The Wolf Prince And His Treasured Pixie

Spell

Alex POV

Rushing, Aaron entered the tiny hide-out and closed the door rapidly.

“The threat continues to loom. Trolls and goblins still surround us. I’m certain they have yet to catch onto our location, so we may need to lie low for a few more days,” he explained.

“I can help. I could go out and trap them in an illusion as long as they are all garnered closely together.” Ember offered.

“You said it’s been a while since you have used any of your powers. I think for now it is safer that we wait. I’m not saying you are not capable, Ember. I just don’t want you to end up in harm’s way,” I explained.

“You’re probably right,” Ember responded.

“Luckily this place is stocked full of games and movies to kill time,” Aaron pointed out as he rummaged through a drawer.

“What are movies?” Ember asked.

“A story you can watch,” I explained.

“Interesting,” Ember chimed as Alex started one on the TV and I sat down on a couch.

Ember flew over and sat on the armrest of the couch and watched the television with extreme interest.

Watching her react to something new was extremely entertaining.

“When I was young, we used to have storytellers that acted out the story. They centered most of the stories on the other creatures in this realm. They even told stories of werewolves and vampires, but never of the two mixed. The creatures they used to describe were fierce and evil, but the two of you seem completely different from that,” Ember explained.

“You have yet to see Alex without proper sleep. He can be a monster when someone wakes him up early.” Aaron laughed.

“Really? I’ll remember never to wake him.” Ember said softly.

“I’m not that bad. Aaron is exaggerating.” I huffed.

“Alex is considered the goofball in our family. That’s most likely why my two sisters latch onto him. If you are down, he, without a doubt, puts a smile on your face,” Aaron stated.

“Aaron is the serious one. He takes on the role of big brother even though we are all the exact same age. That also means he is no fun.” I laughed.

Aaron pressed pause on the remote as he looked at Ember momentarily. “Ember, you mentioned you can cast illusions. How realistic are they? Are you able to cast one on me and Alex so we can understand your power?” Aaron asked.

“I can, but once I put you in an illusion, I can’t pull you out of it. I can cast a small one so it does not last a long time,” Ember explained.

“Cast one on us now. It will be a good chance for you to practice using your power again.” Aaron ordered softly.

“Ok,” Ember said as she flew up from the couch, and as she flew over us, golden dust filled the air.

In a flash, the room faded away as the sound of wild birds enveloped me, and suddenly I was standing in what appeared to be a rainforest.

My face was brushed by a warm breeze as I walked among massive trees with colorful vines that stretched for miles.

“Ha, this is cool. Your mate can send us on a vacation without leaving our home.” Aaron laughed as I pushed my hand against a tree.

The sense of reality here was extremely strong.

While gazing at the trees, I witnessed spider monkeys swinging from the branches, and off in the distance, I could hear what sounded like a waterfall.

This was only a small taste of her power, and it was absolutely incredible.

The sky now echoed with the sound of thunder as raindrops fell on me. The rain felt so real.

After a few more minutes, the illusion dissipated, and I found myself back on the couch in the hide-out.

As I brushed my hand through my hair, I realized it was still damp.

“Certain events in my illusions will remain with you when you come out. That being said, if you are injured in the illusion, the injury will remain once you come out, and if you are killed in the illusion, you will perish in the real world as well.” Ember explained.

“Can you create any illusion you want?” I asked.

“Yes, although some take more energy and power to create than others. The Dark Fae King used to say my illusions were more potent than any other pixie he experimented on, but I am not sure the reason for that.” Ember responded.

“For someone so small, you seem to be powerful,” Aaron said as he clicked the movie back on.

The three of us watched a good chunk of the movie in silence until I noticed Ember rubbing her temples.

“Are you doing ok?” I asked.

“Yes, my head hurts slightly, but I have also not created an illusion in a long time. I just need rest,” she explained.

“You can rest on top of me.” I offered.

“If it’s ok, I’ll just go to the room we were in before. I’m fine alone for a little while,” she responded with a small yawn.

“OK, just come out if you need anything,” I responded as she flew off into the room.

Once she was gone for several minutes, Aaron looked at me, pausing the television again. “I don’t know as many details as you do since I’m sure she has told you more now. If that's merely a slight illusion and a small part of her true potential, the troll king will unquestionably seek her out. While our elemental abilities are strong, her power is beyond anything I've witnessed. You could feel her power radiating throughout the illusion.” Aaron stressed.

“I know. She told me her kind kept her hidden and went to great lengths to protect her. Ember might not fully understand the extent of her own power. We must reach the Light Fae kingdom as soon as possible for her safety. I have a feeling we will need their help as well.” I stated.

“We need to find out what Ember is fully capable of and the full reason for her kind hiding her. Anthony’s mate, Maya, might be of help. Maybe Ember overheard the reason she was so important and no longer remembers it because she was young. If Maya can make a memory potion, it may help.” Aaron suggested.

“I agree,” I replied as I leaned back on the couch.

I spent a pleasant hour relaxing and watching TV until my wolf grew restless.

“Something is wrong with mate,” he insisted in my head.

Making a swift exit from the couch, I headed to the room and found Ember sleeping in the fetal position on the dresser.

When I softly touched her, I noticed she had a fever. With great caution, I picked her up from the dresser and carried her over to a pillow on the bed as she remained asleep.

“Aaron,” I called, needing his help as he came into the room fast.

“Ember has a high fever. Can you get a small towel with cold water?” I requested, and he immediately took action.

Shaking Ember softly, I tried to wake her, but she didn’t react.

To lower her temperature, Aaron handed me a small wet paper towel for her head.

“The mate bond should help her Alex. I’ll leave the two of you alone, but skin-on-skin contact may be the medicine she needs.” He suggested as he left the room and closed the door.

Pulling off my shirt, I brushed my finger against Ember again. Her high fever caused me great concern.

“Something smells off with mate. I did not notice it before, but it is apparent now with her fever. I smell magic; you need to inspect her,” my wolf growled.

“I’m sorry Ember, I’m only doing this to help you,” I whispered, as I carefully removed her dress.

If my wolf was correct and her fever was due to magic, Ember should have a faint remnant of it. I thoroughly examined her body and then spotted a small mark on her side.

Gunner growled in my head again. It seems like the Troll king put a spell on her. Mind-linking with Aaron in the other room, I shared the image of the mark with him, knowing well he would most likely know what it meant.

“We should have known breaking her free was too easy, especially now that she showed us her power. That symbol acts similarly to the collar she had. It creates a bond between her and the person who cast it on her. The fever she has will pass for a short time, but it will keep coming back stronger the longer she remains away from I’m assuming the Troll king.”

“I did not notice the mark on her before.” I stammered through the link.

“the mark remains hidden unless her master activates it to call her back to him. Maya may be of help. The mate bond should assist in her fight against it. If there is a way for you to mark her when she wakes up, Alex, you should. You need the bond to be at full strength in order to help her fight this until we can get the spell removed.”

“Understood,” I responded through the link as I gently picked her up again and placed her bare body on my chest.

The bond, once complete, was indeed stronger. Our bodies would heal each other faster. My major concern was if it was even safe to mark her right now.

Right now, Ember might not even transform into her larger form.

After an hour of holding Ember, her temperature finally started to decrease slightly as she brushed against my hand.

“Alex,” her soft voice called to me.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Weak, but I don’t understand why. This has never happened when I cast an illusion before.” She responded.

“It was not the illusion that caused this Ember. The troll king marked you with a spell. Do you know anything about that?” I asked.

“No,” Ember responded.

Removing my hand, I slid my hand over her and pointed to the mark on her side.

“It’s a spell that binds you to whoever had it cast on you. It will continue to make you sick until you return to that person.” I explained.

Ember brushed her small hand over it. “Does that mean I have to go back to him?” her voice trembled.

It pained me to think of Ember returning to the person who had locked her away. There is absolutely no way I would ever allow that to occur. I would find a way to remove the spell.