Page 31 of Fated Moons
“To answer your question,” her father said, “the spell was a permanent solution to keeping you two apart by killing my daughter if the two of you were to meet and you not only imprinted but mated, and it was the kind of pairing that is written in the stars. And my understanding is that mating doesn’t have to come in the form of being intimate.”
She shivered. “I wouldn’t say intimate, but we kissed,” she said so softly she almost hoped her father hadn’t heard.
“Kisses can be incredibly passionate and intimate, but that’s not powerful enough to unleash the spell. However, imprinting is incredibly intimate for a wolf.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this.” Jackson ran his fingers through his hair. “But I believe I imprinted before that. And technically, she accepted when she stood by my side to ward off the fake wolves.” Jackson lifted his mug and took a long slow sip.
“This isn’t an exact science. I know the spell, but I’ve never seen it in action. So, it must have been a combination of all three things,” her father said. “Also, fairies, especially royal fairies, are incredibly powerful. Add magic to it, and I bet the spell struggled to unleash itself. Again, whoever cast the spell had no idea Amanda was a fairy and according to Trask, her fairy powers were only unlocked when she met her fated. Trask does not believe this an average pairing. He mentioned the Legend of the Fated Moons.”
“This is way too much.” Amanda picked off some of her toast and plopped it in her mouth. “Mom checked her lineage. She’s not of royal fairy descent. Wouldn’t I have to be a royal fairy to be part of this Fated Moons thing?”
“Trask is checking into all this, but it’s possible your lineage doesn’t have to be royal on the fairy side,” her father said. “And remember, we didn’t tell people about your mother because witches and fairies don’t always get along. We didn’t do an extensive search for that reason.”
“I’ve got another question. Why her and not me?” Jackson asked, dropping his fork to his plate. “It makes more sense to kill me.”
Her father stood and strolled across the room. He lifted a book and brought it back to the table. He set it down in front of them. It was a Book of Shadows she’d never seen before. He tapped his finger on the cover. “If Amanda had died, it would have looked as though you killed her.”
“This is fucking crazy,” Jackson muttered, slamming his fist on the table. “I’m sorry, sir. I realize my father did a horrible thing, but your family… you witches and your magic?—”
“This isn’t my magic, though I will admit my family has a tainted history with the dark side,” her father said. “We track dark magic. Keep records of illegal spells, so we know how to fight them like Trask did last night. It’s the only way to fight those who use something so powerful for evil.”
She drew the book closer. It felt heavier than it looked, and it singed her fingertips, sending sparks popping in the air. The first few pages were lined with images of the underbelly of magic. As she leafed through them, glancing at spells that could destroy an entire race, her stomach knotted. “This is the royal legacy?”
“The cliché that power corrupts absolutely is a truism that in our case we must constantly fight against. The more we master our craft, the greater our need to use it and expand our potions and spells. This can always lead us down a path of darkness.”
Her fingers froze over the blocking spell to which her father spoke of. It had to be performed when the male mate hit four years of age, or it wouldn’t work. The ingredients included the normal herbs one would expect, but hair and saliva from both mates were also required.
“Dad, did you read this spell?”
Her father nodded. “It means that the two of you met right around when Jackson turned four and you were just an infant.” He waggled his finger. “It’s possible. His father wasn’t fired from our employment until you were two months old.”
“I have a bigger question. How could someone know if two people are fated mates when they are babies? I mean, Jackson is four years older. For the spell to work, both our hair and saliva had to be collected by the time he was four. And it blows this theory about not knowing I was a fairy, right?”
Jackson reached for the book, his hand barely hovering over the pages, when a lightning bolt shot out of the book. “Jesus,” he muttered, yanking his hand back.
“Sorry, that’s to ensure the book doesn’t get into the wrong hands,” her father said as he waved his arms, putting out the flame. “But going back to how someone would know, that would be on the wolf side.”
“Eliza Ashton is known for ensuring proper mating in the paranormal world, but she also deals with humans as well. If anyone would know, it would be her,” Jackson said, leaning back in his chair. “I know for a fact Chaz and his two brothers went there and learned who their fated mates were. How she knows I can’t answer. But Trask might.”
“Yes, your mother told me of her, and I will be in contact,” her father said.
“You spoke to my mother?” Jackson bolted upright. “I don’t want her mixed up in any of this. She’s suffered enough.”
“Son, she’s your mother. I felt it was my duty to tell her what had happened. You nearly died.”
“I’m a grown man, and my mother doesn’t need to know everything.” Jackson pushed his plate of food across the table. “This will just cause her more grief.”
Amanda did her best to bite her tongue. Even though she agreed with Jackson, she knew better than to get in the middle of two dominant males. She continued to read the spell and found out that while it wouldn’t stop attraction, the couple wouldn’t feel the intense need to be together, but if they did act on impulse, the female mate would freeze until she crystallized into a million pieces. Once dead, she would morph back into herself, but with a dozen stab wounds to her chest.
“Jesus, Daddy. Who wrote this spell?”
“I don’t know, but no one but myself, my siblings, and the high council have access to this book.”
“Why the hell didn’t you burn it years ago?” Jackson asked.
“All the spells in here are banned, but we can’t destroy it or lock it. It’s against our laws, and the Twilight Crossing Councilrequires us to show them all the spells. It’s been a long time since any new spell has appeared in this book. Sadly, we don’t always know the author, but when that happens, I report to the council.” Her father flipped to the last page. “If I tried to destroy the book, all of my children and my wife would suffer the worst kind of pain for the rest of their lives. Tragedy would be at every corner.”
“I have no children. I’ll burn the fucker,” Jackson muttered.
