Page 4 of Mane Squeeze
But then Dominic Kane walked in, all swagger and bad timing, and the spell—already strained—had snapped like a thread pulled too tight.
And now they were locked in.
The back room of The Spellbound Sip, once cozy with its warm lighting and walls lined with potion books and tea tins, now felt like a sealed vault. The wooden door slammed shut behind them with a gust of wind from nowhere, and the candleslining the ritual circle snuffed out in unison. Darkness pressed in.
Lillith spun around, her heart thundering. “No, no, no?—”
She barely got her hands up in time before the air inside the circle pulsed with a flash of sickly green light. The chalk lines she’d etched glowed, then cracked, splintering like ice on a pond.
And something stepped through.
Thaloryn.
He looked exactly as she remembered him, which was infuriating. Same flawless fae beauty—too tall, too elegant, silver-white hair cascading over shoulders like moonlight, eyes like shattered glass and smiles that never quite touched them. Dressed in robes spun from shadow and starlight, he stood in the center of the broken circle as though he belonged there. As thoughshehad invited him in.
Which, technically, she had.
“Lillith,” he said, voice a whisper and a blade. “Still summoning in borrowed rooms, I see.”
Her fingers twitched toward the satchel on her hip. “What are you doing here?”
“I believe you called,” he said, stepping forward. The sigils sparked beneath his feet but didn’t stop him. “Quite the welcome party, though. I expected something… warmer.”
“You weren’t supposed to come through.” She backed away, heart pounding harder now. “You were supposed to answer. Not—manifest.”
“Oh, darling,” he purred, tilting his head. “You never could resist breaking your own rules.”
Dominic, standing frozen beside the circle, bristled. “Who the hell is that?”
“My mistake,” Thaloryn said, eyes sliding to Dominic. “I didn’t realize your summoning circle was meant to trap stray cats.”
Lillith flinched. “Thaloryn, don’t.”
He grinned. “But it’s such fun.” Then he raised one hand.
The air turned to ice.
Magic coiled like a whip and lashed out, striking both her and Dominic at the same time. Lillith gasped as her knees hit the floor, pain lancing through her chest. Her bones screamed. Her heart shuddered.
Beside her, Dominic cursed, then dropped to one knee, clutching his ribs.
The world stilled. The magic settled.
And something new wrapped around her like a second skin. Heavy. Binding. Alive.
Thaloryn exhaled, pleased. “There. Now you can’t hide behind your little town anymore.”
Lillith forced herself up, eyes glowing faintly with the power she was trying to suppress. “What did you do?”
He looked at her like she was a curious insect. “I tethered your souls. Inescapably. An unbreakable bond, forged in cursefire and sealed by proximity. You’ll never be more than thirty feet apart again. Unless, of course… you’d like to try dying.”
Dominic barked out a breath. “Youwhat?!”
Thaloryn stepped back toward the fading circle. “Good luck, darlings. I imagine it’ll be cozy.” He winked at Lillith. “Try not to kill each other too quickly.”
And with that, he vanished. One final flash of light. One final hum of power. Then—silence.
The circle was dark. The door still sealed. Lillith’s ears rang.
