Page 195 of Monsters in Love

“I knew you’d find me, I knew you’d find me.”

Capricorn’s tears wrecked me. I allowed Jalen and Rothgar to hold her as well. It was a tangle of limbs that the local emergency services crew needed to dance around. Since Capricorn refused to let go of them, then they would not let go of her.

The Director of Coventry himself, Grey Linden, a dour-faced gargoyle, arrived on scene. “What the hell happened here, Tharraka?”

“We do not know. I was here to find my mate. But I think you are close to the answer.”

At his confusion, I said, “Hell, sir. I think hell tried to happen here.”

A mask of cold neutrality settled over his face. “We will debrief about this in private,” he said. “My office. One hour.”

“No,” I countered. “I have just seen my newly bonded mate nearly destroyed as a sacrifice to darkness. I will stay by her side.”

“You don’t have to.” Capricorn’s voice was husky from her ordeal, and it broke my heart knowing how long she must have screamed. “You’ll be fine to go. I’ll be fine. I’ll just be going to the hospital, anyway. Maybe even be asleep, who knows? ”

“Then I will be at the hospital,” I said.

“Really, if you’re needed—”

I closed the distance between us in a step. Gripping her chin, I tilted her face up so I could look into her eyes. “I will be by your side, Capricorn.”

I willed her to agree. I needed her to tell me to stay with her.

“Okay,” she said. I felt the relief that poured from her.

We would need to discuss a few things in the future, but today was not that day.

I pressed a kiss against her forehead. “We should get going.” I wanted to carry Capricorn in my arms, but Rothgar looked like he’d have a meltdown if I flexed my claim.

“Wait,” Capricorn said. “There’s just one thing.” She stepped away from Rothgar’s hold and walked toward where the portal was. The glyphs were burnt through, so there wouldn’t be any magic left in them. Still, Coventry’s containment team would ensure everything was fine.

Capricorn knelt at the place where her anchor had been, the literal lifeline that kept her safe until we could fish her out of that hole. Rothgar kept his hands on her, hovering over her like a worried hen.

I understood. He didn’t want to take chances, and neither did I.

“What are you doing, little witchling?” I asked.

She placed a hand that was wrapped in something I had not seen before. Was that a bandage around her hand? Jewelry?

Capricorn pressed her hand over the spot and the floor underneath glowed. The runes melted away. When she stood back up, the floor looked pristine. As if there hadn’t been a spell opening into a portal of doom.

“What did you do?” I asked.

She shrugged. “He used me to open it. I thought it would only be right if I closed it.” She handed a small cylinder to Linden, whose mouth opened in disbelief at what he held in his hand. “I think I’d feel better if you held onto that.”

Linden looked at Capricorn in mild shock. “I see.” He looked at me, then back at her. “Thank you. We would love to study it.”

“Sir,” Jalen said. “Capricorn Jade is one of the highest ranking students in Elfhame, and worked with Professor Snowden—well, when he was still Professor Snowden—in the field of New Magics and Esoteric Spells.”

Linden rocked back on his heels. “That is my area of expertise. Did you create that anchor spell, Ms. Jade?”

“I did,” she said. “I would have done a better job, but I was distracted at the time.”

“Better? I thought you did a fine job with what you did.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said. “We aligned my coursework with Coventry’s internship in mind. Of course, now, I’m not so sure.”

Linden jumped on that before I could. “Not so sure? Where else would you go? If you have competing offers, I am sure I could meet them.”

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