Page 10 of Twilight Echoes
“I know all about it.” He cocked his head. “When I became leader of my pack, I was given the details. But all paranormal creatures know about the Fated Moons. The world saw the two moons hanging in the sky. They assume it’s Jackson and Amanda. They just don’t know where they are or who the next pairing is, and right now, it’s not my biggest concern.”
“What is, then?”
“If you can’t do an aura reading, can you see them? Does that take a lot to do?”
“No. It would require a little more concentration from me, but I wouldn’t know what any of it meant,” she said. “Give me your hands.” She laced her fingers through his and focused on his energy. On his pulse. She squinted, but all she got was a faint reading. She tried again, but she got the same results. She pulledher hands away. “I can barely see yours and it’s not showing as layers like it should.”
“Is that normal?” He didn’t like playing dumb. As if he honestly believed his mate would lie, because he didn’t. But he had to be certain.
“Well, no. But like I said, this isn’t my area. While I studied it in witch school, it was my weakest skill. Honestly, I’m not the best witch at all. I practice every day, as I should. But it’s never been a passion like dance is.”
“But what you see with my aura now, it’s not right.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to admit this,” she said with a scowl. “The last showcase you performed in at the studio, I asked Amanda to read your aura.”
“You did now. How adorable.”
“Don’t make this weird.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “She told me your aura was vibrant and filled with passion and joy, but she saw a gray hue.”
“What does that mean?”
“Any number of things. It could have been because you had just exerted so much physical and emotional energy. Or something could have upset you that day. She suggested you could have been sad since you were leaving the studio. It could have even been caused by a cold.” She narrowed her eyes. “While auras change over one’s lifetime, they don’t fade like that. Not even when we’re near death.”
“I was afraid of that,” he whispered.
“Why?”
He stared at the ceiling. “Male alphas in my pack are coming down with the same illness that killed my father. We’ve had specialists in, and they have no idea what the illness is or how to treat it.”
“I don’t know if I should say anything, but Jackson mentioned something about your father dying of unnatural causes.”
“Chaz Ferguson told me they were discussing all this at the national meeting and would get back to me, but I need answers.”
“Who have you worked with in both the human and paranormal world?”
“Human doctors did all the normal tests and it appeared my father died of heart failure. But he was not an old man or had any heart issues at all. So, we called in a witch doctor, who said a black spell was cast on someone in my pack. It could have been my dad, but since he passed, and all his organic energy had already left his body, they couldn’t tell.” He held up his hand. “But it frightened her so badly she told us all we were cursed. Doomed. And to never seek her services again.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Avery let out a puff of air. “Any witch doctor can cast a reversing spell. Or at the very least, slow down the process, especially if they suspect it was indeed black magic.”
“The witch mentioned something about it being locked.”
“All black magic has been banned, but some covens have cursed their black magic, which is also illegal because it has devastating effects and can be irreversible to the person who cast it as well as to those who are inflicted.” She reached out, placing her warm hand on his aching knee. His muscles tightened, and a tingle filled his bloodstream. It gave him strength. “You need to find the source of the spell.”
“The witch doctor told us we need to find the wolf that carries the cursed spell, but since all high council members, all alpha males, and our pack leader exhibit signs of this illness, she couldn’t find the carrier. All she said was that we all had the same single-layer aura, and she had no idea what to do.”
“Oh no.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Every male is affected?”
“To varying degrees, yes.”
“And this witch doctor did nothing for you? No potions. No healing chants. Just left?” she asked.
“Not exactly.” He returned to the other side of his desk, easing back into his massive leather chair. “She did give us some healing potions, but all that seems to be doing is buying us time. She told me that the only people who could help me were Toldar and maybe your father. However, she also warned me not to take it to the Twilight Crossing Council.”
“Not sure why she told you not to take it to the council, but have you reached out to Trask?” She sat on the edge of the desk. “And you need to know Toldar prefers to be called Trask.”
“I’ve never met him.”
“Seriously? He attends the major Twilight Crossing Council meetings,” she said.
