Monroe turned to Cece. “How much does your magic increase when you have sex with him? How long does the increase last?”
“We’re not sleeping together,” Cece said. “If we were, I wouldn’t need your help with the barrier spell.”
Monroe stared at her blankly before grimacing. “Right, of course. Sorry. You’re just… this is the first confirmed conduit I’ve ever heard of. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to come to the WWC and -”
“No,” Cece said. “I’m not going there so they can examine me like a bug pinned to a board.”
“It wouldn’t be like that,” Monroe said, “but I understand your concern.”
A new worry unlocked in Briggs’s brain. “What would the WWC do to Cece if they knew about the conduit thing?”
“They wouldn’t do anything to her,” Monroe said. “They’d have some questions, maybe do a few tests that -”
“No,” Briggs snarled. “They don’t touch her.”
He took a step forward, his chest only inches from Cece’s back. “If you say a word to your employer about Cece, I’ll kill you, warlock.”
“Briggs,” Cece said.
Monroe didn’t look even a tiny bit terrified, which pissed Briggs off. “If Cece doesn’t want the WWC to know, I won’t tell them. Honestly, they’d be more interested in you as her conduit.”
The vines tightened around Briggs’s body before the ends of them stroked his chest and arms.
“They’re not going anywhere near him,” Cece said, her voice hard.
Monroe held up his hands. “As I said, they won’t learn it from me. I promise, Cece.”
“Thank you,” she said.
The vines relaxed around him, and the stiffness in Cece’s shoulders eased. She glanced behind her, her gaze immediately dropping to Briggs’s mouth. A flare of hot desire went through him, and he took a step back.
Cece grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I was standing too close,” he said.
“Just out of curiosity, why aren’t you having sex?” Monroe asked.
“Like I said before - none of your fucking business,” Briggs growled.
“That’s fair,” Monroe said cheerfully. “But Cece would have a better chance of protecting herself if her magic were stronger, so it seems to me like it’s a win/win situation.”
“It’s complicated,” Cece said with another glance at Briggs.
Monroe studied them thoughtfully. “I suppose the whole ‘bind your conduit to you’ without considering their free will is off-putting.”
“Off-putting is a mild term,” Cece said.
“Not to be insulting, but you realize what you feel for her isn’t real, right?” Monroe asked Briggs. “Once a conduit gets a hit of a witch’s magic, it’s incredibly addictive. I only ask because you seem to be pretty possessive of someone you’re not dating.”
Briggs glared at him, his lip curling to reveal his fangs. “I’m not an idiot.”
“Not saying you are,” Monroe said, “but you refer to Cece as your mate.”
“It’s his bear,” Cece said quickly. “His bear is a little confused, but Briggs understands what’s happening and that it’s my magic trying to control and manipulate us.”
“Right, okay.” Monroe hesitated. “Did you know it’s even more rare for a paranormal to be a conduit? We’re talking something like a two percent chance. Conduits are almost always human.”
Cece nodded. “Yes, I read that when I was researching a way to break the conduit bond.”
