Chapter 24 - Trina
As I begin the spell, I’m confident that I can save the pack and Owen. Even though my magic still isn’t very strong, Sadie told me that my intent would be enough if my heart was true, and I followed her instructions.
When she dropped me off at the manor, I was scared to go in alone, but she told me I had to. That this path is for Owen and me to walk, and we have to do it together.
I try to remember this as waves of sickness seep into me. The council gathers around, just outside the circle, and their presence distracts me. I can feel the hatred emanating from Darla, and even though I try to stay strong, a flicker of doubt rises within me.
I can’t screw up again! I have to commit to this with my whole body and soul.
I close my eyes and center myself again, feeling my strength grow, but it doesn’t banish my doubt. Instead, I waver between the two emotions, and the energy of the spell seems to freeze, hanging around me in stasis.
No. I will do this. Whatever it takes, I will heal Owen and his people!
I throw my head back, welcoming the sickness into me and all the prejudice against me—even Darla’s hate. I draw them forth, almost begging for them to fill me.
Let there be nothing left of me if this is the only way. I will absorb this evil, and then Owen will be free.
Nausea bubbles in my guts, and my chest feels tight. I can barely draw a breath anymore, but I don’t care. The words of the ritual have been spoken, and there is nothing else to do but become a vessel for all the evil that has infected the pack.
I can’t do anything about Darla; she isn’t part of Diamond Springs. Her hatred feels like daggers striking my soul, but thankfully, she isn’t part of my spell.
As the nausea rises and my chest gets tighter, my blood turns ice cold, and I can’t feel my heart beating. I realize that this is what happened to all the others, that they felt just like this before they died.
No.
I open myself up even more, calling the curse to me. New resolve sparks in my heart, and even though I feel worse than before, I keep drawing in the curse, faster and faster.
Take this out of Owen’s people, every single one of them. Give it to me, give it all to me…
Through the pain, a bright glow draws me in. To my surprise, it’s a memory, and the effect is like looking through a distant window. The room around me darkens as if curtains have been pulled around me, and I peer into the little square of light.
To my surprise, I see myself. It’s a warm Sunday afternoon, and I’m in my kitchen making chocolate fudge squares.
My hair is messy and loose, and I’m still wearing my pajamas.
I can hear myself humming happily as I think about reading all evening and eating my snacks, going to bed late, then working with my friends the next day.
The pain in my body fades, just a little, and suddenly I can feel and not just see the vision. I’m completely relaxed, free of pain, and there is no conflict in my heart.
I could just step through! I realize. I could go back!
I hover on the edge of the threshold, almost ready to jump. At the last moment, I remember the rows of bodies in Owen’s infirmary. I pull back, grabbing hold of the spell again.
No. I am not a coward. I will finish this.
The pain increases, and I feel like I’m going to vomit up everything in my stomach and then the organ itself. My breath rasps in my throat and my body slowly goes cold until I’m slumped forward, holding myself up on my hands.
“Trina?” I hear Owen’s voice, but I can’t respond. One of the other elders says something I can’t follow. There is a sudden sense that the trail of dark magic has run out, and the torrent of sickness has stopped pouring into me.
Now. This is when I have to banish it.
Sadie told me that my witch blood would be immune to the curse, and once I had absorbed the sickness, it would be relatively easy to banish it.
I can’t remember what she said… she said there was something I had to do…
A wave of pain rolls through me, making me gag. From my perspective, the only thing I can do right now is collapse and die. There is no strength left in me for anything else.
“Sweet girl,” a little voice sings.
“What?” I gasp.
“Love is the way. It is the only way.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Let him love you. That is all you have to do. The darkness isn’t done yet, my dear, but you are close, so close. Two of three seals are undone. Keep on, little daughter. You are so close!”
“Mom?” I whisper.
Through the bright presence, I feel love and comfort, but I also know this isn’t the mother I lost.
It’s a witch… a soul that’s tied to this house. Somehow, I share my heart with her!
A soft moan slips through my lips as I collapse onto the floor. The words mean nothing to me; I’m in too much pain. I can’t remember what Sadie told me, and the only thing I know for sure is that I have absorbed the curse, setting Owen and his people free.
Goodbye, my love. I’ve done all I can. Live for me.
Darkness surrounds me, and I can hear the witch’s spirit nearby, weeping. For a moment, it’s as if I can feel Owen stroking my hair, but I want to lose all sensation. I want to go behind the veil, so I don’t have to feel the pain anymore.
Fight, Trina. Please fight.
The words have urgency, but they are so very faint. They urge me back towards the pain I’m trying to run from, and I can’t go back. I continue to drift.
“No, Trina, fight it!”
Louder now, and I’m sure I can feel Owen’s hand in mine. Pain stabs through me, and a horrible scream tears through my throat, almost bringing me back to consciousness.
“I can’t,” I whisper.
“You can!” Owen’s voice booms, right next to my ear. I can feel his hand holding mine, the blazing, white-hot energy of his soul radiating from his body as he clings to me.
“Fight, Trina!” he yells. “Fight for me—with me. I am here with you, right by your side, and you aren’t alone. You will never be alone again.”
I’m so close to consciousness, but the pain and the darkness are still standing in front of me, blocking my way.
I’m sorry. You don’t need me. I’ve served my purpose here, and now I can go…
Let him love you…
Owen’s hand closes even harder on mine, and suddenly the light of his soul flows into me. At first, I fight it, telling myself I’m protecting him.
But who am I really protecting?
“No, Owen,” I mumble. “Don’t. The curse.”
“I don’t care!” he says, right by my ear. “I will go down to hell with you if that’s what it takes, but I will not let you go! We fight this together or not at all, and I will never let you fight alone again.”
Something in my heart turns over like a key in a lock. Warmth and light flow through me as I finally accept Owen’s love and what it means for me.
I will never be alone again.
Deep in my core, a white light begins to glow. It joins with the shimmer of Owen’s energy pouring into me, and suddenly I can breathe again. I take a deep breath, feeling the energy give me strength, and my heart beats hard and fast, pumping hot blood through my body.
I sit up and lean my head back, feeling Owen behind me, steadying me.
Power flows into me, rising up from the ground, connecting me to the earth, the trees, and even the sky.
The perfect harmony of the elements contrasts with the dark energy of the curse, and for one tense, still moment, I feel both sides held within me in equal measure.
The curse shatters, the dark energy breaking apart in a shocking wave, as if I’m standing inside a high-rise building as walls of windows splinter into shards. The sound, the feeling of danger, none of it scares me as I lean back in Owen’s arms, the last of the sickness and pain leaving my body.
When I open my eyes, I see Owen looking down on me, and I feel his fingers softly stroking my cheek.
“Hey there,” he says.
“Hey, yourself,” I answer, smiling. There is no need for any other words because I can feel his heart beating, I can feel the shape of his soul, and I know that we are one.
“Is that the end?” Darla snaps. “I don’t feel any different.”
“We aren’t Diamond Springs,” Neville says. “It’s not our turn yet.”
I look up at Neville, and an understanding passes between us. Owen told me all about the council members some time ago. How having a shared council for so many years has assured peace between all three packs, but that structure creates unique challenges.
Darla turns away in disgust, and I just lay in Owen’s arms, feeling my strength returning to me through his touch.
“My phone is going bananas,” Thorne says. “All your people in the infirmary are waking up! Owen, I can’t quite believe this, but it worked!”
“You owe Trina all the praise,” Owen says. “She did it all.”
“No, my love,” I reply, shaking my head. “I couldn’t have done it without you. It was our love that broke the curse.”
Owen helps me sit up, and I wrap my arms around him, feeling waves of pleasure flowing through me just through the small act of holding him close.
“I love you,” he says, his voice getting caught in his throat. “I’m sorry for the things I said, for everything I did. Trina, I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry,” I say, rubbing his back. “I cursed your people because my heart wasn’t true. It was my doubt that held back the cure. I couldn’t trust you… I couldn’t trust myself. I couldn’t trust in love.”
He pulls back and strokes my hair from my cheek, shaking his head. “I still think it was my fault. Trina, I did such terrible things to you. After what you’ve suffered, it was utterly unforgivable.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I answer. “We’re together now. Let’s just focus on moving forward.”
As the words leave my lips, a darkness shadows his beautiful green eyes. “It’s not over, is it?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No. There is still one last seal to break. One last battle to fight.”
“I can feel it,” he says. “Am I magic, too?”
“You are to me,” I say, leaning in for a kiss. “But we don’t have to worry about it now. We’re safe. All I want is to be with you. Let’s go home.”
“Yes, my love,” he replies, kissing me softly. “Let’s go home.”