“What’s not to love?” I gestured to him. “If you ignore this temporary insanity, he’s kind, smart, funny, strong. Handsome, too. And he loves me back.”
That was the big thing. I didn’t think I would be able to handle unrequited love so well. I’d do it for Tarron—I wouldn’t have a choice—but I was damned glad that the sane version of Tarron loved me back.
“He might not survive this,” Aeri said, her tone soft.
I hissed at her. “He will.”
She frowned, worry and sadness in her eyes. “I’m only saying that because I love you, Mari. You know this curse is a big one. We don’t even know how to cure it yet. Or if it can be cured.”
“It can be. It has to be.” I drew in a deep breath. “Now where is Connor? He needs to make that antidote so that Tarron can have a bit of sanity while we look for the true cure.”
Aeri looked up at the clock and frowned. “Should be here any moment, I think.”
A moment later, the front door creaked open.
“Sounds like they heard you,” I said.
Aeri rose and went to greet Declan, Connor, and Claire. The brother and sister pair had been in Puck’s Glen with us just a few hours ago, and still looked beat-up and tired.
Claire’s dark hair was still wet from her shower, and she wore a clean set of fighting leathers. As a mercenary for the Order of the Magica, she had an endless supply. She smiled, her eyes tired.
As usual, Connor wore an old band T-shirt. This one was emblazoned with the name Lizzo. A bag hung over his shoulder, no doubt full of potions ingredients.
I met his gaze. “Thank you for making this potion. Maybe Aeri and I could have handled it, but our specialty is the ones related to blood sorcery. This is too important to risk.”
He grinned. “Any time.”
“I just came as backup.” Claire saluted.
“Well, we appreciate it.” I gave Tarron a look. “He’s pretty dangerous when he’s conscious.”
I went to the shelves, getting our last pair of manacles. It broke my heart to bind Tarron’s wrists again, but until his mind was free of the false queen’s influence, it had to be done.
Quickly, I bound his wrists in front of him. Aeri brought me a pillow to put under his head, and I smiled gratefully at her.
“Might as well leave him here.” I turned to my friends. “Until he wakes up, at least.”
“Hopefully I can get that antidote made before then,” Connor said. “Declan explained the situation to me and showed me a picture of the recipe. Shouldn’t take long.”
“Thank you.”
Connor strode to the main worktable that sat in the center of the room and put the bag on the table. As he unloaded it and got to work, I moved toward Claire. We stood side by side, watching Connor.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“Good.” She smiled at me, still looking weary. Her dark eyes were shadowed and her face pale.
Hell, I doubted I looked much better.
“You should be resting.”
“Nah, I wanted to be here. I like Tarron. I want him to get better.” She nudged me with her shoulder just slightly. “I like you, too. And this will be okay.”
“Thanks.” I smiled.
My gaze moved between Tarron and Connor, hoping that the potions master could move quickly. He combined several of his own ingredients with the root of Paeoria, grinding it all into a paste and then lighting it on fire. He collected the smoke in a glass bottle, then added a few more ingredients to turn it to liquid.
By the time he was done, my nerves were strung so tight that a loud noise could have shattered me.
He held up the bottle and smiled. “It’s ready. He just has to drink it.”
“Thanks.” I strode toward him and took it, then knelt at Tarron’s side.
Carefully, I lifted his head. He was still unconscious, and I shook him slightly.
He groaned and shifted, trapped in a dream state.
“He looks conscious enough to swallow,” Aeri said. “Maybe get the potion in him before he fully wakes.”
I grimaced, remembering the scene I’d walked in on earlier. Quickly, I moved Tarron’s head farther upright, then tilted the vial of potion so a few drops seeped through his lips. He swallowed, never opening his eyes. I poured more in, holding my breath and praying he would swallow the rest. That it would work.
As I’d hoped, his throat moved. He swallowed the potion, and I looked up at Connor. “How long until it works?”
“Should be instantaneous.”
I shook Tarron slightly. “Come on, Tarron. Wake up now.”
He jerked, his eyes flaring open.
Green.
His eyes were green.
Relief sagged my shoulders. Thank fates.
The yellow and black that indicated the false queen’s possession were gone. Gratitude welled within me, making my eyes prick with tears.
Confusion flickered in his eyes, then he jerked away from me, moving back. His voice was harsh as he said, “Get away.”
“What?” My heart twisted. “Tarron, we’re trying to help you.”
“I know that, damn it.” His brow furrowed. “I’m dangerous. You need to stay away from me.”
“You’re not.”
He raised his hands, the manacles clanking. “But I am, Mari.”
The world closed in around us, until it felt like it was just the two of us in this room. “Not anymore. We’ve given you an antidote.”
“I can still feel it, pulling at my soul. There’s something within me that’s not me. I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
He ignored the statement and stood, towering over me, his broad shoulders cutting out the light. “What happened?”
I stood. “You don’t remember?”
“Bits and pieces.”
“Let’s sit for this.”
I turned to face the others in the room, finding that chairs had appeared around the table. They must have gathered them while we were talking.
I sat. “We need to figure out what the hell is going on.”
“And what the hell happened.” He took a seat at the farthest end of the table, away from everyone else. I watched him with an aching heart.
Aeri and Claire sat next to me.
“Do you remember the battle when we tried to rescue Aeri and Declan from the false queen?” I asked. “How we fought her and her Unseelie minions in her tower?”
“Vaguely. She hit me with something, didn’t she?”
“A curse,” I said. “One that controls your soul.”
He nodded, his eyes going dark and stormy. But not gold and black, thank fates. “I can feel her influence inside of me, fighting to break free. Whatever she did to me—it’s slowly stealing my soul.” He drew in a ragged breath. “It makes me do whatever she commands.”
“Which is to kill me,” I said.
He nodded, his gaze serious. “Whatever you’ve given me has helped, but I can still feel it. I don’t have much time left.”
“Until what?”
“Until my soul is gone for good. Then I am hers.”
My stomach pitched.
“You can feel it that clearly?” Aeri asked.