Chapter 71
-Ava’s POV-
“Are you nervous?” Maria asked, placing a few materials on the table in front of her with a calm, practiced ease.
I hesitated, my eyes on her hands as she worked. “I don’t know, replied finally, trying to keep my voice steady. “I don’t know if I’m nervous or not. I’m just..trying not to get my hopesp, I guess. I’ve lived without my wolf all my life, and even though it’s been hard–really hard sometimes–I’ve learned to live with it. I don’t want to let myself hope too much only to be disappointed.”
Maria nodded, an understanding glint in her eyes as she arranged the items carefully. The silence stretched for a moment, broken only by the sound of her preparations. I glanced toward the door where Grayson had stepped out to take a call. I knew he’d been rattled by that message he’d received–it was written all over his face even though he tried to mask it.
A chill ran down my spine. Whoever was behind the deaths was just killing randomly; they were going after Alphas. And if this was about power–well, then the one with the greatest power of all–the Alpha King–was at risk. Grayson was a potential target. And if I let myself think too hard, I’d realize my father was, too. A powerful Alpha in his own right, he might very well be caught in the crosshairs.
I forced myself to shove the thought away, willing myself to focus on what was in front of me. Maria had nearly finished setting up when she straightened, looking up with a steady, determined gaze “Alright,” she said, “I’m ready to cast the spell”
I swallowed, feeling a mixture of excitement and dread twist in my stomach. “What do I do?”
“Give me your hand,” she said softly.
I held out my hand, and she took it, her fingers warm and steady against mine as she closed her eyes. Her lips began to move in a low murmur, words slipping out in a language I didn’t understand. The air around us seemed to hum, thickening as if charged with invisible energy. My skin tingled, and a strange sensation started to build inside me–warm, buzzing, as though something ancient was stirring just beneath the surface
For a few moments, I let myself hope, feeling the magic work its way through me. My pulse quickened, and I thought maybe, just maybe, it was going to happen. I could almost feel it like something was reaching out, trying to break through
Then…nothing.
The warmth faded. The tingling stopped. I was left in silence, feeling empty and almost hollow.
Maria blinked her eyes open, her brow furrowed. “Something’s blocking the spell,” she said, frowning as if she hadn’t expected that outcome.
I felt a knot of frustration twist inside me. “You mean someone casting a spell right now to stop this one!”
She chuckled, shaking her head. “Aren’t you adorable? No, it’s not someone else. Something inside you is blocking it The magic can’t even pass through. What did it feel like the first time?
1 blinked, trying to make sense of it. “When I felt her the first time well, it was like..she warthiere in my head. And then I heard her say, ‘Find me, Ava.‘ It felt so close, and then it was gon
Maria’s face softened in thought, her gaze thoughtful. “She asked you to find her..interesting. She paused, her fingers tapping lightly on the table. “I think I might have gone about thi the wrong way. The spell isn’t working because we’re trying to force her out. But she wants you to come to her. You heard her voice, so she’s somewhere deep in your subconscious. If we want to reach her..then I need to send you into your own mind.”
I took a sharp breath, processing what that meant. “You mean..that possible?”
“It is,” she nodded, eyes scanning my face. “I can put you into a deep enough trance, one that could let you cross into your
08:50 Tue, Dec
Chapter 71
subconscious. That way you might have a chance to find her.” She hesitated, glancing toward the door where Grayson had disappeared. “But this kind of spell…it’s not entirely safe. We should probably talk to Grayson about it first before-
“No.” I cut in quickly, my voice stronger than I’d expected. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, but if Grayson knows there’s even the slightest bit of danger, he’ll never agree to it. And yes, aid I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but if there’s even a small chance this could work, I want to take it. So, please. Just send me in.”
Maria watched me closely, her expression torn for a moment before she nodded in understanding. “Alright. I’ll need to prepare a few more things. Let’s head to the back–there’s a space I can use.”
I followed her through the house, my heart racing. We went out to a secluded part of her yard where the trees hung low, casting shadows across the ground. She drew a circle in the dirt with a chalk, scattering powders and herbs around it, her movements swift and precise. She placed candles at each cardinal point, lighting them one by one as they flickered to life.
When she finished, she gestured toward the center. “Lie down inside the circle,” she instructed.
1 hesitated, glancing around at the shadowed edges of the trees. The reality of what I was about to do started to sink in, and a chill ran through me. I was about to dive headfirst into my own mind, with no idea what I might find. But if I waited too long, Grayson might return–and he’d end this without a second thought.
“Are you sure about this?” Maria asked, sensing my hesitation.
Taking a steadying breath, I nodded. “If I don’t want Grayson to stop this, then we need to start before he realizes what we’re doing.”
She gave a slight smile, but her expression was serious as she knelt beside me, beginning to chant again. I lay back on the cool ground, staring up at the sky as the low murmur of her words washed over me. Her voice grew stronger, the language dark and rhythmic, almost hypnotic. I closed my eyes, feeling a heaviness settle over me, like a thick, velvet blanket wrapping around my senses..
A tingling crept over my skin, slowly sinking in deeper, as though the very air around me was thick with energy. My breathing slowed, and I could feel my heartbeat steadying, growing softer and softer until I was barely aware of it at all. My mind started to drift, thoughts slipping away as I felt myself sinking sinking..into a place that felt vast and endless.
Suddenly, I felt a tug, as if an unseen force was pulling me forward, drawing me into an endless darkness. The edges of the world around me began to blur and fade, dissolving into shadows. My heartbeat echoed in my ears, growing louder agains the stillness, until it felt as though it was the only sound in existence. Then, the silence came–so deep, so complete, it felt like it could swallow me whole.
Out of the void, Maria’s voice reached me, sounding distant and oddly fragile. “Grayson might kill me for this… I was going to send you in without telling you, because I truly believe you are capable of doing this and I didn’t want to worry you but I agree with you, all possibilities should be explored. This spell–it will put you in a state of almost death. That’s the only way you’ll be able to access your subconscious.”
My eyes shot open–or at least, I thought they did, but I could barely see anything in the darkness surrounding me. My heart slammed in my chest as fear gripped me, and I tried to sit up, but it was like my entire body was sinking, like I was submerged under a heavy weight. My limbs felt leaden, unresponsive, as though I were sinking deeper and deeper into a thick, invisible sea.
“Maria..“I managed to whisper, my voice sounding distant, even to myself. “Stop the spell.”
“If you’re strong enough to get through to Grayson, then you can do this,” she said, her voice laced with something that sounded like both hope and regret. “I know you can.”
“Stop the spell…” I tried to shout, but the words barely formed in my mind, their echoes bouncing endlessly in the void. The ugging sensation grew more intense, pulling me deeper, harder as though I was being drawn into the very core of myself.
“You have to find her,” Maria’s voice called out one last time, “before the candles burn out. That’s how long the spell will hold.”
Chapter 71
Dec
Those were the last words I heard before a sudden, violent pull yanked me downward. My mind whirled as if I was falling into an abyss, Laster and faster, Panic clawed at me, but my body felt numb, beyond my control, as if my consciousness had been tom from it entirely. A brief, flecting thought passed through my mind–a warning–if Grayson didn’t kill Maria for this, then I just might.
Then, in an instant, the last bit of awareness slipped away, and everything went black.
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