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“That was after my father was poisoned,” Jesse whispers, pressing his lips to my temple. “You cannot blame yourself for this.”
“Can you fix him, Aunt Bernie?” Steph asks, and Bernadette shakes her head solemnly.
“Only the witch who cast the spell can reverse it.”
“How are we supposed to find them?” I ask, my voice edged with a bit of hysteria. “Jesse and the others have been looking for days and can’t even find a hint of a trail.”
“I’m here now. I can help,” Bernadette says firmly.
“We lure them to us,” Steph says before anyone can respond to Bernadette’s offer.
“No,” the old witch says, her voice resonating with finality as if she knows exactly what Steph is inferring.
“What do you mean, lure them to us?” I ask.
Steph keeps her eyes on her aunt, her back stiff and her chest out as she says, “They’ve been looking for me my whole life. I’m an irresistible temptation. Remove the bindings on my magic, Aunt Bernadette. They’ll know I’m here. They’ll come right to us…for me.”
34
THE UNBINDING
“Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”
We’re all crowded into Jesse’s bathroom, the only place where we can talk privately without tipping off the vampire who betrayed the king and everyone else living in the manor. Jesse hurried us in here after Steph suggested Bernadette unbind her magic to lure her father and sister here. And Bernadette has been staunchly refusing for the last half hour.
“I’m not so sure it will make a difference,” I say, inserting myself into the argument for the first time.
“What?” Steph says, looking at me as if I’ve stabbed her right in the back.
Steeling my spine, I forge ahead. “If we’re right, if there is a traitor here at Belloy Manor, then your father already knows you’re here, Steph. Or if he doesn’t, he will soon enough. Someone let him or Shannon in to poison the king’s food source. That same person will surely inform him of your arrival here.”
“Eden is right,” Jesse says with a firm nod. “I have Erik and Leif keeping an eye on whoever leaves the manor today, but there’s no way to know how this traitor is contacting the witches. He or she could be texting––wait, who is Steph’s father? You’ve never mentioned his name.”
“That was intentional,” Bernadette says slowly. “There are spells that can be cast to alert the caster should anyone speak their name. I’ve refrained from saying it aloud to prevent him from knowing we’re discussing him.”
“But you’ve said Shannon’s name. Is it possible she has cast the same spell?” I ask.
“That’s unlikely,” Bernadette says. “Shannon isn’t powerful enough to withstand the effects of the spell. With a name as common as hers, she’d be bombarded day and night with mental…I guess notifications is the best word to describe it so you’ll understand. She’d be bombarded with mental notifications that have nothing to do with her, and she’d go mad within a few days.”
“But my father can handle it,” Steph adds. “And apparently, his name is so unique, it’s doubtful anyone would be saying it unless they were talking about him. Aunt Bernie hasn’t even told me what it is.”
“I cannot risk it, just as I cannot risk unbinding your powers,” Bernadette says firmly.
“But if dear old dad and the evil twin already know I’m here, then there’s no point in trying to continue to hide me, is there?” Steph shoots back. “They’ll come for me, and I’ll be a sitting duck without my powers. Wouldn’t it be safer if I could protect myself?”
My gaze shoots to Bernadette as I wonder if she’ll have an argument for that. She opens her mouth, then snaps it closed as her expression turns helpless.
“I can’t lose you, Stephanie. I love you too much to risk it.”
“I love you, too,” Steph replies. “But your chances of losing me are much higher if you leave me bound and unable to defend myself. You must see that.”
Jesse’s hand slips around mine, holding it tightly as we remain silent, letting these two work this out between them. Bernadette gives her a pained look, but doesn’t respond for several beats as Steph holds her ground. Finally, Bernadette’s shoulders slump in defeat.
“You’re right.”
Steph moves closer, taking her aunt’s hand and squeezing it tightly. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
“We’ll have to cast the spell in here,” Bernadette says, straightening to her full height as her voice strengthens with authority. “Casting a spell this powerful leaves me defenseless, and I’d prefer not to give the traitor an opportunity to attack while I’m performing it. Steph, you need to lie down.”
