Completely out of patience, I snarled viciously at her, letting my wolf dangerously close to the surface.
Both girls cowered and took off through the trees, back toward the school.
If I were a better man, I would have accompanied them to ensure they made it safely.
But they no longer had a precious and dangerous book with them. And more importantly, Bella needed my help.
“Hold on, my love,” I murmured to her. “We’ll be home soon.”
31
Bella
I awoke before dawn. For a moment, I thought I must have died and gone to another place.
But when I opened my eyes, I found myself in Luke’s bed instead.
There was a sound like rain falling, and it took me a moment to realize it was only Luke showering. At once, everything came rushing back - the warlock, the hellhound, my friends…
The book.
I shot up in a panic, but spotted it immediately, on the bedside table, propped up in such a way as to be the first thing I saw upon waking up. Luke must have known I’d be worried about it.
The last thing I remembered was the hellhound attacking and something leaping out of the woods.
Luke.
That big furry thing must have been Luke. I had been too exhausted and half-blind at that point to recognize his other form.
I hugged my knees to my chest, thinking about how lucky I was that he had come.
I would have died. We all would have. And it would have been my fault.
I glanced over at the book again. I had almost died trying to do magic on my own. I wouldn’t be able to learn what I needed from a book. There was only one way I could have any hope to learn enough to help Jon.
I had to go back to school.
The thought tore my heart apart inside my chest. Tears streamed down my face and the spell that bound me to Luke sizzled and seared me from the inside out.
I would be a shadow of myself, but my sweet brother was already suffering, so there was no reason for me not to. I had ruined his life. If I had to sacrifice my own to put things right, I was glad to do it.
If I was distracted, I would work through it. I would work through the pain of losing Luke. Even, somehow, the pain of having to watch him choose another woman in front of me one night.
Maybe I could find a way to break the spell that had me obsessed with him. If I did that, then everything else would be easier.
I grabbed the book and stepped out of bed, but my legs nearly gave out under me.
How long was I out?
Slowly, I lowered myself to the floor and began to crawl for the door to the bedroom. It seemed so far away.
I pushed onward, knowing I could do this, I could do anything with the love for my brother as my fuel. But every foot was harder than the one before.
It’s the spell. The binding spell is trying to keep me from leaving.
I wouldn’t give it the satisfaction of giving up. I crawled past the kitchen and dining area and pulled myself to my knees to open the front door.
Outside, the grass was fragrant and dewy. I stopped to try and slip the book into the front of my dress. I couldn’t risk wetting it.
A roar split the air, the pain behind it enough to shatter my world.
The ground rumbled under me, and then Luke was scooping me up off the grass, lifting me into his arms.
“Why?” he groaned.
His eyes were blazing. I was lost in them, lost to my need for this man, even as I mourned all that I would have to give up if I wanted to be his.
But I wasn’t going to give up my magic. I wasn’t going to give up on my brother.
“I’m leaving,” I said, hoping my voice sounded stronger than I felt.
“I can see that,” he replied. “Would you mind telling me what I did wrong to make that happen?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I told him, feeling suddenly tired. “But I have to go back to school. And nothing, not the mate bond, not whatever spell you and the witches put on me, is going to stop that from happening.”
“Spell?” he asked, looking genuinely confused.
“Please don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean,” I said. “At first I was attracted to you and I could feel that pull that I figured must be the mate bond. But now, there’s something else, something so much stronger. I can’t stop thinking about you night and day, I can’t concentrate in class, or on my friendships. I’m having a hard time remembering my priorities, because all I can think of is you. It has to be some kind of spell.”
“Bella,” he said with the hint of a smile in his voice. “There is no spell.”
“Of course there is,” I told him. “Everything changed for me after our second night together. It was like I wasn’t in control anymore.”
“It changed for me too,” he told me. “It changed because I got to know you, because I care for you.”
“No,” I said. But as I thought back to that night, I realized there might be some truth to what he was saying.
“I love you, Bella, mate bond aside,” he told me softly. “Which means I want you to be happy.”
He took a deep breath and kissed my forehead.
“Bella,” he went on. “You can refuse our bond. I will honor your wishes and I won’t try to change your mind. You’ve spent your three nights with me, so you’ve fulfilled your obligation. You can go back to the school and be free. I’ll take you there myself. I don’t want you to stay with me for one more minute, if you don’t want to.”
“I do want to stay with you,” I heard myself say. “But I don’t want to leave school. There’s so much I need to learn.”
“Who said
