Page 76 of Cursed Love
Brandy sucked the thick gooey mixture up the straw and groaned when the flavor burst on her tongue.“Thnk ouu,”she managed to mumble. It was a real chocolate milkshake, not one of Peter’s chalky-tasting ones he used to grow those bricks he called muscles.
“You’re welcome,” Xander told her and turned toward Peter. “Nothing then?”
Peter rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Chipping away, but nothing of value so far.”
Xander’s brows furrowed in thought. “Can you walk me through what you do?”
Brandy nodded as she sucked in another mouthful of chocolate. Once she swallowed the savory bite, she explained her connection to Ryan as well as Serena’s suggestion after the boomerang shot earlier in the day.
Xander flipped a chair around and rested his arms over the back. “Mind if I offer some advice?” he asked, more toward Peter than Brandy. She bit back her witty reply, knowing Xander was being respectful to his alpha.
Peter nodded, and Xander looked between them. “From what we can tell, you’re unlike any other witch we’ve come across, right? I mean, your powers aren’t fully developed, and you could probably take Serena down with a simple look.”
Peter narrowed his eyes and she took another sip, unsure where Xander was going and uncomfortable with the truth of her still-developing powers.
“I mean, you’re your own kind of witch with the way you’ve not only received but have taken a hold of your powers. I think you’re looking at this the wrong way. What you’re doing may have worked for a witch like Serena, but you’re nothing like her. Maybe center yourself and go with your gut. It’s led you this far, hasn’t it?”
“He’s right, babycakes. It takes some witches years to master one of the powers you have, and you’ve gotten it down in weeks for some and hours for others. Obviously, what you’re doing isn’t working, except that it’s draining you. Try something else.”
Brandy lowered the Styrofoam cup and bit her lip. “I don’t know where to start… What if it doesn’t work?”
“You wouldn’t be any worse than you are now. The pack is searching for him, and that shimmering trail disappears soon after he steps away from the last camera shot,” Xander said.
She nodded and drank the rest of the milkshake as she considered different avenues of magic. Brandy tried to recall any knowledge she’d picked up from the grimoire or Ryan.
Taking a seat, she closed her eyes and breathed. She let images of Ryan’s face—and the emotions he invoked—flow through her. Mentally facing the wall placed between them, she tried to brute-force her way through. The wall shook but remained.
She focused on the faint buzz of the connection between them. This witch kept him from her, she reminded herself. Anger wrapped around her, and she focused on the sliver of camera footage identifying the woman.
Brandy imagined the ring heating, the metal weakening and bending under her attack. The wall began to vibrate, and she knew she was onto something. With a smirk and another cleansing breath, Brandy curled her fingers into her palms and shot white-hot heat into the metal.
“What do you think you’re doing!”Aja screamed.
She refused to play games with the woman. Brandy’s body shook, and in the distance, she heard Peter calling to her, but she was too close to stop. Xander had told her to follow her gut. She could not back down now. That bitch had Ryan, and God only knew what she had already done to him. They still were not even sure if she was working alone.
Using the connection the witch had left open, Brandy sent a flame through and imagined the ring shattering. The wall crumbled a second later, and the comforting hum of Ryan’s thoughts tore through.
“Rye?”she whispered in exhaustion.
“Bran? Is that really you?”Ryan asked, sounding as worn as she felt.
“Where are you?”she asked.
“Tell Peter it’s Aja and she’s working with Volark,”he said in a rush.
Tendrils of something dark seeped into their connection, and Ryan’s hum weakened. Panic clawed up her throat, and her stomach clenched with fear.
“Rye? Rye? What’s going on?”she called, hearing the fear lacing her words. Silence greeted her before her anger returned.Not fucking happening!Sucking in another breath, she centered herself. Ryan was hers, and no one would take him from her.
Release what fate has deemed as mine, or burn from within as you watch your loved ones die. This bond between him and me is sacred above all and no longer available to others. May the goddess strengthen our bond on this call.The words flowed from her mind easily and without doubt. Ryan’s hum returned, and a strange light flashed. “Ack!” Brandy cried and found herself in Peter’s arms.
“What happened? Did you talk to him? Why the fuck didn’t you come out when I told you?”
“Ease up, man. Give her a second,” Xander told Peter.
Peter set her in his chair and paced the office. His hair stuck up as if he had run his fingers through it a bunch of times.
“Here, drink some water.” Xander raised a bottle in her direction. At the sight, her bladder cringed, remembering it had been a while.
