for once." She paused, shrugging casually. "One-time deal, though. Don't expect me to make a habit of it."

Anastasia couldn't believe her ears. "Help us? You? Why in the world would you ever help us?"

Britney's grin changed into something sinister. "Oh, it's not really charity. I've always had a special place for Matty Boy. I figured if I assist, I could eventually have the chance to have him for myself. Only once. Before he died again. This way, I get to have fun too."

The rage in Anastasia's veins ignited into a full blaze. "You're sick, Britney. Matt would never, ever go for you, dead or alive!"

Beside her, Jenny's face was turned down, silent. Anastasia could hardly believe it; was Jenny really okay with this? "Wait, Jenny…" She turned to her, voice shaking. "Is this really where you got the spell? From Britney? What did you do?"

Jenny's face was lined with guilt, but she held her ground. "Look, I had no other options, Ana. Matt's fraternity brothers told me about their run-in with her—they barely stood a chance. She's… she's powerful. And if I was going to make this work, I needed someone like her. Britney's a century-old Babaroga demon. She's got dark magic down to an art." She paused, hesitating before she added, "And yes… if her price is a night with Matt… I'll pay it. As long as he's alive."

"No way," Anastasia spat, her heart slamming in her chest. "I'd rather die than let that happen."

Britney chuckled darkly. "That's the spirit, Ana. And you just might be the sacrifice this spell demands. If so, all the better for me."

Anastasia rolled her eyes, clamping her mouth shut before she said something she might regret. Her stomach twisted as she looked between Jenny and Britney, feeling the weight of betrayal sinking into her bones. She'd expected this kind of twisted behavior from Britney, but Jenny?

Britney reached into her jacket, pulling out a small vial and dangling it in front of Anastasia. "Here it is—the final piece. And you all better pay up, whether you remember this moment or not."

She winked, a glint of cruelty in her eyes. "I've carved a reminder spell for myself. No matter what this does to your memories, I'll remember. And I will collect my fee."

Anastasia's skin crawled, and she turned to Jenny, feeling the last of her patience fray. "So, you're telling me that after this is over, everyone will forget everything? Including you? And you'll just go back to ignoring Matt's memory?"

Jenny hesitated, then handed Anastasia a folded piece of paper. "I've thought of that too, Ana. I… I wrote a letter to myself, explaining everything. After the spell, meet me at this location. I'll read it, and it'll remind me what we did, why we did it." She looked down, eyes filled with a mixture of shame and hope. "I'm doing this for him. For us. I promise."

A part of Anastasia still didn't trust her, but this wasn't the time to argue. She nodded, tucking the letter into her pocket, and then stepped into the center of the drawn circle. Her hands felt clammy as she watched Jenny take the vial of Britney's blood, pouring the dark liquid in a neat line that encircled Anastasia.

The atmosphere thickened, an almost electric buzz filling the air. Jenny, Britney, and Jenny's sisters joined hands around the circle, their faces set in concentration. Britney's voice cut through the silence, starting to chant in a language that sent chills down Anastasia's spine. One by one, the others joined in, their voices intertwining, growing louder with each repetition.

Inside the circle, Anastasia's heart raced. She glanced at the flickering candlelight, casting strange shadows that seemed to move of their own accord. A tiny voice inside her head whispered, soft and almost familiar. Don't do this.

Her heart skipped a beat. That voice—it sounded like her mom's. You don't have to do this, Ana. Don't do this…

But before she could even process it, the doors of the dining hall flew open with a deafening crash, and Bastian stormed in, his eyes wild. His voice cut through the chanting, raw with urgency.

"Stop this! Anastasia, don't—"

Everything happened at once. The chanting grew louder, intensifying with a feverish pace as the magic took hold. Bastian's pleading face blurred in front of her, his eyes desperate, his hand reaching toward her as he fought to break into the circle. But it was too late. A sharp, piercing pain shot through her skull, and Anastasia's vision blurred, her surroundings washing into a bright, blinding white.

The last thing she saw was Bastian's face, contorted with fear, his voice lost to the roaring in her head as the pain split her world open, and everything faded into nothingness.