“Not really appreciating this ironic Catch-22,” I grumble, making a sharper turn when I get near the stove. Just because I’m okay with the fire being safely kept in its cast iron box doesn’t mean I want to be next to it. “But you said you had an idea.”
“Yes,” she declares, leaning against the table and following me around the room with her eyes. “To cast a binding spell requires witches from all four elements, and they offer up blood along with their magic. This got me thinking that perhaps, along with my own magic, I could use ingredients of both water and earth mixed with my blood when I cast the spell. The combination not only represents all facets of a spirit witch’s power, but it also has the added connection that my blood shows I’m kin.”
“Kind of like the blood… er, the magical family heirloom chest over here?” I comment, stopping next to the chest in question.
“That’s the idea, yes,” my aunt replies evenly, “but I haven’t found a way to safely test the concept before I try it with you.” She clears her throat. “Considering how volatile your magic has become, I fear the backlash if I’m wrong.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” I mutter, then sigh, “So when does the good part of magic kick in?”
She shakes her head and picks up my mother’s grimoire, then holds it out to me. “Go read this. Your mother came up with some pretty interesting spells if I recall correctly.”
A soft smile plays across my lips, as I gently extract the book before holding it to my chest. I’m about to do as she asks when out of the blue, I remember Nolan’s party is in less than a week. I still don’t have a costume. “Aunt Mildred? Any chance one of the spells in here involves how to conjure a Halloween costume?”
Completely deadpan, she replies, “Do you see any magical pumpkins lying around?”
Despite knowing the answer, I still take a look around the room before stating, “No.”
“That’s because we’re witches, not fairy godmothers,” she retorts with a roll of her eyes. “We can’t create something out of nothing. You do, however, have a credit card with a rather high limit. Have you considered online shopping with expedited shipping?”
“Right! Money. We have it,” I chirp, then clear my throat. “I’ll just go do that now.”
“Wise decision,” she praises, her shoulders shaking with contained mirth.
Chapter 14
Connor
Inod at the two betas that open the access gate for the dirt path that leads to pack grounds, and I’m met with narrowed eyes and sneers. These are the Alpha’s men. With a sigh, I drive past and hope that it won’t take me long to check in so I can leave. This entire pack is a powder keg ready to go off, and I don’t want to be here when it does.
What the Alpha doesn’t want to see is that there’s a clear divide in the pack: those that are loyal to him because they view his brutality as strength, and those that stay loyal out of fear of what he might do if they don’t. Both follow orders, so he likely doesn’t care-- but fear only controls people for so long.
Until recently, it didn’t matter to me. I had a plan. A way out. Bide my time until graduation, then get the hell out thisciudad de mierdaand follow Donovan when he left. I’d help him hunt down demons, and he could help me find my mother. He doesn’t know, but he also didn’t have a choice, so why risk my plan getting out?
I tighten my grip on the steering wheel, as I follow the sad dirt road that cuts between countless densely packed trees. The scenery seems to blur as haunting memories flash before my eyes.
I learned my lesson after Sam. She’s been the only one to disobey the Alpha’s orders to shun me, and it nearly got her killed. We thought we were so smart-- only interacting off of pack grounds, careful that only our closest friends knew about us, making sure to scrub each other’s scent off before coming home, but it didn’t matter. He knew and was waiting. Waiting for me to care about her. To love her. To be willing to sacrifice for her.
Then, while I was tied up and restrained by my twolame botashalf-brothers, I was forced to watch the Alpha beat the shit out of her. When her wolf tried to save her, he chained her down with pure silver and beat her all over again. While she panted on the floor, her white fur matted with blood, he told me to choose.
The choice: give over my full loyalty to the pack, cut all other ties, and she’d never know pain again. She’d be elevated in status as the future mate to one of the Alpha’s sons-- and considering she was turned as a child, not born a wolf, that was more than she could possibly hope for. If I didn’t, the Alpha couldn’t promise his leniency again. How would it look if he let some turned wolf openly disobey him?
Hearing her wolf’s painful whines, I almost did it. If I’d thought the Alpha would keep his word, I might have, but I knew that evil bastard too well. If I broke, Sam would never be safe. For the rest of her life, she’d be a tool used to control me.
Instead, I broke all ties with her. Pretended she didn’t exist. He tried a few more times. Beating her into unconsciousness and making me watch. But I hardened my heart, kept my face blank, and he eventually stopped-- allowing her to live on the chance I may grow lax again and go back to her.
After Sam, I knew I couldn’t stay, and I knew that no one could know my plan for escape. The Alpha is powerful, but even he can’t steal thoughts from someone’s mind, so as long as my secret never passed my lips, he wouldn’t be able to stop me.
But that’s all changed now.
I shake my head to try and dislodge the memories, and turn up the music on the radio. It’s some type of old rock station that plays songs I mostly don’t know, but it’s noise to drown out my thoughts. It won’t be too much longer until I hit a paved road… just long enough for anyone snooping to think there’s not anything of worth at the other end of this path. If a human were to accidentally come across pack lands and see too much, it wouldn’t end well… for them. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time a human diedfrom a vicious animal attack.
Tension builds between my shoulders and there’s a confusing freefall sensation in my gut as my thoughts stray to the person who changed everything for me-- Callie. She has so much power over me-- literal control that I have no say in because she’s a spirit witch, and I’m a descendant of the original pack. Her ancestors created mine.
That’s a goddamn mind fuck, not that my wolf gives a shit. No, he’s completely content at her side, pleased and unquestioning about his destiny as her guardian. What’s throwing me is that when I’m with her, he’s not the only one.
Away from her, I can think more clearly. Question why this is happening and what it means, but it feels like there’s a rubber band that binds us together. I can’t be away from her for too long-- even now I’m only on pack grounds so that I can check in with the Alpha then leave to go to her-- and when I’m with her, the rest of the world doesn’t matter. With a sniff of her scent or a touch from her hand, I find peace and my life narrows to a single focus: protect.
Is it just the magic that draws me to her? I care about and admire her. But do I feel this way only as justification for something I have no control over? Does it matter? Callie has done what no amount of beatings from the Alpha could accomplish. Receive my complete loyalty. For her safety, I will do and sacrifice anything … and I would do anything she asks of me. I don’t know if it’s even in me to refuse her.
