Chapter 26
“You think Paisley is the reason Mom died?” Logan wasn’t a fool, and he didn’t waste time with Rafael’s dramatics. “You believe
her magic infiltrated Beth’s . . . Can the magic of a baby do that? She wasn’t even bloomed.”
Before bloom, we’d managed to form a magical bond usually reserved for true mates in control of their powers.
My affinity didn’t follow the rules, and while Logan knew that, he continued to play his part well.
Rafael’s next words snapped from him: “Just because we don’t bloom young doesn’t mean our innate magic isn’t there. When that
baby developed in the womb, her magic developed too. Beth got a taste of the monster.”
“You can’t know this,” Noah said, harshly. “Maybe Beth has the same ability as Paisley.”
“Nope. It was gone after that weekend,” Rafael said, his voice breaking. “After it was too late, and Tom ignored me when I
needed him to prove his goddess-be-damned loyalty.”
Dad’s face was dark as he breathed deeply through his nose.
“So, you decided to punish Paisley? Because it was her fault after all.”
Logan’s words slammed into my chest, and it was only the hand Jensen slipped over my mouth that kept my distressed noise slipping free; he must have forgotten the phone was on mute.
My chest heaved as I attempted to breathe, all the while wondering if this was the point Logan stopped being all in with our bond.
This magical bond had existed last year, and he’d fought it. He could do that again.
Jensen dropped his other arm around me, holding me tight against his chest, offering the comfort he could.
“I’m still punishing Tom,” Rafael said simply. “He was my brother and he ignored me, which destroyed my wife.” Even through
the phone I could feel the swell of his rage.
Across the table, Dad looked like he was about to start spewing lava, and deep in his eyes were flickers of pain and regret—he
didn’t count himself blameless here.
“Why the Hel is Paisley sick, then?” Logan’s words were biting, his anger palpable. It simmered in my own energy as the metallic
taste of Logan’s rage coated my tongue.
Rafael’s laugh this time was softer, less evil villain. “Nothing would destroy Tom faster than seeing his family fall. Paisley
is just the first, but one by one, in reverse order of birth, the curse will take them all. Tom will be last, and he’ll live
long enough to feel the true pain of his loss.”
Curse. Fuck. It had been mentioned earlier, but not with any real conviction because it was super dark and highly illegal magic.
“You cursed her? How? You have to place a curse personally, and in a way that the recipient is unaware you’ve had access to
their magic.”
Rafael’s voice grew louder. Gleeful. “I didn’t curse her, son. You did.”
Jensen kept hold of me on the chair when my body jolted.
I don’t know why I even reacted, because I trusted Logan implicitly and his father not at all, but a sliver of worry that I’d been played all along flickered through my subconscious.
But why would Logan play me and then bring the phone in to reveal it all?
It didn’t make sense. How did he curse me, then?
“What are you talking about?” There was genuine shock in Logan’s reply, and I wished I could see his face.
“Why do you think I tried to throw you into her path so often?” Rafael sounded smug. “Even when you kept leaving her and observing
from a distance, I kept pushing you to follow her around. She’s a pretty girl, Logan. You have a connection to her and have
since you were a child. Don’t think I don’t know why you’ve never dated anyone else. It was always that Hallistar bitch for
you. Which came in handy.”
Through our connection, in the swirls of our magic that had bonded us before we even understood why, I sensed Logan was about
to lose his shit. His energy pulsed, and a crack rang through the speaker. In the scuffle, the phone was tossed around, and
I panicked it was going to hang up in Logan’s pocket.
“What did you do?” Logan was snarling, loud and angry, and thank the goddess we were still connected and I could hear him.
“The first time you slept with Paisley, you cursed her.” Rafael sounded as if he was forcing words out through a hand around
his throat. “Her magic is siphoning to my family line, draining her until eventually she’ll die, and the curse will transfer
to the next little shit in her family. We will gain all the power, and the Hallistar line will finally fucking end. It’s been
the hardest wait of my life for that last bitch to bloom, but it’s all worth it now to experience Tom’s true suffering.”
I’d have been embarrassed that he’d outed my sex life to my family, but it was really the least of my worries. A curse was one of the deadliest, most difficult spells that could be enacted. They were rarely used due to how dark and destructive they were.
What the fuck was Rafael thinking?
Staring at the table, I couldn’t look away from the phone as I waited for the next revelation. When Logan laughed, I almost
fell out of my chair again.
Had he lost his damn mind? Or did he miss the part about a curse?
“You fool,” Rafael said, clearly thinking the same. “Did you not hear what I just said? She’s cursed and you did it.”
Logan’s laughter cut off abruptly. “There’s a fatal flaw in your plan, old man.”
Rafael didn’t answer for so long I wondered if we’d lost the connection. “There’s no flaw,” he finally said. “This is exactly
as I planned, from the years of research into the right curse, to waiting for Paisley’s magic to bloom. I could have, of course,
just killed them all years ago, but revenge is a dish best served cold and drawn out.”
“Paisley and I bonded when we were children.” It was a simple statement, and it fell into a silent room. “Through magic,”
Logan continued. “Your curse, it’s affecting me as well. I’m weakening alongside her, and if that’s the case, and it impacts
family lines, guess who’s next. You just set forth your own fucking downfall.”
As I lurched up in my chair, Jensen once again kept me from face-planting as I panicked like an absolute pro. Logan was weakening too! He’d never said a damn word, and I hadn’t noticed, but his power was so vast that it’d take a while to be obvious. In my
own weakness, I’d missed his.
It was clear that he had been protecting me, but after our little conversation about not keeping secrets anymore, I was going
to kick his ass.
“This can’t be right,” Rafael murmured, and it was low enough that it sounded as if he was talking to himself. “I planned for every scenario. I had backup plans if you didn’t sleep with her. There was another spellcaster under my control as well.”
Another spellc— Fucking Hel. Was he talking about Marcus? He had Marcus there as a backup plan if I didn’t sleep with Logan. No wonder that
asshole offered me help over the winter break.
“How are you powering this curse?” Logan asked him, and I couldn’t understand why he sounded so calm. This was bad. Big and
super bad. We were all going to die.
“The spellcasters of Europe are pooling their power, causing trouble, and I’m siphoning off their magic.” We’d guessed Rafael
was behind that unrest, and he’d just confirmed it. “With a secondary purpose of keeping the council busy while I buy up their
land and assets.”
“What’s your plan now, Dad? How do we end this curse before it takes us all down?”
It sounded as if Rafael was pacing across hard timber, a tap-tap-tap of shoes as he walked. “This is an ancient curse that
took the power of many spellcasters to enact,” he mumbled, still seemingly shocked by us being bonded, none of the usual bluster
in his tone. “The path to breaking it is just as difficult, though without the same input of energy. It’s the opposite, actually.
You have to unravel it by using ingredients that oppose the original ones that cast it.”
“What are the steps?” Logan pushed, still seemingly calm, though I felt tingles of his rage within my power.
Weatherstone College didn’t have any classes on curses. All I knew was that they required immense power to create and were
notoriously difficult to unravel.
As we were about to find out.
“There are only two steps, but they’re not easy ones,” Rafael said with a deep breath. “First, you need to gather these ingredients.” There was silence for a moment, and I assumed he’d handed Logan a piece of paper. “Then you cast this spell. That starts the process.”
“Is that all?”
Rafael’s voice grew louder. “Did you look at the ingredients, son? You’ll be lucky to get everything before she dies. And
once she does, the rest of us will fall. The curse has to be stopped with Paisley.”
“Should have fucking thought of that before you punished an innocent family for an accident.”
The way my breath whooshed out of me would have been embarrassing, but I was too busy trying not to cry. Logan wasn’t angry with me.
Rafael ignored Logan’s recriminations. “I have to be there for that final step, as the one who initiated the curse. I believe
it’ll take my blood to end this.” His voice grew even louder. “Do not sleep with her again. Every time you do, you are weakening
her further and strengthening the curse.”
My family were absolutely staring at me now, and I ignored the heat rising in my cheeks.
“How long does she have before the curse will kill her?” Noah asked.
“There’s no time frame. It depends on the power of the magical being, but it was a guarantee that each death would be slow
and drawn out. That was the only way I could ensure Tom truly suffered.”
Logan and I had first slept together last year, only once though. Clearly, our recent activities had sped up the process.
“Just know, Father,” Logan said, the rumble of his voice vibrating through the phone.
“The only reason you’re still alive right now is that we might need you to break this curse.
But when I’m done saving her—my fucking soulmate you tried to murder—I’m coming back for you.
I will destroy you and take everything you’ve worked for. ”
Rafael’s sigh was extended. “I would expect nothing less from you. I look forward to our battle, but for now, you have a much
larger fight on your hands.”
There were no more words, just the sound of heavy boots slamming against the floor as Logan raged his way out of his father’s
office. My hand trembled as I reached out and grasped the phone, pulling it closer, my head a mess as I freaked out.
“It’s going to be okay, Paisley,” Dad whispered. “I promise. Whatever you need to reverse this curse, we’re going to work
together to get it done. I won’t let Rafael win this battle. I won’t lose any of you.”
A single tear slid down my cheek, and I fought the rest, knowing this wasn’t the time to fall apart. “I know, Dad,” I replied,
just as softly. “I won’t stop fighting while there’s any magic left in my body.”
Not when I had everything to live for. Sure, my affinity was an issue that could get me killed as well, but there was no chance
to fight past prejudices if this curse took me out first.
I jumped when Logan’s voice came through the phone again. “Precious,” he rasped. This was followed by what sounded like an
explosion, and I fumbled with the phone to hit the unmute button.
“Logan,” I called, terrified that Rafael had followed him.
A thrum of pure power shot through our bond, and I turned my panicked gaze on my family.
“What’s happening?” Dad asked with urgency.
I had no idea as I shook my head roughly. A beat later Noah’s voice echoed through the phone. “Paisley, are you there?”
“I’m here. What’s going on with Logan?” I said in a rush.
“He just leveled the entire block around his father’s building,” he said, sounding tense. “He’s not dealing so well with the knowledge that the curse originated with him. Give me a few minutes to calm him down and he’ll call you back.”
The line went dead, and I tried not to bite straight through my lip as my teeth pressed down hard. “It’s not Logan’s fault,”
I whispered. “This all rests with Rafael.”
Mom offered me her most comforting hug, and I fell into it for many minutes, only emerging when my phone rang. Jumping back,
I answered before it could ring again. “Logan!” I gasped.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” he said, barely getting the words out. “This is all my fault.”
“Logan Kingston, don’t you ever say that again. This is Rafael the evil bastard’s fault. End of story.” His breathing was
harsh, and when he didn’t answer, I softened my tone. “Come home to me so we can figure out how to stop the curse and save
everyone’s lives.”
We were already running out of time. This curse would drain my magic until death, and then it would take my entire family.
We couldn’t let that happen.
“I’ll be home shortly,” he promised, the gravel in his voice more pronounced than ever. “I won’t let this curse take you—even
if I have to burn the fucking world down to stop it.”
With that, the phone went dead, and I clutched it until my hand ached. For a scary second, I knew I’d let the world burn if
it meant saving my family and Logan.
Fuck, I’d burn it myself.
Starting with Rafael.