Jason darted a reserved glance toward Selene. “Can, uh, she leave the room before we talk about this?”
Selene tucked her hands inside her robes and looked down at her toes. “I already know, Jason. I saw it.” Gerty returned with a glass of water, and Selene took a long drink before speaking again. “The blonde was trying to lure you somewhere. I saw a road, a river, and two mountains. I saw her beckoning me… I mean you. When the curse was inside me, I could see what you saw. She was luring you somewhere.”
How did she know? He folded his arms, suddenly feeling more exposed and vulnerable than ever before.
“Nickelova?” Silas hissed through his teeth. “As we expected.”
After a long, deep inhale, Jason admitted to himself that he could no longer keep his encounter a secret. “Yes. Nickelova.” Goddess he hated this. “When I was with Nickelova in Sable creek, she attached a curse to my vice. I didn’t know because it stayed dormant until a day ago when she possessed a woman I was with and activated it.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “If I don’t… feed my wolf… my desire doubles. Each day it grows worse. If I do feed him, the curse binds me to her magically. Enough of that and eventually she’ll control me. Either way, the only way to break the cycle is for me to go to her at the place she planted in my brain. And just so you know, she threatened all of you if I told. I’m only saying something now because of the circumstances.” Circumstances being that he was outed by a nosey acolyte. He glanced again at Selene.
The others made a series of gasps and grunts.
“Goddess,” Laina whispered. “How many times have you fed your wolf since Nickie activated the curse?”
“None,” he said defensively. “That’s what I was using the ring for. I have a friend who deals in enchanted objects. I was wearing it to help me… cope. Like I said, I just wanted to make it through the wedding, then I was going to tell you. I didn’t realize the side effects would make me pass out.”
Silas’s hair was standing on end from running his hands through it, and Laina suddenly looked exhausted. They’d all been through far too much tonight. Goddess he wished he could take it all away.
“So where is this place Selene mentioned? The river and the mountains.” Laina spread her hands. “Maybe we should pay Nickelova a visit.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Gerty said, twirling her wand between her fingers. “Attacking a dragon fae in her mountain is like attacking a woodland fae in her tree. You’ll never make it out alive.”
“Even if we could, I have no idea where her mountain is. I recognize the road as Route 9, and it’s Stone Eagle River, but there are no mountains in that area,” Selene said.
“No mountains you can see,” said Gerty. “Dragon fae can’t make a mountain, but they can use magic to bend space. My guess is that if Jason follows her clues, she’s left him a portal that will take him to her mountain, wherever that may be.”
“I’ll go,” Silas said.
Gerty snorted. “Suicide. Do you think she’d let just anyone reach her? And if she did, do you believe for a second it wouldn’t be a trap?”
“So Jason has to go,” Laina said. “Or we have to lure her out.”
Selene met the princess’s gaze and wet her lips before speaking. “But… Jason can’t go.”
“What? Why?” Laina asked.
Jason squirmed as Selene’s gaze shifted to him, cutting right through him.
“He won’t be able to say no to her,” Selene said. “You’ll lose him.”
Hungry and exhausted, Jason snapped, pointing a finger at the acolyte and barely suppressing a growl. “You don’t even know me. You have no idea what I can and can’t do. I would never put the pack at risk. I’d die first. How do you think I ended up in this situation? I literally almost died rather than give Nickelova more power.”
Selene’s chin dropped. “Youwouldhave died if it weren’t for me,” she said softly, eyes flicking up to his.
Goddess, he was such a dick. She’d saved him and he couldn’t even bring himself to even say thank you. He desperately wanted her to leave.
Silas growled. “She’s not the problem here, Jason. She’s just trying to help.”
Jason set his jaw. “If you want me to lead you to Nickelova, Silas, I’ll go. I’m ready.”
Silas’s lips pressed into a flat line. “Why do you feel he can’t do this, Selene?”
Jason tried to protest, but Silas cut him off with a look only an Alpha was capable of.
“When his curse was inside me, I saw what Jason saw and felt what Jason felt when Nickie… Nickelova cursed him. He wore that ring because he was desperate. His need is too strong without it. He won’t be able to deny her.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jason gritted out. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, towering over Selene. She met his stare and stood her ground.
“What I did today returned Nickelova’s curse to a dormant state,” she began, speaking to him as if he were a small child. “But the seed of the curse remains attached to your vice. I couldn’t remove it entirely because it’s deeply imbedded in your wolf. To completely remove it, I’d have to take the vice too, and right now, that need is big enough the process would kill you. Which means, if you have sex, you could activate Nickelova’s curse again.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced at Silas before continuing. “Your aura is dark, Jason. You’ve fought your vice alone too long. Your soul is exhausted. 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.”
