“Something is wrong with my dad.”
“Tell me.” She nearly reached to grab my hands but remembered she couldn’t touch me, so she ended up hovering over mine.
“He attacked me.” And I watched her eyes widen.
“Start from the beginning.”
I know I had already explained some of it to her before, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything so I started over. “When I got here, he was fine, at first. Then Aurora started to show up around him and whenever I said her name or she came around, his eyes would grow hazy.”
“Hazy?”
“Like he was confused or distracted. Not focused. And his voice became soft and confused. Aurora kept saying that she would be the next Luna. No one was taking it seriously, but anytime she was around, he would seem to be considering it. Today, I was waiting outside the office and I heard her say she was bonding with him.”
“She said bonding with him? Exactly that.”
“Yes.”
“What happened next?”
“I busted in the door and she was pouring something into his mouth and I attacked. But he ripped me off of her and screamed that she'll be the next Luna, and nearly strangled me to death.” I touched my throat and her eyes zeroed in on the bruise. I watched as her eyes narrowed and she lifted a hand to hover over my neck.
“Did you see anything out of the ordinary?” Her whisper was hard, but I knew she wasn’t angry with me.
“His eyes had a pink tinge to them but that’s it.”
“Are you sure?” She questioned. “Close your eyes and think. Is he wearing something out of the ordinary? Something you had never seen before?”
“No. I did find the love spell here.” I flipped to the page and showed her, but she was shaking her head.
“That isn’t a love spell. It’s an infatuation spell. It makes the one cursed become unhealthily attached to the speller—to the point of murder. If the cursed ever finds the one that cursed them with someone else. Or Goddess forbid they have a child, and the child starts to take precedence for them, then they can go on a rampage.”
“Really?” I turned back to the page. “Why would you create this spell?”
“I didn’t create it.” She reared back. “A book of shadows is a collection of magic over many lifetimes. Some created, somefound. This spell was found by another and my great-great grandmother transcribed it in our book, and figured out a way to counter it.”
“How do I counter it?”
“We have to make sure it is the right one. If it isn’t, then you can make the infatuation permanent.”
“How do I confirm it?” I started to panic. If my father was going to be stuck, he would be able to be the Alpha any longer.
“You have to find the item that belongs to your mother. It will be touching her skin at all times. And you need to find the item that has her sigil on it.” She pointed to the book, and it flipped through a few pages. “Here is that specific counter spell. You will need to destroy both at the same time with a fire, and then you need to recite the words as it burns. BUT!” She screamed as I surged to my feet. She pointed to the ground, and I dropped back to my butt.
“But what?”
“I cannot stress this enough. You have to be sure. Not only do you have to be sure that was the spell used, but you also have to be sure you have the right items.” My grandmother stressed.
“How will I know?”
“The item will emit a soft glow that you won’t be able to see properly.”
I threw my hands in the air. “What does that even mean?”
“I can’t tell you exactly. As each witch has their own color and trick to hide it from being found.”
“What am I supposed to do? Loki took over and now he locked himself in a cell.” I shook my head. “I’m lost.”
“I believe in you, my girl. You can save him. Start with the girl.” She got to her feet and looked down at me. “Sometimes you do things you are not proud of to save the ones you love.”
