The Soul Spell

by A Y Venona

  He then patted my head gently. Like a father to his son. Like he had been for me all my life.

  I fixed my attention on what was before us while pretending I did not understand what Angus’s story may have implied, pretending that it did not bother me, that it did not prick my heart as though some magical needle made a hole in it, and that my eyes did not sting with tears.

  * * *

  My day went by fast, and I went along with it as though a rope connected to a carriage was tied around my waist, and as the horse moved, it dragged me along with it. It was a hard labor for the horse. It was a misery for me.

  I looked around me. My classmates were all smiles and chatty, living their lives, minding their own business despite the state of my heart. Tela raised a brow when I looked her way. With my chin propped up with my knuckles, I shrugged and then turned my attention to the front to avoid seeing her questioning look. I wished our teacher would just stop talking, ending the lecture and dismissing the class.

  Lo and behold, as though a god of fire was at my beck and call, a fire suddenly erupted right at the lectern. With a few mumbled words and a flick of his hand, the professor successfully extinguished it. He glanced to his class and rattled off the names of his suspects. And the rest of us? He dismissed.

  “What’s wrong?” Tela said as soon as she caught up with me.

  “Nothing,” I said, increasing my strides.

  Tela grabbed my hand to stop. And I did. I faced her with silent fury.

  But she wasn’t intimidated.

  “Come with me,” she said instead, her face determined.

  I remembered how she’d once led me to that cursed forest and probably started all this. No. That wasn’t fair to her. This Adrian-is-my-mate had started way back before the incident in the forest.

  I pulled my hand from her grasp.

  “Lead the way,” I said, still not changing my grumpy face. “Oh, wait. No forest.”

  “I promise. I’m not taking you there.”

  * * *

  “Talk,” she said.

  We were in an old and unused bell tower, standing at the large window looking out over Lake Gaia. The place smelled old and burnt, like a long time ago fire had engulfed this place.

  “I did something unforgivable.”

  “Tell me.”

  It may have been the sincerity in her voice—or when I finally met her gaze, the genuine concern in her blue eyes—that convinced me to tell her everything that had happened. Underneath the bravado was my shameful desire to share this transgression with someone who was completely on my side.

  “Let me see it,” she said after I finished recalling the latest mishap of my life.

  I pulled down the scarf I had wrapped around my neck and exposed the bite mark in it.

  “Oh,” she said. “That’s why you’re wearing this ridiculous scarf. I’d have preferred the long-neck coat.”

  “But it’s a scarf day today. Many people are wearing them.”

  She rolled her eyes. “But people know you don’t follow that kind of trend. Listen.” A pause. “Stop thinking that this is your problem. He is your mate. Period. We should be celebrating it.”

  “He doesn’t love me.”

  “Well, he’ll have to have change of heart and soon. It’s not your burden to carry. It’s his.”

  “And you’re not wondering how I was able to pull off a level-four spell?”

  “I do. In fact, I’m also wondering why he bit you. I’m thinking of researching it. But that’s going to be later. What we can do now is to go to a bar, have a drink, and you, my dear, have to tell me how it felt to lose your virginity to the love of your life.”

  I glared at her. She retaliated with a grin. To be honest about it, her reaction to my revelation made my heart a little lighter.

  CHAPTER 16

  The Gathering Counter: Thursday, four days before the Gatherings

  “How do you undo a Soul Spell?”

  Seated at another table across from me, Professor Melo looked to my side with a frown.

  “Undo a Soul Spell?” He rose from his chair, sauntered toward my table and took the chair closest to mine. He crossed his arm, his eyes narrowed on me, and his frown deepened. “Soul Spells are level-four sorcery. And it is a summoning spell, not a binding one. There is nothing to undo, there is nothing to break. You call your mate, he comes to you. However, the consequence of the union may be undone except if there’s a mating involved.”

  “So the mating cannot be broken?”

  “It can be if it’s not between true mates. But if he answers to a Soul Spell, then he is…” He peered closely at me. “He is your true mate.”

  I put my head down on the table and started banging my head on it. Because of my action, I’d hurt the most important person in my life. Even if he was my mate, he didn’t love me in this lifetime. Adrian loved Xander. And Xander loved him back.

  “Whatever makes you feel unworthy of your mate should be the least of your concern.”

  I stopped banging my head and looked up.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you asked yourself how you were able to perform a level-four sorcery?”

  I nodded. “Many times. Xander said because Adrian is my mate, he will come to me when summoned.”

  He got up. “Follow me.”

  I followed the professor toward an alcove and sat on the couch in front of an already lit fireplace. I was accustomed to the chilly air inside the library, so to feel this kind of warmth was a welcome surprise. The professor poured two cups of tea and handed one to me. The tea smelled minty with a hint of ambrosia. I graciously took it and started sipping. Warmth settled in my stomach.

  “Xander was just trying to make you feel better,” he said, sitting on the couch opposite mine. “Any fae, half- or full-blooded, cannot perform a level-four spell unless they’re level four and above.”

  I continued drinking the tea until the cup was empty.

  “Go refill yourself. I’m not your host.” A small smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

  I grasped the handle of the teapot on the table and refilled my empty cup.

  “So how did I manage to perform such a feat, then?” I asked, cradling the cup in both hands.

  “You did not perform a feat. It is part of your nature. Magic is not a sole province of the faes. Other creatures can perform the task even without a spell. But most of these creatures use raw emotions to perform a magical task. Take, for example, a jinn.”

  “A jinn? A jinn is not real, Professor. You said so.”

  “I didn’t confirm nor deny it. And because the public is not ready to know its existence.”

  “But you’re telling me this.”

  “Because you’re different.”

  The cup in my hand froze midway to my lips.

  “The faes are children of the trees, the flowers, plants. And werekin are children of earth. Jinns and some other creatures are also children of nature. But some of them are of fire, some of the air, water. The only difference is that they are not humans and have primitive minds. But they can be tamed.”

  “I can’t wait to tell Tela this.”

  “No, you can’t tell your friend anything about what I told you and am about to tell you.”

  I leaned back in my chair and gulped, waiting for his next words.

  “I know that you shut down my Protection Shield, and shutting down a Protection Shield is a way greater feat than performing a Soul Spell. So yes, I have no doubt that the Soul Spell worked. I am still in the process of reconciling the fact that you cannot, cannot perform lower-level spells.”

  My heart thumped in frantic, loud in my ears. Coldness hit me at the core and held me hostage. Transfixed. Immobile. He knew. He knew.

  “But you made me your apprentice?” My voice was shaking.

  “Because you qualified to be my intern. Listen. Do not share this information with anyone.”

  “Not even with Adrian?”

  “Not y
et. We don’t know anything about your real nature.”

  My real nature?

  Why did it sound so ominous?

  * * *

  A strange noise woke me up. It sounded like the ground groaned and rattled. I looked around me. The trees were sparse and short, not an oak or a spyloom that I was used to. Several feet away to my left was a rocky mountain. Obviously, I was outside. But how did it happen when I knew for a fact I was in Melo’s workroom? Granted I fell asleep. Oh. Kay. I did fall asleep. So, in this case, I was…

  My thought processing of the situation came to an abrupt halt when I heard the sound again. I looked up and my heart stopped at the sight several feet in front of me. Any more control I had with my nerves all breezed out, doused off, went kaput, for moving toward me was a gigantic vortex of fire, rolling too quickly for my comfort.

  I did not have time to scream when it swept me up and swallowed me whole.

  Wham!

  I opened my eyes. It took a few seconds for me to register my environment. I was on a chair sitting with my cheek resting sideways on my folded arms on the tabletop. An inch away from me was a huge black book. Confused, I lifted my head up to find a silver-haired sorcerer gazing down at me.

  “Good that you’re awake. Now go home,” Melo said, his face stern and unamused. “Your mate is wreaking havoc in my living room and will not stop until I let you out of here as if I were holding you hostage.”

  Still a little disoriented, I navigated the hallway leading to a wall of books that turned into a door and opened up into another chamber when I said, “Oh-yur.”

  Lo and behold, there he was in the living room—Adrian, his eyes blazing in an unspoken anger that scared the shit out of me. What the heck did I do?

  He gave me a look like he’d just found his favorite sword but was then mad with himself for losing it in the first place. He grabbed my hand and led me out. Not a single word was spoken.

  On our way home, the tension that sat between Adrian and me was so thick I could almost sense a solid presence. He was quiet. I was quiet. My heart, however, was ready to burst through my chest in anticipation. I sneaked a sidelong glance at him, too nervous to even meet his gaze. Luckily, I did not have to endure it, for his attention seemed to be on the road ahead.

  The absence of any train noise cued me in as to how late in the evening it was. The full moon was high above us. The chilly breeze fanned my skin.

  “Please don’t do this to me again.”

  And he speaks!

  “Do what?” My answer sounded like a whisper as I reined in the sudden outburst of emotion raging inside me.

  “Not telling me where you are, and so late at night.”

  I could hear the barely restrained anger in his voice.

  “I fell asleep. It was…not my intention.”

  Angus’s mansion finally came into view. Thank you, Zeus! A few minutes later, we were parked in front of it.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  His gaze shifted to me. My heart started racing again, but I forced myself to look his way.

  “Okay” was my timid reply.

  “I waited for you at home. I know which train you take every day. I memorized your schedule. So when you missed dinner…” He paused and then sighed. “I panicked. I thought you…ran away.”

  The first thought that came to me was well, you missed dinner first, but instead, I said, “You know I have nowhere to go. Angus is the only family I have.”

  He opened the door on his side. Thinking it was the end of our conversation, I opened my side of the door and got out of the car. I almost jumped when he came to my side and pulled me against his chest. His arms around me were tight. My head tucked up under his chin.

  “I am your family too,” he said. My heart melted, and with it was my entire self. He continued. “Even without any spell, you’re the most important person to me.”

  I pulled away from him, but only because I wanted to see his eyes. “I thought you hated me.”

  He cradled my face in his hands. “I can never hate you. But right now, I’m asking you to give me time. Please understand that I can’t just switch off my feelings for Xander.”

  It hurt me to hear him begging. Adrian should never beg anyone. Even to me.

  “Take as much time as you want,” I said with sincerity. “And I…apologize. I brought this on us.”

  Adrian brought his face closer to me, so close that my heart hitched in anticipation of a kiss. But it did not happen. Instead, he stiffened. He sniffed the air, his nose pointing at the mansion.

  “C’mon,” he said and jogged toward the house. Adrian’s excitement gave me an inkling of who was waiting for us inside.

  * * *

  Xander seemed to bring the light with him wherever he went. Standing in the living room, he looked more like a divine apparition. His golden hair was shining as if he had just taken a bath in a river of stars. I could easily understand how Adrian fell head over heels in love with him. Other than his obvious physical perfection, Xander possessed inner beauty that could only be seen by those close to him. Adrian immediately grabbed Xander and pulled him in for an embrace. The alpha’s face was buried in the crook of Xander’s neck, his shoulders shaking. Xander closed his arms around him, his face wary, looking at me as though asking for my permission.

  I gave him a small smile as I moved to go to my room.

  “You’re not going to your room with an empty stomach,” Angus said, standing by the archway.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  He shook his head. “In the kitchen. Now.”

  “Go on. I’ll join you in a minute,” Adrian said. I was surprised to see him no longer touching Xander. Xander and he were now standing side by side with a little distance between them. The sincere smile he gave me worked like a Shock Spell, jolting me into action.

  I followed Angus to the kitchen.

  “I see you’re not hungry,” Angus said, his eyebrows arched. I glanced down at my plate. What once was full was now empty.

  “I guess I am.” Hesitantly, I reached out for the steak for another round. Angus stood up and grabbed the bowl of potatoes. He went to my side of the table and placed a couple on my plate.

  “Killian is coming over tomorrow.”

  I turned to meet his gaze. “Adrian’s father? The king of Lowescir?”

  His amused smirk did nothing to appease the sinking feeling in my gut.

  “Among other things, yes. Adrian invited him.”

  “For what?”

  “To introduce you as his mate.”

  CHAPTER 17

  The Gathering Counter: Friday, three days before the Gatherings

  The king of Lowescir entered the living room with confident strides and a smile on his face. He wore a gray chirtin, a short-sleeved tunic unique to Lowescir. It was cut to fit the contour of the torso, but it flared at the hips. Cinched diagonally, from one side of his shoulder to another side of his waist, was a red sash emblazoned with a lion’s head wearing a crown, a family house symbol worn only by a king. Loose breeches covered the rest of his legs with a pair of knee-high boots. A white and furry sleeveless knee-length coat completed the whole ensemble. His gaze toward Angus spoke of longing I did not have any business deciphering.

  “Angus,” the king said, offering his hand for Angus to take.

  Angus ignored it, instead pulling him in for a hug.

  “Since when do we shake hands?” Angus said, smiling.

  A part of me was hoping they’d kiss, but what I got instead was an awkward sexual tension as they just stood there looking at each other like each was a forbidden fruit. Too close, yet too far to touch. Sexual tension blossomed in the air that even a half werekin like me could smell it.

  Standing beside me, Adrian cleared his throat. “Do you two need a moment?”

  Killian said, “Yes.”

  Angus said, “No.”

  Both replied at the same time, which confused the hell out of us.

  “I’m
the king, so you abide by my words.”

  “In Lowescir, you are. In my house, it’s my words,” Angus countered.

  This was starting to become interestingly amusing.

  Adrian put his arm around me and led me to the library while saying, “All right, when you two are done talking, we’re just at the library.”

  * * *

  It was amusing really. My heart was full just by thinking about Killian and Angus and, at the same time, wishing that they would resolve their issue. At least that was where my mind was until Adrian closed the door inside the library. And he and I were left alone.

  My heart shifted gears and was now racing in chaotic rhythm like a supercharged sorcerer high on Edgin.

  There was a great amount of distance between us. He was leaning against the wall by the side of the door, and I was against the side of the couch. His arms were crossed; mine were too. He was staring at me—just a guess as I was looking everywhere but at him.

  “How’s the neck?”

  Confused by his question, I turned to stare at him, which was a big mistake as his eyes were engrossing. He touched his side of his neck, a gesture that I imitated. A bump of scar tissue hit the palm of my hand, and suddenly I understood. The mating mark. His bite mark.

  “It’s healing, I guess,” I replied.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. His voice was soft. Then he added, “Did it hurt?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  He winced as though it physically hurt him just remembering the event.

  “Can I touch it?”

  And this was the time when I choked on my spit.