“There has to be something.” She gazed down at her copy of the receipt and frowned. “Well anyway, let’s go sit in the back and take a look at that amulet.”
I flipped through a book on zombies while she locked up. It was impossible to tell if it was fiction or if the writer had believed every word to be truth. I would certainly take such things with a grain of salt. Although, considering Gabriel was working resurrection spells, perhaps I should consider reading up on zombies more thoroughly. As much as I didn’t want to, I would find out why Shya had Gabriel doing such spells. And hopefully, I would find a way to stop it.
We sat at the table in the cluttered back storage room. I pulled the amulet from my bag, more drawn to it now than ever before. The teardrop-shaped, smooth, black stone warmed at my touch.
“Oh yes, I remember this one.” Brogan took the amulet and turned it over in careful examination. “It’s definitely been spelled. I can do a revelation spell. It should reveal what exactly my mother did to it without touching her spell.”
I gestured for her to go ahead. This was not my area of expertise. I watched in silent wonder as Brogan fetched a few supplies. After lighting blue candles and sprinkling some fine powder into the flames, she spoke a phrase in Latin, and the amulet began to glow. My heart jumped when she slowly passed the amulet through the candle flame. To my utter shock, an image began to form on the surface. The faint outline of a yin yang glimmered in the candlelight. I sucked in a breath and held it.
“It’s made of black onyx,” Brogan began. “A stone meant for grounding, for connection to the earth and its energy. It has the ability to ward off negative energy given off by others. Only natural energy though. It won’t do much against someone like Shya.”
“Hurst said it will keep my wolf inside me when I die a mortal death. Can you verify that?”
“Yes. It feels like my mom tied the spell to you. I can feel its purpose. It won’t be activated until your death. Then it should bind your wolf to the amulet, keeping it safe until your transition is complete.” She handed the amulet back with a gentle smile. “My mom always was so good at planning ahead.”
“How did she know?” I asked, going back to my final conversations with Lena. She had known about Arys and me. She’d been the first to tell me our bond was meant to be. Could she have known the risk it posed to my wolf?
Brogan shook her blonde head, and her smile grew. “Even now, Mom never stops surprising me. She was so intuitive.”
“She gave me the greatest gift. I wish I could thank her.” Sorrow gripped me in its rough clutches. Lena’s death had come at the hands of two members of the blood ring. I’d killed both Claire and Maxwell, but it would never be enough. I couldn’t bring her back.
I gave Brogan’s arm a friendly pat. “You know I owe you, right? For life. Seriously. Anything you need, anything I can ever do. Don’t hesitate.”
She started to protest then thought better of it. “Thank you, Alexa. That means a lot to me. My mom really loved you.” A solemn silence fell as we each remembered Lena in our own way. Then Brogan snapped out of it, her cheery tone tight and forced. “Let me turn that amulet into a pendant for you. It’s best if you wear it. All the time. Even in the shower.”
Just ten minutes later, the shiny onyx stone was ready to wear. Using a special drill made for such things, Brogan drilled a small hole in the top of the teardrop. She slipped it onto a strong piece of leather, which I tied securely around my neck.
The moment the stone lay against my chest, a slight dizzy spell hit me. It aligned itself to the earthy energy of my wolf, and a sense of serene calm spread through me. It felt right. I could have cried with relief. I might lose my light, but I would not lose my wolf.
I gave Brogan a hug and said goodnight. Halfway to the door she stopped me with a frantic plea. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help Gabriel. If he’s ever in trouble or anything…”
“I’ll keep you posted, but I won’t get you involved. As long as you’re not on anybody’s radar, I won’t do anything to change that.”
As I exited Toil and Trouble, I made a silent vow to keep that promise. Too many people I loved were already under Shya’s thumb in one way or another. The precious few that were not part of that needed to stay that way.