Page 39 of Soul Fated

“That’s all fine and well, but what do we have to do to destroy it?" Rowan asked.

"Well, that's the tricky part, isn't it?" Bill sighed. "The relics were created for a purpose, and until that purpose is fulfilled, they can't be destroyed. At least, that's what the legends say."

Lana scoffed. "So we're stuck with this cursed dagger until the end of time? Fantastic."

I scooped eggs onto my plate, then almost dropped the spoon when I heard Callista’s voice.

“No, I think Bill’s exactly right.”

Bill chuckled. “Of course I’m right.”

“Do you have a computer?” Callista asked.

I waited with bated breath for that answer. The last time I talked with Bill about technology, he was convinced radio waves gave us cancer.

“In here.” Bill led Callista down the hall, and the others followed. I carried my plate to the hall. Bill’s house was small, and I wasn’t going to be caught dead in close proximity to Rowan or his second. I could hear just fine from where I was.

I closed my eyes as Callista’s scent hit me. It was still strong. She was probably still uncomfortable. Probably still needed…easing.

I shook my head, trying to clear the image of her eyes fluttering shut, her body arching under my touch.

“What are you looking at?” Rowan asked. I took a few steps further down the hall.

Callista answered, “I found this online. Before we went camping. I didn’t have time to read all of it, but…” She paused a moment, then said, “Yes! Here. Look at this.”

It was silent too long. I was about to turn the corner when I finally heard her voice again.

"It says here that the relics were always meant to protect the Shadow Pack. So what if…”

I couldn’t help myself. I shoved the last spoonful of eggs into my mouth and stalked forward. “What if, what?” Rowan, Jasper, and Lana turned to me with scowls. “Don’t be pissy. If you want me gone, I need to hear this just as much as you do.”

Callista pushed back from Bill’s computer, turning in the chair. “What if it would respond to not just my blood, but one of its own?” Lana’s expression flickered, and Callista stood, her brow pinching. “I don’t mean a full sacrifice. I would never ask you to give your life for mine. But I wonder if it would be satisfied with less if it was the blood it was made for in the first place.”

Bill pointed at the computer screen. “The legend says the curse of the relics was acquired through greed. We all know what that means.” He straightened, scanning the room with a triumphant expression.

We blinked at him.

“I, for one, do not know what that means,” Lana muttered, leaning back against the wall, the dagger still in her hand.

Bill groaned. “Think. It’s the basic premise of our magic. Our power evolved in reaction to dark powers surging in the world. It’s Newton’s third law. Every force?—”

“Has an equal and opposite reaction,” Callista finished, chewing on her lower lip. “It’s a deadlock.”

Lana frowned. “What the hell is a deadlock?”

Callista folded her arms across her chest. “In a deadlock, two or more processes are stuck, each waiting for the other to release a resource. It creates a standstill. The more you try to force them to proceed, the more they lock in. But if you do the opposite—by breaking the cycle and releasing resources or rolling back one of the processes—you can resolve it. They’ll run smoothly.”

Rowan nodded. “So don’t give it the blood it seeks.”

“Give it a selfless act. The blood it was made to serve.” Callista fixed her eyes on Lana. “You don’t have to?—”

“I want to.” She pursed her lips. “I want to try.”

Jasper dragged his hand through his hair. “And if this doesn’t work? Then what, the dagger will kill both of them?”

My wolf growled. We’re not going to let anything happen to her, I promised. I still didn’t know how to reconcile the last twenty-four hours. I couldn’t take a mate. It wasn’t my nature. But holding her in my arms had sparked a desire for that life.

I turned and stalked back to the kitchen and rinsed my plate. What the hell was I thinking? The alphas still held Destin, and I had a contract to complete. Of course it sounded fun to play house. To ignore my real life and drown in pleasure for a night.

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