Black Magic (The Raven Queen's Harem 3)

“Bunny has a black eye. Sam sprained his wrist.”

Ouch. “And you?”

“I nearly throttled you.”

That one hits home and wariness creeps up my back. “Why, exactly?”

“Because the Morrigan has a mouth on her and it was the only way to get her to shut the fuck up.”

Ah, right. I take a deep breath. “So what do we do about this?” I pray he doesn’t say that I need to be tied up from now on.

“Two things. You need to pick a mate. Seal that up and gain the strength that comes with it.” He flexes his wrists. “Then, you were right, we need to do the spell. Split you into the three parts of the Morrigan.”

“I’m not ready,” I say. “I can’t choose a mate yet.”

“You have to.”

“It’s too fast. What if I choose wrong? What if this is just another test I’m going to fail. Like the one in the park or the fight with the Valkyrie?”

He frowns and leans forward. The shadows of the room make his cheekbones look sharper than normal. “Those weren’t tests, Morgan. This is all real. Do you understand that? It’s real. This is our world. Where magic prevails. Where battles and death are around every corner. Where destiny dictates our future. You don’t get to change those rules. You may have a goddess in your soul but that doesn’t mean she can override what must be done.”

He rises and crosses the room, stopping before me. He carefully removes the binds from my wrists and I rub the sore skin on my legs. I stand beneath his towering frame and he thumbs the column of my neck. A jolt of electricity shocks my system. “I hurt you. I’m sorry.”

“Sounds like I had it coming.”

“You?” he grimaces. “No. I let her get to me. I always do.”

I tilt my head at that comment, thinking. “You remember her from before?”

“Vividly.”

I consider this. I consider what that means and how shaken he seems to be. How controlling he has been during this entire situation. Fighting me on every step. Is he fighting me or the Morrigan? Or both.

He’s using you.

The voice is crystal clear.

No. I reply. That’s wrong, I’m using them. They give me the strength to fight back. Fight you.

Is that really any better? I hear the genuine curiosity in her question.

“Morgan?” Dylan asks, lifting my chin. His eyes are so blue, like deep pools and I’m struck with instant clarity.

“I’ll pick a mate. Once that is…accomplished I should be at full strength. ”

He hesitates slightly before asking, “When do you plan on making this decision?”

“I’ll decide by tomorrow night.”

“Do you really think we have more time than that?” I can still feel the chill from the Otherside. I also sense something larger. Looming. A power I can’t help but fear and desire at the same time.

“Not much. I think we should have the spell ready by tomorrow,” I say. “If you’ll let the others know, I’ll go back through the book and find out if there’s anything else I need to do to prepare.”

I move past him but he grips my waist. “You know this could go badly. It’s complicated magic.”

“I don’t think we have any other choice, do you?”

He leans down and kisses me. It’s fiery hot and I feel it deep inside where my soul meets my spirit. His mouth is perfect, his tongue titillating, and the shadowy Darkness lingering at the edges recedes with every push and pull. There’s something else and when a knock at the door interrupts us and we separate, I see it in his expression, the same way I felt it in the kiss.