The Unlikeable Demon Hunter (Nava Katz #1)(103)

"Aleph, mem, tav." I smeared a line of watery dirt across his forehead with my right hand. "Aleph, mem, tav." Another line down his left cheek. Again and again, I recited the letters. The ones which spelled "emet" –truth in Hebrew –and which, according to legend, had brought the golem to life. I recited them until I'd outlined Ari with the dirt. My brother was the golem, the unformed substance that I prayed this ritual would complete.

I took a moment to center myself. This was the last step. The make or break moment. Quite literally.

Pulling a Swiss army knife out of my skirt pocket, I extracted the blade which I'd previously cleansed in fire. Holding it in my soil-smeared hand, I slashed my other palm in a diagonal line. "Emet." I flinched against the stab of pain.

A bright line of blood swelled on my skin.

Rabbi Abrams inhaled sharply. Every muscle in Rohan's body was tense. Kane had half-risen off of the sofa, perched on the arm.

I slashed another line perpendicular to the first. "Met." The word for death. The second slash burned a million times worse. I pressed my bloody palm to Ari's heart. "Rasha!"

Ari's heart beat slow and steady through his shirt. The sound travelled through my palm, up along my arm, vibrating from the heavy thrum. My arm shook, his heartbeat growing in strength as mine grew weaker and more fluttery.

There was a great sucking whoosh inside my head. White spots danced and spiraled in front of my eyes. Ari's heartbeat was joined by a sparking noise. A clicking sound like a lighter not quite catching. 

My chest constricted. I was blinded by the white filling my vision. The clicking morphed into the explosion of a single spark, so loud it deafened, so tangible it snapped my head forward. My magic burst free wrapping my body like barbed wire. A million agonizing bites tore into my flesh.

I couldn't pull away. Ari's heart pounded in my skull drowning out all other sound, throbbing through my teeth as my magic tightened around me. I smelled blood.

The magic wire outside my body tightened and tightened; the magic knot within threatened to rip me in half as it fought its unraveling. I sagged, unable to breathe, unable to support myself. Propped up solely by the magic killing me.

"Met." A chorus of women's voices chanted in my head. Death and death and death.

The world went dark. Gelman hadn't prepared me for this but it was beautiful. Nothingness and totality. Peace at last.

Compelling, but it wasn't my choice.

"Chai," I whispered. Life.

My eyes snapped open. I gasped and surged to my feet from where I'd been crumpled on the floor.

The ring flew from the box to fit itself onto Ari's ring finger on his right hand. The silence in the room was absolute. My brother held up his hand, looking from it to me in wonder. "You did it."

He crushed me into his arms.

"Told you so." I buried my head against his chest, holding him tightly.

Kane whooped, breaking the spell. He bounded over to us, joining in the hug.

"Exiting now." I ached all over and the boys' adoration, while appreciated, hurt.

Rabbi Abrams patted Ari on the back in congratulations. Rohan was busy welcoming my twin into the fold as well.

"This calls for a celebration," Kane said.

Ari and I exchanged grins. "Balls inside," he said.

I picked my tallis up off the floor where it had fallen, folding it carefully. "It's always about the balls inside with you."

"Is this rabbi appropriate?" Rohan asked.

"I enjoy the balls inside myself," Rabbi Abrams said, winking at us. I snorted. Go, Rabbi.

Rohan's and Kane's double take was a thing of beauty.

Snickering, Ari explained to the poor gobsmacked men. "St. Honoré cakes? The ones with the little cream balls on top? Our baker makes one with the balls both on top and inside, instead of just sponge cake inside."

"Ari requests it for every occasion." One of the best things my parents ever did was to let Ari and me each choose our favorite cake on our joint birthday. That meant I didn't have to give up my more-chocolate-per-square-inch extravaganza to enjoy balls inside.

"Very delicious," Rabbi Abrams pronounced. "Nava, may I have some water?"

"Of course." I escorted him to get a drink, leaving Kane taking bets on what Ari's magic power would be.

My parents hadn't known about the ceremony today so the kitchen wasn't in the pristine state my mom normally demanded for rabbi visits. A couple of dirty mugs in the sink, magazines on the counter, and the miscellaneous cork board a disaster of notes, flyers, and postcards. They were going to freak out that they'd missed Ari's induction, and even better, since they'd believe that Rabbi Abrams ran it, I was in the clear.

I sat down at the table with the rabbi as he drank.