I'm losing myself, Elaria, a voice I didn't recognize spoke into my mind.
With horror, I realized it was RS.
Yes, it's me, the deep, only slightly feminine voice confirmed. I'm regressing to what I was. If we do this again, I fear I will lose myself entirely and your relationship with your men will change. Everything will change. Not for the good.
Then we won't do this again, I decided.
RS went silent.
Around me, my lovers continued to move, their bodies building the pleasure again. I let it carry me away; make me forget the danger for a little while. Hopefully, we could fuel RS with enough lust to last us until the Witches could finish the spell. But I knew that hope was weak; a tremulous thing destroyed with the barest breath of fire.
Chapter Forty-Five
Walking downstairs to the living room to face Verin after making love to my men was the most embarrassing thing I'd ever had to do. Well, it probably wasn't but at the moment, it felt like it. I did not doubt that Verin had heard the entire episode; an episode that had lasted hours and actually consisted of several episodes. I had hoped that he'd left the tower and gone to find something to eat or explore the castle. Anything but sit there and listen to us go at it like wild animals.
No such luck. Verin was exactly as we'd left him with the exception that he now had a drink in his hand. His back was facing us as we entered the room and his shoulders were tense. I could have bounced a quarter off them. Although, I suppose I could have done that normally. Let's just say they were extra bulky and held particularly straight. My face heated and I seriously contemplated turning around and running back upstairs. I paused to do just that but then Darc squeezed my hand, winked at me, and pulled me forward with him.
“Our apologies, King Verin,” Darcraxis said casually as we came around the couch and went back to our seats. “As I'm sure you've surmised, Elaria's spell had a... fuel deficit. The spell has taken to altering itself briefly to accept sex as a substitute for love. We had to act immediately and... forcefully. I hope we didn't make you uncomfortable.”
Verin grunted noncommittally and took a swig of his drink. He had one leg bent with its ankle propped on the other knee. It concealed his lap, but I didn't want to contemplate why it needed hiding.
“We can't do that again,” I said to my guys. “RS is starting to sound different; more masculine. She's reverting to her old self and once she does that; we lose this for good. Once more is all it will take.”
“What exactly will you lose?” Verin asked in a strained tone.
I finally met Verin's gaze; it was bright turquoise. Stunning, really, especially with the fringe of his coal-black lashes and their exotic shape. I cleared my throat and answered, “We lose the peace she gives us and the power.”
“Peace and power?” Verin lifted a brow that was so dark blue it was nearly black.
“We're all what you might call alpha types,” Gage explained. “Not the sharing sort. I mean, we've got a Griffin, a Blooder prince, Shining One kings, a Gargoyle, and a God. None of us were accustomed to sharing before we met Elaria, but the RS makes us okay with it. It unites us and turns us into a family.”
“And it unites our magic,” Darc added. “We can empower each other or share in the collective bounty.”
“That's what you did at the battle in the Zone,” Verin murmured.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “The men gave me their strength so I could fight Gargo.”
Verin grunted thoughtfully then took another sip.
A chiming sound interrupted us. I looked down at my chest in surprise. With a quick hook of the chain around my finger, I pulled out the collection of amulets and separated the contact charm from the other two. I slipped it into my ear, the chain dangling, and answered.
“Yes?”
“Little bird,” Torin sounded unsettled.
“What happened?”
The men leaned in around me.
“We can't make the bombs.”
“What do you mean; you can't make the bombs?” I growled.
“We forgot about the key component.”
“The spell,” I whispered and closed my eyes as if I could block out the failure.
“Yes, the spell. We need a spell that can unmake magic.”
“Well, can't we try to craft one?” I asked. “A Shining One did it before; we know it's possible.”
“True, but we'd have to find someone with the right jewel for that and the proper amount of power.”
“And that would mean sharing this secret with another monarch.”
“Most likely,” he confirmed. “I can't see anyone less than royalty being able to craft such a spell.”
“A spell so powerful it would unmake the caster,” I murmured.
“What spell?” Declan asked.
“Hold on, Torin.” I transferred my attention to Declan. “The key component in a magic bomb is a dark spell that destroys magic.”
“But isn't that what the bomb does?” Gage asked, confusion wrinkling his forehead.
“The bomb's true purpose is to make it possible for such a spell to be used,” I explained.
“A spell like that has never been cast because it could potentially kill the caster,” Declan expounded. “You'd have to be confident in your ability to throw it a great distance and certain that it wouldn't backlash on you.”
“But if you charge a piece of copper—which is a conductor and receiver of magic—with such a spell and then protect that copper from the air that would eventually release the spell, you could control when and how it was released,” I added.
“Sounds complicated,” Gage muttered.
“Oh, it is,” Banning agreed. “You have to charge other pieces of copper with a benign spell then separate them from the nasty spell with a piece of steel because the nasty spell needs a target to start the chain reaction. All of this has to be contained in
