Page 48 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

Despite not having ever met the woman, I smiled with unconcealed pride. A badass? It was nice to hear that one of my ancestors was really good at something.

“The problem is that even a basic curse is not something that is easily lifted,” Tinsley continued. “It’s not a few spoken words and boom, you’re cured. A curse like this is very powerful, and it will take an equally or more powerful witch to disassemble it.”

Disappointment rankled me, and my shoulders slumped. “I’m not sure that I’ll be able to do that,” I admitted. “I’m barely understanding this as it is. It may be years before I could be at a level anywhere near that, if I’m lucky.”

“Don’t lose hope,” Tinsley said. “Is there anything else? Any other things you’ve maybe found at your cabin? Magical items? Anything that”—she sighed—“I don’t know, gave you a surge of power? She could have created a totem that could keep the magic in place a bit longer, though that still shouldn’t have been enough power. A curse is much different from a ward.”

I thought hard, picturing everything in the cabin. Nothing stuck out in my mind. Nothing like that vial of hair. I couldn’t remember my crystal reacting to anything except…

Oh.

“Um, I did manage to break and reform the ward around my house,” I admitted slowly.

Tinsley’s eyes widened in surprise. “Already? That’s amazing. I can sense your magic is stronger than the last time you were here, but how did you do it? What item did you use? Did you think of something?”

“I used one of the books you gave me and made the potion to create the ward. Nothing was really happening until…” I hesitated, unsure what the next words would mean. “Well, Jace touched me while I was trying to make it work, and this huge power surge went through me. And almost immediately, the ward went up. Sort of like I was able to use more power when he touched me. Does that make any sense at all?”

Tinsley gaped at me, then sprinted to another bookshelf to snatch a book. “This is weird,” she said as she flipped through the pages. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.”

“Heard of what?” I asked, leaning forward to try and see what was on the pages.

Tinsley stopped on a chapter titled “Tethers.”

“What is that?” I asked.

She put a hand on the page and looked at me again. “Witches aren’t like wolves. We don’t have mates, not like they do. What we have is something that’s more rare. A tether is a person who helps a witch access more of her magic, stronger magic than she normally could on her own. These people almost always end up romantically linked in some way. If Jace says you’re his fated mate, then this would be more probable. One emotional connection could give rise to another.”

“You think Jace is my tether?” I asked, frowning. For some reason, my blood seemed to rush faster through my veins.

“If what you said about him touching you causing a power surge is true, then that’s kinda what it looks like. I’ve never heard of a shifter being a witch’s tether, though. Before things between our races went bad, an alpha might have a normal romantic relationship with a witch, but never in a tether or fated-mate way. This is unique.”

My mind spun with possibilities, anxiety and fear racing through the halls of my subconscious, desperately trying to find a way out. Then, an epiphany struck me, and my eyes opened even wider as a fresh wave of shock coursed through me.

“What if it’s not a curse at all?”

“What?” Tinsley frowned at me.

“I’m thinking my great-grandmother might have foreseen all this. My grandmother mentioned in her letter that both she and her mother had had visions about me. What if she knew that Jace would be my tether, and that’s why she made this spell preventing him from finding a mate until I came along?”

“That’s pretty cruel. At least in the short term. But if you and he are meant for each other, then… huh.” Tinsley looked contemplative for a moment before continuing. “A curse done for negative reasons requires more energy. Just like it takes more energy to punch someone than to hug them. If the end goal was something positive, then that could explain how it’s lasted so long.”

“I need to talk to Jace,” I said. “Maybe he knows something.”

“Hang on. Before you go, take these.” Tinsley grabbed a couple of more books and tucked them into a paper bag.

“Thanks,” I said.

“I’m here if you need anything or have questions,” Tinsley said. “I really want to know how this all turns out.”

The drive back to Crestwood flashed by, almost as though I was asleep. I was becoming more and more certain that Jace really might be my tether. I hadn’t experienced any magic until I’d met him. That was when all this started.

The gate guards at Jace’s house recognized me by now and waved me through without any hassle. When I pulled up to the front door, I saw Jace and his sister. Shayna looked positively radiant and was grinning, but Jace was pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was fighting off a headache.

Shayna approached as soon as I got out of my car. “Good to see you again. Hopefully my brother is being less of a jerk?”

“He’s getting there,” I said with a grin.

“Ugh, he can be such an ass. Imagine growing up with him.”

---