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He rubs his hands up and down my back. “If at any time you want me to undo it, just tell me.”
I won’t want to undo it. I don’t want to lose myself to my siren. But I promise him anyway, because he looks like he needs the reassurance. “I will.”
My siren tries again to unleash her power on Parker, but my body doesn’t obey. My song stays locked up inside me. I’m amazed at how effective Parker’s compulsion is.
While everyone starts putting their coats on, I ask a question that’s suddenly bothering me. “If a vampire’s compulsion is so strong, why don’t you—or at least men like Henry—use it all the time? Henry could control this entire city if he wanted to.”
“It’s against FUA laws, first of all,” Nick says, slipping on his leather jacket. “And secondly, everyone knows that vamps who start abusing their powers of compulsion never last long.”
My eyes widen. “People kill them?”
“Of course they do,” Illren says, going for his jacket as well. Like Nick, he doesn’t seem to need a thick winter coat. Winter fey can naturally handle the cold a lot better than most. “Vampire compulsion is powerful. People are scared of power. When they feel threatened, they tend to eliminate those jeopardizing their safety. I’ve taken a number of jobs dealing with this exact thing. I’ve never felt bad taking out a power-crazed vampire.”
I have no response to that. Just…none. Sometimes I forget that Illren is a stone-cold killer. What does it say about me that I’ve accepted him as one of my mates? Or that I don’t really mind him getting rid of the scum of this city? I’ve come a long way since falling into the underworld. Good or bad, I don’t know. But I’ve definitely changed as a person since my days as a perceived human.
“Plus, vamps can’t compel shifters,” Rook adds, a hint of smugness in his tone. “Well, they can, but all we have to do is shift forms and the compulsions are broken. It’s one of the reasons vampires tend to not get along with shifters. They don’t like that we’re immune to their greatest means of self-defense.”
“Interesting. So then, can Nick be compelled, too? Are mythics different from shifters?”
We all head up the stairs. Nick follows behind me, saying, “There’s not much we’re vulnerable to. A vampire’s mind is not stronger than a mythic’s. Compulsion can’t take hold of us.”
“Must be nice,” I grumble. The few times Henry compelled me I absolutely hated it. And now I’ve gone and locked away my own self-defense against it. “I hope I made the right choice having Parker compel me.”
Oliver holds the front door open for me and smiles as I pass him. “It’s only a temporary solution,” he says. “I’ll figure out something better. There’s got to be an answer.”
“If anyone can find it, it’s Oliver,” Parker adds, making Oliver blush.
Some of my stress eases. “Thanks.”
I give both men kisses and laugh when three more line up behind them. This harem thing, as happy as I am that I get to keep all of the men I care about, is a little strange. I give all of my men kisses and tell them to be careful, and then we all split up. I let out a breath as I watch them all drive off. I really hope they’ll be okay.
