“Can you break the bond?” I asked.
“Maybe,” Star said. “I’ve never tried. And in all honesty, I think the best I could do would be to break it on one end. He’d still come for you.”
“I’ll take what I can get. My feelings for him are dangerous. They’re going to get me or one of my friends killed,” I said.
“You can’t afford the spell,” she said.
“Name your price.” I could have brought up that she never completed the other spell Alec paid her for, but I didn’t care. I had to stop feeling this way about Tyler.
“It’s not about a tangible price,” she said. “It’s the price the magic will take. I won’t be responsible for what it might cost you.”
“I’ll take my chances,” I said.
“I won’t be blamed if this turns out badly,” she said.
“It’s on me,” I said.
“Alright, fine. I’ll give it a try.” She didn’t sound confident. “Take my hands.”
I stepped closer and stretched out my hands to hers. Her touch felt like ice, and I nearly pulled away on reflex.
“You sure about this?” She locked her eyes on mine.
I nodded. “Just do it.”
After a deep breath, she closed her eyes. I followed, figuring it was a better idea not to watch. My hands began to tingle as what I could only guess was magic moving through me. I felt it travel up my arms and down my spine.
Star mumbled something and I opened one eye to peek at her. Her lips moved slowly, and her forehead was wrinkled in deep concentration.
I squeezed my eyes closed and forced myself to remain calm. It was possible I was making a terrible mistake, but desperation makes us do dangerous things. I was less afraid of Star and her magic than I was of completing the bond with Tyler.
The tingling intensified until it was bordering on painful. I winced, fighting the urge to pull my hands away. Then suddenly, the sensation was gone. I opened my eyes. “Is it over?”
Star looked at me and lowered her hands. “That’s the best I can do. I don’t think it’s permanent. The bond is stronger than I anticipated, but it should give you a break for a few days.”
“A few days?” Was that long enough to get through this insane plot with Spencer?
“Athank youwould be enough,” she said.
“You’re right. Thank you,” I replied.
“You should get some sleep. I heard the others talking and they’ve got big plans for you in the morning.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You wanted to learn how to be a wolf, right? It sounds like they intend to teach you. Fast. Trial by fire sort of shit.”
“Wonderful.” It was probably what I needed. Especially now with the possible break from the bond for a short time. “How will I know if your spell was successful?”
“Well, I guess you think about your mate and see if you want to kill him or fuck him,” she said with a shrug.
I frowned. I tried so hard to avoid thinking about Tyler. The idea of fixating on him wasn’t something I was fond of, but it made sense.
She grabbed her goggles and slid them back over her eyes. “Sleep well.” Star turned back to her work, clearly done with me.
“Night,” I called to her as I headed to the steps. On my walk up, I let my mind wander to Tyler. I thought of the time he’d tossed a black widow spider on me during gym class when we were fourteen. The times he slammed me into lockers, or tripped me in the hall, and cruel comments swirled in my mind. Finally, I thought of the look of complete contempt he’d given me before letting his friends trap me in the cave to die.
By the time I reached the yellow room, I was seething. There was not a single redeeming quality about my mate. Tyler deserved all the bad things that were coming his way. And I was going to bring them to him.
I smiled as I realized that whatever Star had done, it worked. If her spell bought me even a few days of freedom from thinking kindly about my tormenter, I would take it. At this moment, I didn’t care if there was a price to pay. I was going to enjoy feeling like I had some control over my emotions for however long it lasted. With any luck, the bond would be broken before this passed. Tyler had to go. One way or another, that bond had to be eliminated permanently.