Page 50 of His Eternal Temptation

“I’m here as a precaution.” Hunter patted a bag on the counter beside him. “Got my defibrillator just in case.”

Lane’s skin went cold and clammy.

Rowan glared, the soft, well-cared-for air he’d had in Lane’s arms almost hard to imagine. “If there’s a chance of killing Lane, we aren’t doing this.”

“I can’t give you one hundred percent certainty.” Nicole looked at them with a hint of pleading. “I wish I could, but there’s no getting around how deadly this curse is. The counterspell we’ve created to halt the leaching magic should break its hold over you both simultaneously, meaning Lane should be fine. But there will always be a risk.”

“We need to do something.” Lane earned his own glare from Rowan. “Come on. We can’t stay like this indefinitely. You’re having more trouble each day.”

They couldn’t hold out for guarantees that didn’t exist, even if Rowan’s hunger wasn’t worsening. Being tied together wasn’t sustainable.

“I can deal with trouble,” Rowan grumbled.

“Maybe,” Nicole cut in. “But you can’t stay like this. There’s no reason to think the counterspell will break the link keeping Lane safe. I’m not targeting the connection. You know I’ve done my best. I wouldn’t try if I wasn’t confident the risk was as low as possible.”

Rowan sat heavily on one of the chairs. “I know. I’m sorry, Nicole, I didn’t mean to doubt you.”

“Didn’t think you were. I’m not offended. I’m reassuring you.”

Lane sat beside Rowan, who gripped his hand. The unexpected sweetness almost knocked the wind from Lane. Everyone could see. Didn’t he care?

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Rowan asked. He was in business mode—hard, calculated, and painfully focused—but Lane no longer found his demeanor cold. It gave him strength to have someone so solid by his side.

He nodded, trusting Rowan and this coven to do everything they could, the fear he’d be sacrificed a distant memory. “I’m sure.”

Lane wished it were clear what coming out the other side looked like. Would Rowan want to forget everything they’d shared when Lane wasn’t his permanent shadow? Would he decide distance was preferable after all?

Nicole took hold of Vera’s hand. “Let’s begin.” With a final look shared between them, the two witches began to chant.

Magic washed over Lane in steady waves. His heart thudded, pulse running high with nerves. Unless it was an effect of the magic? The curse? His breath hitched. What if this didn’t work? He might die. He might be stuck with Rowan forever, as a burden and not a choice, forced to watch as his hunger grew more and more unbearable.

Fingers gripped Lane’s chin, and he startled. Rowan guided his face until their eyes met, a mirror image of what Lane had done to him earlier. Rowan didn’t speak, but he didn’t need to. Lane’s chest ached.

Rowan gave comfort far easier than he accepted it, but the fact that he could do both was everything. He let Lane hold him up, then turned around and did the same without hesitation.

The chanting grew louder. Magic flared, and the witches fell abruptly silent.

Lane felt nothing. If he’d been cured, wouldn’t… Pain shot through him, sharp and hot. He screamed, doubling over, but as soon as it began, the pain was gone.

“Lane!” Rowan shouted, his grip on Lane’s hand unfaltering.

“I’m okay.” He straightened.

Rowan released a deep exhale, echoing Lane’s relief. “Thank goodness. I had a jolt of pain, too. What was it?”

“I…I don’t know.” Lane glanced at the witches.

Nicole frowned, and Vera muttered a spell. The women shared a look.

“It didn’t work. The curse is still there,” Vera said.

“What?” Lane clutched his chest. “Why did it hurt? Is the link broken?” It mustn’t be since he wasn’t dying, but something had cracked through Rowan’s protection. What if it happened again?

“The link isn’t broken, I can still sense it. But I’m sure the counterspell was working. Let me check,” Nicole said before silently analyzing Lane and Rowan with her magic.

Vera seemed to have completed her own analysis. “We halted the curse’s feeding cycle, so technically the counterspell worked, but not for long. The parasitic magic restarted, and now it’s as strong as it ever was.”

Nicole scowled. “You’re right. Dammit. I didn’t think the curse could restart after it’d been stopped. How can it be this persistent?”