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A window smashed in the guest room.
“Come out, king!” mortals bellowed together.
“Face us!” a man cried.
“Die, scum!” a woman yelled.
I sped toward Medusa, following Vaughn.
Aidan appeared beside her, grinning. He waved and I roared, time seeming to slow. Not figuratively, but literally, as if I ran through molasses.
Murky brown wisps of magic whizzed around my legs, my limbs felt like they were filling with concrete.
Vaughn collapsed into a heap, smacking his head on the ground beside me.
I tripped into the wall, hand slamming into it. I was unsteady, trying to stay upright as the brain fog returned. Cloying, nauseating, weakening my joints.
“Fucker!” I heard Medusa cry.
I looked up to see Aidan blink away, only to appear beside me.
“Let’s leave these two alone for some hot quality time,” he drawled. “I want to show you something.” He coughed, his breath stinking of vomit.
“How did you track me here?” I demanded weakly.
His connection was with Paris, not me.
“Your obsession with the elf leaves a stinky trail,” he answered. “More of love’s wickedness in action, I suppose. And extremely helpful to me.”
He laughed and the magic engulfed me, carrying me away to a kitchen filled with filtered sunlight. It burned my eyes, biting at my skin. But not enough to kill me.
I fell to my knees, rolling onto my side. Steam curled from my body, the Heart of All screaming for mercy. Death or not, the sun was a cruel bane for vampiric souls.
Paris stood there, his top half exposed. And Declan approached him with desire drawn across his face.
The screaming stilled, the burn of the sun cooling.
Paris?
“Now then,” Aidan said, sitting beside me and crossing his legs. “Will a broken heart break the curse? It’s my new theory to test.”
The deity cackled while envy draped itself across me in a poisonous blanket. That should be me, only me. The elf was mine, not some wolf’s.
“Ooo, look how into each other they are.” Aidan clapped with delight.
Declan closed the gap between them, taking Paris by the back of the neck. My elf’s lips parted, the fine hairs on his arms standing to attention.
No…
No…
No…
This wasn’t real. This was the result of magic. It shimmered in the air, particles fluttering around the room like orange insects, while murky brown wisps danced around my face. Both strands of Aidan’s magic working at once.
He stank of vomit, burping twice.
Drawing on my dwindling strength, I rolled over, forcing myself to my knees. Fire sparked to life across my right hand, trying to eat at my flesh before cooling to nothing but a flicker.
