Spell Bound

Arabella

“I can’t believe that you had the moonstone here and you didn’t tell me!” Valentina continues her rant as I step into my room.

The pounding in my head has mostly subsided, it was now mostly just a dull pain that I can mostly ignore.

I sigh. “I didn’t tell you, because you were already so upset about the plan I had with the alpha. I didn’t want to make you even more emotional than you already were.”

She crosses her arms with a huff before sitting on my bed. “Please tell me where you keep the moon stone. You know the treasure that covens around the world have been clamoring for.”

I roll my eyes before walking to my dresser. “I keep it in my underwear drawer.” I state with a laugh opening it and pulling out the moonstone.

The light in the room reflects off the moonstone, the small gemstone sitting in the palm of my hand.

“It’s so pretty!” Valentina states as she stares at it.

Now that I am holding the moonstone in my hand after everything that I’ve been through I know that my plan is going to work.

Yet, after Lucian putting me in my place multiple times I can’t help but second guess myself. Instead of impulsively going back and seeing if this will work I need to be one-hundred percent sure.

“Back when I was looking for more information on blood magic, one of the books that I was reading had information about the origins of the moonstone. I didn’t pay much attention to it then, I was so focused on blood magic.”

Valentina nods along with my words. “Do you think that you will be able to help her? She seemed really nice.”

“As long as what I am thinking is correct I know that I will be able save her. Even though I shouldn’t because she’s the reason why I wasn’t able to escape Lucian.” I mumble out my last sentence.

I wouldn’t be dealing with these conflicting emotions and even worse, my ego wouldn’t be as damaged as it is.

Valentina clears her throat, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Speaking of the Alpha of the North.”

I groan and lean onto the dresser. I already know where this is going.

“I’ve noticed a change in you.” She continues.

“Really? I haven’t changed at all. The only that has changed about me is my hair.” I state crossing my arms.

Valentina sighs. “I know you have feelings for him.”

I scoff. “I feel that he’s annoying and arrogant.”

“Well that’s something the two of you have in common.” She snaps at me before she storms out of the room.

I let out a groan before following her. “Listen Valentina I’m sorry.” I say when I catch up to her.

She continues to walk away until she makes it to the kitchen. She spins on her heel and points her finger at me. “You would think that you’ve kept enough secrets from me already.” She states before poking my chest.

“You’re right and I’m sorry.” I really don’t want to say it out loud because if I do then it becomes real. It’ll screw up the plans that we’ve made and everything will crash and burn. Yet in this moment telling Valentina the truth is what is most important. “Yes, I have feelings for Lucian.” I say with a sigh.

Valentina smirks. “I knew it! Especially the way that you were looking at him yesterday.”

I roll my eyes as my cheeks heat up. “Me having feelings for him isn’t important. The only thing that is important is getting to the library, saving their queen and going into hiding.”

Valentina’s eyes soften as she steps towards me and grasps my hands. “Arabella.” She states softly as she leads me to sit at the table in the dining room. “Listen I know what we were taught when we were younger. I understand, but at the same time our coven treated you the same way that they would treat a wolf when they found out that you are a siphon witch. If you look past him being a wolf what do you see?” She asks.

I roll my eyes. “Do I really have to do this?” I ask.

She nods her head excitedly.

I put both of my elbows onto the table before placing my face in my hands. The embarrassment of what I am about to say is already eating me alive. “I see someone who is arrogant. Ruthless.” I bite my lip as more positive words come to mind. “Undeniably attractive. Forgiving. Kind. Understanding.” I am thankful that my hands are currently covering my face. I don’t have to see Valentina’s reaction to my words, and she doesn’t see the blush that probably covers my entire face.

Valentina starts to rub my back. “I know that you don’t want to hear this, but it sounds like you more than like the alpha.”

My body tenses at her words. Love? She thinks I love Lucian.

I shoot up from the chair. “Alright now I think you’re getting carried away.” I start to pace around the room. “The only reason that you think that is because he is the only man that I have been around in the past like ten years!”

Valentina rolls her eyes. “Well every time a guy has hit on you before when we would go into town you would act like you were offended!”

“That’s because I was! I had plans to be the strongest witch on the planet! No one would ever take me serious if I had a human counterpart!” I shriek.

“Which is exactly why a powerful male like an alpha wolf is perfect!” She claps. “People will take your seriously as the world’s most powerful witch with the alpha on your arm.”

“My feelings for him aren’t important.”

“Yes, they are.” Valentina stands up. “There will be no judgement if you want to throw your plan away and just be with the alpha. You’ve had fun being in captivity with him. All I want is for you to be happy.”

I ponder on her words for a while.

A life with Lucian, it really doesn’t sound too horrible. I’ve never really envisioned a romantic relationship with anyone in my future before. Yet, I think him and I mesh well together for it to work.

It definitely wouldn’t be the healthiest relationship, but our chemistry and my feelings for him are undeniable.

“You can still do the things that you want to do while being with Lucian. He would never stop you from doing what you deem necessary.” She continues.

I don’t know how she knows that, but I know she’s right. Lucian would never hold me back from doing what I want to do. He would probably just tweak my plans to make them safer.

“I’ll consider it.” I concede to her. This isn’t a decision that I need to make right now.

Valentina smiles at her small victory. “Good.”

“For now the only thing that we need to focus on is getting to the library. I think that the further the distance we teleport, the more painful it’s going to be. So it would be amazing if my wonderful friend can go and make some more of that headache cure.” I wave my hand in the direction of the kitchen.

Valentina nods and then walks into the kitchen.

“Make sure that make like at-least four!” I call out.

I don’t even want to think about the headache that I will get when we make it to the library.

“Arabella it seriously can’t be that bad.” Valentina states, the annoyance in her voice is clear.

It is in fact that bad. This headache is so bad that I am willingly laying on the floor that is covered in dust.

Even though the pain is slowly subsidding, it was more than a headache. It feels like my entire body is on fire.

“When you get sick you better not ask me to make you anymore potions.” She complained. I listen as her footsteps fade. She probably is just as excited as I was when I first discovered this place.

I slowly get up, my joints screaming in agony with each step that I take.

How embarrassing would it be for me to cast a powerful spell on my enemy just to be taken down by my body’s weakness from the power of it?

I glance over to the table that I used the very last time that I was here. I won’t have to look much because I didn’t bother on putting the books that I was looking through back where I found them.

I walk over to the table that is holding eight or so books. One of them holds all of the secrets to the moonstone. Finding and executing the spell will be the most important thing in my life.

Marisol is important to Lucian.

Unfortunately, Lucian is important to me.

There is no denying that.

I roll my eyes before taking a seat at the table, and picking up one of of the books from the pile.

After a while Valentina came prancing over to me, her hands filled to the brim with worn looking leather books. “This place is amazing!” She gushes.

I look up and smile at her. “What’d you find?” I ask her.

She drops the books on the table, her grin widening. “These are all journals full of potions! Not just healing ones! Ones that can enhance body functions, help plants grow and so much more! This place is so amazing!”

I smile at her before glancing back at my book before looking at her again. “I should have brought you here sooner.” I said with a small smile.

“I’m just glad that you brought me here at all! This place is too good to share.” She giggles. “All of this information will help us when we settle in one of the islands.”

“No, we can’t stay in any of the Polynesian islands.” My voice comes out harsher than I intended. I clear my throat before speaking again. “Lucian has made it very clear in his own way that he knows that is where I would choose to hide out.”

Valentina’s eyebrow raises. “What do you mean?” She asked.

I look up from the book, and let out a sigh thinking back to the shock I felt when he walked into the room with the flowers. “While he was holding me captive he made sure to walk into the room with a vase full of Teuila flowers.”

Valentina’s eyes widen as she grips onto the table that I am sitting at to steady herself. “Those only grow here!” She exclaims.

I place the book down. “I know that. I don’t know if he came here and got them himself, or sent one of his pack members. He could have had a witch do a preserving spell so they wouldn’t die since they really aren’t equipped for the climate in the pack lands. I don’t even know how he knew the exact island. He just wanted to make sure that I knew that he knows.” That cocky wolf. He has shown me more than once that he’s always one step ahead of me, so we shouldn’t stay in the place for long.

The very last time he one upped me has shown that no matter what I plan ahead, or if I act on impulse he will always win against me. There simply isn’t anything that I can do to win. So the only choice that Valentina and I have now is to run. Run and stay hidden.

“Bella.” Valentina’s command breaks me out of my trance. Once she confirms that I have her attention she smiles at me. She slowly sits down next to me. “I know that you’ve basically given up on getting revenge against our former coven, but we can’t just let go of what happened to you.”

I sigh. I have been telling myself for the past twelve hours that giving up on revenge is the best thing that I can do. Lucian has shown me too many times before that he knows too much. Me going to get revenge would just be me walking into his trap. I would admit out loud that he’s been impressive, but my ego just won’t allow it. “Letting them get away with what they have done to me is the last thing that I want to do, but I have to.”

“No.” She states firmly.

My eyes widen at her statement.

“They just don’t get to win!” Valentina continues. “Even if you can’t get revenge against them all we both can agree that one of them needs to pay.”

The silence is almost deafening. We both know exactly who she is speaking on.

My mother.

The same person who demanded that I be killed once it was revealed that I was a siphon witch. When they rejected that she is the one who petitioned to the whole coven to have me thrown out. After the coven leader agreed to throw me out, there were many assassination attempts against me. I have to assume that she was the one behind them.

“It would be less time consuming if you were to just eliminate her and then return to the pack to help Marisol and then flee.” She breaks the silence.

Even though she never said it out loud, I know that she has been hoping that I would just throw away my entire escape plan. That way we could move to one of the Polynesian islands and live there peacefully for the rest of our lives. So to hear her encouragement to do what I have been craving to do for the past decade is almost invigorating. Even though I won’t be getting rid of the entire coven who turned their backs on me, I’ll still be riding the earth of the mother who turned her back on her daughter. Slowly a smile crept onto my face. “It’s a solid plan, but for now let’s just focus on this.”

She nods, and we fall back in silence as I comb through the stack of books that I picked out.

Most of the books have the same information that I already know. The coven of siphon witches are the only ones who had the moonstone. It’s filled with pure magic, which means that it has been blessed. I just need to figure out exactly how they got it.

When I finally see a page that is just a drawing of the moonstone I finally realize that I found what I have been looking for.

“It didn’t even take me a hour!” I brag as slam the book down on the table.

“Read it to me!” Valentina exclaims as she places her book that is filled with knowledge on potions on the table. She places her elbow on the table, her face resting on her palm.

We smile at one another before I pick up the book.

“The moonstone is our source of power. All of the witches that are apart of the Siphone coven are able to draw their power from the moonstone and not worry about harmimg those that hold magic within them. This stone is so powerful that everyone apart of our coven can draw power from it at the same time. The moonstone is filled with pure magic because it was a gift from-“ I cut myself off as my eyes go over the sentence over and over again.

“I knew that I was right!” I exclaim.

Valentina quirks her eyebrow at me. “Right about what?” She asks.

“The stone is filled with pure magic, just like Marisol is and apparently Lucian. We’ll talk about the whole pure magic thing and Lucian in a second. Marisol was saved by the moon goddess when she was a baby, she filled her with her magic to keep her alive. So in theory what she uses when she is having visions and healing others is a form of light magic. The moonstone was a gift to the siphon witches from the moon goddess. So the same magic within this rock is the same magic that Marisol needs.”

Valentina’s eyes widen. “You are a genius!”

I smirk at her. “Yeah I guess I am.”

I don’t want to voice that I am a little unnerved about the fact that the wolve’s moon goddess is the one who helped the Siphon coven. I just don’t see why? The witches have always despised the wolves, yet the woman that they worship was ready to help them?

It doesn’t make any sense.

I am going to have to look into this more, without telling Valentina. She will probably find some way to connect this with me and Lucian belonging with one another.

I reach in my pocket and pull out the moonstone. The answer to all of the pack lands problems. “I assume all she needs to do is absorb some of the pure magic from this, and she will go back to being normal.” I stare at the stone some more. “I guess Marisol is technically a hybrid.” I look up at Valentina and shrug.

“That is really cool. Now we just need to figure out how we are going to do what needs to be done, and not leave any loose ends.” Valentina says.

“You don’t have to worry. There’s no rush. I already have a plan cooked up for us.”

note: Spell Bound is slowly wrapping up! If you can please give my story a review! I am open to all constructive criticism. I’ll soon post a preview for the next book a part of the Bound Series on my wall. Any guesses on which male wolf this book will feature?