Julia bit her lip. “You mean it might not last?”
Tabitha loosed a sigh. “Really, dear, by now you’d think you’d be confident in my abilities, no?”
Fair enough.
Tabitha continued, “No, I simply mean, until they see you, we won’t know how much they remember of you. That incident has been wiped from their minds, but they might not remember you at all. So just be wary.”
Julia pulled Tabitha into a hug. “Thank you. What would we do without you?”
Tabitha patted her back before beginning to chant over the instructions, and the paper seemed to wither in response, like it was struggling against her words, until it went up in flame and smoke.
She picked up a knife and held it out to Theodore. “I’ll need a few drops of your blood. You need to bind yourself to this earth, to this property, to this house.”
He followed Tabitha outside, and Julia watched with Camilla at her side as Tabitha continued to chant and Theodore pressed his crimson palm to the earth.
Camilla took her hand in hers. Julia squeezed it. Her heart was thrumming. Did it work? Would he be able to stay?
He came in and his grin answered all her questions.
“I love you,” she told him, the words falling out of her mouth like they couldn’t wait to escape.
His eyes widened, and his lips parted. He was looking at her like she was the only thing that mattered.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” He shook his head, clearing the distance between them. “I’ll never let you go. I love you, Julia.”
Her tears spilled down her face as she stroked his cheeks, his hair, his lips.
Camilla cleared her throat, breaking them out of their reverie. “Right, well, now that’s taken care of ... Tabitha, why don’t you and I take a look around the house? And while we’re at it, I wouldn’t mind you putting a curse on a few people...”
Tabitha raised her eyebrows at her. “Curses are no joke. Hasn’t this taught you anything?”
Camilla waved her hand, flashing her expensive manicure. “Oh please, nothing so dramatic, maybe just a little pox or something...”
Their voices floated away further into the house, but Julia was only focused on the man in front of her.
“Are you sure?”
He held one of her hands, and with his free one stroked the pad of his thumb over her cheek. He was warm. So much warmer now, like life, true life, was draining back into him.
“Areyousure?” he countered. “I can never leave these grounds. You would be stuck here if we were to remain a couple.”
She shook her head in bewilderment. “How is that even a question? Besides, this manor has more than enough rooms for when I get sick of you...”
He grinned, flashing his perfect teeth and ... one dimple! She hadn’t noticed that. She traced it with her finger.
Sighing, she said, “How could I ever get sick of this face?” more to herself than to him.
A flush crept over his cheeks. A blush. He was blushing.
She might have squealed in delight. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy making you do that!”
He groaned, pulling her close to him, shutting her squealing up with a kiss. “Are you, now?” He broke the kiss to ask her the question and got right back to kissing her like he had nowhere else to be.
He looked deep into her eyes, into her soul, like he was staring at their soul connection. She could almost feel the tug, the pull, like a physical thing, as he said, “My soul, my heart is yours, for however long I’m on this mortal plane, I bind it to you, Julia Jones.”
“And I to yours, Theodore Harrow.”
He grunted. “I think we need to do something about those last names ... seeing as we’re joined and all.”
