She didn’t look up, didn’t react as if she’d even heard his voice. With another glance at Hudson, Briggs said, “Cecelia, answer Mal’s question.”
Still no reaction. Her cheeks were flushed red, and the green glow surrounding her gave her an eerie look.
Clearing his throat, Briggs said, “Cecelia, look at me, please.”
Her gaze snapped to him, her dark irises rimmed with bright jade. “What? Are you finally ready to fuck me?”
Hudson grunted in surprise and, for once, even the goddamn bird shifter didn’t have anything to say.
“No,” Briggs said, hoping like hell he wasn’t about to lose his job, “I want you to answer Mal’s question.”
“Yes,” she said, staring at Mal and Bishop. “The gloves will protect you. Don’t touch it with bare skin and you’ll be fine.”
“How long does the spell last?” Mal asked as Bishop reached for the rock with his gloved hand.
“Until it’s removed.” Cece gave him a look like she couldn’t believe Mal asked such a stupid question.
“Can you remove it?” Mal studied the words on the rock Bishop now held.
Cece stared at Briggs. “If he fucks me, I can.”
“What the hell?” Hudson said.
“Cece, hush,” Briggs said.
Hudson and the others were staring at him, and heat burned his cheeks.
“What is she talking about?” Mal asked him.
“It’s nothing,” Briggs said quickly.
A grin crept across Ronin’s face. “Oh, it sounds like something.”
“Briggs,” Mal said.
His hesitation made Cece snort and stop her pacing. “He’s my conduit.”
When the others stared blankly at her, she said, “He is mine, and I will not give him up.”
“Um… what the fuck is happening right now?” Hudson asked. “Briggs isn’t yours.”
Green light flared, and Cece turned her gaze to Hudson, the rage practically seeping from her pores.
“Uh oh, Big White is pissing off the tiny tree witch,” Ronin said.
Cece glared at him, and Ronin took a step back and put up his hands. “I’ll let you two work this out. Pretend I’m not here.”
Cece stalked a few steps toward Briggs and Hudson. Her voice soft and filled with deadly venom, she said, “He’s mine, and if you try to take him from me, shifter, I will rip open your throat and bathe in your blood.”
Hudson growled loudly. “You’re welcome to try, witch.”
Briggs’s polar bear surged forward, battling Briggs for control to protect Cece. His bear didn’t care that Hudson was one of his oldest friends, didn’t care that fighting Hudson’s polar bear would probably end in their death. His desire to protect his mate was nearly impossible to contain.
Cece’s magic flared brighter, and when she took another couple of steps forward, Briggs stepped in front of Hudson. “Cece, stop.”
“Move, Briggs,” Cece said, her angry gaze arrowed in on Hudson. “I know he’s your friend, but he needs to be taught a lesson.”
She was glowing so brightly now that he had to squint against the light. Hudson was growling continuously behind him, Briggs’s polar bear was battling to be free, and Briggs could practically taste Cece’s magic in the air.
