Page 73 of Broken Hearted
There were times when her magic had swelled, threatening to pull me under thanks to the rune she’d put on my chest, but I always fought against it. Time and time again I brought up Isolde’s face in my mind’s eye and focused on my mate, and the effects of Elisana’s magic had dimmed. But it was a tricky line to walk, keeping Elisana believing I was in love with her while searching for a way to break her soul-tie with Seraphina so that I could kill her.
Especially since the witch barely let me out of her sight.
I was running out of time. The only thing keeping Elisana from insisting we take our vows immediately was the return of her mother, who’d been blessedly absent since I arrived.
I’d never met the woman but apparently, as the leader of Elisana’s coven, she was the one who would preside over our nuptials. Elisana was anxious about the delay, but determined to have her mother marry us. She didn’t say anything directly, but I got the impression from little things she said here and there that her mother would be able to bind us in ways that were more permanent and deeper than simple marriage vows.
A fact that horrified me.
According to Elisana, her mother was expected to return any day now.
There was no way that I would ever betray Isolde and utter vows to another woman, much less the blood witch who had enthralled me, so once her mother appeared, it was only a matter of time before Elisana discovered I was faking my affections for her.
As restricted as I was right now with the rune on my chest, I would no doubt be in chains or worse when my deception wasdiscovered. I had to find a way to break this soul-tie before that happened, so I was waiting for Elisana to drift off so that I could search her home for something useful.
It was well into the night when I was finally confident Elisana was deep in sleep. Her breaths were slow and even as she snored softly.
I held my own breath as I carefully sat up and slid off the couch. I padded to the door in my stockinged feet, my gaze fastened on the lump underneath her covers the whole time. The door squeaked as I pulled it open and I froze, waiting for Elisana to jump out of bed. But she didn’t wake and only turned in her sleep.
Opening it just wide enough to fit me, I squeezed through the doorway as soundlessly as possible and crept down the stairs.
There was one place in Elisana’s house that she’d been careful to keep me out of. It was a small room off the kitchen that I’d only gotten a glimpse of once when she ducked in to return her wand. From the brief look I’d gotten, I’d seen jars, vials, ingredients for her potions, and stacks of books. If there was information somewhere in this home about how to break a soul-tie, I was willing to bet it would be there, but when I reached the room, the door was locked.
I let out a quiet groan of frustration. If I had my powers, I could easily send shadows into the lock to pick it. Without them, I could break the door down with force, but that would undoubtedly wake Elisana.
I cast my gaze around the kitchen, looking for something I could use to pick the lock or unscrew the hinges, when I caught a set of eyes peering at me through the kitchen window. I almost shouted in surprise before recognition settled in.
“Eldon?” I mouthed, and my most loyal spy pulled back his hood to reveal the rest of his face to me.
So not all of my men had fled with Isolde. That was both comforting and terrifying. I hoped she and her sister had made it out okay.
I gestured for him to go around to the door that was off the kitchen, and he nodded again and disappeared briefly. It was late, so there was a good chance no one was walking around to see him, but I didn’t want to take any chances of being seen speaking with him.
“My lord,” Eldon said quietly as he entered the kitchen, his voice barely a whisper. “I’ve had to stay concealed during the day, but I’ve caught several glimpses of you from afar, and you’ve seemed … not quite yourself.” Concern was written all over the spy’s face and his gaze darted around as if he expected Elisana to appear at any moment.
I knew what he was trying to say. He wanted to know if I was under Elisana’s thrall again or not.
“I am in control,” I told him. “Now that Isolde and I have solidified our mate bond, Elisana’s magic isn’t strong enough to sway me. I can feel it trying to work, but I’ve been able to push it aside. I’ve been acting around her this whole time.”
“Mate bond? Congratulations, my lord. I’m so glad to hear you’ve only been acting,” he said, his voice infused with relief.
“Where is Isolde?” I asked, conflicted on whether I wanted her to be far away and safe, or close by.
“She fled with Leif and the rest of the men. They headed for the Western Kingdom to seek help from your brother, Zane. I stayed behind to keep an eye on you.”
Relief that Isolde was most likely safely tucked away in Windreum right now outweighed any disappointment that she wasn’t near. “Good, I’m glad she’s safe. My brother will take care of her, and thank you for staying behind to look after me.” Good men were hard to find. I’d have to promote him when I eventually made it out of this mess.
“We should leave, my lord, before the witch awakens,” Eldon said, casting a frantic look in the direction of the stairs that led up to Elisana’s bedroom.
“We can’t just yet,” I said and explained to him quickly that we needed to try to find something to help break the soul-tie between Seraphina and Elisana. Then we could flee.
After telling him that the door to Elisana’s secret room was locked, Eldon reached into a pouch at his waist and pulled out a small case that held long, thin pieces of metal. Some were straight and others had slightly hooked ends.
Lock picking tools.
Stepping aside, I let him attend to the lock and after only a few moments there was a click and the door popped open.
“Quick. Help me look for anything that might be useful to break a soul-tie.” I pointed to the rows of small bottles positioned on shelves across from me. “Check all the labels and I’ll check these books.”
