Page 21 of Twilight Echoes
“That brings me to the good news.” Her father closed the box, sealing a piece of the spell. “First, I can probably match it to the coven.”
“Since you have it, can’t you do some hocus pocus and reverse it?” Darrell asked.
“It’s locked, so no, I can’t. But whoever cast this spell did so on the day Darrell claimed you as his mate.”
“Someone from the dance studio?” She blinked, remembering all the girls who glared at her that day. Deep down, she knew they all hated her. Sure, some tried to be nice, but during her entire career, others had been jealous. She’d learned to smile, ignore the looks, and block out what everyone said about her behind her back. “That certainly narrows down the suspects.”
“It does, but whoever did this is either dead or dying,” her father said, rubbing his temples.
Not a good sign when her dad did that.
“Why do you say that?” Darrell asked.
“This spell wipes out an entire bloodline by increasing the aging process. It often takes time to worm its way through thebloodline. But because it was a locked spell, whoever cast it either aged faster than anyone in your pack and is dead or is suffering from permanent aging.”
“I don’t understand that part,” Darrell said, his hand resting on her knee, gently massaging as if he knew exactly where the pain was. “Why cast a spell that will do the same thing to you?”
“If a child did this, he or she might not have known. But their coven would have to because this witch would have immediately aged or died shortly after that, and it would be happening to every witch, so with each death of theirs, one would die of yours.”
“Why did it start with my father and not me?” Darrell asked.
“I’m guessing that because it was cast on you, the idea was to make you suffer. Make you watch everyone die, and you’d be the last. But it’s also possible this coven found a way to keep the witch alive until recently because it took years for it to start happening to your pack, which means they are probably doing the same thing with everyone getting sick,” her father said.
“We need to find this coven and their Book of Shadows so my father can unlock it and banish the spell.” Avery thought back to that day in the studio. All the girls. All the names.
“I don’t understand why this coven wouldn’t do that themselves since they are dying, too,” Darrell said.
“They can’t.” She curled her fingers over Darrell’s hand. “Only my father or Trask can unlock a Book of Shadows, and if they were to go to him, he’d have to strip all of them of their powers forever for locking it in the first place. Their coven would cease to exist.”
“Wait.” Darrell pinched the bridge of his nose. “How can they lock it, but not unlock it?”
“It’s our law.” Her father stood, taking the box in his hands. “I need to go get Trask. We’ll work on seeing if we have enough of this spell that will tell me what coven we’re dealing with, whileyou two get me a list of every witch that was at that studio that day, focusing on anyone who might have it in for either of you. Then we need to find out who went missing, got sick, or is dead.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
Her father leaned in and kissed her temple. “Young man, you’re staying here until we figure all this out.”
“I don’t want to put you out,” Darrell said.
“You’re my daughter’s destiny. In our world, we call them soulmates. So you're not.” He shook Darrell’s hand. “Avery, make sure he’s comfortable.” He lowered his chin. “Wherever you want him to be is fine with your mother and me.”
5
Darrell stood in the doorway to Avery’s bedroom, though it was more like a suite than your basic place to rest your head at night. A far cry from how he grew up. His family hadn’t been poor by any means. However, his ballet classes cost a small fortune. Both his parents worked hard to ensure he had the proper training. Anything the teachers recommended, his folks paid for and never questioned it.
By the time he was fifteen, he spent more time living in hotel rooms.
But he was bringing in a paycheck.
It wasn’t much, but it helped.
“Shut the door,” Avery called as she dumped her bag on a chair by a sliding glass door that led to a patio overlooking the pool.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” He glanced over his shoulder. Respect was a big deal in his family. And his pack. As an alpha—and now leader—it was something that all members were required to give. Most did, though over the years, there was always a rogue wolf or two. His father had taught him that demanding respect would always lead to resentment andpossible uprising by another alpha—that a true leader earned respect by giving it first.
Darrell learned that to be true in his pack, as a lead male dancer, and also as a choreographer.
The last thing he wanted to do was disrespect his mate’s father.
