Page 116 of A Bond with the Dark

The tension depletes a little bit. “I would love that.”

“Okay, here’s something,” Adaline says, sitting up and changing the subject instantly. “This one here is for lycanthropes to break the curse of the moon. I think it’ll work in the same way. We can use the artifact that Hattie wants in addition to the crystal it calls for here.”

“I remember something from one of my mom’s or grandma’s grimoires, too, that had how to glamour someone. We can glamour Hattie to be invisible, and then she can get in that way.”

“There’ll probably be a sensor that the artifact is sitting on. She’ll have to put something in its place. I’ll keep looking for a glamour spell.”

“While you do that, if I could have a piece of your jewelry you wear all the time, or you wouldn’t mind wearing all the time. One from Everett and Hattie too, I can get the sun spell on them for you guys.”

“Yes. Here,” she says, handing me her wedding ring. It’s a giant stone set in golden bands with many diamonds around a larger one.

I’m hesitant to touch it.

“Take it,” she says, a little short. “I wear it every day. If it’s spelled, I can walk in the sun always. I’ll get Everett’s in a bit.”

“I will need the Lapis Lazuli stone.”

“Over there. I keep all my stones in the second drawer to the right.”

I stand and take stock of the room around me. I find the drawer Adaline had said and dip into it, grabbing the stone.

Lookingback, Hattie and Adaline have already forgotten my existence. I scan the room for the nearest exit, as I need to be out in the elements to conduct my spell. I need to make damn sure I do this right. I don’t want to kill my boyfriend’s mom the first day I meet her.

That would be awkward as hell.

Seeing a door to the outside through the windows of the greenhouse, I open the door to it and softly close it behind me.

The smell of beautiful wet soil and glorious humidity greet me. I long to peek around at all the plants and herbs that Adaline has within here, but time is of the essence, so instead I make my way to the door that leads outside. Clutching the diamonds, I pull the handle and let myself out, tracking to the lake’s edge.

At home doing this, I’d been comfortable. I’m nervous now, being in this strange place, not knowing if his mom likes me, and not knowing if the spell would work this time because I don’t have the same passion for Adaline as I do for Dom.

I have to try.

Walking down to the water’s edge, the morning sun kisses the still water, illuminating it with an amber coat. Little ripples spill up from the wind’s touch, branches of trees bending to the wind. Bright yellow, green, orange, and gold colors pierce through the view, early summer air touching everything in sight.

The last time I’d done this spell, the moon was out, and I had used that as energy to imbue in the jewelry to protect Dom from the sun. Here, the sun’s in its early ascent into the sky, and I will have to come up with something different.

Sparing glances down the way, early morning fishermen are setting out on their kayaks, and a few people are taking their sunrise walks along the banks of Lake George.

Behind me, Dom is out on the balcony, eyeing me and basking in the morning sun. I beckon him down to me, as the jewelry on his neck may help me.

“Hey,” he says when he arrives, whisking his hand around my waist. “What you up to?”

“I need to spell these,” I say, holding out the ring and stone in the palm of my hand. “But when I did yours, I used the moon’s energy to protect you. The moon is not out right now. What if I fail?”

“You can do this. The moon is out right now, just in another part of the world. Where is it midnight right now?”

Dom pulls out his phone and Googles what time it is across the world.

“It’s midnight in Fiji right now. Put yourself there.”

Taking a deep breath, I nod and face the lake. Closing my eyes, I envision myself standing on a beach in Fiji. The ocean blue color of the sky at night is peppered with silver and gold clusters of stars, the sleeping water still bright aqua in the moon’s pearly glow. The white sand is soft between my toes and still warm from the afternoon sun, the sound of the waves lulling me into my trance. I have my repartee with moonlight, exchanging secrets and gossip like old friends, and once again ask a favor of the moon.

“Please, Luna,” I begin, finishing my silent plea, “I need his mom to like me.”

As if in response, the moon twinkles a bit and melts.

I hold the wedding ring and Lapis Lazuli up to the heavens and witness the moon melting again, flowing down the trail of stars to the water, turning the whole ocean silver. This time, I bend down and dip the ring and stone into the silver water like melted dimes, and when I pull my hand away, my entire fist is coated with silver.

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