Page 20 of Spookily Yours

“Sure.” She shrugged, giving Damien one last pat on the head before turning to head out the door. “Whatever you say, sis.”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” I repeated to Damien after she’d left, who’d curled up on the old wooden rocking chair that sat in the room’s corner.

He blinked, his cat-like eyes flashing red for only a moment. “I know that.” His voice was smooth, deep, and sent a sudden shudder through my spine.

I nodded, saying nothing else.

Maybe Iwaslosing my mind.

* * *

Damien sat in the middle of the magic circle I’d drawn, each tip of the five-pointed star marked with a white candle. The entire thing was ringed in a thick line of black salt, and the bundles of herbs were burning, wafting over the area.

His little cat nose twitched. “Ready?”

Everything was set. The moon was high in the sky.

All that was left was, well… me.

I nodded, stepping up to the circle. I’d donned a moretraditionaloutfit for this, complete with my mother’s favorite hat and the black cloak that covered the billowing layers of fabric of my dress.

The words ran through my mind, and I visualized what I was attempting to do before I started. Find the curse, break the chains, set the magic free. Nothing like performing a ceremony on the full moon to add pressure to you.

This had to work.

Why was it so important to me? I didn’t know the reason, but I could feel it in my soul, the same way I recognized Luna as my twin flame.

Maybe Damien was an evil being, a demon who didn’t belong here in our world, but there was an underlying sadness there that I wanted to understand. That I resonated with myself.

Beginning to chant the spell, I closed my eyes as I visualized my magic pouring out of me. It wasn’t often that I used it like this,undoingwhat had been done. Hexes and simple spells wore off. But this curse was different.

It was strong.

I squeezed my palm tight around his mother’s ring, grounding me to him, to our connection. I’d already blessed it, placing a protection spell on it and adding a chain so he could wear it around his neck, but it wouldn’t be enough. That was obvious now.

In my mind’s eye, I could see his spirit, trapped inside the form of the cat, staring up at me. Begging to be freed. The curse was complex. Ropes of magic spun around him, keeping him contained, and I slowly worked to untangle them. To free him from thethingthat plagued him.

This witch had been powerful, that much I knew.

But, I thought with a smirk, I was more powerful. I could outsmart her.

“Reverse the curse. Break the ties. Let what has come unbidden, be unbound.”I said in a voice that wasn’t quite my own, and when I opened my eyes, I couldseethe magic flowing freely from my hands, wrapping around Damien’s body.

And when the magic ran out, when I finally put my hands down, everything faded into black.

I closed my eyes.

Just a minute,I thought to myself.

Before I passed out.

* * *

I was floating on clouds, nestled into a soft, fluffy bed. Warm, comfortable. The feeling of contentment rolled over me. Like everything was peaceful. Happy.

“Willow?” The voice speaking to me sounded so concerned, so…rough. At odds with my current senses.

Whimpering, I shook my head. I wanted to stay in this beautiful place. But the voice pulled me in. I peeled my eyes open, blinking back at the dark head of hair looking down at me.

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