Page 26 of Lila

“Definitely not a spell,bella. I may not know instantly like shifters, but I doknow. There’s no mistaking the mate bond.”

“If it’s not a spell, explain the blazing blue rope of magic that’s suddenly connecting you to me. And him and me.” She nods to Harkin. ”And this and me.” She lifts the chinchilla. “And… someone else.”

“A magic rope is connecting us?”That sounds like the mate bond so many people in Silver Springs have. It is a spell, but it’s not what she thinks.

“Yes. So see? It’s just magic. It’s not real,” she insists, earning a glare from Harkin.

“How long has it been there? Was it there the night we met?” I challenge. It couldn’t have been or she would have said something then.

“No. It happened while we were at the arcade. I was watching Grayson play Pac-Man when all of a sudden, four ropes of magic shot out of me. I was confused when I saw one connecting me to my new furry friend and then I saw one connecting me and Harkin. I had a feeling one of the other two was going to lead to you. We followed the magic all the way here.”

“If it is a spell, it’s not a mate spell. I knew you were my mate long before you were spelled.”

She scowls but can't argue. “Then what do you think it is? Why is this magic connecting me to four people… or animals as the case may be.” She looks at the chinchilla in her arms. It chitters in response and I study it.

I’ve heard the rumors of a mate spell in Silver Springs. But I know it’s not that. The spell didn’t make us mates. We were already mates. It’s just a visual declaration to those who can see it.

“I think it's a matelocator. It leads you to your mates, nothing more,” I tell her.

“He’s right. I knew before the spell, too. I just didn’t make the connection at the time,” Harkin says.

“What do you mean? You hadn’t seen me before the spell,” Lila protests.

“Maybe not. But I did smell you before the spell. I just didn’t know it was you. At the club, the scent was so faint I didn’t register what it was. Then when I saw Luca the next day, he had this enticing cherry and vanilla scent on him. It was stronger and I had a visceral reaction to it, but I didn’t understand why. When I saw you today, it clicked. Your scent enveloped me and I couldn’t deny what it meant if I wanted to.”

She chews her lip as Harkin disproves her theory. Her eyes flick from him to me and then down to the fuzzball cuddling up to her neck. I vividly remember the feel of that neck against my lips. The taste of her on my tongue. I’m suddenly jealous of an animal.

Chapter 19

Lila

Iroboticallywalktothe couch and sit down as my head spins with thoughts. Amber said the spell doesn’tmakesomeone love you. It simply attracts your mates to you like a magnet. If that’s the case… I really havefourmates? How can a chinchilla be my mate? And who’s the fourth?

I put Mateo on my lap and really look at him for the first time. He was too close for me to notice before, but he has the same inky black swirling around him that Grayson does. He’scursed.

“I gotta go,” I say, jumping up and holding Mateo.

“What? You’re not running away again, Lila. This week has been hell. You can’t keep denying we’re mates,” Luca says.

“I know. I’m not. I just…”If I tell him I can see curses and I need to figure out the curse on Mateo he may not take it well. I don’t know how he would react if he knew I could see the curse on his son. On the other hand, I don’t want to start our relationship off with a lie.“I need to figure out why Mateo is cursed and fix it. I can’t let him continue stuck in this form.”

“You see curses?” Harkin asks.

Biting my lip, I nod my head, waiting for Luca to say something about Grayson’s curse, but he never does.

“And you canfixthem?” Harkin continues.

My eyes flick to Luca. “Yes.” He still doesn’t say anything.I basically just told him I can un-curse his son and he has nothing to say?

“How can we help?” he asks.He wants to help me undo Mateo’s curse but not Grayson’s?

“I appreciate the offer, but I prefer to do my curse work without an audience. I’m going to take him home and study the curse.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if he hurts you? You don’t know why he was cursed. Maybe it was for a reason,” Luca says.

“It doesn’t matter the reason. No one should be forced to live life as an animal. Besides, he wouldn't hurt me if he’s my mate, right?”

“You’ll call if you need us?” His gravely voice drops and I’m not sure if it’s an order or a plea.

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