Celise’s smile made Jewel’s skin crawl. “Friends who are as excited about this as I am.”
The sprite placed the book upon the rock, carefully opened it, and began to chant. Jewel didn’t understand the language. It was rough and twisted, and it made her want to cover her ears.
Behind Celise, a huge portal opened, followed by another and another. Beings walked through. They didn’t step into the clearing. Instead, they spread out in the forest behind the sprite and around the large, vine-covered rock. There were elves, fae,warlocks, trolls, vampires, and a few things she couldn’t identify. None of them looked remotely friendly.
The three portals closed, but Celise continued to chant. The wind picked up around them, blowing Jewel’s hair, whipping it around until it blocked her vision. She pushed it away from her face as lightning ripped across the sky, now filled with black clouds. Thunder boomed, shaking the earth beneath Jewel’s feet.
Suddenly, another portal opened, but this one was different from any Jewel had seen before. It started out black, but as it got bigger, flickering light appeared, casting shadows into the portal. Shadows of deformed things, with arms and legs, open mouths with sharp teeth, and hands tipped with claws. Nothing emerged, but the portal remained open. Flames swayed within the portal, dancing in rhythm with the creatures inside.
“Jewel,” Celise called out above the sound of the storm. Rain fell in large droplets, drenching her within seconds. “Come here.”
Her feet moved on their own. She didn’t want to go to the sprite. Suddenly, despite all their meetings and Celise’s promises, Jewel wasn’t sure she wanted to go through with her decision.
When she stood beside the small altar, Celise opened a vial containing several strands of hair. “While you were sleeping in your childhood home, I managed to find what I believe is some of your mother’s hair. You carry her DNA, but having hers directly will make the spell more successful.”
“More successful? So there’s a possibility it could only be sort of successful?”
Celise’s head bobbed back and forth. “Well, it’s not an exact science. It’s a spell I’ve never performed, and I’ve never seen it performed. So we’re sort of shooting in the dark.”
Jewel had already known that, but she’d also thought that following a spell was like following a recipe. When you had the right ingredients, the result should be exactly what it was supposed to be.
Jewel waited to see if Celise would pull a cauldron out of her satchel, but she didn’t. She simply set the hair on the book, then opened a bottle containing a deep red liquid and poured a couple of drops on the hair and book. As the book had done with Jewel’s blood, it absorbed the liquid until there was no evidence of it remaining.
Celise opened another bottle containing a thick grey liquid that moved sluggishly as she poured it onto the hair. The book once again absorbed the liquid. One by one, she opened each bottle and poured the liquid onto the strands of hair and into the book, all the while speaking in that vile language. The rain continued to beat down on them, but Jewel noticed the book didn’t get wet at all, as if something were covering it, protecting it from the water. Jewel shivered as a glimmer of light drew her attention back to the open portal. The shadows were getting closer to the opening, growing larger, and she could hear hissing, along with sounds similar to the ones Celise was making.
Jewel’s stomach twisted as she looked around and realized she had majorly screwed up. This wasn’t something that could be fixed or forgiven. This was an epic F-up. All she wanted was her mom back. The promises Celise made had been too tempting. And whatever darkness lived in Celise had called to the darkness in Jewel.
The chanting grew louder as the supernaturals in the forest joined with the sprite. The noise was deafening, and Jewel lifted her hands to cover her ears. It felt like electricity on her nerves, wracking her body with pain. The darkness in this place was the antithesis of the healer magic inside her, and that part of her was rebelling against what was happening. But it was too late.No amount of light in Jewel could outshine the darkness and evil that surrounded her now. She had willingly walked into the valley of death, hoping to bring her mother back to the land of the living, and now she would pay the consequences.
Dalton heard the stirrings of people in the house and knew morning had finally come. There was no window in the corridor, so he couldn’t see the light, but the rustling noises were a good indication. He listened intently for any movement in the room he shared with Jewel, his supernatural hearing straining to catch even the tiniest sound. But there was nothing.
“What are you doing out here?” Tanya asked from the end of the hall.
Dalton looked at her and sighed when he saw Dillon standing next to her, his hand entwined with hers. Mates. Side by side where they belonged. They had spent the night together in their bed, wrapped in each other’s warmth. Where. They. Belonged. And here he was, sitting in the damn hallway, having begged his mate to let him in.
“Jewel wouldn’t answer the door last night.” He pushed himself up. Dalton was stiff, his body aching from the tension that had locked his muscles all night long. He hadn’t slept for a second. His mind wouldn’t let him. It was too busy thinking of the past, of when he’d met Jewel, how he’d pushed her away, and how she’d refused to give up on him. They had been through so much, and they’d made it. Or so he’d thought. What was going on with his female?
“Have you tried this morning?” Dillon asked. “Maybe she’s calmed down after her interaction with Peri.”
Dalton turned and knocked on the door. “Jewel? Little Dove, will you let me in now? Can we please talk?” The knot in his gut twisted and churned, growing tighter with every unanswered question. The silence in the room was suffocating, weighing down on him like a crushing weight. He furrowed his brow and pressed his ear against the door, tapping into his primal wolf's instincts. His senses heightened as he searched for any sound—the faint thump of a heartbeat or the rhythmic breaths of someone living. But all he heard was an eerie emptiness, a void that sent shivers down his spine.
His wolf roared inside him and took over. He reared back and kicked the door, sending it flying across the room. Dalton wasn’t worried it might hit his mate because he knew she wasn’t in there, at least not in the bedroom. Maybe in the closet or bathroom, but she definitely wasn’t in their bed. Why the hell hadn’t he listened more closely last night?
Dillon and Tanya hurried inside, but he barely paid them any mind as he searched the suite. She was gone. Even her scent had faded, leaving only the stale smell of the sheets and clothes in the closet.
Dalton threw his head back and howled, feeling his teeth elongate and his claws extend from his fingers. A red haze of rage filled his mind, and he moved without thought. He tore into the mattress, shredding it with his claws before picking it up and throwing it across the room. Glass shattered as it hit a window, but it wasn’t enough. Dalton grabbed a bedside lamp and flung it against the wall, then repeated the process with its twin. His foot connected with the bedside table, sending it flying across the room as if it weighed no more than a ball. It hit the wall, crumpling and leaving a large hole in the sheetrock. The once peaceful bedroom that had been a sanctuary for him and his mate was now a scene of destruction and chaos, all at the hands of Dalton’s uncontrollable rage.
But his wolf wasn’t satisfied. His mate had abandoned him without a second thought, and now he wanted to unleash his wrath upon everything she had left behind. With a growl that echoed in the closet, he lunged at her clothes, tearing them to shreds and flinging them into the main room. The scent of her lingered on the fabric, taunting him as he continued his destruction. Despite its sickening sweetness, he couldn’t escape it—his own beastly essence mingling with hers in a twisted dance of anger and longing.
The sound of his name being called barely registered in his mind as he tore through the closet, searching for any remnants of her existence. How dare she choose … whatever it was she sought over their bond, their destined connection? As he shredded each article of clothing, his heart felt like it was being shredded, too. The other half of his soul, rejected and discarded by its mate.
But even as his rage consumed him, a small part of Dalton couldn’t help but wonder how they would ever recover from this betrayal. If he could even find her again. For now, all that mattered was letting out his primal instincts and releasing the pain and anger gnawing at his core.
“JEWEL!” Dalton bellowed as he marched out of the closet, even though he knew she would not answer. He reached through the bond, throwing all his power into it, and for five heartbeats, he froze. He felt her. She was terrified. Darkness surrounded her, and she wished for death. She thought she would be better off dead than what she was. Then she was gone.
“NO!” he cried out, searching for something else to destroy, but before he could grab anything, a powerful voice froze him.
“Dalton Black, stop,” Fane commanded. He did not yell or growl. He simply said Dalton’s name and poured the power of his alpha status into it, leaving Dalton no choice but toobey. “You will calm yourself, and you will speak to us without destroying anything else in this house. Do you understand?”
