Page 80 of Monsters in Love

I think about everything he’s told me. His duty as protector, his inability to save Alice from the men who strangled her, his desperate need for forgiveness…

“I think I understand,” I say slowly. “Technically, every Winslow woman since then is a daughter of Mary. She was Celeste’s ancestor, my grandma’s, my mom’s, and mine too. And yesterday, you helped save me from Chad, when I really thought he might hurt me or worse, from the fate that Alice suffered. Plus I totally forgive you for what happened with her. You weren’t to blame—that’s on those horrible men. I think…I think you saved one of Mary’s daughters and earned your absolution. I think that’s why the stone is glowing. It’s letting you know that the curse is ended.”

“Does that mean you can give it back to me now?”

“In theory, maybe? I’m not sure. I sort of thought that once the curse was broken, you’d automatically reabsorb it or whatever.”

“Okay, so is it simply a matter of using the right spell to return it to me?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Every instinct is telling me the spell isn’t really the important part. There are plenty of ways to break a binding. It’s much harder to create one than to break them.” I pause and think. “Wait a second, Mary’s grimoire said something about that. Her preferred method for binding spells…” I grab the book and read over her craft notes again. “Bloodstones such as garnets or rubies work best for binding rituals.”

Luc points to my necklace. “Rubies like that one?”

I blink at him in wonder and unhook the pendant I always wear, a small ruby charm. “My mom gave this to me when I was 10. It’s a family heirloom, but I’ve never thought that much about it. But now that you mention it, I’m wondering if there’s more to it.”

I set it next to the heartstone, and almost instantly, the ruby begins to glow with the same eerie red light.

“Mon Dieu,” Luc breathes.

“That charm has been in my family for generations. Maybe it was originally Mary’s? Maybe it was the stone she used in the binding. But what are the odds that I would have it now, just when we need it most?”

I pick up both items and can instantly feel the magic coursing between them, like an electrical buzz. They’re definitely connected in some way. I close my eyes and try to completely relax, letting myself feel the tone and cadence of the magic in each item. Spells are often like fingerprints, with an energy unique to themselves. But I can’t sense any difference between the heartstone and the ruby, suggesting that the magic in each stems from the same source.

I open my eyes.

“Luc, this is it. It wasn’t that I needed to find the right spell. I just needed the right charm. The other half of theoriginalspell.”

Was this Celeste’s doing? She knew where the heartstone was, so she probably knew the pendant was connected to it. Did she ensure Mom gave me the necklace all those years ago, because she knew this day would come? That I would feel compelled by the full moon to go wandering through the maze and find the box?

Still holding both objects in open palms, I begin to chant, using the strongest releasing spell I know. I can feel the energy shifting from the heartstone to the pendant, setting the heartstone free of Mary’s magic, and I know with every ounce of my being that this is going to work.

“Binding magic, come undone.

Set your victim free.

What was two, return to one.

As I will, so mote it be.”

I keep the chant going, transferring the energy, and the heartstone begins to float.

Mr. Biscuit, who is still sitting in the middle of everything, goes wide-eyed and lifts a paw. Luc gently moves the cat as the stone lifts out of my palm, hovers for a few seconds, and then begins to drift toward him as he watches in awe. We both stare as it picks up speed, zooms toward his chest, and thenpoof!, disappears inside him.

He grunts and presses a palm to his sternum, pain contorting his features. “It hurt when she ripped it free, but it seems returning it is no less agonizing.” He hunches and breathes slowly, taking deep inhalations to manage the pain. After a few beats, he sits up, his face suffusing with joy. “You did it! I can feel it settling back into place. And the pain is subsiding.”

I sigh and lean back, drained by the intensity and focus required by the spell. “I’m so glad. You never deserved to be trapped here. Now you can finally go home.” I fasten my necklace back on, now that it’s returned to its normal, non-glowing ruby state.

“Home,” Luc says pensively. “Do you want me to leave?”

I shoot him a quizzical look. “What? No, of course not. This last month has been amazing. Despite everything we’ve been dealing with, I’ve loved spending time with you. Getting to know you. But I also know how anxious you are to get back to France. To others of your kind. And you were pretty clear about not wanting to be here when I turned the place into a B&B, what with all the workers and mayhem. Besides, we had a deal. You held up your end.”

“If I wanted to stay, would you change your plans? About the B&B, I mean. Now that you no longer need the money.”

I blink at him; it hadn’t occurred to me that he might not go back to France the absolute second he could. “Uh, I don’t know. If I’d thought there was a chance you might stay, I’d have consulted with you more about the whole thing. Since you were leaving, I didn’t see the point. I mean, I know how you feel about the B&B idea, but I also thought it was moot, since I wasn’t going to do it until you went home.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question.”

“I know I don’t need the money the way I did in the beginning, but I still need a job. Something to do with my time. And Haven’s Hollow relies on tourism, so I think it’s actually a smart business idea.” I meet his gaze, which is intent. “Luc, I’m excited about opening the Mabon Manor Bed and Breakfast. Restoring the house and the property, celebrating holidays, becoming part of Haven’s Hollow again. I don’t want to drive you away, but I also don’t want to give up on my plans. So I guess I don’t have an answer.”

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