I nodded, as if I knew what she was talking about. Cerri might have been born to shifter parents, but no animal ever manifested in her. She found her arcana much by accident. Stuck home alone, she’d been in charge of her own meals. After stirring her arcana into her canned ravioli a few too many times, she realized that she could direct that magic elsewhere.
I looked up to my friend for her resourcefulness. If she resented her situation, she never showed it. Cerri had grown into a powerful potion-maker while I’d struggled to find peace under Alvin’s boot. I hoped that my circumstances kept Alvin from berating her for her lack of an animal, because I worried that he would have stifled her arcana had I not taken up his attention.
She leaned close to my outstretched hand to get a better look. Finally, she shrugged and confessed that she didn’t know much about this. She had, however, prepared several cleansing potions, some powerful enough to break curses.
“Please keep that curse breaking potion on hand from now on,” Addie said, her voice small and weak. “I’m glad I could help earlier, but…”
We watched Addie’s gaze drift away from the present. I wondered what she saw but couldn’t bring myself to ask. More than once, I’d wished she would trust us with her secret the way that Vi had, but I couldn’t force that trust to manifest.
Vi seemed much more at ease with her identity. Her mother had a brief and fiery affair with a demon, which had resulted in Vi.
While distracted by my friends, Cerri poured a potion over my hand. I yelped as it burned into my skin. Though my skin didn’t blister, the heat intensified. The mark glowed bright. I had to shield my eyes from the flare.
When the light faded, the pain remained. I had a sigh of relief ready, but it turned into a growl of frustration when I lowered my arm and the mark still remained. It flickered angrily, as if it were upset with me.
For a moment, I clutched my arm close to my chest and wondered if Ryder could feel what I’d done. Though Cerri’s potion hadn’t dispelled the mark, he might have felt the attempt. He didn’t want it there any more than I did, but I didn’t need him finding out that I’d snuck out of the apartment without telling him.
We tried several more potions. The next couple didn’t burn as much as the first had, but they didn’t feel great, either. The next one made my fingernails glow for twenty minutes. The third one tossed me out of my own body. I hovered behind myself in the astral plane like I was playing a third person video game. When I crashed back into my body, I lurched to the sink and hurled.
“Well, that didn’t work,” Vi said between potato chips.
I glared over my shoulder at her, but she flashed me a dramatic wink that made me laugh despite myself.
When I recovered, I pointed to potion three and told Cerri that I would never touch that ever again. She cursed under her breath and put her hands on her hips. When she started tapping her foot, her gaze drifted off. I wondered what kind of mental vault she was sorting through.
It seemed that she couldn’t find anything in there because she threw her hands in the air and stomped across the room, so she could fall onto the couch. There, she crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at the floor.
“It’s all right,” I said, trying to stifle my disappointment. “I’ll figure out a way to break the bond.”
Addie cocked her head. Her attention narrowed on my hand. “Are you sure this isn’t a mate bond?”
My face warmed almost as much as that first potion had warmed me. “Oh, I highly doubt that! Ryder has made it clear that he barely gives a shit about me. He just wants me to do something for him.”
Addie threw up her hands in surrender. “Calm down. I didn’t mean to push your buttons. I see that it’s a sensitive subject for you.”
I balked.
Vi, however, cackled in delight. “Ness and Ryder sitting in a tree! K-I-S—”
“Grow up, Vi!” I snapped.
Undaunted, she let out a gremlin laugh and popped another chip into her mouth.
My shoulders slumped. I’d hoped to be free of this magical bond tonight, but I felt more cornered than ever. If Addie was right, then I might be trapped in a loveless bond. My dream of being cherished by someone might fall to pieces, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.
Ryder
“Stupid fucking dog,”I muttered as I crossed my arms over my chest.
I listened to the women shout and laugh in the apartment above as I kept an eye on the street outside. I didn’t know why Ness had to sneak out of the rental place without telling me, but I knew that I couldn’t let her wander around on her own.
Lakesedge might be her home, but it wouldn’t be safe until her Alpha had been dealt with. We needed to move forward on our plan. I wanted to protect her during the upcoming hunt, but intervening would only get her in trouble again. Instead, I would search Alvin’s home for any clues that might help us.
I had already asked Queen Beryl for help hiding my scent. She’d pulled me close and pressed the softest kiss to my lips before tapping the medallion around my neck.
“Done,” she’d said, her breath still mingling with mine.
I clenched my jaw as Ness’s disgruntled face came to mind. The hound would hate me for what I’d done, but it was absolutely necessary. If I didn’t find a way to hide my scent, Alvin would know that I’d been there. That was the trouble with trying to deceive shifters. They could always smell a B&E.