Page 13 of Curses and Casualties (Hunters Hollow #3)

Georgia

T he scent of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon greets us as we make our way down to the tavern for breakfast. Despite the early hour, the place is already bustling with activity.

A group of pixies flutters past, leaving trails of glittering dust that smells like fresh mint.

At a corner table, two vampires sip from steaming mugs of…

hot blood? While a centaur carefully navigates between tables, his hooves clicking on the wooden floor.

Ryan meets me at the entrance, his hair disheveled and eyes tired, but a small smile plays on his lips. “Good morning, love,” he says, his voice husky. “Sleep well?”

“Better than you, it seems,” I reply, reaching up to touch his face. “You look like you didn’t sleep.”

He kisses my fingers. “I didn’t much. But I’m OK.” He leads me to a long wooden table where Amara, Darius, Ethan, and Scarlett are already seated.

As we pass other tables, I notice a few knowing smirks and whispered comments. One witch actually winks at me, and I realize with mortification that our magical explosion in the library probably wasn’t as contained as we thought.

As we take our seats, Amara’s eyes twinkle with amusement. “I trust you two had an... enlightening evening in my library last night?”

I feel my cheeks flush hot as Ryan and I exchange guilty glances. “We didn’t mean to intrude,” I say quickly, but Amara just waves a hand.

“No need to apologize. The library is there to be used, and I appreciate you tidying up after yourselves. Besides,” she adds with a wink, “strengthening your bond is crucial right now. I’m glad you’re taking the initiative.”

From a nearby table, a satyr calls out, “Next time maybe use a soundproof room! Some of us were trying to sleep!” His companions burst into laughter, and I want to sink through the floor.

Ryan chuckles, seeming far less embarrassed than me. “Actually, we found some useful texts that helped us understand more about our bond and what it means to magic.”

“You found information on the Soul Bond?” Scarlett asks as she leans forward, a piece of half-eaten toast in her hand. “Dad said they got rid of everything in the 1600s.”

“As with all attempts to rob folks of knowledge, some remnants slipped through the cracks,” Amara explains. “This sanctuary has a way of preserving what needs to be remembered. The ancient packs, their histories, their bonds—none are truly lost, just hidden away until the right moment.”

Ethan, who had been quietly sipping his coffee, finally chimes in. “So, are you saying there are more secrets about our kind here that could potentially help us?” His tone is hopeful, tinged with a curiosity that seems to lift the morning fog around him.

Amara nods. “Most likely. But discovering them is not merely a matter of searching, it’s about readiness, about being open to the truths you might uncover.

This sanctuary doesn’t easily give up its secrets to just anyone.

It senses intent, it evaluates the heart.

The book Ryan and Georgia found last night only surfaced because it recognized their genuine need. ”

“Wow,” Scarlett breathes, shaking her head in amazement. “Tell us everything it said.”

A server—who appears to be part dryad based on the leaves woven through her hair—sets plates full of scrambled eggs, sizzling bacon, and aromatic herbed potatoes in front of us.

As we begin to eat, Ryan and I take turns explaining what we learned from the book about the origins of the Soul Bond and its importance to the supernatural world.

“The more I learn, the angrier I am at the Elders and the Council by extension,” Ethan says, his brow furrowing. “They are literally starving us all of the magic we need to thrive.”

Scarlett nods along beside him. “And this is why shifters are having trouble conceiving, right?” she asks. “There haven’t been new pups born for over a decade inside the Whisper Valley Pack, and I hear there haven’t been many elsewhere either.”

“You’re right about that,” Amara says. “And it’s why it’s so important that we succeed. Without the cycle of birth and renewal, shifterkind will die out, and all magic will slowly fade away with them. The Soul Bond is the power that keeps the cycle turning.”

“The text said that the Soul Bond is a power that can’t be stopped,” I start, knowing the answer, but needing to ask this anyway. “That it will always find a way to manifest itself, even in the direst circumstances.”

“Yes,” Amara whispers, pressing her lips together as I take a deep breath to steady myself.

“So that means that all this time…” My voice goes hoarse, teetering on the edge of a revelation that suddenly makes the air thicker, harder to breathe.

“It’s been trying to come back, but the Council has been actively exterminating anyone before they can complete it.

For centuries.” A pit forms in my stomach as I think about all those soul-bonded couples, as deeply connected as Ryan and me, torn apart just because a few power-hungry Elders saw them as threats to their dominion.

“How many? How many pairs have been denied their destinies, their happiness?” My voice cracks, the weight of countless lost loves pressing down on me.

Ryan reaches out, his hand covering mine under the table. “It’s monstrous,” he says, his voice low and filled with simmering anger. “To think that true love, something so pure and magical, could be seen as something to control and destroy...”

Amara’s eyes darken with old pain as she listens, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. “It is one of the darkest chapters in our history,” she says. “And something we desperately need to put behind us. So use that hurt, that anger to fuel what we must do.”

I use my free hand to wipe away that stray tear that’s streaking down my cheek. “I’ll do whatever it takes,” I say, feeling for the first time since that fateful day in the Soulcave that this really is my fight and not just something that’s happening around me. “This needs to end.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” she says. “Because your involvement is precisely why I wanted to speak with you all this morning. If you’re ever going to make this work and restore the balance, Georgia needs to be more attuned to her wolf.”

Ryan shifts uncomfortably next to me, the muscles in his jaw clenching.

He knows, just as I do, that my connection with Luna has been tenuous, at best. Due to the curse that was put on those scrolls she and Kane retrieved before their vessels expired, she’s been trapped in her spirit form, unable to break free unless it’s a matter of life and death.

All previous efforts to connect with her have resulted nothing but more frustration.

What we are now is the closest we’ve ever been.

“We were of the understanding that Luna would remain trapped as she is until we complete the Soul Bond ritual and break the curse,” Ryan interjects, his voice tinged with frustration. “Is there another way? Can we help her sooner?”

“There might be a possibility,” Amara begins slowly, each word measured.

“It concerns me that we don’t know much about this curse, or the exact method needed to break it.

And this is too important to leave to chance.

I feel it’s important we travel to speak with the úlfhéenar.

” She says it like, ulf-head-nar. “They are ancient and fierce wolves. More connected to the old magic than even I am.”

At the mention of the úlfhéenar, I feel Luna stir within me—not with her usual sluggish, trapped movements, but with something that feels almost like... hope?

Ancient ones, she whispers, her voice stronger than it’s been in days. They remember the old ways. Before curses. Before chains.

“The úlfhéenar?” Scarlett asks. “As in those giant wolves who rarely take on their human form? I always thought they were just campfire stories meant to scare kids. Are they even real?”

“Yes,” Amara confirms, her gaze steady. “They are guardians of some of the most ancient and powerful magic known to our kind. Their isolation has preserved many ancient rites that the modern world has forgotten. If anyone can help Georgia strengthen her bond with Luna and break the curse sooner, it’s them. ”

“But how do we even approach them?” Ryan asks, worry creasing his brow. “If they’re as isolated and wary as the old tales suggest, they won’t exactly welcome us with open arms.”

Amara’s eyes soften. “That’s where the challenge lies.

The úlfhéenar don’t trust easily, especially not outsiders.

But Darius and I have enough of a relationship with them that we could possibly broker a meeting.

It will require careful negotiation and undeniable proof that your intentions are pure, and that Georgia’s plight aligns with their values. ”

“And if it doesn’t?” I ask, the uncertainty making my voice quiver slightly.

Amara leans forward, her silver eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine.

“Then we find another way,” she says firmly.

“But let’s not borrow trouble from tomorrow.

Today, we have a plan, and it holds promise.

Now, finish your breakfast. We’ll meet in the foyer in an hour.

Even through the portal, it’ll take at least a day’s travel to reach úlfhéenar territory so come prepared.

Warm clothes, sturdy boots, and anything you might need for camping in harsh conditions.

I’ll have someone show you to a storeroom with all the supplies you’ll need. ”

Before Amara can stand up from the table, I feel a sudden jolt of panic.

“Wait,” I say, my voice rising slightly.

“We can’t leave. Not right away, anyway.

I’m supposed to be meeting my brother. He’ll worry if I don’t show up, perhaps even stake out my apartment looking for me.

I’m concerned he’ll get caught in the crossfire. ”

“Does he know what you are?” Darius asks.