Page 81 of Earth-Bound

“Although itiscute of you to say that.”

Matty gave a loud huff and said, “I wastalkinghere, Dum. Joe thinks we missed a spell.”

The ridiculous dragons suddenly snapped into seriousness. “Don’t go near it.”

“Don’t touch it.”

“I can’t even find it,” I muttered. “I’m just going to get these plants out of here and then we’ll leave it.”

We said goodbye and Terrund had to take over because I was starting to feel more and more that I would throw up if I opened my mouth. Whatever that spell was, it was strong and it was deeply, deeply harmful.

Standing in the middle of the room, I looked around. There was the window seat where the plants were, and an old dresser against the far wall. I’d never looked inside it before because it really wasn’t my business. I set off towards it, but stopped. Came back.

I didn’t think the spell was in the dresser. It was worse near the plants.

Slowly, I moved forward and felt the waves of menace radiate out as I stepped closer and closer. When Terrund took my hand in his to offer me some silent support, I nearly fainted. White-hot pain lanced through me and I gave a strangled cry. As soon as Terrund released my hand, the pain receded butit still throbbed at the back of my skull, making it difficult to concentrate.

“Joe?”

I was more and more certain that whatever this thing was, it was under the plants. No. I stood right in front of them, my toes almost touching the window seat, and I was facing the window, looking out through the newly-installed glass. Beyond was the front garden and the slope of grass leading straight to the apple tree. Randall’s apple tree. Terrund’s apple tree.

“It’s here,” I said, and tapped my foot against the floorboard below me. “Right here.”

Terrund reached out for me. His hand was tentative, as though he was wary of causing me more pain.

“Joe? Come away from it. We’ll get the witches to get rid of it once theridireleaves. Please leave it.”

I turned away from the window and took my mate’s hand, and then that pain exploded in my body once again. That pain was the last thing I remembered before I hit the ground, unconscious.

Chapter 33: Terrund

Seeing Joe collapse was the worst moment of my life. Even when Mulgrave had trapped me in my tree, I had at least known I was in contact with the earth and that he couldn’t hurt me any longer. As I watched Joe’s face become pale, then turn grey, I realised that – somehow – Mulgrave had managed to do this. He was still hurting me. He was hurting my mate.

My instinct was to touch Joe, to hold him close, feel his skin under my fingertips, but when I touched him, he groaned as though it was agony. I longed to feel him against me, feel his warmth and his beating heart, but I couldn’t.

Looking around, I tried to decide what to do. I could not feel the origin of the spell that was being worked.

I turned to Joe. I reached out. Stopped. Then I slowly reached for his boots instead.

When I touched them, I watched Joe’s face carefully to make sure my touch wasn’t harming him. He didn’t react, though his pallor was still worryingly grey, and his breath was coming in short bursts, shallow and laboured.

As soon as I realised I could hold his boots without hurting him, I grabbed hold of them and dragged him across the floorboards towards the door. It was difficult to get him out of the master bedroom because I couldn’t touch the rest of him to manoeuvre him, and it was impossible to steer a body by the boots alone. Finally, I took a handful of his shirt and lifted his shoulders, trying not to let my fingers touch his skin.

When I had positioned him, I went back to his boots and dragged him along the landing to the top of the stairs. Obviously, I couldn’t drag him down them.

I felt so helpless.

Even with all the strength I’d regained in the past few days, there was nothing I could do to ease my mate’s suffering.

There was a flash of red fur at the bottom of the stairs and then the vixen bounded up them. She moved restlessly, waiting for me to do something, for me to help Joe. I couldn’t explain to her that there was nothing I could do.

Her dark eyes bored into me accusingly and she darted right up to Joe and licked his chin. His eyes fluttered open again. Even though I could see his pain in the tight lines around his mouth and the pallor of his skin, I felt a rush of relief.

“Joe?”

“Terrund?” He reached out to me and I automatically put my hand out to take his but snatched it back before his fingers could touch mine.

“Don’t touch me, Joe. It hurts you.”

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