She made a non-committal sound, then walked slow circles around the entryway, as if casing the joint for ghosts. Her nose wrinkled. "I can feel the suppression."
I frowned. "You said you could break it?"
Eleanor waved me off. "I can. The suppression spell is unraveling. I could feel it before I hit the driveway. I tried to shield you from this, Krystal. I really did."
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I turned to walk into the living room.
She followed, scanning the space like a bloodhound tracking an invisible trail.
"Sit," she said, gesturing to my couch.
I obeyed, dropping into the cushions, which sighed under my weight.
Eleanor didn’t sit. She stood behind the armchair, fingertips pressed into the upholstery, eyes closed. For a minute, she breathed, each inhale a little sharper than the last.
"The block is destabilizing," she said. "Now that you’ve made contact with your mate, your magic and his are at war. It’s breaking down in unpredictable ways."
She opened her eyes, and I saw a flicker of fear there, quick and real. "We need to break it before it backfires. Otherwise, you might lose more than the mate bond."
I tried to joke it away. "Can’t lose what I never had."
She shot me a look. "Don’t play the martyr, Krystal."
I set the mug on the table, hands shaking. "So how do we do it?"
Eleanor paced, short steps, the kind that never let her get anywhere. "I need help," she said. "The spell was strong. Old magic, not the kind you get from a book or a YouTube video. I’d need another witch. One with a tie to you, or your mate, preferably."
I thought of Aurelia. She was part of the Beck Clan and connected to Zaden through their bond, similar to a pack bond. If there was anyone in town who could match my mother, it was her.
I said the name out loud, and Eleanor’s brows shot up. "The Beck witch? You trust her?"
I almost laughed. "I don’t trust anybody. But she’s Zaden’s clanmate and born of a dragon bloodline, and she has a reason to keep me alive. And I like her."
Eleanor nodded, accepting the logic. "Call her," she said. "Now."
I pulled my phone from my back pocket. I found Zaden’s number first. I hesitated, thumb hovering.
"You want me to do it?" Eleanor asked, like she could sense the stall.
"No," I said, dialing. "I got it."
It rang once, twice, then picked up. Zaden’s voice was soft, careful. "Hey."
I swallowed. "You got a minute?"
"Always," he said, no hesitation.
I heard background noise. Voices, laughter, maybe a TV. "Are you busy?"
He must have covered the phone, because the noise faded, then said, "Just me and Aurelia. What’s up?"
I steadied myself. "My mother’s here. She says the suppression spell is breaking down. She needs another witch to help reverse it. Aurelia’s the only one I’d trust enough not to screw me over."
A pause. "You want to talk to her?"
"Yeah. Put me on speaker."
Aurelia’s voice came through, bright and crisp. "Hi, Krystal. Always a pleasure."
