I spot a man in a dark coat heading toward an exit at the far end of the corridor. “Is that him?”
We hurry after the figure, pushing through the exit door into the cool night air of a service alley behind the hotel. Sure enough, Lucian is climbing into the back of a sleek black town car.
“Wait!” I call out, rushing toward him with Lane right beside me. “Lucian, we need to talk to you!”
The hypnotist pauses with one foot in the vehicle and a hand gripping the top of the door. He turns to look at us with an expression of mild surprise, like he wasn’t expecting to see us again—the people he married. As if!
“The happy couple!” he says with a smile. “How was your first New Year’s celebration as husband and wife?”
“Cut the act.” Lane’s tone is slate, two tectonic plates grinding together. “What did you do to us?”
“I helped you find true love,” Lucian says simply.
“We’re not in love!” I protest.
“We don’t even know each other!” Lane says.
“You can’t just marry people without their consent!”
Lucian tilts his head, studying us with the kind of soft focushe had on stage. “When you entered the venue tonight and went through security, did you tap to agree to the terms, conditions, and conduct expectations issued by the hospitality team?”
“Yes,” Lane says slowly.
“But—” I start, vividly recalling doing so.
“Did you read the fine print?”
We both fall silent. Of course, we didn’t read the fine print. Nobody reads the fine print at a party. It belatedly occurs to me that it’s slightly odd to have to sign a digital form, but considering so many high-profile athletes were present, I imagined it was a non-disclosure agreement to protect their privacy.
In a soothing voice, Lucian asks, “Nina, your friend seemed particularly enthusiastic about getting you on stage tonight. She practically insisted, didn’t she? And Lane, your teammates were quite determined to volunteer you as well. Perhaps this was meant to be.”
I press my hands to my face, feeling the smooth metal of the wedding ring against my skin. “I cannot believe this is happening. Is this happening? Am I still under hypnosis? Give me back my brain!” I reach for Lucian’s lapels and he shrinks back.
I’m cracking. The control I’ve built my life around starts to crumble like a stale, over-baked scone.
Lucian chuckles mildly. “You always had your brain. However, it’s quite probable that both of you, in a state of relaxation, saw something in the other that you desired. Saw possibility.”
“We don’t even know each other,” Lane repeats.
“Now that you’re married, you’ll get to know and love each other,” Lucian says with infuriating confidence—or is it merely that he’s obtuse and delusional, thinking he’s some kind of trance-inducing matchmaking savant? “In fact, you already do,on some level. The connection you made on that stage was real. I can’t manufacture that kind of chemistry.”
Lane steps forward, his posture dangerous, authoritative. “This. Is. Preposterous.”
“Is it?” Lucian asks in a silky voice that almost makes me want to believe him.
“I can start explaining exactly why it’s preposterous,” Lane starts, his voice getting rougher, “or I can...” He reaches for Lucian’s arm, clearly intending to physically remove him from the car.
“Lane, no,” I say quickly, stepping between them. Something about the resigned disappointment in Lucian’s eyes stops me from letting this escalate. “Let him explain, please.”
Lane looks at me for a long moment, then takes a step back. “Fine. But this better be good.”
I turn back to Lucian. “You can’t just have us meditate or whatever that was and then coerce us into marriage. That’s not right.”
Lucian straightens his coat and looks at us both seriously. “There’s a prevailing theory in psychology that if two people gaze into each other’s eyes for a prolonged amount of time, they will fall in love. The trick is getting them to stare long enough without feeling awkward or self-conscious.”
Lane snaps his fingers. “So thisistrickery.”
Lucian shakes his head. “Nothing of the sort. I simply guided you to let down your inhibitions and see each other clearly. What happened after that was entirely your choice.”
