He crumpled the grass blade into a little ball and tossed it away. “Kerry and I didn’t work out. She told me I should give her a free new tablet. I told her she should free the room she was staying in.”
He turned around and leaned his cheek against the raspy coldness of his parents’ gravestone. “Next time I’m dating, I’ll go incognito. Pretend to be someone else. Maybe put on a wig. What do you think? Black or blond?”
When no answer came, he laid his hand on the stone. “Thanks.” Of course, Mom and Dad couldn’t say anything back. He wasn’t talking to anyone—just some rock, a bunch of dirt, and ash. But it still felt good to get some things off his chest.
God knew he’d never get a woman who’d care enough to listen.
***
To get away from any more bird thievery, once they returned from their trip, Simon suggested they drive back to Te Anau, the town they’d spent a night in before. And so, off they went, with emergency duct tape holding together their wrecked car.
By the time they reached the town, got their rooms, and took care of their needs, a calming twilight descended, the pinks and purples of the dying sun outlining the peaks of the mountains across the lake. According to Shanna, this time of the day was a good time for rituals, and it would commence soon in their room—a spacious suite with a view of the lake and a terrace that continued straight out onto the lawn behind the complex.
In an hour, Simon would be free.
He twisted his wrist, eyes following the delicate markings of the tattoo. It was for the best in the end, even if after three weeks, it would feel odd to be without it. But once he and Shanna were unbonded, they could finally have a real talk, without their vicinity problem hanging over them. When they returned home and their adventures were over, would Shanna stay? Would she let him into her life?
With the curse her family has been burdened with, he understood her reluctance, especially since he’d already forgotten her once. His heart told him he’d never forget her again … but how did he make Shanna see that?
“Hey.” Shanna leaned on the open door to the terrace. “Everything is ready. If you are.”
He was ready to get his life back. He was ready to save his company from Everett’s clutches. But still, he was … scared. Forthe company’s future, and for his own, if it didn’t include this wonderful woman by his side.
He stood and plastered a smile on his face, more for his own encouragement. “Let’s do it.”
There was a knock at the door, and upon Shanna’s summons, Chris popped her head in. “Can I watch? If it’s not forbidden.”
“Of course you can,” Shanna said. “Come in.”
They gathered on the terrace, bathed in the descending night, lit by a few honey-scented candles Shanna had meticulously arranged on the round table. Shanna unclasped the bracelet and offered Simon one end, holding it by the other.
“The hand with your tattoo.” She guided them into the correct position. They stood facing each other, hands joined at the bracelet.
“This is it?” Simon asked. “No herbs, no other crystals?”
“This is it,” she confirmed. “Just the bracelet and us.”
She closed her eyes. Simon followed her lead.
“Focus on your tattoo. Imagine it dissolving. Imagine washing it from your skin,” Shanna’s soft voice guided him. “Imagine it as a band across your chest. Let it break as you breathe in. Repeat.”
In the perfect silence that followed, only his breathing filled his ears. Not even a breeze stirred.
“In death made, in life broken,” Shanna whispered. She slowly repeated the words until Simon joined in.
It went on for a minute, two, five; Simon didn’t know if the ritual was meant to take this long, but he didn’t dare ask. When he’d participated in Shanna’s rituals before, he’d at least felt something by this point—usually a kind of pleasant shivering, as if his body was being charged with electricity.
But nothing was happening now.
Shanna stopped chanting. “It’s not working.”
He opened his eyes.
“Did you do it wrong?” Chris said from the shadows.
“No.” Shanna’s eyebrows furrowed in determination. “I’m doing it correctly, I’m sure.”
“Should we do it for longer?” Simon suggested.
