Page 104 of Huntress

“You can’t lie to Morgan, he’ll know.”

Saint growled. Too many of these people had fae in their blood for his liking. “I’ll figure it out. You cannot touch me again once we walk away from here, understand?”

“But–”

“Fight it. You are not weak, now stop acting like it. You’re not interested in me, you hate me.”

Elsie shook her head. “That’s not true. I’ve never hated you.”

“That’s what they need to believe.” He softened.

Elsie scowled, but nodded.

“You said you’d kiss me…”

“I lied. Do me a favor, will you? Keep it together when we get there. Don’t make me watch you throw yourself at your fucking sniper.”

“Are you jealous? I don’t want Morgan!” she scowled.

“Good.” He touched the base of her throat and twisted his knuckle as though turning a key in a lock. Her mouth opened to curse him, but no sound came out. “It’s a silencing spell. I’ll take it off you when you’re able to think with full capacity again. I can’t trust you not to say something stupid.”

Betrayal stung through their bond, and when he tried to lead her to the tower, she resisted, pulling back when he grabbed her hand to drag her along. Sighing, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

The glint of moonlight reflecting off one of Morgan’s arrows caught his eye as they got closer. The sniper was hidden under the roof, with only that arrow giving him away. It withdrew, and seconds later three bodies came scurrying down the ladder.

“Captain?” Perrie questioned, reaching them at a jog. “What happened?”

Saint shoved the thermos into her hands, then set Elsie down. She promptly whirled to face him, trying to kick his shins. He pushed her into Morgan’s arms, a scowl on both their faces.

“She’s been drugged. An aphrodisiac. Fix it.”

Elsie squirmed, shoving herself free from Morgan’s grasp. She sent a look filled with unspent frustration Saint’s way.

“Are you sure? She seems pretty surly,” Perrie questioned, opening the thermos and giving the contents a sniff.

“Does she normally jump on humans she’s just met?” he asked right back, gritting his teeth. He didn’t look at the sniper to confirm, but he was pretty sure framing the lie as a question instead of a statement let him get away with it. “Keep hold of her so she doesn’t jump anybody else.”

Morgan gathered her up, and Elsie’s side of their bond was cooling now that she was in another man’s arms. She hadn’t been exaggerating, and the knowledge killed Saint. The aphrodisiac wasn’t strong enough to override their mating bond. She truly didn’t want anyone else.

“Do you mind?” Riven asked, taking the thermos. She sniffed it, then tilted the thermos to her lips and took the last few mouthfuls. Her forehead creased in concentration. “The ginger hid it well, whoever put it in there knew what they were doing. How long ago did she start showing signs?”

“About an hour ago.” Saint had a pained expression.

“What is it?” Perrie pressed.

“We call it She chuang zi. It has great medicinal properties, but it’s also used as a stimulant to increase sex drive,” Riven said.

“Who would sell something like this in a restaurant?” Morgan seethed.

“Humans,” Riven answered. “They don’t process the herb as quickly as we do. It would take a couple of weeks of drinking it daily to have a mild aphrodisiac effect on humans. To them, a dose like this would do little more than open up their capillaries and keep them warm. But the captain’s body can process it much more efficiently, and she had two cups at dinner, plus the thermos.”

“You had some with dinner, is it affecting you?” the mage asked the demon.

“No.”

Riven pressed her fingers to Elsie’s neck, taking her pulse.

“She’s metabolizing it well. It won’t hurt anything but her pride.” Riven thought about it. “I suggest putting her to bed and letting her suffer through it.”