Bombshell (Monstrous Ink #2)

Chapter 18

“ E ffie, no!” I skidded into the cave, Odette hot on my heels just in time to watch Effie wrap her hand around something in the basin in front of her.

A wave of magic burst out from her, washing over everyone in the cave and beyond.

The roar from the approaching wave outside faded and the dangerous sizzle that had been hanging around in the air for months faded completely.

But I didn’t give a shit about any of that.

All I cared about was the witch standing in the middle of this damn cave while everyone stood by and let her attach herself to a greater being and lose herself.

I stomped across the sand, shoving James Reid out of my way on my quest to get to my mate, my hearts beating a wild staccato in my ears as I rounded the basin and was met with a blank, glowing stare.

Effie’s lips were open slightly as she continued to look forward, unseeing even as I stood in front of her.

“Lass,” I reached for her, cupping her face gently in my hands. “Lass, look at me.”

“She can’t,” Arsenio said. “Not any more. Now her job is to keep the Source happy so it keeps our barriers up and our people safe.”

“Fuck you,” I spat at him, my eyes never leaving Effie’s face.

I reached out for her through our bond and immediately hit a wall. That scared me more than anything. We’d been so in tune over the past couple of months and now it was like… it was like she was gone completely.

“No, don’t do this to me,” I murmured, searching her face for anything to tell me she was still able to hear me.

“Daddy, how could you do this?” Odette snapped angrily as she rounded on her father.

“Odette, darling, what are you doing out of the house?” For once Arsenio seemed out of his element now that he was faced with an angry daughter.

“You get her out of there right now and find a different Guardian,” Odette demanded.

“It doesn’t work like that. It would take more magic than you or I could ever possess to sever that bond, besides Euphemia chose this all on her own to save the people she loves. Isn’t that nice?”

I ignored both of them, giving Effie a little shake before reaching down for the hand that had a death grip on what looked like a brooch.

“I wouldn’t do that—” Alexander began but I was already touching it. The contact felt like a million volts of electricity coursing through my veins—so much that I was worried that my heart would stop completely if I didn’t let go of it.

I yanked my hand away, watching as smoke rose from my burned palm.

“What the fuck?” I muttered as Alexander just shook his head.

“I tried to warn you—the Source is like a magical current running through her right now. Trying to separate the two of them by force will just end with a whole lot of pain for you.”

As I tried to think of ways to save my mate, Arsenio’s earlier words finally sank in. “He said that a more powerful magic could break the connection, right?”

Alexander’s eyes narrowed speculatively. “What are you thinking?”

My mind went back to the night of the gala when we were talking about what a true mate bond would be like.

‘It’s very loud,’ my own words echoed in my head.

“Would a mating bond work?”

Alexander’s dark brows rose as he considered it. “Maybe, but you run the risk of tethering your mind in there with her if it’s not strong enough.”

That was fine by me. If this didn’t work I wasn’t sure if I wanted to live in a world without Effie Finch anyway.

“What are you doing?” Arsenio seemed to finally realize that something was happening .

“If I can get these cuffs off, I can keep him away from you,” Alexander whispered, glancing from me to the faerie man. “I just need the key.”

“You mean this key?” Odette said, holding up the glowing black key that she’d somehow managed to pull from James’ pocket without him noticing.

The wizard grabbed for it but she danced out of his reach. “Catch!”

Everyone in the cave watched as the key sailed across the space and I caught it.

“Try to give me enough time to seal the bond,” I told Alexander as I popped the key in the lock of his cuffs and twisted it. They fell away, hitting the sand with a dull thud.

Alexander rolled his neck, a look of determination on his face. “I can give you a hell of a lot more than that. Just get my daughter out of there.”

His fists began to glow as he rounded on Arsenio and James.

I turned back to Effie who was still staring blankly ahead. I gripped her face in my hands again.

“Lass, you’re probably going to be upset about this later,” I told her softly. “But I’ll let you punish me all you want once I pull you out of there.”

I let out a shaky breath, thinking about all of my father’s stories about the day he sealed his mate bond with my mother.

“You just have to want it and be open to each other, wee yin,” he told me when I was little and I sat on his knee by the fire .

My mother had snorted from her place by the hearth where she was stirring a pot of something that smelled vaguely minty. It had probably been a tincture to sell to the local humans. “I wouldn’t call you covering me in your magic being open to each other, my love.”

Then my father had laughed his husky, robust laugh and slid me off of his knee so that he could go and kiss her.

It wasn’t exactly a step-by-step on how to bond with Effie, but it was a start.

Reaching inward, I felt for the tiny kernel of magic that I possessed. It was nothing compared to Effie’s vast fountain, but it would hopefully be enough to trigger the bond.

Pushing it toward her, I felt a resistance from the Source’s magic, like it didn’t want to let go of her.

Which was too damn bad. Effie was mine and I’d be damned if I let an ugly brooch keep her for all eternity.

“This is my mate. The keeper of my soul and the owner of every beat these two hearts make. You will let me in or I swear I will push and push until you give her back and I can assure you that you don’t want to also be stuck with me for an eternity, you damned brooch,” I growled. “I don’t make for very good company.”

It was as if the thing could actually hear me because the barrier between Effie and me started to give way.

I pushed even harder and my legs started to shake from the effort. “Come on, Lass, don’t do this. Come back to me.”