“Look, we know who's possessing Slate,” I said. “Maybe we don't need Verin.”
“One of the last acts of that seer was to write you this letter, my fire,” Darc said gently. “He specifically said it was the one thing he wanted you to heed above all others. I think we'd be fools to ignore his advice.”
“Not ignore it, just... wait awhile,” I offered lamely.
“King Verin has proven himself to be a loyal ally; one who's strong both physically and magically,” Darc went on. “And he saved your life. It's not so difficult to conceive that he could save it again.”
I looked away and sighed.
“Hold on.” Declan raised one elegant hand and narrowed his eyes at me. “I know why that Dragon worries us, but why are you worried, El?”
“Before I left the Zone, RS had an issue,” I began.
“An issue?” Gage growled and leaned forward.
We were all seated in the living room area on the first floor of my three-story suite. It had a comfy arrangement of couches near the open balcony, placed perfectly to savor the fresh air of Kyanite and luxuriate in the afternoon sunshine. Despite those warming rays, I felt a chill creeping through my bones, one not even my fire magic could dispel. Probably because my Fire was partially responsible for my unease. The worst kind of fear is fear of yourself. You can't escape it; running won't help. Wherever you go, it's right there with you. I had to face it head-on.
“What we've feared is happening. RS has tried to contain herself—stunt her growth—but it isn't working. I had an episode; a painful one. Slate and I were able to satisfy her magic by... well...”
I twisted myself to feed on lust, RS took over for me, speaking into all of our minds. But it was difficult and taxing, using a good portion of the fuel I gained. I don't know how many times I can do it. Not without reverting fully to my old self.
“Would that be such a bad thing?” Torin countered. “If you revert to feeding on lust, we wouldn't have to worry about Elaria needing another lover.”
No, you'd just have to worry about her having one of you with her constantly so she could take sex-breaks during the day to feed me, RS huffed. And probably during the night as well.
“How often would she need to feed?” Declan asked eagerly.
Too often for even you to enjoy, my pretty perv, RS chided with a fair amount of affection. Elaria would become a raving nympho and probably go as crazy as my creator.
We all went silent. I had never considered that Thomas Frost hadn't begun as insane as he ended, that perhaps the magic had driven him to madness.
Yeah, you get it now, RS grumbled. It's not easy being a super-powerful, sexy spell. You guys don't know how I struggle daily to eat enough to survive but not grow. Like snacking on stale crackers while juicy steaks are paraded before me.
“Lovely,” I muttered.
When Elaria changed me to require love, she did us both a favor, RS ignored me to continue. Love, unlike lust, is constant; it seeps from all of you every second of every day. You don't have to work at it or even think about it. Love is far easier to feed upon it than lust and that helps. But it doesn't change who I am or what I was created to do. At my very core, I'm a gatherer. I was made to collect people; to draw them close and bind them together. A collector doesn't stop collecting. Not until the day they die. But I'm trying because when I started to feed on love, I also opened myself to its contagion.
“It's contagion?” I asked, vaguely offended.
It's like an infection. Love infiltrated me just as surely as Gargo's blood did the Zone.And now, I have feelings, she said the last word as if it were disgraceful. I love you. All of you. I want to do what will make you happy. I want to help, but—her voice thickened with emotion—I'm so very hungry.
“How bad is it, RS?” Torin asked. “Do we need to focus on finding a solution for you before we free Slate?”
My chest constricted. “You want to leave Slate a prisoner to that Jinni?”
“I don't want to, little bird,” Torin said gently. “But we'll be of no use to him if you're in danger.”
“What if we can do both at once?” Darc mused.
We all looked at him expectantly.
“I think we should visit Elaria's kin,” Darc explained. “The Witch Leaders might provide a solution to both issues.”
“Actually, Daha suggested that I go to them for help with the RS,” I said. “I hadn't thought of asking them about the Jinni too but you're right; if anyone would know how to stop a Jinn, it would be the Witches.”
“Or the Jinn,” Banning said dryly. “And the Jinn happen to owe us a favor.”
I blinked. “Y, they do.”
I had sung the Jinn Goddess to sleep and saved their planet. The Jinn most definitely owed me one.
“Let's go to Coven Cay first,” Darc suggested. “I think we should warn them about this vengeful Jinni anyway. He might decide to show up there, impersonating Slate. Is there anyone else we need to warn?”
“Cerberus should be good, right?” Gage asked.
“My parents! I forgot about my parents!” I exclaimed as I fumbled for my contact charm. I slipped it in my ear and called out, “Kalliope Scorcher.” I could have contacted my father, but my mother tended to
