Page 62 of Seduced
“Maybe not, but they would.” I incline my head toward Aiden, even though I don’t actually believe that. “You admitted to killing one of their own and you destroyed their village. The dragons are angry, and they want blood.”
Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating a little. But I need her to be convinced of her own danger so she’ll follow along with my half-baked plan. We voted on it just hours ago, with all the adults in the village gathered in the clearing in front of the Lodge. Our solution wasn’t satisfying by far, but it was the best we could do.
There’s also no guarantee it will work. It’s basically a disaster, and I don’t know why anyone thought it was a good idea to trustmeof all people.
Agh. I stop my internal monologue and focus back on my sister.
Alice doesn’t reply, so I press my advantage.
“If you don’t cooperate, you’ll never leave here. At best, you’ll remain a prisoner for the rest of your life. But that’s a hassle. Feeding an extra mouth during the Alaskan winter is a pain in the ass. Killing you would be much cheaper and cleaner.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Aiden hiding a smirk, but he turns his face away before Alice can see it. Okay, so I need to tone it down or she’ll realize I’m bluffing. I go in for the kill.
“Think of your kiddos. Think of Simon. If you don’t help us out, you’ll never see them again, and they’ll never find out what happened to you.”
She grimaces, her pouty mouth pulling to the side. “When did you become such a cruel bitch?”
Well, I guess the gloves have come off.
“When you decided I wasn’t good enough for you and decided to kill me,” I snap. Then I sigh, irritated at myself for letting her get to me. “Look, this isn’t a negotiation. You don’t have anything to bargain with, and if you keep this up, there’s nothing more I can do for you.”
I stand and turn my back on her, motioning to Aiden that I’m leaving. I make it as far as the hallway door when she calls out after me.
“Wait,” she says. “Okay. I don’t want to die in this fucking backwater. If you want to shack up with these inbred monsters, that’s up to you.”
Wow. My sister, the poet.
“Finally.” I park my butt back in the chair and put my elbows on my knees. “Listen. This is what we’re going to do.”
* * *
The next morning, I glare over the breakfast table at Jack, whose plate is piled high with eggs, smoked salmon, and fresh blini. His cup of coffee steams next to him, and for a brief second, I consider grabbing it and chugging it down, consequences be damned.
With a resentful sigh, I look down at my rosemary tea. Ty brewed it for me, using the stash from his kitchen that he uses for marinating venison. It’s supposed to aid with mental clarity, but I couldn’t care less, because it smells awful, sort of like resin and toilet cleaner, and I imagine it tastes the same, too.
Alice gave us instructions for the spell we’re about to perform, and if she added this unpleasant step out of spite, well, I can’t exactly blame her for it.
The other conditions were an herbal infusion for her, a circle made of two lines of salt and one line of charcoal, and empty stomachs for the two participants.
“Trust me,” she’d said, her face grim, “you don’t want to do this after a full meal.”
Trusting her is a hard sell, but I’d be stupid not to take her instructions to heart. We’re performing a spell that’swayout of my league, so I need all the help I can get or we’ll both end up with scrambled brains.
A shiver runs through me, and once again, I consider calling this mad idea off. This is the kind of responsibility that I never wanted, and I’d rather eat glass to be honest. But there’s no one else who can perform the spell, so it has to be me.
That doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Setting down my empty cup, I clear my throat. “I’m ready.”
Jack looks up. “Yeah?” he mumbles around a bite of salmon. “Okay, let’s go.”
We decided to perform the spell right in Alice’s cabin. Standing in a circle around it are Jack’s father, Maya, and several other villagers, our safeguard against any tricks Alice might try to pull. Ty and Aiden are already inside, waiting with Alice who is wearing my t-shirt and leggings.
I shed my outer layers until I’m dressed similarly to her. No constraints, Alice had instructed, which means no jewelry and no bra.
“Are you okay?” I ask her. I can’t help it. There will always be a soft spot for her inside me, even after all of this is over and we never see each other again.
She glowers at me. “What do you think? I’m about to let an incompetent witch mess around in my head.”
