All Spell Breaks Loose

by Annabel Chase

  “I’ve been thinking about it. I’m an angel. I’m the connection between heaven and earth.”

  “It’s our wedding day!” I protested.

  “Exactly,” he said. “It’s the happiest day of my life and I’m choosing to leave it all behind so that others can live their lives to the fullest. There’s no greater sacrifice.”

  I stared at him, unblinking. “No, absolutely not.”

  He gripped my hands in his and kissed my knuckles. “Emma, think about it. You know I’m right. This is my purpose. My atonement.”

  “I can’t kill you,” I whispered.

  He gave me a lopsided grin. “But you’d be able to kill Laurel or Sophie? Of course not. I’m giving you permission. I want you to be the one to do it. That’s love, Emma. That’s sacrifice.”

  No one breathed a word. I looked around for Gareth to gauge his reaction, but he was nowhere to be seen. I had to make the decision on my own.

  “Let’s start the spell,” I said quietly.

  We joined the chain and began the incantation. The air thickened around us as I spoke the words as loudly as I could. Magical energy crackled as I reached the pivotal moment. I stepped away from the chain with Daniel, a lump lodged in my throat. I forced myself to think of the greater good. All the futures that would be possible thanks to this moment.

  I held the unicorn horn aloft with both hands and stared at the angel in front of me. His white wings were spread wide and I remembered how it felt to have them wrapped around me.

  “Do it, Emma,” he pleaded, his turquoise eyes shining. “For Spellbound.”

  “No,” I choked. “I can’t.” My hand dropped to my side and I felt the horn slide down my fingertips. I managed to grab hold of it before it hit the ground.

  Daniel dropped to his knees. “Do it for everyone here. You can free them. They deserve to come and go freely. They can see the ocean. You can go home.”

  “Home is here,” I said. “With you.”

  He tapped his chest. “Right here, Emma. You can do it. I believe in you.”

  Tears streamed down my cheeks. How could I possibly kill the love of my life?

  No one said a word. Not a single paranormal encouraged me to use the horn to murder Daniel, even though the end result was their freedom.

  “Daniel,” I whispered. “Stand up. We have to find another way.”

  Slowly, he rose to his feet. “Yes,” he said. “We do.”

  Before I could object, he snatched the horn from my hand and plunged the tip straight through his chest and into his heart. The sound of screaming rang in my ears and I realized it was coming from me.

  “Emma, take my hand,” Lucy urged. “Don’t let his sacrifice be in vain.”

  I dragged myself to the chain of paranormals and clasped Lucy’s hand. Power surged through me and I barely managed to stand. I longed to run to Daniel. The angel remained sprawled on the ground, the horn protruding from his chest.

  “E pluribus unum,” I whispered. Out of many, one. One voice. One heart. One will.

  I felt the tsunami of energy as it rose, crested, and flattened. It was like being forcibly submerged in water and then breaking the surface for another gulp of air. A ring of golden light emanated from us and then it came—a shockwave like I’d never experienced before. It was as though all the oxygen was sucked out of town and then blown back in at once. The pressure was almost unbearable.

  And then there was quiet.

  I ran to Daniel. I didn’t even bother to see whether the spell had worked. All I cared about was the angel in front of me.

  “Daniel,” I said, my voice cracking. I kneeled on the ground beside him and checked for a pulse. Nothing. I touched his face, but he remained motionless.

  “Look!” someone shouted. “Over the lake!”

  I stood on the edge of the cliff and peered over the horizon to see Millie on her broomstick, flying over Swan Lake. Everyone watched breathlessly to see whether she’d make it past the border. Halfway over the lake. Then, finally…

  A cheer erupted as Millie sailed past the border and landed safely on the other side of the lake. The side where I pulled off the road because of the angel poised to jump to his death. The angel who had just sacrificed himself for the sake of each and every paranormal here. As everyone around me exploded with excitement, I burst into tears.

  I returned to Daniel, stroking his hair and telling him the good news. “You did this,” I whispered.

  Begonia came to kneel beside me. “I’m so sorry, Emma.” She hugged me, but I barely registered her presence. I was too focused on my husband’s lifeless body. My husband for less than a day and now he was gone.

  “Maybe I can bring him back,” I said. “I’m a sorceress. I have to be able to do something.”

  “No necromancy,” Begonia said. “You don’t want to go that route, Emma. It isn’t you.”

  I placed my hand over his. “He still feels warm.” I touched his lips with mine. Also warm.

  The horn in his chest began to glow with a golden light. Begonia backed away, her blue eyes wide with fear.

  “What’s happening?” I asked, not that I expected anyone to know the answer.

  The light spread from the horn to Daniel’s chest. Although I knew the sacred unicorn horn had healing properties, I wasn’t expecting this.

  “The horn is healing him,” Astrid said from behind me.

  It was. The light continued to spread through his body and he rose off the ground, his wings spreading beneath him like a soft blanket. The horn dissolved until it was nothing but dust and scattered in the breeze. The color returned to his cheeks and his eyes opened. Those gorgeous turquoise eyes that I adored. Above his head was the brightest, most beautiful sight in the world.

  “Daniel, your halo,” I said. I was mesmerized. I’d never seen a real halo before.

  Once he fully regained consciousness, I didn’t hesitate. I ran into his arms.

  “I’m alive,” he said.

  “I can’t believe it.” I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his scent. “How is this possible? Are you a ghost?”

  He cleared his throat in an effort to find his voice. “Nope. They gave me a choice.”

  I reeled back. “They? Who are they?”

  He pointed skyward. “They said I’d earned the option to stay upstairs or I could come back with my halo intact.”

  I gaped at him. “You could have stayed in…Heaven?”

  He nodded.

  “Why didn’t you?” I mean, it was Heaven. Who turned that down?

  He cupped my chin in his hand. “I told you. They gave me a choice. I chose you.”

  Daniel and I landed on the front lawn and I ran into the house as fast as my feet would carry me.

  “Gareth!” I flung the door open and hurried from room to room. “Gareth, where are you? The curse is broken. We’re all free.”

  There was no response.

  “No sign of him?” Daniel asked from the foyer.

  “No.” I couldn’t find him at Curse Cliff either, but the scene was so chaotic that I wasn’t surprised.

  I hustled upstairs and checked all the usual haunts. Magpie jumped onto my bed, staring grumpily from his one good eye.

  “Where is he, Magpie?” I asked. My heart began to thump wildly. What if…? No, it wasn’t possible. I didn’t send Gareth to…

  “What happened, lass? Did you leave him already? Because I wouldn’t blame you after he asked you to murder him in front of all those witnesses.”

  “Gareth!” I tried to throw my arms around his neck, but they smacked into each other. “Ouch.”

  “Worried I’d be a goner?” he asked.

  Despite my best efforts, I started to cry. “I wasn’t sure. You weren’t with me on the cliff. I didn’t know.”

  “Hush now, Emma,” he said. “I haven’t left.”

  “Why not?” I asked. “Did you go back to the gates or wherever it was that you went when Mumford killed you?”

  “Aye.
My spirit was pulled there again.”

  I wiped my nose with a flower petal from my hair. “Then how are you back here?”

  “Spirits remain in this world for different reasons,” he said. “Sometimes due to unfinished business. Sometimes red tape.”

  “What about you?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “It seems there’s a wee bit of a mix-up with my paperwork. They need me to stay a while longer while they investigate.”

  I wiped the tears from my cheeks. “So we can still be roommates?”

  “As long as your husband doesn’t object,” Gareth said.

  “My husband,” I repeated. “I have a living, breathing husband!”

  “You sure do,” Daniel called back. “And he’s downstairs waiting for you. Can we please start our honeymoon now?”

  I smiled through my tears. “Oh, Gareth. This has been the most incredible day.”

  “You’re not kidding.” He touched my cheek. This time, instead of a gentle breeze, I felt the warmth of his flesh. “Congratulations, Emma. If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

  “Minotaur shit,” I said. “You’re never happy.”

  Daniel appeared in the doorway. “If we intend to stay at my place for the next week, you need to pack.”

  “Good point.” I looked at Gareth. “I guess I should let you do the honors.”

  Gareth pressed his palms together. “It’s like a wedding gift to me.”

  “Daniel and I are going to look into taking a real honeymoon,” I said. “Now that the borders are open, we can go anywhere.”

  “Hot weather or cold?” Gareth queried.

  “Hot, right?” I glanced over my shoulder at Daniel.

  “Yes, you are.” The angel winked at me.

  Gareth rolled his eyes. “You’re married now. You can save the smut talk.”

  I laughed. “If you’re going to live with us, Gareth, you’d better get used to it.”

  “Kill me now,” Gareth pleaded.

  “Again?” I asked. “Third time’s the charm?”

  Once my bags were packed, we headed downstairs.

  “Don’t worry about us,” Gareth said. “Magpie and I will be fine. Lyra Grey is coming to visit and the fairy cleaners are on the schedule. You two enjoy yourselves.”

  “We will,” I said. “Don’t worry.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to take a ride over the border, just for fun?” Daniel asked, when I met him in the foyer.

  “Not right now,” I said. “There’s plenty of time for that.”

  He cupped my chin. “We can go to Greece. See the world together.”

  “And we will,” I said, my eyes shining with happy tears. “But, honestly, Daniel, there’s no place like home.”

  Is this the end of Spellbound, you ask? Not to worry, dear readers. The curse may be broken, but this is only the beginning. The next Spellbound book is already in the works with changes afoot for the beloved residents. I know you’re going to love it!

  Thank You For Reading

  Thank you for reading All Spell Breaks Loose! If you enjoyed it, please help other readers find this book so they can enjoy the world of Spellbound, too ~

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  3. While you’re waiting for the next book in the Spellbound series, you can check out my Starry Hollow Witches series:

  Magic & Murder, Book 1

  Magic & Mystery, Book 2

  Magic & Mischief, Book 3

  Magic & Mayhem, Book 4

  Magic & Mercy, Book 5