Page 31 of Only You, No One Else

Give me a minute.

He took a breath, the exhale taking away all his tension to relax him enough that he sank into the comfort of the couch. The door swung open a minute later, and his heart jumped at the sight of Caster.

Caster smiled at him, and he relaxed further. You OK?

He nodded.

Caster narrowed his eyes.

Yes. I am fine, I promise.

Caster’s nod gave him permission to focus on the task at hand, his senses picking up a myriad of herbs from the copper bowl placed on top of a black cloth on the table.

He started to decipher the different herbs within the bowl, sage infiltrating his strong sense of smell first, but Caster interrupted his quest. “How do we do this?’

“The best thing would be to go to her. But…” Adella said.

“That’s out of the question.” Caster’s tone was almost harsh. “Not when that Alpha is out there somewhere.”

“Yes.” Edie didn’t shrink away from the challenge in Caster’s tone. “This is the next best thing.” She looked at Mark as if seeking his permission, which he granted with a nod. “It's kind of a reverse of the spell we used to send you to your brother. The astral projection.”

“Except that Amelia will come here?” Mark asked.

“But don’t be surprised if she is a little hostile at first,” Adella said, and he turned to her. Trying to understand magic was a chore he didn’t feel ready to tackle right now.

“Why is that?” Caster asked.

“We will be drawing her to us against her will.” Edie’s explanation had him frowning. But she smiled. “Her reluctance should vanish as soon as she sees you, though.”

Edie waited for his acquiescing nod before reaching for Adella’s hand. He’d just grabbed hold of Caster’s hand, the solid anchor settling both sides of him, when the door swung open, interrupting the first words of the spell the witches had begun.

Mark didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Her presence had grown as familiar to him as her son’s. The Queen walked in and smiled at him. She reached for his hand as she sat next to Adella on the opposite side, and he was overcome by the need for her comfort. She squeezed his hand once and released it.

Caster’s hold tightened. We’re both here.

He took a breath, accepting their support, and he caught Edie’s eye, nodding for her to continue. The first chant of the spell’s wording crawled over his skin, the extent of the power from both witches causing him to gasp. But his wolf remained calm, almost too calm, like he was certain there was no danger here.

By the third chant, Latin words in a rhyme, he sensed a shift in the room’s energy, and Amelia appeared. Her face, the projection of her face, contorted in annoyance, just as Edie had promised. She glanced around the room, and her whole form relaxed into a sigh when her eyes landed on him.

The concern on her face was too much to take, and the memory of the night she’d saved him from Ethel’s demons, the night she’d tried to ease his pain, penetrated his mind to draw a painful howl out of his wolf. Her voice was a whisper as it sailed through space. “I am so sorry. I should have done more.” She glanced at Adella and then at Edie before the full discomfort of her attention was on him again. “The memories came back? That’s why I am here?”

Mark could only nod.

The holographic projection of Amelia moved, pacing the space in the living area, her energy even at a distance, frantic. “I can come to you.”

“No.” Edie’s denial was emphatic. “Ethel is looking for you.”

Amelia stopped, shaking her head. “I know, but my cloaking spell is strong.” She looked at Mark. “It is the same one I had on you. As long as I don’t use too much of my power, she can’t find me.”

“Amara’s?” Adella asked, and Amelia nodded, her attention still on Mark. “That’s good. Ethel will find it very difficult to break that one.”

Mark frowned at Edie, the conversation getting away from him.

She waved her hand, dismissing the questions forming in his mind. “Amara is a powerful witch. A different kind of magic, outside of the Grand Coven’s practices.”

“I can be there in a few days,” Amelia said. “I can’t teleport. That would take too much power, enough for Ethel to track. I need to book a flight…”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it,” Caster said. “How soon can you be ready?”