I didn’t need to look at him to know what expression he wore. The incredulity in his voice spoke volumes.
I focused on the lush green scenery out of the window as we drove deeper into Dark Forest Pack land. “It has to be.” As much as I’d enjoyed my time with Nick, it couldn’t lead anywhere. A fact I’d lost sight of when I’d had him underneath me, my magic wrapping around him, connecting us on a level beyond what I’d expected.
But now, in the harsh light of day, the reality of our situation was harder to avoid.
Axel huffed. “I hope you made that clear, then.”
I closed my eyes.“I’d like to see you again when we return from my realm… Maybe next time we can fuck… Imagine how good that will be…”
“Not exactly.”
“Fuck, D.”
“I know. I’ll talk to him when we get back.” Pushing that to the back of my mind, I switched focus to our upcoming trip home. “What did you want to discuss before tomorrow?”
Axel pulled up in front of his house and turned off the engine. “Come on, we can talk about it inside.”
* * *
Nick
“What do you mean, you’ve got no magic?” Mase stared at me, forehead scrunched in confusion.
I’d barely given him the chance to sit down before speaking. “Exactly that.” Rubbing a hand over the back of my neck, I forced myself to meet his eyes. “When my family made a deal with the witches’ council to move me up here, one of the conditions was that they would bind my magic for nine years. As punishment for nearly killing my family with the reckless use of magic I couldn’t control.”
Mase’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. A mix of emotions played out on his face—shock, confusion, hurt. That last one cut me deep, building on the guilt I already felt for keeping this from him.
He blew out a harsh breath and covered his face with his hands as he slumped back against the sofa cushions. Silence stretched out between us, each second seeming to last an hour as I waited for him to say something.
Finally, he dropped his hands, letting them fall into his lap. “I’m not sure where to start with all of that.”
“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” I shrugged. “I was ashamed.”
“Is that supposed to make it better?” His voice had an edge to it that I wasn’t used to, but thoroughly deserved.
“No.” I sat forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “I didn’t want to admit to anyone, let alone you, how much I’d fucked up. Losing my magic was…devastating.” My breath hitched as memories of that day threatened to resurface.
I shoved them back down.
“Fuck’s sake, Nick.” He reached out and gripped both my hands. “Not gonna lie, right now, I’m hurt and really pissed off that you didn’t think you could trust me with this.”
“I know, and—”
“But… you’re my best friend, and I love you, and I can’t begin to imagine how fucking horrible that must have been for you.” His grip tightened. “Shit. It’s still in force, isn’t it?”
“It is.” I gently disentangled myself and reached for the leather cuff on my wrist. “I have three years left.” I unfastened the cuff and set it on the cushion beside me, careful to keep my mark out of sight for the time being.
Mase’s gaze narrowed. “Why are you telling me this now?” I knew it wouldn’t take him long to realise there was more.
“Because something’s happened.” I turned my hand over, showing him my mark. “There should be one link for each of the three years remaining.”
Leaning closer, he traced a finger over the two marks there. “How the fuck did you manage to break a spell performed by the witches’ council?”
“It’s not so much broken as—” I stopped talking as he pinned me with a pointed look. “It disappeared after Dathal and I…”
“You fucked him, didn’t you?” He didn’t sound all that surprised, but then I assumed he knew we’d left Midnight together.
I ran a hand through my hair. “Let’s just say orgasms were had.” Giving Mase details about my night with Dathal wasn’t going to happen, not that I thought for a minute he’d want them. I gestured at my wrist. “His magic did this.”
