Page 172 of The Beta's Blind Date

“I didn’t say she wasn’t,” she says, smiling. “Just that I’ve never heard of a healer powerful enough to remove thespiritus imperiumspell from someone who has been affected by it for more than a year.”

“So there could be one. And it could be my mate.”

“Reid…” Taryn says, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

“I’m just saying,” I say, shrugging.

“Ignore him, Mom,” Maya says, also rolling her eyes. “He thinks he’s hilarious.”

“I don’t think I’m hilarious. IknowI’m hilarious.”

Maya sighs. “I don’t know how you put up with him.” she says to Taryn.

Taryn’s lips twitch, and she catches my eye again. My mouth curls into a satisfied grin as images of her falling apart in my arms this morning flash through my mind, and Taryn shifts in my lap, squeezing her thighs together.

“So, can you explain this to us one more time?” Taryn asks, changing the subject.

“You’ll do what you did before—get between Dominic’s soul and the spell and create a barrier with your gift. Then Maya and I will extract the spell and trap it within this warded vial.” Renée lifts a small green glass vial. “Once it’s trapped, I will send the three of you into the astral plane so you can follow the spell to the caster, and Maya will bring you back once you’ve located them.”

“How long will it take for us to locate them?” I ask.

“It will depend on how far from us they are. Could be a few minutes if they’re within the pack grounds or nearby in the forest, or longer if they’re further away. Time passes differently there, though, so it will really only be a few seconds that you’re gone.”

“Will the spell fight against me like it did before?” Taryn asks, staring at Dominic, a shudder rippling through her body.

“Most likely, yes. He may be sedated, but the spell is a separate entity. It feeds off him and won’t want to be pulled away. It will be harder if the caster is still trying to control him.”

“Won’t they know someone has pushed them out?” I ask.

“Again, that is extremely likely,” Renée says. “But that’s a risk we will have to take. We’ll just have to hope they’ll choose fight instead of flight once they realize the spell no longer works.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if they’re smart, they’ll stick around. Running will draw attention to them and cast suspicion. They won’t know Maya and I helped since Dominic has been sedated the entire time we’ve been around. They’ll assume Taryn is more powerful than any healer before her and pushed them out on her own. And since whoever is controlling Dominic most likely wanted to use Taryn for her powers, that will make them want her even more.”

Rage rises inside me, a growl spilling from my chest, and the hair standing up on the back of my neck. My fingers dig into Taryn’s hip and my body tenses.

“We won’t let that happen,” Wesley says. “Taryn is family now, and I made a promise to protect her, a promise I have every intention of keeping.”

I nod at him, my jaw clenched to hold in the second growl wanting to escape. Taryn leans in closer and I kiss her shoulder, breathing in a deep lungful of her sweet scent.

“Let’s get this over with,” I say into the fabric of her clothes.

Taryn sits up straight again, reaching for Dominic. Her hands tremble, but there is determination in her eyes and in her heart, even with the fear. I stroke her spine and send her a burst of strength, rubbing circles into her hip.“I’ll be with you the entire time,”I mindlink her.

She swallows and nods, then places her hands on Dominic, her eyes closing as she sends her golden healing light into him.

Even though I’ve seen her do this several times, I’m in awe of her. The pure light and energy emanating from her are unlike anything I’ve encountered or experienced. She glows from the inside, not just from her powers but also from the kindness in her heart.

The soul of a healer resides within her—I’ve known that from the moment I met her, when she accepted me as I was and didn’t push to change me. It’s no wonder she was blessed with the gift of healing. She healed me before we knew she possessed this power, just by loving me.

I push my love and strength towards her, helping her in the only way I can, and she smiles. A soft smile, a subtle smile, a smile meant just for me.

“I’m in,” she says, breathing in slow, even breaths. “It’s pushing back against me already. Harder than before. It’s like it was waiting for me.”

I furrow my brow and send her more strength, send her everything I have so she can do what she needs.

Renée lights incense with her fingertips, waving it through the air over Dominic’s body in three fluid circles. The smoke spirals towards the ceiling and swirls around him, like the tail end of a ribbon caught in the wind.

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