Authors: Stacie Simpson
“Who was this sorcerer?”
“I... I don’t know his name.”
If I’d thought he was alarmed
before, now he was downright panicking. “Where did you meet him?”
“Um...” I started to explain
but knowing my explanation was only going to make things worse, I couldn’t
quite make the words come out.
“Renee, this is very
important.” His eyes pierced mine.
Looking away from his
penetrating gaze I told him, “The sorcerer was a friend of Dimitri’s. I’m not
sure where we met him because we went through a portal and I didn’t recognize
anything on the other side. It was a dark world with a dead forest and a
medieval castle.”
“How did you wind up with the
tattoo on your back?” he asked after a moment and took up pacing again.
I curled my legs beside me
and pulled the sheet over them. “Well, it’s not really a tattoo. He just kind
of put his hand there on my back and chanted for a while. About ten minutes
later, he made a quick slash down my back, cut his hand and then slapped his
open wound over mine. Then he recited an incantation that I didn’t understand.
There was a sharp pain, then my back felt like it was on fire and I passed out.
When I came to I was here in my bed and I had that nice piece of artwork on my
back.”
Solomon stopped pacing again
and rubbed his hands over his face. “Did you recognize any of the words he said
when he was chanting?”
I thought back to that night
and replayed the scene in my head. “I wouldn’t say I recognized anything he
said, but the rhythm was familiar. Honestly he sounded a lot like you do when
you’re chanting.”
All the blood drained from
his face and he fell to his knees in front of me. “What did he look like Renee?
Picture him in your mind so I can see him.”
I did as he asked and the
image of the sorcerer slowly formed in my mind. He was about Solomon’s height,
maybe an inch shorter, with short spiky brown hair and nondescript facial
features - the kind of guy you’d forget right after you walked past him. I felt
pressure on my mind and knew Solomon was looking at the sorcerer through my
memories.
His hands fisted in the sheet
and he swore.
“What’s wrong Solomon? Do you
know him?” I was actually starting to get really worried now.
He met my eyes and his were
dark with anger. “I’ve seen that design before, in the dreams we’ve been
sharing. Only in the dreams, it was an amulet hung above your front door, not a
tattoo on your body. I’ve been researching the amulet trying to find a way to
counter the spell. I haven’t had much luck though and now I understand why.
I’ve been looking in the wrong books because I never imagined anyone could be
using my own magic against me.”
I reached out to caress the
side of his face. “What do you mean Solomon, I don’t understand”
“There are very few people
alive who know how to wield the same kind of magic that I use. Most of those
people I know and trust. One however, is the sorcerer who cursed Dragon during
The Great War. His name is Sergio and he is the sorcerer I just saw in your
mind.”
I sucked in a breath hoping
I’d heard him wrong, but as I watched the black and gold bleed into his eyes, I
knew I hadn’t misunderstood. “What did he do to me Solomon?” My voice was a
little too high but I was struggling against a wave of panic that wanted to
engulf me.
“Shh...” Solomon soothed,
pulling me down onto his lap. I rested my head against his chest while he ran
his fingers through my hair and rocked me gently back and forth. “I want to go
into your mind and watch your memories of the spell being cast. I won’t make
you relive them I just need you to be as calm as possible and don’t fight me so
I can concentrate on the details of the spell.”
I nodded then immediately
felt the pressure of Solomon entering my mind. I didn’t fight him; in fact, I
opened myself up to him completely and soon found myself relaxing in the hot
tub downstairs. I knew it was only a fantasy created by Solomon but I was
thankful for the distraction. The warm bubbling water felt amazing on my tired
muscles and I promised myself to have a soak for real before the day was over.
A while later, Solomon kissed
the top of my head and the fantasy dissolved. “Can you undo whatever he did to
me?” I asked looking up at him.
He shook his head and my
heart sank. “I can’t, but you can.”
“Huh...” I started to climb
off his lap but he held me in place and put his finger over my lips.
“It’s a very complex spell,”
he explained quietly. “And it’s very strong. I got past it a few times because
I was either unconscious or out of my mind with fury, but the only reason I can
be near you now without a struggle is the mating bond. Magic treats mates as
one and the same; it simply doesn’t differentiate between mates. Therefore,
once the bond was initiated the spell could no longer keep me away from you
because as far as it’s concerned I am you.”
“If that’s true; shouldn’t
the spell be broken?”
He brushed my hair back and
kissed my forehead. “Yes, but he used your blood to bind this spell to your
will and you don’t want it to be broken.”
“Of course I do,” I insisted,
shaking my head. “That’s why I went to Supernova last night. I was going to ask
if you knew how to break it.”
He cupped the side of my head
with his hand and looked deep into my eyes. “Almost every aspect of mating
comes from the animal’s magic - the mating frenzy, the mark, the binding of
souls which allows humans to be immortal as long as their mates are alive. Only
the emotions come from the human side. No matter how strong the animal magic is
the real connection between mates comes from the emotional ties they form
during the mating frenzy. The bond is complete when they give themselves to
each other completely without holding anything back.
We’ve loved each other for so
long that a few moments of unbridled passion were almost enough to complete our
bond. If it weren’t for the spell, we’d be living in mated bliss, but as soon
as the passion cooled, you threw all your walls back up allowing the spell to
block our emotions. There’s a fox eye on my back because I’m sending and
willing to receive your emotions. The eye is closed however, and I believe that
is because you aren’t sending any emotions. You’ve spent so long hiding your
feelings from me, and from yourself, that you’re still hiding them. You don’t
want me to feel your emotions so I can’t. The eye that should be on your back
is missing because you’re afraid to open yourself up to me. You’re afraid I’m
going to hurt you, and until you let go of that fear the spell will continue to
interfere with our mating bond.”
I licked my lips. “I’m not
sure how to do that Solomon.”
His thumb rubbed along my jaw
as he spoke, his voice vibrating with emotion. “I love you Renee, and whether
it takes a day or a decade, I will find a way to prove that to you. In the
meantime I will deal with the sorcerer responsible for the spell so that he
never again has the opportunity to prey on vulnerable or emotionally
compromised women.”
“I already have to worry
about you challenging Dimitri. I don’t want you going after the sorcerer too.”
“He knew what he was doing
when he cursed my mate, and he knew what the consequences would be.”
“That’s what I’m worried
about, what if he’s set some kind of a trap? What if him and Dimitri...”
He leaned in and kissed me
then, softly, sweetly, and whatever argument I could have made was forgotten.
When he pulled back and stood
with me in his arms I said, “If that’s all it takes for you to win an argument
then I’m in real trouble.”
He chuckled as he laid me down
on the bed then climbed up beside me. He stretched out on his side with his
elbow bent and his head propped up on his hand. It was a little distracting to
have him lying there so magnificently nude but somehow I managed to keep my
eyes from straying too often.
Still smiling he replied,
“I’m sure you’ll have more to say on the subject no matter how long or
thoroughly I kiss you.”
I smiled back at him knowing
he was probably right, but let it go for the moment. Some battles required a
more subtle approach than a full on frontal attack. Besides, there was
something else I needed to ask him about.
“You said the sorcerer used
my blood to bind the spell to my will. What did he need his blood for?”
Solomon frowned. “At this
point I’m honestly not sure. I’d have to take a closer look at the spell and
perhaps do some research to understand how his blood made the spell stronger,
but I won’t have time to do either until the tournament is over. If it had been
my blood I’d say it was used so that the spell would target me specifically,
but since it was his, I’m at a complete loss.”
“I never thought I’d hear you
say that,” I said, inching closer to him so I could rest my hand against his
chest. I needed to have some kind of physical connection to him. “You always
seem to know everything when it comes to magic.”
“I know a lot because I was
trained by one of the best, but you should probably know that Sergio was
originally trained by my father as well.” My eyes widened and Solomon
continued, “He was my father’s apprentice a few decades before I was born.
According to my father, Sergio was a brilliant sorcerer and he learned very
quickly, but he wouldn’t obey my father’s rules when it came to blood magic. My
father felt all blood magic was evil and should be completely avoided. When
Sergio cursed us using blood magic during The Great War, I had no choice but to
learn everything I could about it. From my research, I know that not all blood
magic is evil, but the sorcerers who use it regularly aren’t typically
concerned with good and evil. Sergio of course falls into that category which
puts me at a disadvantage.”
Sergio had already cast one
evil spell that hurt Solomon and every other nightshifter for far too long. The
idea that I might one day lose Solomon to one of Sergio’s evil spells was
unthinkable. “Solomon, I’m going to say something to you and I want you to
really listen.” His caramel eyes bore into mine. “I know you’re a good man, an
honorable man. You have one of the kindest hearts and the purest souls of
anyone I’ve ever met, but if Sergio ever comes after you or anyone you love, I
want you to forget about good and evil and do whatever it takes to stop him.
He’s too dangerous to mess around with and he certainly won’t worry about
fighting fair. When it comes to that sorcerer I want you to unleash every nasty
spell you’ve ever heard of and put him in the ground.”
One side of his mouth lifted
in a grin and he reached out to tuck my hair behind my ear. “Don’t worry Renee;
if it’s at all within my power, that sorcerer will never have the chance to
take me away from you. Now there’s something I’d like to ask you,” he said,
smoothing his hand down my arm then back up again. “Will you tell me how you
found out we were mates?”
This wasn’t something I
really wanted to talk about but I figured he deserved to know.
“A few days after I gained
the fox I had a dream about you. You were in The Catacombs with Mia straddling
your lap and Charlene pressed up against your back with her hands rubbing your
chest and her mouth exploring your neck. I could see your face in the mirror
behind the bar. Your eyes were closed, your lips parted and your fingers were
digging into Mia’s hips as she rocked back and forth. Then Charlene sank her
fangs into your neck and the look of pure ecstasy that came over your face was
unmistakable.
The fox inside me went
absolutely crazy and tore herself out of my body, lunging violently towards you
and the other women. She wanted to rip their throats out and I was barely able
to stop her before she reached them. Actually, I only saved them because I was
able to wake myself up; had it been reality they probably wouldn’t be alive
today.
The dream was so vivid that
when I woke up I knew it had been more than just a dream. I’d heard enough
stories about mating bonds to understand what was going on but I didn’t know
what to do about it. I thought clearly my fox wanted you as much as I did, but
your fox seemed to be content letting you live your life as you always have.
You looked so happy there with those beautiful women. How could I take that
away from you?”
A few tears slid down my
cheeks when I thought about that first dream and the pain I’d felt upon waking
after it was over. He pulled me over against his warm body, wrapping his arms
around me, holding me close to his heart.
“I guess it’s a good thing
I’m not as selfless as you are.”
“Huh?”
He spoke quietly, gently
rubbing my back with his strong hands. “I almost walked away without coming
inside the other night. I was nearly positive I’d find you inside, but I wasn’t
sure you wanted to be found. It would have been nice to think someone put a
spell on you without your knowledge, but with the way you’d been acting the
past few months, deep down I knew that wasn’t the case. I told myself I should
let you go if that was what you wanted, but in the end I was too selfish to go
through with it.”
“Oh Solomon, I’m glad you
didn’t walk away,” I admitted, snuggling closer to him.