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As I pass them, they stare at me with wide, empty eyes, and I can hear their souls crying out.
“Why didn’t you save us?”
As lightning flashes once more, I press my hands to my mouth. Goddess, I don’t want to see any more. But suddenly, I’m thrust into a tiny village that looks like the reenactment village near Salem, where tourists can go to see how the Puritans lived.
But this is no reenactment village.
“Hallows End?” I murmur. “This is Hallows End.”
A circle of witches sits around a fire, with Jonas standing and holding a Book of Shadows, speaking loudly while the others chant and toss herbs into the fire.
He’s casting the curse of the blood moon.
I don’t know how I know that for sure, but I do. After it’s cast, the film speeds up, showing me the next three hundred years in fast-forward. I see people age and die.
I see a witch die every year.
Finally, I see Jonas with Lucy.
The lightning flashes, showing me absolute despair and devastation.
Hallows End is on fire, and all the people who live there are dead.
My mother and Hilda hang in their tiny kitchen.
And the six of us are tied to stakes, burning.
“No!” My voice is hoarse from weeping as I stand and scream. “This will not happen! We’ll defeat you!”
But the music is back, and it slides over me like a soothing balm.
“No,” I call out again. “No.”
“It’s okay.”
I shake my head and gasp, realizing that Xander’s holding me.
“It’s too dark.”
With the flick of his finger, several candles light around the room, casting a gentle glow.
“Oh, goddess.”
I bury my face in his chest and cry. So much anger and grief come pouring out of me. I know it’s not just about what I saw in that nightmare. It’s everything. Losing our baby, lashing out at Xander, leaving Salem for so long…
Everything that’s happened since I returned home. Losing our sweet Agatha and living in fear of it.
It all just pours out of me as I sob against this strong, comforting, and amazing man who holds me so patiently, so tenderly. His big hands rub up and down my back, and I feel him kissing my hair, murmuring sweetly that everything will be okay. I’m going to be okay. I’d forgotten how easy it is to believe him in moments like these. Xander is my rock. He’s the best part of my life. Our souls are connected in ways I can’t even begin to explain or comprehend, I just know I’m so much better when I’m with him than when I fight it and am away from him.
Finally, the tears fade, and I take a long, shaky breath.
“Bad dream?” Xander asks with a small smile as I pull back and wipe my face with the tissues he offers me. The look in his eyes is so…tender. That’s the word that keeps popping into my head to describe what I see, and it’s really the most accurate. Xander is a big man, and he can be an incredibly dangerous one, but to me, he’s never been anything but gentle.
“Yeah.” I blow my nose and take a deep breath. “Horrifying, actually.”
“You were so upset,” he murmurs, wiping away the rest of my tears. “You were crying out in your sleep, and I couldn’t wake you up. It scared me.”
“I heard the music,” I admit softly, still sniffling as I stare at his Adam’s apple. “And then it showed me everything as if I were watching a movie.”
As Xander listens silently, I tell him everything I saw and am surprised by how much I actually remember. When I finish, the look on his gorgeous face is at once so incredibly sad that it breaks my heart, and full of stone-cold rage.
“He’s been fucking with you for weeks, and it’s done. As of right now.”
“We’ve already put up wards and protections. I don’t know what else we can do.”
“I know of one more spell.” He drags his fingertips down my cheek. “But you may not be up for it tonight, and that’s perfectly okay.”
“What kind of spell?”
“A sex spell.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Is this some kind of trick to get me to have sex with you? Because I’ll do that without the trickery.”
He doesn’t laugh, but his eyes are full of humor as he leans in to kiss my cheek. “No trick. You know it’s not. Sex between soulmates added to a protection spell is incredibly powerful.”
“I know.” I laugh, already feeling so much better. “I just had to give you a hard time. Because it totally sounds like a line.”
“I guess it does. If you don’t feel up to it, we can do it in the morning.”
“Just give me a second.” I kiss him quickly and then climb from the bed to pad into the bathroom. I need to splash some water on my face to clear my head all the way. I want to be fully present for this spell.
