Page 76 of Monster's Delight

“I will do what I can to help your case,” Professor Dunlop said. “I remember Hayden. He’ll listen to me, especially if we can offer him an explanation for his wife’s murder.”

I gave myself a shake. “Right! About that, we need to replicate their spell exactly. Let’s flush this murderer out into the light of day!”

“You want to replicate it?” Aiden asked, shocked. “I don’t want to hurt you. What if—”

“And I don’t want to hurt you either. Don’t worry, we’re going to make a subtle change that will completely cancel out the spell,” I said. “Sugar instead of salt.”

“And that’s enough?” Aiden’s eyes widened.

Professor Dunlop grinned. “Brilliant, Siobhan. The chemical composition of sugar is too complex and isn’t pure enough to hold the energy required for the spell to build up.”

“Well, that and the shape of the chemical formula isn’t as rigid. The sugar will dissipate the energy. The reason the spell builds up when salt is used is because the energy can be contained and stored in the cube-like forms, and you already know that. Why am I telling you this?” I finished, blushing. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to turn into lecture mode.”

“You really do know your stuff.” Professor Dunlop nodded his approval. “You two gather the components needed. I’ll meet you in the main hall.”

The door closed behind us and I let out a sigh of... I wasn’t sure what. Not relief, not yet. We still had to prove who the killer was. Perhaps that an adult believed us. It was more than I dared to hope.

It was why I hadn’t brought him into our investigation in the first place. “All right,” I said, pulling out the list of ingredients. “Let’s gather our supplies. And I need to contact Hazel. We’re going to need her acting talents.”

“Oh?” Aiden asked.

“She’s going to have to lure Brecken out of the library,” I said. “Otherwise, how will he see our performance?”

“Just one thing,” Aiden said, crowding me against the wall outside the offices. “Feel how hard your smart talk in the office made me. It’s so sexy listening to you lecture. I could barely stand it!”

He pressed his cock against me, a hard line from my pubic bone to my belly. A heady feeling washed over me, and I whimpered, drawing his head down with one hand behind his neck. Our lips joined for a passionate moment and then he pulled away, breathing hard.

“Siobhan,” he said, his voice tight with desire, “if we don’t get a move on, I’ll take you right here, fuck the plan. Let’s go.”

We hurried down the hall to the greenhouses.

* * *

“By the way,you’re certain that sugar will render this spell completely neutral, right?” Aiden asked as we collected ivy. “There’s absolutely no chance of it harming you, me, or our bond?”

“One hundred per cent, but if you want me to run it by Professor Reynolds as well...” I trailed off, waiting for his answer.

“No, you’re right. I trust you.” Aiden shook out his shoulders. “I’m just nervous.”

“I get that completely. It’s okay. You’re allowed to feel anxious. This spell killed your grandmother, in one way or another. I don’t want to have to live through what Grandfather went through, and if the spell backfired on me, I wouldn’t want you to live through it either,” I said sympathetically.

“That’s the point though,” he said softly, cupping my face. “I wouldn’t live. Not without you.”

I smiled at him. “And I’m not risking either of our lives needlessly. The sugar will render the spell completely harmless, I promise. I’ll be able to cast without hesitating, which would give the whole plan away.” I took a deep breath. I really hoped I was right about Brecken being the murderer, otherwise we’d be back at square one.

We brought everything to the main hall and set it all up according to the layout in the spell.

“What is going on?” Hazel asked, coming down the stairs in her pajamas.

“Oh, you’re dressed perfectly,” I said after giving her a quick glance. “I need your acting skills.”

“For what?”

“You’ve been waiting for me to come back to the room. I wasn’t in History of Magic this afternoon, and it’s very unlike me to skip. I’ve been talking about how I’m not sure I want my soul bond anymore over the past few days. You were really worried, so you went looking for me, and you found me in the main hall amidst the workings of a complex spell. You’re really scared for me.” I finished arranging the ivy inside the circle of sugar. “You got all that?”

“Ummm...” Hazel blinked twice slowly. “Maybe? Who am I performing for?”

“Mr. Brecken.”

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