for its presence.
Silviu had put us in the perfect room.
The memory of him tugged hard at my fuzzy thoughts.
Silviu.
We were in his castle, a place to which I’d vowed never to return.
And we were about to drop our guard and have sex.
That didn't feel…right.
I pulled my lips away from Carrow’s, struggling to bring my mind back to the present.
Why were we here?
Lightning struck outside, glowing rose through the tinted glass. The glow highlighted Carrow’s features in a way that made her look more beautiful than ever, and it was all I could do not to fall back into her kiss.
I shook my head.
What the hell?
The thought was normal, the place was not.
I set her down, and she reached for me. “Grey. Kiss me.”
“No.” I gripped her shoulders and shook her gently. “Try to clear your mind.”
She blinked, her gaze cloudy. “What do you mean?”
“I think we’ve been enchanted.” I could feel it even now, seeping through my head like a mist, turning my thoughts toward Carrow. I could think of nothing but her.
It wasn’t unusual for her to fill my thoughts, but even I had the control not to entirely drop my guard—and my trousers—in the middle of one of my greatest enemy’s castles.
She gasped, then rubbed at her temples hard, as if trying to drive the fog away. I pinched the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to focus on our goal.
We were here to see the seer.
Silviu was finding her now.
Or was he?
I looked up at Carrow. “I’m not sure if he’s actually arranging a meeting for us.”
“Maybe not.” She dug into the small pack she’d brought, searching for something. “I think Eve gave me a potion to help combat mental spells.”
“A very useful friend to have.”
“And she’s fun for a night out at the pub.” Carrow fumbled in the bag, shaking her head every now and again, clearly trying to keep her wits about her. She pulled out a tiny vial. “This is it.”
“Is there enough?”
“I think so. Every vial is a double, she said.” Carrow uncorked it and swigged back half, her eyes immediately brightening. Then they widened. “Shit.” She shoved the vial at me. “Drink this.”
I tossed it back, cringing slightly at the bitter taste. Within seconds, my mind had cleared. The stress and tension returned, and a moment later, the room shifted.
I blinked, taking in the new space. There were no more windows, or furniture, or deep, sparkling pools.
The room was still octagonal, but it was just stone walls and a stone floor. Not even a door.
“He tricked us,” I said.
“Meant to keep us busy.” She spun in a circle. “It was an impressive enchantment. Where’s the exit?”
I strode to a wall, pressing my hand against the stone and trying to feel for any sort of magical signature.
There was nothing.
The stone was dead and cold beneath my palm. I walked around the room, searching for anything that might show us where the door had been hidden.
“Is there even a seer here?” Carrow asked. “Or is she long gone?”
“There should be. The seer is bound to this place, to the magic here. But I don’t think Silviu is going to return and take us to a meeting.”
“No, I don’t think so. Is he angry at you for leaving? Is that why he’s locked us up?”
“No doubt he is, but I think he’s imprisoned us because he wants you to find his mate.”
“Bastard. As if I’d help him now.” She shook her head. “No way I’m leading that unsuspecting woman to him if he does stuff like this.”
“I think that’s wise.” I finished my circuit of the room and turned to her. “There’s no door that I can find. There must be one, but it’s concealed.”
She frowned. “Eve’s magic should have revealed it.”
“It may be hidden by another mechanism. Or it possibly disappeared entirely and was replaced with a wall.”
Her face paled. “Or Silviu bricked us in while we were busy kissing.”
“We’ll find a way out.”
She spun around, searching. “Cordelia? Can you come here?”
A moment later, the raccoon appeared in the middle of the room, looking slightly annoyed. I was watching my stories.
I raised my eyebrows at Carrow in query.
“She’s become enamored by American soap operas,” Carrow said, then looked at the raccoon. “I think you can see this is an emergency.”
Cordelia spun around and looked at the room. Well, you’ve gotten yourself into a pickle.
“Yes. Can you go into the rest of the castle and sneak around? See if you can