Page 75 of Monster's Delight

But I was staring at Bridget’s mouth, because after she’d finished talking to my grandfather, she waschewing. I clutched at Aiden’s arm. “Does she havegum?” I asked incredulously.

Sure enough, her jaw moved up and down, just enough to be munching on a piece of gum.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Professor Dunlop asked.

I couldn’t bear to watch Bridget die, but I kept my eyes on her. I had to be certain. I cast a spell on my eyes to watch for the specific interaction of mint, to see if it interfered with the bond breaking spell.

I was almost blinded by the flash of light that resulted, but I was sure that it had originated from her mouth. I turned away, my heart heavy, and looked up at the professor. “What do you know of the branch of magic called disjunction?”

“It’s very dangerous.” The professor stroked his beard. “That’s what Declan and Bridget were up to? Trying to break their soul bond with disjunction magic?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “Who else knew about it?”

“I don’t know.Ididn’t even know about it.” He went to his office chair and sat down hard, the springs squeaking their protest. He put his head in his hands. “I don’t understand.”

“Bridget was chewing gum. It exploded the spell, and because it was tied to her soul, it ricocheted through her. She died instantly.” My eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry, Aiden. But at least it was painless for her.”

He nodded silently, a muscle working in his jaw. “What—” His voice cracked and he stopped, clearing his throat before he tried again. “What do we do now?”

“Now,” I said, my mind working quickly, “we set a trap.”

CHAPTER22

“A trap?”Professor Dunlop asked.

“Yes, and we’re going to need your help, Professor,” I said. “Are you in?”

“As I said already, anything to clear Declan’s name.”

The professor surreptitiously wiped his eyes and I pretended not to notice.

Aiden grabbed my hand and squeezed it. Bringing his mouth close to my ear, he whispered, “Are you sure we can trust him? If he was so close to Declan, wouldn’t he have known what they were up to?”

“Boy, I’m not deaf,” Professor Dunlop snapped. Then he sighed. “But you are right to be cautious. Yes, I did know what they were up to. Not the specifics, mind you, but that they were trying to sever their soul bond. I was traveling, searching for artifacts in Cambodia when I received a letter asking if I’d ever heard of such a thing.” He shivered. “I never met my soul bond, so I can’t imagine what that closeness would feel like, but the thought of having it, and then having it torn away...” He fell silent for a moment. “Bridget’s family were not the open-minded sort. To be perfectly honest, neither were Declan’s. Their relationship was doomed from the beginning.”

“What would you have had them do?” Aiden asked. “Run away, abandon their families in order to be together?”

Professor Dunlop smiled ruefully at us. “It’s hard to say this to two people who wouldn’t be here if they had, but yes. Bridget would have lived a long, healthy, and happy life if she’d been able to be with her soulmate.”

I nodded soberly, understanding what he meant. “What about the monsters who get married and then meet their soulmate later in life? What happens to their bond?”

“Meeting your soulmate is rare enough,” Aiden said. “But I’ve heard of it happening a couple times. They divorce to be with their mate.”

“And their ex is just cast aside?” I frown. “That hardly seems fair to them.”

“It is less fair to force someone to stay in a relationship, away from their soul bond. They would wither and die,” Professor Dunlop said. “You saw Bridget. That is a fate worse than death.”

“So why wouldn’t her family listen to reason and let her be with her mate?” I asked angrily. “They could have prevented it!”

“Women monsters are, were, considered of lesser importance.” Aiden crossed his arms and scowled. “You remember as much from your research into it.”

“Doesn’t mean I understand it,” I grumbled. “If it had been the other way around, your grandfather and my grandmother, do you think the families would have allowed it?”

“Yours, definitely not. Mine...” Aiden shrugged. “Who knows. My family really hated witches.”

“Has that changed?” I bit my lip. “Will they letusbe together?”

Aiden smiled and took me in his arms. “Darling, even if my family forbids me from being with you, nothing could keep me from your side.”

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