Sorceress, Interrupted - By A. J. Menden Page 0,92
did to save you.”
“I’m going to,” I spoke up, if a bit testily. It wasn’t like he’d spilled the beans to Lainey the moment his incident happened. But time was of the essence, and after everything Cyrus and I had just shared, I might as well come clean about just how far I’d gone. I’d gotten firsthand knowledge of his deep, dark secrets, so in some ways this only seemed fair.
Of course, our soul link was far greater than anything Wesley and Lainey had, so who knew how much Cyrus already knew?
“Take a few moments and join us when you’re ready,” Wesley said, patting me on the shoulder as he passed to go out into the hallway. “The Dragon isn’t out yet, so there’s still time.”
The door swished shut behind him, leaving Cyrus and me alone. I looked to Cyrus, who watched me intently but with a smile on his face. I smiled back. “What?”
“You’re gorgeous.”
My smile broadened. “Not entirely a newsflash.”
“No, I mean, you are. When you came to see me inside my mind, I saw the real you. What’s on the inside.”
My smile fell a bit. “Definitely less gorgeous.”
“No,” he said. “Gorgeous isn’t a big enough word for what you are. You’re something else—like an angel. You glow.”
I just stared at him.
“I’m not doing you justice. You’re just . . . you’re indescribable.”
God help me, but my heart actually fluttered. “You don’t have to work so hard. I already love you. No need to flatter me. No need to sweeten the pot.”
He grinned. “Say it again.”
“No need to sweeten the pot?”
He moved closer. “The other thing.”
I pretended innocence even as I stretched out on the bed beneath him. “You don’t have to work so hard?”
“You’re such a tease,” he said, moving to kiss my neck.
I moved my head to whisper in his ear. “I love you.”
He stopped and stared deep into my eyes and said, “I love you.” And then he kissed me, hard and passionate.
It was clear exactly where this was headed. I said against his mouth, “But you’re supposed to be recovering.”
“This will be a great way to recover.”
“And I’m supposed to be talking to you . . .”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be saying things. Maybe even in a variety of languages.”
I laughed and succumbed. After all, I hadn’t loved anyone in forever. It felt good, and there was a lot of catching up to do.
A short time later I was beginning to wonder how Wesley and Lainey ever got any work done. Soul connections are amazing things! Then I remembered that theirs was a much smaller connection than what Cyrus and I now had. And then I remembered all thoughts about the logistics of their love were something I was avoiding.
“Maybe it’s just having come back from the almost-dead, but wow,” Cyrus said next to me. “Just . . . wow.”
“Stop, you’ll make me blush,” I joked, trying to keep it light.
“If that’s the aftereffect of a hex, I think there’ll be a long list of people waiting to sign up after I publish my autobiography.”
“It’s not the hex,” I said, getting serious. “That’s still there, though. I don’t know if you can tell. There was no way to take it off—not without the help of the original caster.”
“Yeah, I can still feel it.” Cyrus absently rubbed a hand across his chest. “But it’s not doing anything.”
“No. I took advantage of your last coherent moment,” I said. “They had ahold of you. Did you know that? Dylan and whoever is working with him.”
Cyrus nodded. “Yeah, I know. I couldn’t stop them. I was trapped inside my body, powerless to do anything.” He shuddered. “It was horrible.”
“Well, that last moment when you were still you, I grabbed it. I froze you.”
He looked confused. “I don’t feel frozen.”
“Well, you are.” I was suddenly afraid he was going to get mad or freak out. “I’m sorry. It was the only thing I could think of to do.”
“I don’t understand, how do you mean, ‘froze’ me?” he asked. “I’m still walking around, moving and talking. You mean you froze the hex?”
“That, too. That magic is frozen; it can’t drain you anymore. But you can’t get any better either. Even if we find the person who cast the spell, they can’t take it off.”
Cyrus frowned but then shrugged. “Well, as long as it’s not doing any damage, it’s not a big deal. Right? It’s like a tattoo but on the inside.”