Page 73 of Lunar Diamonds
We followed the spell, my heart jackhammering. I paid the toll and pierced my skin with a needle Ollie handed me, Drake doing the same.
Here we go.
I linked arms with Isaac for greater resistance to the force of the spellcasting at Erin‘s suggestion, pointing out that two was always better than one.
“And three at some point,” she’d also mumbled.
The water bubbled without any heat, the surface shimmering an iridescent green glow. Magic bloomed in my hands, ready to be clapped out.
I made eye contact with Drake, then counted us down to say the words together.
“Transform Soul Bond!” I clapped, the magic bouncing from my hand into the cauldron.
Bubble, bubble, to?—
…kaboom!
Chapter 19
DRAKE
An explosion of magic caused a rising wind that sucked the air from my lungs.
I lifted into the air, Riley mirroring me. We floated side by side, moving to face each other. Spirals of green energy held me in place. Every muscle froze, throbbing with pain, shadows dancing on the edges of my vision.
“What—” My mouth clamped shut.
Riley reached out a balled hand, his fingers unfurling into a claw. Pain screamed in my chest, a violent whistling in my ears.
The magical spirals closed in tighter, pinning my arms to my body. Riley’s eyes blazed like cerulean fires, staring directly into my soul. His hair rippled in the wind, everything about him godly.
Celestial.
Sacred.
My goodness, you are so beautiful…
Slowly, his fingers closed, the pain in my chest intensifying to the point of being white-hot. And I couldn’t scream, helpless in this magical grip.
I felt something crack like breaking bone, a jolt of incredible agony surging through me. Dark spots danced in my vision, the cries of Rhianna in my head.
Her voice, calling my name.
Her voice, cursing my name.
She clawed at me, desperate to hold on. But ribbons of shadows left my body. They curled through the air, drawn to Riley’s closing hand.
He was doing it. He was really breaking Rhianna’s bond.
“Don’t leave me!” Rhianna screamed, her voice fading.
Goodbye to this ridiculous engagement.
Goodbye to that six-month blip in my life. I might be stuck with Riley for the next ten years, but fine by me. He wasn’t like her. He wasn’t like any of them. And I would make our time together as frictionless as possible. I would never stand in his way—be it in his work or his love life.
A stunning man like him must get a lot of attention.
The shadows reached Riley, forming a sphere in his hand. His fingers closed around it, silvery-blue magic spreading across its surface. It flooded the sphere with new color, changing its shape, wearing it down into a crescent moon.
