“Ophelia, this is—” Tap started, but a curt wave of a hand stopped him.
“She can speak for herself, I’m sure. I’m Ophelia, but you already knew that. Go ahead. When you’re ready, young lady.”
“Hello. I’m Phin,” I said, unsure whether or not I was trampling some unspoken rule of etiquette.
“Pleasure to meet you, Phin. What brings you all the way out here?”
“A tincture?” I was entirely unsure of my footing around this woman. She was clearly ancient, and she exuded a strength the likes of which I’d never encountered before outside of some angels even my father seemed hesitant to be around. “Greta is helping me. We’re unsure of the exact formula.”
“Ah. Well, if anyone can work it out, she can.” Her tone rang with pride. “But I’m happy to see if I can help. May I take a look at you? I don’t meet many Nephilim.”
“Sure.” I sat stiffly as she held my hand in hers, one soft fingertip tracing the lines in my palm. She nodded and madesome thoughtful noises in her throat as she continued up my arm, following the blue veins from elbow to wrist, then went back again, leaning her face close to my palm.
“Why is it, that you and your brothers keep showing up here with your fascinating mates? It’s like clockwork. Is there something about my quaint little home that draws you all in?” My breath caught in my throat. Ophelia’s gaze turned to Tap and mine did as well, his expression apologetic as she continued, “A Nephilim bonded to a hellhound?” She laughed. “How wonderful. Which one?”
“Ramsey.” I could barely breathe her name over the wordmaterattling around my head very loudly.
“Oh, yes! She’s been through here a time or two. Rolo too.” Her enthusiastic nod was oddly comforting. “But I thought she belonged to… oh. Are you Terra’s girl, then?”
I choked up immediately. “You know my mother?”
“Yes, yes. Not well, mind, but she and I have met several times. Gifted with hedge skills, she is. An earth witch at heart, if a demon in body.” My emotions swelled at this, that my mother might have sat where I was. It was silly, but any connection after such a long separation was more than welcome. “She’s quite lovely.” Ophelia patted my hand. “As are you, my dear. Where is Ramsey, then? Will she be joining us?”
“Not today.”
“No? Unfortunate. Why not?”
“That’s a long story,” Tap offered.
“Well, we’ve got time. Perhaps once the bread is done and that tea starts to warm your soul you’ll be ready to discuss that. But truly, if you lot keep trying to outdo one another with interesting mates, we’re all going to be in serious trouble. There are three more of you princelings, after all, aren’t there? If this keeps escalating, one of you will be mated to a deity!” She started to laugh, finding the thought so funny she slapped her own kneeand swept away a tear. “Though perhaps that’s exactly what they’re all afraid of. Wouldn’t that be something?” She hooted through another round of laughter and shook her head as we just stared at one another.
“It’s true?” Elation filled my chest, confirmation that I hadn’t misunderstood what I was feeling between us. Just as quickly, my heart plummeted again when Tap spoke.
“I’m sorry.” Two simple words, ones he’d repeated over and over lately, but they still stabbed straight through me.
“What’s this now? What are you apologizing for?” Ophelia asked, continuing her inspection of me despite the fact I wasn’t sure I was even breathing correctly. Her fingers gently gripped my chin as she turned my head, then traced along my ear.
“I didn’t mean for the bond to become sealed. It wasn’t intentional. We were just… and you…” He shook his head. “Don’t misunderstand, I don’t blame you, Phin, I would never. It’s my fault. I wasn’t thinking of the consequences, only that I was… that we… it was peaceful.” He closed his eyes tightly, chin falling to his chest. “I’m explaining this very badly. I want to make it right. I thought Ophelia might know of way to break the bond. So we can fix it.”
I sank into my seat, head spinning. For all I knew he’d spoken eloquently and my thoughts were the thing that was stuttering, but I didn’t think so. We’d gone from Ophelia declaring we were mates to him stating he wanted to sever our bond at stunning speed, and I was struggling to keep up. I rubbed a hand over my heart, trying to soothe the faint throb of pain. “You want to break it?”
Ophelia’s hand dropped away from me and she tsked. “Am I to believe thatyouof all creatures neglected to think something through?” He sagged further. “Truly?” When he turned his head, a furious blush stained his cheeks, and she began to laugh in earnest. “Oh my. Today is a banner day indeed! They do saythere is a first time for everything, and now, I may have seen it all.”
“I already got a version of this speech from my brothers,” he complained.
“Good.” She huffed a breath. “You’ll live through one lapse in judgment, I promise.” A bell went off in the other room. “Tap, would you please go take the bread out of the oven? Come with me, Phin.”
Tap rose and went the short distance into the other room, and Ophelia leaned in close to my ear while patting the top of my hand. “Don’t you worry.” Then she pulled me to my feet and steered me to a little nook that was both behind her favored chair and the kitchen. A table sat under a stained glass window, an assortment of crystals, herbs, sand, salt, and other items scattered across it. “Flip it out of the pan and onto that cooling rack,” she called. “And butter the top, while you’re at it.” As she rearranged the items on the table, she spoke in a low voice. “I’m betting that’s not really what he wants. Am I correct to assume you weren’t aware?”
“Not exactly. There were lots of hints, though. Admittedly I was the one who instigated the… bond sealing.” I flushed furiously hot, wondering what magic it was that had me speaking so freely with this woman I’d just met over such a serious matter. Perhaps I’d been wrong to assume it was just whiskey in my tea, as I’d barely had more than a sip.
“Guilt, then. For such smart men, they certainly have their moments. There is a way.” Her gaze went distant for a moment. “If that’s truly what you both want.” She looked at me, blue eyes piercing. “But you need to be absolutely certain. Undoing such powerful magic is not without consequence.” Her words settled heavily in my gut. I’d gone from being certain to being unsure what I wanted, so I just nodded. “You come back here, and we’ll perform the ritual. Don’t go to anyone else and don’t attemptanything yourselves. But honesty first, yes? Make him explain before anything is decided. You seem plenty compatible to me, and if you are not in objection, then he’s just stuck in his head, like always.”
“Alright.” Her urgency clawed at me, panic rising again as the mysterious negative possible outcomes battered at my emotions.
“Anything else I can do for you while I’m in here, Ophelia?” Tap called back.
“It has to cool before it’s cut. You’re free to come sit again, I suppose.”
