Six pairs of eyes stared at me, waiting to see what I’d say next. My whole body froze.
This can’t be happening.
I’m a science nerd. What the hell do I know about witchcraft?
CHAPTER TEN
CORBIN
Maeve’s mouth hung open. Her pink bangs fell over her eyes.
I gripped the edge of my desk to stop the trembling in my hands. This was not how I expected this to go.
Who are you without them?
“Okay,” Maeve said, slowly. “Here’s the thing. I want to make it clear that I still haven’t chosen anyone as amagister. I haven'tnotchosen anyone, either. I am, in fact, not into this whole choosing thing at all, especially not when there are magical forces acting on my body in ways I can’t understand.”
“That’s why we made the agreement not to try anything with you,” I said. “We didn’t want to confuse you and influence your decision.”
Maeve’s lips twisted. “Well, you’ve all thoroughly bollocksed that up.”
Arthur’s eyebrows shot up, and he glanced at me.What?Did he not know about Maeve and I? About Rowan and Maeve? About what Flynn and I started with Maeve on the couch? And from the way Maeve kept biting her lip when she looked at Blake, I think something might’ve happened there, too.
Not that I wanted to think aboutthat.
I guess it was possible Arthur didn’t know. He wasn’t in the room when Flynn and I were fooling around with Maeve, and if Maeve hadn’t told him about the other night, then I guess he wouldn’t have found out. Arthur and I hung out and talked all the time, although we hadn’t exactly done that since Maeve moved in and the fae took Connor, and now Blake was here and everything was strange and awkward.
I tried to convey to Arthur through subtle movements of my eyebrows that I didn’t see it as a big deal. If we’d all done stuff with Maeve, at least we were even. It was the same as if none of us had done anything.
Besides, after the way she’d dug her nails into my back and writhed against the desk, I was pretty sure when the time came, she’d choose me.
But now I had to remember that she was in charge. Not me. Which was fucking weird, especially after all those things the fae king said to me.
“One of the things a leader does is surround herself with good advisors,” Maeve said. “This is especially important when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing. In this instance I happen to agree with Corbin.”
A wise course of action.
“On all but one point.”
Fuck.
I know exactly what she’s going to say.
“Rowan should go with you on your errand,” she said to me. “It’s important we take precautions.”
We’re four minutes in and already I hate this not being in charge thing.
Hate. It.
“I don’t need him.” My heart pounded. The last thing in the world I needed was Rowan to show himself where I was headed. Especially after that revelation he’d shared with me before theritual, that he wished he’d been with Maeve and I. And that look in his eyes…that violent hunger, a deep, primal yearning.
I’d never seen that in him before, but now every time I looked at him, there it was.
Like right now. Instead of staring at his feet, Rowan’s eyes were locked on mine, burning with an intensity that made me squirm. What was up with him? It must be Maeve’s presence. As far as I knew, Rowan hadn’t slept with anyone since he got sober. To go from a dry spell to Maeve would be enough to make any man act a little weird. If Rowan’s shag had been anything like mine, his brain had turned to mush.
After all, I’d just given up leadership of the coven without an argument. All because of Maeve and her fucking magical pussy.
But magical pussy or not, Rowan coming with me wasn’t an option. If only Maeve saw it that way.
