because I couldn’t hear or think over the pain that was riding my body.
Seren’s concerned face appeared in front of mine. “Neve? What’s wrong?”
“It feels like my heart broke. Not a heart attack, I don’t mean that, but like something in my chest snapped. Is the mate bond still there?” I asked, suddenly terrified that my magic broke the one thing I had come to cherish.
Seren took on a faraway look as he said, “Yes, I can feel it, stronger than ever in fact. I can even feel the others, like we’re spokes on a wheel and you’re the center. I didn’t know it could be like this.” His voice dropped to a reverent whisper at the end.
The pain was starting to subside. I still had no idea what it was, but I didn’t feel like I needed to go to the ER anymore. Seren was still looking amazed by something, and as I looked at myself metaphysically, I realized that the storm I’d always found around my magic was gone. My soul, or whatever it was where my magic resided, now felt more like the calm waters of a lake or the sand on the dunes on a perfect summer day. There was nothing raging, nothing I had to pull my magic through, it was just…there. Ready. Waiting.
I opened my eyes to tell Seren, but I was dumbstruck by what I saw in front of me. The mate bond was a real thing, I knew that now as surely as I knew my eyes were gray. I knew it was true because I could see it—a glittering golden strand that seemed to leave my chest and wrap around Seren’s. It wasn’t the only one though, there were three more, which I had no doubt went to Colden, Rory, and Niklaus. They were stretched and thin, unlike Seren’s, which was strong and vibrant in front of me, but they were each getting brighter by the second.
The strands weren’t the only thing that told me the mate bond was real though. I could feel the guys, not physically, but metaphysically. Psychically, I knew they were there. I could even feel their emotions to an extent, and I knew that they were all coming to find me, concerned by the change in the mate bond no doubt.
Seren and I were both lost to the wonder of what had happened, the revelation of my magic, the strengthening of the mate bond, the new level to our relationship. It was all amazing, so much so, that neither of us spoke. It was only when Rory came bursting in that time even seemed to start moving again.
“What happened?” He was panting like he’d just sprinted the whole way here from wherever he’d been. His jeans were muddy, and his T-shirt was clinging to him in a way that I wasn’t sure any straight female would object to.
Niklaus was a few seconds behind him, wearing a sweaty T-shirt that read ‘Fit in A Spell Gym,’ so I knew he must have been working out. After a moment I said, “Let’s wait for Colden. He’ll be here in a moment as well.”
The two of them arranged themselves in the room, perching on a desk and stealing an office chair, concern lacing their features as they watched me. When Colden came running in wearing a tiny black sequined thong, I couldn’t stop my jaw from dropping. He must have been dancing. Damn, the man was fine.
“I can do magic,” I said, easily calling on my magic and conjuring a light ball, which made Colden flinch. I knew it would be a while before he would be comfortable about magic. “And I can see the mate bonds I have with each of you. They’re stronger now. I can sense you all in a way I couldn’t before.”
“Your magic was bound,” Rory whispered.
“What do you mean my magic was bound?” I asked, an uneasy feeling spreading through me.
“You couldn’t really do magic before, could you?” I shook my head. “And the little magic you were able to do always went wrong, right?”
I nodded. “What are you getting at?”
“The only way something like that happens is if a witch’s powers are bound from a very young age.”
“And how do you know so much about witches all of a sudden?” Niklaus asked.
“Selkies make it a priority in their lives to know as much about the supernatural world as possible. My trip was supposed to be to all the different supernatural towns throughout