“Anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?” Cerberus looked around the table. “That Verin's a quieter version of Slate?”
Verin and Slate grimaced nearly identically at Cer. My bestie laughed until he howled.
“Now, can we talk about the temporary nature of the love spell?” Declan asked once the howling stopped.
Verin and I stiffened.
“Go on then,” I said softly.
“I just think we should consider the consequences,” Declan said reasonably. “If you two spend more time together, you may turn the illusion into truth.”
“Would that be so bad?” Verin's voice went low and challenging.
“Let me turn that question back to you, but I ask you to think of how you would have answered it just a few days ago,” Declan countered.
Verin's jaw clenched.
“He's right,” I said gently, even though my heart clenched along with Verin's jaw. “We're only thinking about long term now because the magic has made us feel things for each other. But those feelings aren't real and they will fade unless we make them real. You told me that you didn't want this, Verin, and I don't want you tricked into it.”
Verin made a growling sound in his throat and his eyes paled a shade.
“Verin!” I snapped. “Stop concentrating on your emotions and think! You're letting your dragon take over. What does the man want?”
“Both dragon and man want you,” Verin's voice still held the growl. He leaned across the table toward me and held out his hand. “What do you want, Elaria?”
I took his hand automatically; nothing could have stopped me from doing it, but my mind kept working. “I want you too, but I know that it's the magic twisting me. I think the only way to be certain that this is what we both truly want—” I stopped and looked around at my men. “What we all want,” I corrected, “is to stay away from each other until the spell wears off.”
Verin's hand released mine suddenly. I blinked. He surged to his feet, came around to my chair, and held out his hand again. I took it, and he helped me to my feet. Then he dragged me away.
“Hey!” Declan called after us. “We're not done here!”
Verin snarled over his shoulder at Declan, and Declan grimaced but shut up.
“Verin—” I started.
Verin stopped walking and swung a furious glare at me. I shut up too but I did it with an annoyed expression. In response, he pulled me against his chest and took us away from the Zone.
I gasped as we reformed, and Verin's hand went to the back of my head soothingly.
“Some warning would have been nice,” I grumbled.
Verin stared down at me silently. I met his gaze; it had gone turquoise and was continuing to darken. I didn't get to watch it shift to indigo. I didn't even get a look at where he'd brought me. Verin's hair blocked out everything as he bent to kiss me. It wasn't a tender kiss. It was wild and demanding and so fucking beautiful that I couldn't have stopped myself from kissing him back if I had added my magic to my willpower. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and sank my fingers into his glossy hair, tightening my grip until we were tangled together. Verin did the same, threading his fingers through my hair to hold me in place.
Our bodies writhed; his hard and demanding and mine soft but just as demanding. Verin growled suddenly and dropped his hands to my ass. He yanked me up his body and pressed me even closer. We spun. My back hit a wall and my legs wrapped around his waist. But Verin didn't try to undress me. Like me, he was too consumed by our kiss; too overwhelmed by the love bursting between us, making that kiss all the sweeter. But even as I experienced it, I knew this love was different than any other I'd ever felt. It wasn't just love, it was obsession. Touching Verin stole all of my reason. I only knew that I had to have him. That nothing mattered more than this. Vivian's spell had to ramp up our emotions to an inferno state just to get past our will. And that meant it was all a lie.
But I wanted the lie.
I knew then why love spells could be dangerous. They created an emotion that was akin to slavery. They were the sort of spells that had a snowball effect; it got worse before it crashed and obliterated itself. The attraction between Verin and I would rage brighter and bolder before it died. Its death might leave us bereft or it might leave us hating each other but neither of us cared about that now. This moment was for learning the feel of each other's bodies; the cool brush of Verin's hair, the strong edge of his jaw, the curve of his biceps, even his rapid heartbeat. My hands trailed over him eagerly; desperately. The knowledge that this would likely be stolen from me made me panic. I wanted to collect as much of him as I could; perhaps if I took it all, he wouldn't be able to leave.
See? This was what a love spell could do. It made you fucking crazy. A Miranda Lambert song started playing in my head. Was that what I'd turn into when Verin remembered he didn't want me? Would I start stalking him like a psycho ex? Did I even care? Dear Gods, somebody stop me!
Snap out of it! RS shouted. Come on, you two, you're both stronger than this spell.
I thought you wanted us together, I countered, not realizing at first that she was speaking to Verin too.
Verin flinched and jerked away from me.
“You heard her?” I asked.
“Yes,” he panted, his eyes indigo. “I thought it was you, speaking into my mind.”
“That's the spell that unites us,” I explained. “The RS; she uses my voice.”
“That's unsettling.”
Would this be better? RS asked in Verin's voice.
Verin grimaced. “No.”
RS giggled. At least it stopped your crazy make-out session.
“Yes,
