Jason tried to protest but Silas held up a hand.
“When his curse was inside me, I saw what Jason saw and felt what Jason felt when Nickie… Nickelova cursed him. He wanted to… deny her… when she possessed the woman in his apartment. He couldn’t. His vice is too strong.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jason charged her again, stopping a half inch from her face. The movement was threatening enough to cause Selene to shiver.
“Your aura is almost entirely black, Jason.” Selene’s voice was as wispy as spiderwebs. “If you continue as you have been, you will succumb to the darkness within and there will be no way for any of us to save you.”
Jason glared at her. Goddess, her eyes were beautiful, pale violet with flecks of silver when the light hit them just right. He wanted to clock her in the jaw for what she was doing to him. But it was like finding a kitten drinking your milk. Part of you wanted to swat it away and another part wanted to give it a good cuddle. Yet he couldn’t allow himself to be sucked in or manipulated by her beauty.
“I can manage my own darkness, thank you very much,” he said, the corner of his mouth turning up. “Maybe it’s you who needs to make peace with your dark side. You seem a little obsessed with mine.”
“Gerty, is there a way to lure a dragon fae from her mountain?” Silas asked, changing tack.
“Hmm. Not exactly.” Gerty cocked her head. “A dragon fae’s magic comes from her heart. It isn’t coincidence that she decided to help Alex. She loved him, which made her vulnerable. Whatever relationship she had with Jason, it was powerful enough for her to come to him when she needed help. She may come for him again.”
“And when she does? How do we stop her?” Laina asked.
Gerty’s eyes landed on Jason. “When she comes for him, he needs to be ready.”
Every partof Selene’s body felt heavy as if someone had injected liquid concrete into her bloodstream. She wavered slightly, slight enough that only Jason noticed. He was glaring at her, unblinking. He did not steady her or ask if she was okay.
Silas placed his hands on his hips. “Gerty is right. Jason needs to be ready when Nickelova returns. We can’t set a trap for her if he’s going to cave to her seduction.”
“I’m not going to cave,” Jason yelled. “I’m telling you, this… this girl doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” He pointed a hand at Selene.
Laina smoothed the front of her wedding dress. “Your vice is out of control. We’ve all known it for a while now. Nickelova simply took advantage of it.”
“Says the woman who married her vice.” Jason’s face reddened with anger. “I do not have a problem.”
“Then what was the ring for?” Laina countered.
Jason frantically checked his hand. “Where is it?”
“Grateful Knight destroyed it. It was killing you.”
“It wasn’t killing me—it was helping me. I was quitting my vice. I haven’t had sex in days thanks to that ring.”
“Days? It’s only been a day and a half since you were with Nickelova.” Silas ran his hands through his bushy hair.
“It would have worked.”
“You passed out, Jason. You were barely breathing. Whatever that ring was doing, it wasn’t a long-term solution. Laina knows what she’s talking about. Your vice is out of control. You deny it now, but you admitted as much to me yourself at the rehearsal.”
“Silas—” Jason started.
“Shut the fuck up.” Silas puffed out his chest and went full alpha on Jason, who seemed to deflate slightly.
Selene narrowed her eyes on Jason. There was one last thing she hadn’t told Silas, hoping that Jason would rise to the occasion and do it himself. But the defensiveness coming from him made it clear that wasn’t going to happen. “Nickelova wants Jason to come to her. The curse I broke was an ultimatum. If he didn’t come of his own free will, his vice would make him her slave. Every time he had sex, he’d give up more of his free will. She’s going to expect him to come to her… soon.”
Jason shook his head, his eyes rolling. “This is none of your business, Selene.”
Silas ignored his brother and turned toward Gerty. “Nickelova doesn’t know we’ve broken her curse. But she will. The longer Jason stays away, the more she’ll suspect something’s gone wrong.”
Gerty glared at Jason over her bifocals. “If she hears he’s gone back to his old ways but hasn’t come to her, she’ll know her curse has been undone. I highly recommend against that. The best course of action is to make Nickelova believe that he is still under her curse for as long as possible.”
“Which was why I was using the ring. It was helping me stay sober,” Jason said.
“It was also killing you.” Selene fisted her hands. “I can help you break your vice without dark magic. With the help of the goddess, I can lead you through a program to end your addiction and make you strong enough to face Nickelova when she comes for you.”
