Page 91 of Silent Jay

I took out my pad and paper. ‘I think I need to kiss you.’

Og raised an eyebrow while I jotted down my possible error in order of operations.

Og grinned. “I didn’t think you could get any hotter.”

I snorted. Before I stood, Og slid to my chair and leaned down. I looked into his excited gaze. Out of the corner of my eye, his arms jerked as if to touch me, but he kept them at his side.

“Should I just…” Og started to ask.

I pushed up, pressing my mouth to his and cutting off his question. His lips were soft and tingled with a hint of magic. Very unmagical waves of heat ran down my body to pool between my legs letting me know, Golden Retriever or not, chemistry would not be an issue. Although I started the kiss, the dragon inside him rose to the challenge, and he leaned forward, deepening our kiss, before suddenly pulling back.

“Ouch, my balls, what?” he jumped backward, cupping his junk, before falling on his ass and rocking.

I grimaced, feeling like an ass, but I couldn’t do anything to ease his pain. So I let him wallow and checked my various missing magical bits like the bitch I was. My sight might haveimproved a little, but inside a cave, I couldn't really tell. I still hadn’t checked it after Tyson, so my comparison was off. And with no change in my voice or curse, I was pretty sure it was wishful thinking. In conclusion, without the mate mark, nothing we did counted toward my curse.

Og recovered. After an awkward explanation of the situation, we focused back on his board. By midday, we had a complex set of runes drawn in the middle of his cave floor.

‘A final one linking my ‘magic’ to the Ley Line?’ I wrote on the floor at my feet.

Og grinned at me like I was the most fantastic woman in the world, and I flushed my insides, squirming happily.

I tell you all the time you’re terrific, and your insides never get excited.

Yea, you’re me. We spend a lot of time tooting our own horn. Other people don’t do that.

He does. He likes you.

Oh, shut up.

With my knowledge and Og’s raw power, we activated the runes. Mossy, green light burst out of the floor, turning into dots of vapor, which scratched at me as they searched for the curse. The droplets condensed on my skin like water before dripping off me with no effect.

I clenched my fists and huffed.

“Right, next idea,” Og said.

We worked through idea after idea. Eventually, I lay on the ground while Og shifted into his dragon and ran a stream of solid earth magic, infused with raw power through me, trying to burn out the spell.

I bit my lips together as the pressure of his power changed from discomfort to pain. This had to work. Something had to work! I screamed when the pain became too much, and Og’s magic immediately cut off.

The earth below me rippled with his transformation. He knelt by my side, checking me for injuries.

“I’m so sorry. I should have stopped.” He rested his fingers against my neck, measuring my racing pulse.

I shook my head.

“Don’t do that,” Og snapped. He lifted my head and settled it onto his lap before running his fingers through my hair. “I never want to cause you pain. Ever. You’re brilliant and beautiful.” He swallowed. “I know it seems fast, but sometimes you just know. If Tyson and Rehan even saw a spark of what I see in you, there is no way a curse forced their hands.”

I looked up into his dark green cat-slit eyes.

“None of this is working,” he said quietly. Tension filled the air between us. “If you can’t use your own, I want you to have my element as well.”

I gritted my teeth and pushed to a seated position. Every muscle in my body screamed at me like I’d lifted too much weight, and I flexed uncomfortably. I couldn’t look at Og. He wanted to mate mark me, probably from the moment he met me. But as much as he thought it was coming from him, it wasn’t. I hadn’t understood what was going on when Tyson and Rehan bonded with me, but I knew now. And Og didn’t deserve that.

‘No.’ I mouthed. ‘There has to be another way.’

Before Og argued, his phone rang, making us jump. He scowled before answering it. “Ogden’s phone.”

My fingers twitched, calling on my magic to increase my sense of hearing so I could eavesdrop. But nothing happened. I groaned.

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