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Unstoppable forces clashed inside me like two opposing waves, and everything went black.
Chapter 9
I woke up in my own bed.
The bedroom was shrouded in a comfortable gloom. The newly installed roller shades blocked most of the light, but the morning sun slipped in around their edges, setting them aglow. I checked the clock. 6:34 a.m. Barely past sunrise.
I raised my head. Shadow padded over the covers and licked my hand. I hugged her to me and sat up.
The covers next to me were rumpled, but Alessandro wasn’t there.
The memory of me smiling in my vision popped in my head like a soap bubble. I petted Shadow’s furry head. What if I hadn’t really blacked out? What if . . .
The door swung open, and Alessandro walked in.
“Hey,” he said.
“Did I do anything to you last night? Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
He crossed the room, leaned one knee on the bed, dipped his head, and kissed me. A few months ago, I had tasted artisanal mead at a medieval fair. It was sweet with notes of berries and honey without a trace of alcohol taste in it. I kept sipping it, and after I drank half a flagon, I tried to pick up my fork and missed. My body wasn’t my own anymore. That kiss was just like that, deceptively light, but intoxicating. He had hijacked me.
I opened my eyes and gently pushed away from him. “Did I hurt you?”
He sighed. “No. To my greatest regret, you didn’t do anything at all to me last night. You did pass out and scare the hell out of me, but the doc said you were fine.”
I landed back on my pillow. He sat on the bed, feet over the edge.
“What’s happening with everything?” I asked him.
“We are in complete lockdown. Linus hasn’t woken up, the prince is safe in his cage, and I’m keeping track of Arkan’s movements. He is funneling his operatives into Houston but so far, he hasn’t moved. Your USB is with Bern. He thinks it will still work once it dries out.”
“Mom . . .”
“Is recovering well and she asked me to pass on a message. She would like you to stop worrying about it and drive on.”
I rolled my eyes. Driving on. Right.
I didn’t always understand what motivated the people around me. I didn’t even understand my own emotions half of the time, but I knew my magic. I knew how it worked and what it could do. Last night it betrayed me. How the hell was I supposed to drive on after that?
“Bug found surveillance footage from the parking lot,” Alessandro said. “I watched it. It’s . . . interesting. I particularly liked the black wings and the screeching.”
His tone was light, but his eyes told me he plotted murder. If he ever got his hands on Xavier, he’d tear him apart.
“Something is happening to me. I don’t understand it. I almost drowned you in the pool last night.”
“Not even close.”
“Alessandro, you don’t understand. A part of me wanted to keep you in that pool no matter what it took. I think I’m dangerous. I . . .”
“I wasn’t in any danger last night.”
I blinked at him.
“Your magic doesn’t work on me. Also, I’m big and strong, and an excellent swimmer.”
“You don’t get it,” I told him. “How were you not afraid?”
“Oh I was. I was mortally afraid of being caught by your entire family while having sex in the pool.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“After everything calms down, we should test your theory.”
“Alessandro . . .”
“We can pick up right where we left off. We’ll pick a night when everyone is away from the house. We’ll climb into the pool, and you can do your best to drown me. I promise, you can have me all to yourself. All of me.”
“You’re not going to take this seriously, are you?”
His voice lost all humor. “The woman I love was attacked last night. Her mother was injured, we have a Russian royal locked in the armory, and my father’s killer declared open war on us. I’m taking everything seriously.”
“Did you see Gunderson’s face after I screamed?”
He nodded.
“When Grandma Victoria cracks a human mind, there are pieces left. They glow in my mind’s vision. Very weakly but still there.”
“Gunderson’s mind didn’t glow?” he guessed.
“No. It was a black hole. It’s like I snuffed him out of existence.” I pulled my knees to my chest. “I’m scared.”
He wrapped his arms around me. I leaned into him.
“What did you feel just before you screamed?”
He wasn’t asking just to comfort me. His grandfather was a terrible person, but he’d made sure that Alessandro had a superb education when it came to magic theory. He was an expert in all aspects of mental magic.
“Mom was hurt and bleeding. I knew that the next hit would kill her and Cornelius. I just . . . I wanted to shove Xavier and Gunderson.”
