Page 36 of Blood & Ice

“I...”

He pressed a finger to my lips to silence me. “You don’t have to say it back. I know it’s a witch thing. I just want you to know. I want this. I want you. I’m not holding back because I’m not attracted to you or whatever infuriating lie you’ve told yourself. It’s just...”

I yanked him down by the collar, sealing my mouth over his before he could breathe another word. He didn’t have to explain himself. I didn’t care what his reasons were. I justwanted.

My back hit the bookshelf hard enough that a few of the books above our heads wobbled dangerously. I couldn’t even find it in myself to care about the book hail hazard. The library hadn’t been my first choice for a sexy locale, but I could admit we could do worse.

The space was vast and labyrinthine, with bookshelves towering high above our heads. It felt like a paper hedge maze. In the dark, there was no one to see us. Even if there was a spy lurking, Aurea wasn’t learning anything she couldn’t have guessed. She’d probably be shocked to learn we hadn’t been sleeping together before now.

Rook’s hand fisted in my hair, and he claimed my mouth in an almost bruising kiss. My trembling fingers found and undidthe first button of his dress shirt. Where had my once nimble fingers gone? I felt like a clumsy, drunken oaf trying to melt into him.

I felt drunk. No... I was pretty sure Iwasdrunk, despite the potion Poppy had brewed to help halve the effects. The bubbly feeling was back in force, overwhelming my sense. My magic, my...

Suddenly, Rook pulled away from me and gave me an expression of pure shock as something bloomed like a dark flower in the back of my head. The sensation was so eerie that I jerked away from Rook on instinct. The presence felt both alien and familiar. Acrid like cigarette smoke and metallic like rust. It took me a second to recognize the figure in my head through the fog. Even when I could make out who it was, I couldn’t quite believe it.

“Maverick?”

He didn’t respond. His first thought was one of confusion, which shifted to revulsion, and finally rage when he felt the state I was in. I was about to lecture him on not being a sexist prick, but what he said instead made me pause.

“Ah fuck. A love potion. Wonderful.”

Love potion? Was he saying that this... this feeling wasn’t real? That Rook wasn’t touching me because he wanted to?

Maverick’s sigh breezed through my head.“Don’t do that. You’re my sister, but even I can see you’re beautiful. He wants you, trust me. He doesn’t want this while you’re under the influence, though.”

“That was helpful... and creepy. Promise me you’ll never give me sex advice again, big brother, or I’m hexing you.”

“Gladly,”he said with a bitter laugh.

“And what the hell are you doing inside my head?”

“That’s a very long story.”

Rook looked dazed, and a little hurt when I stepped awayfrom him. I fumbled for the clutch purse full of potions that Maverick had brewed for me. I hadn’t really seen the point of the de-lusting oils he’d packed. I didn’t want to de-lust Rook. I very much wanted tolusthim.

“Gah. Never think that collection of words again.”

Yeah, having Maverick in my head was going to be so painfully awkward that it brought me to tears. It was a sibling’s worst nightmare. There was no social code that covered what happened when your blood warlock brother’s freaky magic went off the range and started doing things it shouldn’t. He’d already told me he could do familial blood magic with his new powers. At this point, it shouldn’t shock me he could slingshot his thoughts into mine by the same mechanism. Why not? My world wasn’t already insane enough with the once-in-seventh-daughter odds I’d already faced.

And then I thought of something.“Oh, my Goddess, you aren’t dead, are you? Are you like possessing me or something? Have you died?”

“No, Astrid, I’m not dead. But I don’t have the time to explain what’s happened—not at the moment.”

Maverick uncorked the potion and emptied it into Rook’s face. He blinked down at me in shock, suddenly seeming to realize where we were and why my bodice was pushed down to my waist. I was still wearing my underthings, thank the Goddess. I’d implode from sheer mortification if he’d come in later in the process.

“Astrid, what are we...?” Rook started.

“You weren’t lying to Aurea,” I whispered. “I got roofied. So did you. There was a love potion in our drinks. That’s why you um...”

I gestured broadly at him. He looked nearly as disheveled as I felt. I hadn’t been kind to his clothes, half-ripping them in my haste to get them off. I gestured at Rook to close the shirt whenI had difficulty tearing my eyes away from his chest. It was just a chest. A very nice chest, but I shouldn’t want to lick it at a time like this.

“Close your, uh, shirt please,” I said. “Maverick is singing ‘la la la’ in my head so loud I can barely think. You’re inspiring too many X-rated thoughts for my brother to tolerate.”

Rook blinked slowly. From the expression on his face, I think I’d actually stunned him silly. The fact someone had spied on us long enough to know our plan, spike our drinks, and activate their spell here said that the murderer knew that we were onto them. They knew we stood a good chance of actually uncovering the truth. They needed us to be distracted. Sex was distracting as hell. Had Aurea dosed us? But what did she gain by throwing us into bed together?

“It’s not her. She will pay for what she’s doing to Tally, but she didn’t do this.”

I almost asked the obvious follow-up question, but Rook spoke first. “Maverick? Your brother is... and... um... we?”

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