Seduce him, you idiot. The only thing that works with that dragon is sex.
That's not true,Kyanite argued.Verin is an intellectual. You must present him with a wise solution.
She just tried that, dork,RS huffed. And did you just call the Grexer an intellectual? That's a laugh!
He is an intellectual,I insisted. He's brilliant. Just because he doesn't pontificate constantly, it doesn't make him an idiot.
Whoa! Relax, girl. We get it; you're in love.
You said you still had him,I said suddenly.He's still bound to us, right?
In a way, yes. But, El, it won't last much longer,RS said gravely.
What do you mean?
We never fully bound him, remember? The others wanted Verin to leave when Slate returned so they never inducted him, as it were.
Battle or sex,I said in epiphany.
Yes.And now, Verin wants out. His will is stretching our bond thin.
How could I have forgotten about that little caveat? Technically, Verin was only partially bound to me. To fully join with the RS, he needed to love me, agree to be a part of the spell, and then participate in an activity that roused the spell—either battle or sex—with the other men and me. And just to be clear, he doesn't have to have sex with the other men, only with me while they're also making love to me. Once the RS unified us in one of those situations, Verin would be ours. The RS would bind the men and me with her magic and settle Verin into our group. Any jealousy he felt for the others would disappear and he'd view them as compatriots. But Verin hadn't fought with us since the love spell had been cast and we definitely haven't had group sex so he wasn't fully with us. He could walk away and never have to see me again.
Unless the RS united us in battle.
He'd be ours then,RS said in response to my thoughts.No escaping. He'd eternally fuel me whether he wanted to or not. Of course, he'd want to. All I'd have to do is join him with us when we fight today. And there will almost certainly be fighting.
My stomach turned. It would be force. Verin had made his choice clear; he didn't want this. If I let RS bind him permanently to us, I'd be no better than his father. I'd become the woman he had first believed me to be. The woman he'd been disgusted by.
No, I don't want to force him,I said firmly.It has to be his decision, RS. Do not unite us today.
Okay, if you insist,she tried to sound annoyed but I could hear approval in her tone. But how else can I help you?
I don't know, RS,I said in a duh-tone.How do you think you could help me?
Oh!she perked up.You want me to nag him until he gives in.
Not nag—reason,I corrected.Talk to him for me; argue our case.
I can be very convincing when I want to be,she mused.
You mean annoying,I countered.
Exactly,she said brightly.
I like your spirit!I grinned, my gaze sliding Verin's way.
Verin met my stare as if he'd felt it on him. In his eyes, for the briefest moment, I saw a touch of yearning. Then he shut it down, the blue of his irises shifting back to a pale ice. It was like starting over with him, going back to the beginning when we hated but also desired each other.
That's what I'm talking about! Seduce him any way that you can. One angry fuck and he's ours!RS declared.
This is going to be a disaster,Kyanite muttered.
Chapter Forty-Nine
“First things first,” Odin declared as soon as we were all gathered on the shore of Eleanor's island.
The other leaders stepped up beside Odin and all four lifted their hands and closed their eyes. They accessed their elements, just as I'd seen them do once for me. Vivian's hands glowed sapphire and tiny water droplets surrounded them, Odin's shone golden-green with bits of earth hovering around them, Glinda had streamers of pale yellow light swirling in the air about her hands, and Osamu held his palms upright, cupping twin flames of fire that emitted a crimson haze. This spell wasn't as complicated as the one they'd crafted for me. Their magic quickly joined before them, merging into one blinding light that shot up into the air until it was hundreds of feet above us. The light exploded outward in a dome that covered the entire island. The barrier glimmered once, then went invisible.
