Page 41 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

After covering the thyme and fennel, I leaned back on my heels to rest and inhaled the pleasant smell that I could only describe as green. I’d never been much for plants and gardens. Sure, I’d helped Nana around here when I was younger, but once I went to college and moved to the city, I’d left it behind. Until a few days ago, I’d have called you crazy if you told me I would be on my knees, digging in the dirt out in the forest. But now? Something about it felt right. It came so easily to me that I found it a little eerie. Without realizing it, I instinctively understood the precise depth each row of seeds needed to be, how much water they’d need to start out, and how far apart each row needed to be. Was it some innate understanding that came from my magic? It must have been, and it was pretty awesome.

The cardboard box of seedlings sat beside me, and I smiled at the sight of them. It had been kind of Jace to do this for me. Taking them from the box, I moved over and tucked them into the fresh dirt of the old window planters. As I worked, I couldn’t help but wonder why Jace had brought them. Was he truly being nice?

He probably just wanted to get me moving faster so I had fresh ingredients ready for whatever spell or potion I had to make. It could be that all he really desired was a witch to hurry up and fix his curse.

Both ideas warred in my head as I packed the plants down and sprinkled water on them from the watering can. It felt so natural, like I’d been gardening my entire life when in reality, the closest I’d come in the last sixteen years was dusting the plastic plants around my apartment when I was in college. The books Tinsley had given me were a huge help and had given me much of the backstory to what she’d called eclectic witches. If she was right about me, it explained my apparently natural green thumb. Eclectic witches were skilled at all different types of magic and Wiccan skills.

Back when witches and shifters had been allies and lived amongst each other, eclectic witches had been the most sought after for alliances. They could assist the packs with nearly any type of problem or need, and had done so until the two magical lineages splintered centuries ago.

Finished with planting, I headed inside, washed the dirt off my hands, and went back to studying the books. I’d been consumed with learning as much as I could, soaking in the words so much that I’d nearly memorized it. Part of me didn’t really believe it yet, but all the things I’d seen, experienced, and read held a grain of truth to it. Deep down, it just seemed to be right.

Flipping to the back of the book of spells, I pondered over the creation of incantations and spells. That part made the least sense. It wasn’t like a movie where you memorized some magical words. Instead, each witch’s magic was tuned directly into the witch herself. Their magic was created from within, and for each witch, the spells were a direct manifestation of their power. A unique creation. That was both awe-inspiring and frustrating. I’d have preferred something like abracadabra or something. Memorization was easier than self-reflection or whatever I needed to do to fully access what lay within me.

It also said that many types of spells, potions, and wards were created around a specific object. Something with significance to the person casting the spell, or the person the spell was to be cast on.

An object? I straightened up. My brows knit together as a thought occurred to me. Before I could stop myself, I had my phone out to call Jace.

“Hey, Kirsten,” he answered a few seconds later.

“Hey.”

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“No,” I said, then added, “Nothing immediate. I called to ask you a question, and it’s probably going to sound crazy.”

“I’m game. What do you got?”

“Do you happen to remember if my great-grandmother took anything from you?”

“You mean, other than my future and my freedom?” he asked bitterly.

I winced. I probably should’ve taken a more sensitive approach. “Not exactly. I mean anything physical. A piece of clothing, an item from your home?” I glanced down at the book at the list of possible items and added, “Maybe some hair or fingernail clippings? Anything?”

Jace was quiet for several seconds before responding. “Now that you mention it, the night it all went down, she did take something. Or, uh, I don’t know for sure, but I think she did. She kind of pushed me away, and her hand got caught in my hair. She could have easily pulled a few strands from it.”

The crystal of my necklace hummed as he spoke. As I touched it, heat radiated faintly from it. On a hunch, I slowly walked through the house, hoping it might guide me to the thing I thought might be hidden somewhere on the property.

“What’s all this about, anyway?” Jace asked.

“Not sure yet,” I mumbled, already feeling a strange pull toward Nana’s old room.

Once I entered the room, the sensation became stronger, almost as though the necklace was dragging me toward the closet.

“I think I might have found something,” I said. “Possibly the thing creating the ward.” Though how I could possibly know that, I had no clue.

“Are you serious?” Jace asked.

I knelt and pushed aside one of the boxes I hadn’t gone through yet. One of the floorboards was different from the others, its edges slightly ragged as though a knife or something had been used to pry it up.

“Holy shit,” I whispered.

“Did you find it?” Jace asked. He sounded as tense as I felt.

“Maybe,” I said. I ran back to the kitchen, grabbed a butter knife from a drawer, and then sprinted back to the closet. “Give me a second.”

I put the phone down and jammed the knife into the space between the floorboards. With a flick of my wrist, the board popped out, revealing a pocket beneath. Tucked away inside it was a small, dusty glass vial. I gaped at it, shocked that I’d actually found what I was looking for.

I grabbed the phone again. “It’s here. A small vial. I think it’s got your hair in it.”

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