“Serena?”
I throw myself down over the toilet just in time to empty the contents of my stomach. My body shakes as I heave violently. A pair of cool hands graze the nape of my neck, gathering my hair behind me as my stomach lurches again.
“What the fuck,” I groan loudly into the toilet.
“Puking and shitting,” Jace supplies in answer, his hand tracing small circles on my back. I press my face into the cool porcelain and breathe hard. “You’re alright,” he says gently.
“Last night, I—” I try to apologize but am interrupted by another surge of vomit. I’m still spitting the foul taste from my mouth when Zadyn’s tight voice sounds from behind me.
“Is she alright?”
“It’s a normal response. Her body is just trying to dispel the tea.”
I slump back against the massive tub, my eyes closed, trying to focus on my breathing. Someone dabs my face with a cold washcloth, smoothing it over my sweat-slicked brow and dry lips.
A glass is placed in my hand, and Jace says, “Swish it around and spit.”
I obey, swirling the minty liquid around my mouth, trying desperately to wash away the horrid aftertaste of last night. Then I’m being lifted and carried toward the bed. I don’t protest. My whole body feels empty and limp, like jelly.
I curl up under the covers, my teeth chattering.
“I feel like a junkie,” I whine.
“I’ll have Gnorr brew you a tea,” Jace says.
“No!” My eyes fly open. “No more tea. Just let me lay down a few minutes.”
Jace perches beside me on the edge of the bed. Zadynstands beside him, arms folded over his chest. They wear twin expressions of concern, watching me warily.
“You guys—” I try to sit up and wince at the effort it takes. “What happened last night…” I shake my head. “My behavior was completely out of line.”
“It’s okay,” Zadyn says finally. “You weren’t yourself.”
“I knew what I was doing, but I had this, this uncontrollable, insatiable lust. It was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I couldn’t even think straight or see beyond it. I was an animal. I’m so embarrassed.”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Zadyn pulls a chair up to the bed and sits. “The tea does that. It makes you starved for sex.”
That’s right.
“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I saw her—I saw Aerill. She spoke to me.”
“What did she say?” Jace asks.
“She…she wanted to use me as a vessel. She promised me my magic and some of her own if I let her…” I trail off and glance between them.
“Oh, you two are dead.” I shake my head at them, furious.
Jace’s lips press into a thin line.
“You didn’t think I should be told that the point of this little ritual was to be possessed by Aerill so she could turn me into her husband’s personalsex doll?” I can almost feel the steam coming out of my ears.
“He’s technically not her husband,” Jace mutters under his breath. I whack him in the arm.
“What the hell were you thinking keeping that from me?” I demand.
“We thought it was pretty self-evident,” Jace retorts.
“To who?!” I shout.Idiots.
