Page 64 of Bombshell

“What are you doing?” Arsenio seemed to finally realize that something was happening.

“If I can get these cuffs off, I can keep him away from you,” Alexander whispered, glancing from me to the faerie man. “I just need the key.”

“You mean this key?” Odette said, holding up the glowing black key that she’d somehow managed to pull from James’ pocket without him noticing.

The wizard grabbed for it but she danced out of his reach. “Catch!”

Everyone in the cave watched as the key sailed across the space and I caught it.

“Try to give me enough time to seal the bond,” I told Alexander as I popped the key in the lock of his cuffs and twisted it. They fell away, hitting the sand with a dull thud.

Alexander rolled his neck, a look of determination on his face. “I can give you a hell of a lot more than that. Just get my daughter out of there.”

His fists began to glow as he rounded on Arsenio and James.

I turned back to Effie who was still staring blankly ahead. I gripped her face in my hands again.

“Lass, you’re probably going to be upset about this later,” I told her softly. “But I’ll let you punish me all you want once I pull you out of there.”

I let out a shaky breath, thinking about all of my father’s stories about the day he sealed his mate bond with my mother.

“You just have to want it and be open to each other,wee yin,” he told me when I was little and I sat on his knee by the fire.

My mother had snorted from her place by the hearth where she was stirring a pot of something that smelled vaguely minty. It had probably been a tincture to sell to the local humans.“I wouldn’t call you covering me in your magic being open to each other, my love.”

Then my father had laughed his husky, robust laugh and slid me off of his knee so that he could go and kiss her.

It wasn’t exactly a step-by-step on how to bond with Effie, but it was a start.

Reaching inward, I felt for the tiny kernel of magic that I possessed. It was nothing compared to Effie’s vast fountain, but it would hopefully be enough to trigger the bond.

Pushing it toward her, I felt a resistance from the Source’s magic, like it didn’t want to let go of her.

Which was too damn bad. Effie was mine and I’d be damned if I let an ugly brooch keep her for all eternity.

“This is my mate. The keeper of my soul and the owner of every beat these two hearts make. You will let me in or I swear I will push and push until you give her back and I can assure you that you don’t want to also be stuck with me for an eternity, you damned brooch,” I growled. “I don’t make for very good company.”

It was as if the thing could actually hear me because the barrier between Effie and me started to give way.

I pushed even harder and my legs started to shake from the effort. “Come on, Lass, don’t do this. Come back to me.”

Chapter 19

“Come back to me,” Dallan’s voice echoed through the cave as the Source and I continued to stand together.

“Even I have to admit, your man is a romantic,” the Source said, her pale eyes looking up at the ceiling of the fake-cave. “My druid was like that too. Did you know that Arsenio put him in here against his will too? But he never held it against me.”

The Source’s eyes grew misty as the cave walls started to crumble around us. “You should go with him. That mate bond is going to knock us right apart just as it should. I suppose there is nothing more powerful than love.”

Even though I was being held here and there was nothing more I wanted than to be with Dallan, a seed of guilt started to form in my chest as I looked over at the woman. “What about you?”

The Source shrugged. “I’m sure Arsenio will find some other poor soul to become my Guardian.”

“Then come with me. Out of this stupid brooch and into the world,” I said, reaching for her hands and finding them to be ice cold.

Pale brows drew together in confusion. “How? Arsenio has my name, remember?”

I thought about it, nibbling on my bottom lip as I tried to figure out a loophole for their contract. Then it came to me.

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