Q

“I think the best way to go about this, since it’s our first time, is to do Alina alone.” Peri stood in Vasile’s room, with the six other Fae council members gathered around her.

Vasile stood between the bed where his mate lay and the others in the room.

Peri had asked for Cynthia to be present just in case Vasile lost his cool.

“And what exactly do you expect me to do?” Cynthia had asked Peri.

“Help,” she told her.

“How? Have you ever seen an enraged wolf? There is nothing that I could do to stop him.”

“I know,” Peri patted Cynthia, “but you being in the way would give me time to get away.”

That hadn’t gone over very well with the doctor, but for some reason she had come anyway.

“What exactly are you going to do?” Vasile asked.

“We are going to use the stones and try a cleansing spell. It’s a spell meant to clean out the spirit, to push out any darkness that has gotten in, but I don’t know if it will work to break a spell.”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Peri took a step towards the bed and when Vasile did not move she gave him a pointed look. Finally, after lifting his lip in a snarl, he stepped aside so that she and the others could get closer to his Alpha female.

Peri took the stones of the Fae and laid them around Alina in a circle on the bed. The Fae gathered in a circle around the bed as well and clasped hands. Peri sat down next to Alina and laid her hands on the female’s head. She closed her eyes and she began to chant.

“Alina, Alpha, precious to your mate,

Hear my voice, this is not to be your fate.

The darkness binding, twisting inside

Seeking shadowed places in an attempt to hide.

I call you now from the evil you came,

You are not strong; you have no power I can’t tame.

Alina, mother, precious to your pack,

You fight this evil so we can bring you back.

There is a light in you that is alive in your heart,

No curse or spell can ever touch that part.

I am Perizada. I call on the power of my race,

You are finished; you will leave without a trace.

I will pull you from this body wrap you up tight,

Then cast you far from this place with all my might.

Alina! Hear my voice I command it of you,

Open your eyes to everything that’s true,

Fight the horror fight the fear and lies.

Fight and you will win as darkness dies.

Open your eyes Alina. Open your eyes

Open your eyes.”

Peri’s voice filled with anger as she watched the spell wrapping itself around Alina’s mind. The Alpha was tired and worn out. Her mind was weak and no longer able to pick fact from lie.

“OPEN YOUR DAMN EYES ALINA! YOU WILL NOT LET HER WIN!”

The stones around the she-wolf began to glow so bright they were nearly blinding and still Peri persisted. She yelled as tears streaked her face. This woman she had grown to love, considered a friend, and respected so much, was letting the evil win and that was not acceptable to Peri.

Vasile walked over behind Peri and placed his hand on the Fae’s shoulder. He pulled power into him, wolf magic, and pushed it into Peri along with his thoughts.

“You come back to me Alina; we are not done in this life. Don’t you dare give up!”

He waited for something, anything to tell him she had heard him.

Her eyes fluttered open and, after several blinks, her vision began to clear. Peri shuddered as she felt the spell leaving Alina’s body. She pulled it into her grasp and walked over to Alston. He wrapped his hands around hers and spoke so low that no one could here. When he dropped his hands, Peri opened hers and let out a sigh of relief. It had worked.

“Vasile,” Alina’s voice was weak as she turned to look at him. Tears flooded her eyes and she reached for him. He hesitated and she misunderstood, thinking that he didn’t want to touch her.

“Don’t,” he told her sternly. “You know better than to think such falsehoods. I have always wanted you and will always want you.”

“Then why are you there,” she pointed to where he stood, “and not here?”

“Do you not remember?” He asked.

Alina closed her eyes to think.

“Don’t, please,” Vasile leaned towards her. “Please, don’t close your eyes.”

Alina looked at him and saw in his mind what she had done.

The pain on her face made Vasile’s arms ache to hold her and he shook with the effort to keep from gathering her in his arms.

“Please,” she whispered to his mind. “I am yours.”

“You will allow me to have what is mine?”

“Please, ” was all she could get out.

The pack magic was broken as soon as Alina had confessed her need for him. Vasile climbed into their bed and pulled her into his arms. He didn’t take his eyes off her when he growled at the Fae in the room. “Leave us.”

Peri and Cynthia went from room to room telling the males that she and Cynthia would need to bring all their mates to Cynthia’s room. It was neutral territory and should help the males feel less threatened. Once they had moved all of them, with mostly no problems, Peri explained what had happened with Alina.

“So, she is fine now?” Decebel asked, eagerly.

“Yes, she is curse free and Vasile has his arms around her now. It was rated PG when we left, but I imagine they have moved on to more interesting acts. The point is they can touch again.” Peri clapped her hands together and then rubbed them. “So, we ready to do this? It may take a little more effort and I will need to touch each female at some point. Also, Vasile pushed his magic through me to Alina and that seemed to be the catalyst for her.”

“What are we waiting for?” Fane snarled.

Peri rolled her eyes. “I swear I’m going to have a nice wolf pelt rug one of these days,” she grumbled as she and Alston placed the stones around the females lying on the floor.

Peri started on the right side, Rachel being the first female. She laid her hands on her head and she pushed into her mind, just as she had with Alina. She chanted as she pulled on the curse. She felt Gavril’s hand on her shoulder as he helped draw Rachel from the dark place the curse had dragged her to.

One by one, Peri touched each mate. She made sure to call them by name and allowed each male to reach out to their females through her. Once again, the stones glowed as power began to fill the room. The Fae council chanted out loud this time as they watched Peri begin to weaken, straining with the effort to remove the spell. She was nearly ready to collapse when Dain stepped out of the circle towards Peri, who was by Sally’s side. Costin looked up to see the male Fae coming towards his mate and he lunged. His teeth were bared and his eyes glowed as he reached for the man he thought meant harm to his mate. He stopped in mid jump when he heard her voice.