Page 47 of Only You, No One Else

Marcus didn’t move too far away from his desk; he pushed his chair away and braced his arms on it as he leaned forward. “Why?”

The same question, but with none of the pain Cy hadn’t been able to dress up as anger.

“There can be no peace between the wolves and us.” Mason’s voice was hollow, like an echo within an echo. “I couldn’t stand by and watch the line between the species blur. I had to do something.”

Caster caught Marcus’s frown. The same frown he wore.

“Explain yourself.” This time, Marcus couldn’t hold back the anger.

“There can be no peace between the wolves and…”

Caster turned to Riley to see confusion in his expression.

“He’s on a loop…” Dean said over the words Mason repeated like a chant.

“Did you break him?” Damien asked Riley.

The powerful witch shook his head, unleashing some of the power he’d only just reined in. This time, the jerky movements of Mason’s bound form were so violent, Caster worried he might not survive Riley’s power. But he trusted Riley to maintain control, and the monotone repetition of the same line, even as his body remained in Riley’s control, did not abate.

“What the fuck is this?” Dean’s controlled rage was apparent in each syllable.

“It shouldn’t be possible…” Riley said almost to himself, his attention on Mason, who had since stopped moving and now whispered his chant, his voice losing strength with each repetition.

Caster lost his patience. “What?”

Riley didn’t tear his eyes from Mason. “He’s under some spell’s control.” He tilted his head, studying Mason like a prize. “But why couldn’t I feel…”

“Do you mind explaining it to the rest of us?” Cy asked, earning a glare from Riley.

“It is powerful. If it's a spell. One I’ve never seen.” He moved closer to their bound captive, stopping short of touching him, his focus on the darkness that was once Mason’s blue eyes. “How could the magic control just this one aspect of him?”

“You’re saying even he didn’t know?” Damien asked, and hope bloomed in Caster’s chest. If that was true, his mother would be spared the heartbreak his father suffered every day.

Riley’s nod fertilized that hope. “Yes. But that should be impossible.”

“You can’t possibly think anything is beyond that witch, not after everything we’ve seen,” Dean said.

Mark’s hold on his arm didn’t ease as they watched Riley work. Again, his power filled the space, drawing gasps from everyone. Mason’s body jerked again, but the chanting stopped.

“Will he be OK?” Marcus asked.

Riley shook his head. “Magic this powerful will kill him if we don’t do something fast.”

“He was a tool for her purposes…” Cy said, and the sadness hope had chased away came back. It would be far worse for their mother if Uncle Mason died. At least Lucien and Bastian were still out there, even if the chance they could return to the fold diminished by the day.

“Can you fix him?” Caster asked Riley, and that hope returned when Riley nodded. He released a breath.

Marcus moved around his desk closer to Mason. “I want to know how she could do this.”

Riley nodded again. This time, when he unleashed his considerable power, there was a hush in the room. Mason’s body went limp, the invisible magical bonds the only thing holding him in place.

“How long do you need?” Marcus asked Riley.

“An hour or two. I need to figure out what the magic is first, which might take a while.” He nodded to himself. “He’ll be OK.”

“We keep this from the Queen for now.” Marcus glanced from Caster to Damien and Cy, waiting for their acknowledging nods.

It was the right call. She wouldn’t be happy about it, but telling her now before they had a solution would only worry her.