“You sleep with him.” The dragon said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the land. “It may even wear off after that. I’ve seen a few spells that were condition based. That sniveling whelp who bought it wasn’t much help information wise, so I’m not sure what the full effects are. All he could tell us is that he bought it from a merchant in Doncaster.”
“I can’t just fuck him on the off chance it will work. He’s under a spell, so that’s dubious consent, at best.” The thought of it only made me even angrier at Jack. That piece of shit knew exactly what he was doing, and now Felix was paying the price for it.
My friend patted my shoulder, trying to soothe my apprehension. “You’re right Brie, but if it were me, and my options were heart attack or sex, I’d choose sex.”
“Try not to dwell on that for now.” Fallon said, relaxing into his chair. “This book has an entire chapter dedicated to spell removal. When you get him alone, you can try each of them out. If they don’t work, then come back here and we can plan the next step. I know little about hormonal magic, but our friend Dante might. He’s much older than I am and may have more insight.”
“Alone?” goosebumps raced down my arms. “You’re not coming with me? I don’t know a thing about magic.”
Fallon nodded in sympathy. “I know. But this type of magic causes deep emotional strain on the victim. When the extraction starts, Felix will grow desperate and will most likely view anyone else in the room as a threat to his mate. If he lashes out at either of us, it will put more strain on his heart and could lead to his death.”
I buried my head in my hands. “Well, damn.”This was just fucking great.
The trek back to my farm gave me a chance to sort out my thoughts. Felix and I were strangers, but I wasn’t about to let the man keel over because I threw a drink at his head. It wouldn’t be my first one-night stand either. Boohail was a great place to live and grow up, but it was slim pickings as far as men went. The occasional trip to neighboring towns for different dick was one of the few ways you didn’t get desperate enough to saddle yourself to the closest boring man without a wife. Or worse. One of those idiot Huckabee boys. Every day would be a never-ending nightmare of fish, misogyny and bad manners. Several women in Boohail, myself included, had decided we’d rather die alone long ago.
I shivered, banishing the thought from my head by focusing instead on the smell of fresh rain. With Fall in full swing, small showers often broke out throughout the day. Not that I minded. There was something calming about the crunch of wet leaves under your boot. Calming was something I was going to need a lot of.
Squeezing the magic book closer to my chest, I tilted my head back and allowed the scent to wash over me. Pumpkins lined the fields at the edge of Cin’s property, almost bleeding into mine. Round and fat with seeds just waiting to be cooked and eaten. Old oak trees curved along the sides of the road, forming a tunnel of wonders set ablaze by red and orange leaves. It stretched on for miles, blocking just enough sun with its foliage to form dancing stars on the cobblestones below. As children, Cin, Cherry, and I would run through them as fast as we could. Thinking a portal would open up to take us to some magical place. If I could go back and tell them that I was currently holding a magic book, on my way to save a werewolf, they may have passed out from excitement.
What I wouldn’t give to be that carefree again. Where everything was new and exciting, and the three of us together and safe. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Cherry was gone, but the rest of us were still here. And Cin’s husband was a fucking dragon. Not only that, but a ship full of magical creatures was currently docked at our port. Most of them were looking to make a home for themselves on our shores.
Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself that magic was not only real, but right in front of me. I could do this. I could save Felix one way or another. If the curse lifts and he still thinks I’m his fated mate, then great. Free husband. In time, I think he’d be someone easy to love. If not…well that might sting a little. But maybe he’d introduce me to his friends.
Just be calm.
Be cool.
Don’t stare too deeply into the ocean of his eyes.
Confidence renewed, I made my way home to wait for him. If what he said was true, then Felix’s need to be near me would drag him back to my doorstep soon enough. Yellow roses sprawled against the surrounding oak trees near my farm’s entrance. Their mad dash to the sun left no room for competitors in their wake. Nearly covering the Shields name plate I’d proudly hung up once I’d bought the land in full from Mr. Hotpepper.
Hold on.
There were no roses covering my name plate. My name was gone. In its place sat a freshly carved sign nestled in between roses trimmed in an orderly fashion. “Who the fuck is Monet?”
“We are, sweetheart.”
I whirled around to see Felix looking a little worse for wear. His clothes were crumbled up and smothered with dirt. Dark circles made his eyes look sunken, and yet the same cheery grin still lit up his face. He reached a hand out before tucking it back into his pocket. “Felix…hi.” I said, ever the master of words.
His grin rose to a full smile. He shifted his weight back and forth before I saw his fist twitch in his pocket. The imagery of an excited dog doing its best not to jump on its master came to mind. I guess I should be grateful he’s not in werewolf form this time. “So listen, don’t be mad.” He began. But the words cut off. He grit his teeth and ran a hand through his hair. The wavy blonde locks almost snagging against his fingers. Nostrils flaring, he growled. “Forgive me.”
Before I could even flinch, Felix crushed me to his chest. Strong arms held me to him like a vice, as if I’d melt away if he didn’t hold on tight enough. I shivered as he buried his nose in my hair, inhaling deeply. I tried to lean back and pull away, but stopped when I felt him shaking. “Are you alright?” I asked.
“Not in the slightest.” He whispered against my temple. “Just let me stay here for a bit. I’ll pull myself together in a moment.”
Relaxing in his hold, I shifted the book to my side so it would stop jabbing me in the gut. “Did something happen?” Was the magic getting worse? The man looked like he hadn’t slept in a week.
He didn’t answer for a moment, and I waited patiently for his body to stop shaking. “Three women went missing. We’ve been searching for them all day, but there’s no trace. When I didn’t find you home, I thought you might be gone too.”
“What?” Cold fear splashed through me. This was such a small village, how could no one notice three women just vanishing?
He squeezed tighter until I felt the rapid beat of his heart against my cheek. “I shouldn’t have left you.”
“Felix, I’m fine. Well, I can’t breathe, but I’m fine.” His death grip finally loosened at my words, but he kept a hand on the small of my back. Despite my fear of the distressing news, a small selfish part of me felt happy. No one had ever worried about me like this. Deriving pleasure from his disheveled appearance was undoubtedly sick and probably said terrible things about my character. Nevertheless, a small bloom of butterflies tickled in my tummy.
Stomp them down, Brie. You little pervert.
“Do you have any idea why they could have been taken?” I asked.
