Page 54 of Wicked

Ari holds my gaze for a long moment, then turns away from me. “I have clients coming tonight. I can’t help you.”

“Ari—”

He unfastens his cloak and hangs it on a hook by the door. “Don’t come back here again asking for a spell. That isn’t our way. Healers work by invitation only.”

All of the warlocks in Montpelier call themselves healers. They follow a strict moral code that keeps their clients safe from the nastier elements of magic. But Ari is right. Healers are never hired. They extend an offer of their services to the people they deem worthy.

That’s how I got my spell. Ari deemed me worthy.

“Manny has saved hundreds of children from human traffickers.”

“I don’t care.”

“He’s from the pits, like me. He’s had a hard life. Please, Ari.”

He shakes his head. “I follow a code, Ken. We don’t give our spells to those who ask.”

“Then who can I ask? Give me the name of any warlock. I’m begging you.”

I saw the way Manny held Candlewick today, like he was the most precious thing in the world. I’ve never seen Manny claim anything or anyone since the pits. If things don’t work out between the two of them, I don’t know if he’ll recover.

“Let me give you some advice. Magic is not meant to be rushed or performed in emergency situations. She is a fierce, but volatile force, and She treats people best if She’s given time to work Her wonders. Go home and tell your friend that he doesn’t get to bond with his mate.”

“But they love each other!”

Ari shrugs. “Isn’t that enough? Why does it have to be more complicated than that?”

“His mate is half red wolf shifter, which means he has a thrall—”

“I know how red wolf shifter bonding works. If his mate is only half red wolf shifter, then that means he’s half something else.”

“And?”

“And omega red wolf shifters are the only ones who lose a connection to their fated mates after their heats. He’ll be fine.” Ari waves away my concern like we’re talking about the weather.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Of course I’m not sure. Now go away, I need to prepare for my upcoming spell.”

There has to be something more concrete that I can offer Manny than Ari’s “hope for the best” attitude. That’s when I remember something.

“Wait. Sometimes you perform spells for people on demand. People who want to give up their fertility come to you all the time, and that isn’t by invitation.”

Ari rolls eyes. “Yes. That’s because they want to give something to me. They aren’t asking for anything.”

That’s what the butterflies are. Ari traps one person’s unwanted fertility in the wings of a butterfly, then gives that butterfly to someone who’s infertile.

“An omega red wolf shifter’s thrall is a powerful thing. What if my friends’ mate wanted to give you his thrall? Couldn’t you trap that power into the wings of a butterfly, just like you trap the power to conceive? He wouldn’t be asking for something in that case, he’d be giving it to you.”

If Candlewick doesn’t have a thrall, then the connection between Manny and him won’t be severed. Or at least I hope that’s the case. I’m not entirely sure how it all works.

Ari stops on the steps. “He’s only half red wolf shifter. How powerful is his thrall?”

“It’s fairly mild, but it’d be a nice gift for an omega looking for a love spell, right? Just a little push in the right direction.”

Ari doesn’t do that kind of spellwork. I know I’m reaching here. But he has to see the value in something like a thrall.

“Can your friend wait until Sunday at nightfall?”

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