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Like many illnesses, the cure was almost as bad as the disease.
“I didn’t do anything.” She dropped her bag on the coffee table. Opening it, she rummaged inside and pulled out two small boxes—one carved from teak, the wood smooth and silvery-gray from age, the other silver, the lid covered in gemstones.
She flipped open the lid of the wooden one first and withdrew a vial. Out of the silver box came a quartz crystal in the shape of a heart. “The spell is simple but effective. The one thing we have on our side is that it hasn’t had time to really sink its claws into her.”
If this much pain was caused when the spell wasn’t at full force, what the hell would it do if left alone?
As if she’d heard his question or maybe read his thoughts, she looked up, her gaze steady. “In another day or two, the magic would have bonded with her blood and bones. There would be no way to remove it without killing her. If you wanted to stay safe, you’d have to abandon Luna. Solange does not mess around when it comes to magic.”
He swallowed back the million questions he had and focused on the most important task. “What can I do?”
“I was hoping you’d ask. I’ll have to work fast. Once I start, I can’t stop. If you try to stop me, there’s a good chance she’ll die. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” His wolf was howling and snarling, frustrated at being unable to fight this invisible foe.
“I hope you do, wolf.” Closing her eyes, she held the vial in one hand and the stone in the other. “Draw the pain from her.”
His brows snapped down. “What?”
“You’re the gray wolf. You’re connected to her. Use that link to take her pain.”
“How?”
Her eyes flipped open, burning with an inner light that made them glow. “Feel for her. Look for her. Follow your instincts.”
Follow his instincts. That was as natural to him as breathing. Centering himself, he closed his eyes and sought his wolf. The beast snarled, as if blaming him for Luna’s condition.What do I do?His tattoo began to throb.
Without questioning why, he lifted Luna’s left hand and placed it over the mark. Heat slammed into his heart and rolled over his chest, down his torso, and through his limbs. A tsunami of pain followed.
Gritting his teeth, he rode out the wave, secure in the knowledge that whatever damage it did to him was being repaired as soon as it occurred. It was excruciating. All his internal organs were on fire. Sweat rolled down his face. How had she managed to stay on her feet for even a few seconds? He was an immortal warrior, and he’d never experienced anything like it.
The marking on his chest began to pulse in time to his heartbeat. He placed his free hand over her heart and breathed deep. In and out. In and out. Hers had been racing fast and erratic but calmed until it was slow and steady, beating in tandem with his.
As from a distance, he heard the mage chanting. The words were indistinct. It was more a cadence. This could be a trick, a way to transfer the spell from Luna to him. Then Solange would find him wherever he went. Even knowing that, he held on. Whether Onyx was friend or foe, he believed one thing—Luna would die if he let go, if he stopped whatever counter-spell Onyx was doing.
He threw his head back, the muscles in his throat and jaw flexing against the need to howl. The last thing they needed was human security banging on the door. Time was counted in heartbeats, in breaths. When the pain began to ebb, he examined it as it flowed through him. It bore no taint of magic, or none he could detect. Maybe his wolf protected him. Maybe the spell wasn’t transferable.
“Open your eyes, wolf, and hold tight.”
He forced them open at the mage’s command. The air around her shimmered bright silvery gold. Her hair had come undone from the back of her head and fell around her shoulders and down her back. The shade began to change, some of the strands turning black. Sweat burned his eyes. He blinked, and the color was back to red. An invisible wind whipped up, raising her hair around her. His skin prickled from the magic.
She took Luna’s hand, the one Solange had touched. Luna bolted upright, her lips peeled back in a silent scream. Her back bowed. He fought to keep the connection—her hand on his tattoo, his hand on her heart.
Scented oil was poured from the vial onto Luna’s skin. A combination of sage, lavender, and rose perfumed the air. She began to pant heavily, her entire body shaking. Onyx placed the stone in the center of Luna’s palm and closed her fingers around it.
“All the elements lend your power. On this day and in this hour. No more to find. Unwind, unbind. What was done is now undone. Evil banished. Goodness won.” The wind whipped higher, but Onyx stood firm, the demand in her voice growing with each word spoken. “The prison is broken. Freedom obtained. No more can this spell make a claim.”
It wasn’t his imagination. Luna’s body was cooling. The heat was rushing back to her hand, back to the point where Solange had touched her.
Onyx’s voice filled the room. “The time to end this has come. What you have once rendered, I have now undone.”
A dark force pressed down, circling and surrounding them. He growled in warning, searching the room for the nebulous threat. Like a rubber band stretching, the magic was dragged out of Luna. It clung, desperately trying to dig in its claws.
When it was pulled too far, it snapped. The wind ceased. The air began to lighten, perfumed by the sweetness of the oils.
“It’s done.” Onyx packed up her belongings and wasted no time heading for the door. “I don’t recommend hanging around. Solange has this location.”
“Wait,” Luna called. She was awake but weak. “Thank you.”
