Casually Cursed (24 page)

I grew still. If they hadn’t known from our earlier yelling that we were communicating, they did now. So if they didn’t want us talking, they’d move one of us to another room. I scowled. It was bad enough we were separated by a wall. It would obviously make my job of getting us out of the Never harder if I had another missing guy to find.

I walked to the wall and put my ear against it. Not surprisingly, the stone wasn’t good for hearing through. Was he being interrogated? I didn’t worry about that. Bryn was a brilliant lawyer and a stubborn rebel. He’d withstood brutal WAM questioning where they’d practically choked him as part of the interview. He’d outsmarted them, and I trusted he’d outsmart whatever faery was with him, too.

I paced back and forth, wondering what he was being asked. I hoped he was nice rather than sarcastic. Faeries were wilder than wizards, and more impulsive. Even if they weren’t supposed to do something, they might get mad and punish Bryn for being uncooperative or rude.

I really wanted to ask him who his visitor was. I frowned. What if it was the queen? I did not want her alone with him. If she discovered he was an Irish selkie, she might use it as an excuse to claim him for the Seelie. I chewed my lip. I’d had that same thought over and over. . . . What was with me?

I rapped my knuckles against the stone. I couldn’t stop myself from whispering, “He’s mine.” Of course, he and his visitor couldn’t hear me, but I’d felt compelled to repeat that aloud. What was going on? The Never had made me paranoid about losing him even before I arrived.

Kismet.

Suddenly I realized it was probably Kismet’s knowledge and opinions that were bleeding into my subconscious. She was the one who didn’t trust Ghislaine. I tucked my hair behind my ear. Ghislaine had forced Crux to whip Kismet and later to hunt her. Of course, Crux had had to do it because of an oath he’d made before Kismet became his girlfriend, but that wouldn’t change how it felt to Kismet.

The jealousy and suspicion that seemed to run as deep as the marrow in my bones wasn’t only about being whipped or hunted, though. What else had Ghislaine done with Crux?

Uneasiness gnawed my guts. I trusted Bryn. He was the one who’d pushed for us to be together. I would’ve taken things a lot slower, but every step of the way he’d done whatever he could to bind us together forever. There was no way he’d fool around with or make a binding oath to some faery queen, no matter how pretty she was.

Trust no one in the Never
, Kismet had said.

And Bryn had felt compelled to answer the sea’s call by leaving me and going to it. What if fae magic and persuasion were more powerful than he could withstand? He might not know how to protect himself.

I rushed over to the chest of drawers and finished pushing it against the wall. I wasn’t waiting any longer. I climbed on the dresser, but wasn’t tall enough for me to reach the bottom of the window. I jumped and grabbed the edge with my fingers and dangled.

I couldn’t pull myself up by my fingertips. Normally I could manage a couple of chin-ups when I had a firm grip on something, but with my whole body hanging like deadweight it was impossible.

I let go and dropped to the chest, which teetered and then tipped. I hopped back as I fell. I landed a foot from the dresser as it crashed to the floor. Crouched in front of it, I waited, holding my breath. The door didn’t open. Bryn didn’t even yell to see if I was okay, which seemed an ominous sign.

“Get going,” I told myself. I grabbed the edge of the chest and righted it. I puffed with exertion and grimaced at the cracked corners. I kicked the splintered wood away from my feet and then climbed back on top.

I needed momentum. I pictured Kismet leaping up to catch a low-hanging tree branch and then vaulting onto it. We were identical twins. I had those same springy muscles in my legs.

I just needed to get myself going. I hopped up and down until I was breathless with it, and then I jumped as hard as I could. I caught the edge and pulled with my hands as my feet scrambled up the wall.

Rising, I locked my arms and hooked my foot on the ledge. My muscles complained about the crazy stretch, but I ignored them. I reached one hand up and caught the top of the window, which was opened in a slanted position into Bryn’s room. I dragged myself up so that my head and shoulders reached the ceiling. Then I leaned my head into Bryn’s room.

He stood alone, looking a way I couldn’t ever remember him appearing before—dazed. I studied him for a moment. I didn’t see any blood dripping from his head. He stood straight, not like someone with a concussion who was unsteady on his feet.

“Hey,” I called out in a whisper.

His face lifted to look at me. He held a hand up in greeting, not seeming at all surprised to see me precariously perched on a slender ledge. I reached up to his side of the wall and tried to steady myself as I pushed more of my body through the small space.

“Come over,” I said. “I need you to catch me when I jump down. Or at least to break my fall.”

He stared at me like I was speaking a language he didn’t know. I frowned. As far as I knew there weren’t many of those. And, of course, he normally understood English better than most people.

“Bryn, are you okay?” I asked.

He hesitated, then nodded.

“Hey! This is no time for sleepwalking. I’m trying to figure out how to get down from here.” I braced myself and climbed forward. Putting all my weight on that frame was a calculated risk. Guess what? It didn’t work out.

The window creaked and then gave way so suddenly I didn’t have time to gasp. Bryn grabbed me out of the air and pulled me to him, but the force of my fall sent us both to the floor. The glass shattered, but at least we didn’t land on it. Shards flew and nicked my legs, but otherwise I was okay.

I sat up and looked him over. “What’s with you?” I asked.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows, studying me. “You should be careful. You could’ve been hurt.”

Bryn looked and sounded like himself and I couldn’t dispute his point, but there was undoubtedly something wrong with him. I caught his face in my hands and squeezed. “What happened before I dropped in?”

“Let’s stay here.”

“Stay here?” I murmured, glancing around. There was only one door, which I assumed was locked. “Is there another choice?” I asked, going to the door. I tried to open it, but it didn’t budge.

“It’s great here. The sights and smells. The sea.”

I frowned and cocked a brow. “I don’t see or smell anything special right now. And it’s not like we can go for a dip in the ocean, since we’re being held prisoner!” I clucked my tongue. “What did they do to you?” I marched over to him. “Did you eat or drink something they gave you?”

He shook his head. “It’s beautiful here, don’t you think?”

“As jail cells go, it’s top-of-the-line,” I said.

“I don’t mean this room. I mean this world. Underhill.”

“It’s sure pretty,” I said, checking his neck and hands for needle marks. Had they injected him with some mind-altering drug? As I leaned toward him, I smelled honey, apples, and hazelnuts. “What’s that?” I asked.

“My chin?” he asked, following my gaze.

“No,” I said, rubbing my thumb over his lower lip. A sticky residue coated the pad of my finger. “Is that magic lip gloss? Who did you kiss?”

“No one.”

“Did someone kiss you?” I asked.

“I didn’t return her kiss,” he said. “She took me by surprise. But it wasn’t unpleasant.”

My jaw dropped, and my brows shot up. “Oh, it wasn’t bad, huh?” I asked.

“No,” he said, shrugging.

For the love of Hershey
, I thought, exasperated. “Bryn, I don’t want you to take what I do next the wrong way,” I said. I wiped the stickiness from his lips, not being too gentle about it. Then I slapped him.

He blinked. “Ow,” he said belatedly.

I slapped him again, and this time a pink Tammy Jo handprint bloomed on his cheek.

“Stop that,” he said, putting his hand over the hot spot. His tongue slid out to lick his lips, but I grabbed it before it could return to his mouth.

“Nope,” I said, pressing my fingernail down to keep him from pulling his tongue back.

“What are you doing?” he said, but it came out all garbled.

“Come with me,” I said, pulling him by the tongue.

He jerked his head away, making me lose my grip. Tongues are slippery.

“Do
not
swallow!” I ordered.

“I’ll do whatever I want,” he said, and that actually made me happy, since he seemed less dazed.

“Come on over here,” I said, wetting a cloth in the sink.

“What will you give me if I do?” he asked, looking me over.

My brows pinched together. What in the world? His mood had definitely shifted.

“If you wash your mouth out with soap and water, I’ll kiss you.”

“What else?”

“Then we’ll have to see.”

He shook his head. “Not good enough.”

I gave him a hostile look. “Come over here.”

“Give me a good reason to,” he challenged.

“You’re not yourself.”

“A beautiful fae queen tried to seduce me and I resisted. I—”

“You call going all Zombie Bryn resisting?”

“I deserve a reward,” he said, finishing his thought like I hadn’t spoken.

I took in a big breath and tried to hold on to my patience. “Come and gargle with some soapsuds, and I’ll reward you.”

He sat on the edge of the bed, resting his palms on his knees. “If I stay in the Never, will you stay with me?”

“You’re not staying here. We’re both going.”

He stared at the wall, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t love me. Not the way I loved you.”

My jaw dropped. The way he
loved
me? Past tense?
Oh, hell, no!

I filled a cup with soap and water and stalked over to him. “Open your mouth.”

He only looked at me defiantly.
That sneaky bitch
, I thought furiously.

I took a swig of the water and grimaced, then grabbed his chin. I kissed him, hard, shooting the water into his mouth. My hand gripped his throat and squeezed so he couldn’t swallow . . . or breathe.

I spit the water left in my mouth into the cup.

“Spit it out,” I said to Bryn, putting the cup to his lips. He gave me a mutinous look, but did so. I returned to the sink and rinsed the cup. I splashed fresh water into my mouth, the taste of honey and smoked hazelnuts lingering. I continued to rinse my mouth until the flavor disappeared.

I turned. Bryn jerked his head side to side, like a dog trying to shake water from its coat. When he looked at me with clear eyes, I smiled. “She had you.”

“No,” he said. “She drugged me with magic, but it would have worn off. Deep down, I was fighting it.”

“Very deep down, apparently,” I said.

“I asked her about the amber artifact. She said magical ambers belong in the Never. ‘Like all things fae.’ Then she kissed me and said, ‘You belong here, Sea Foam. You’ll stay and convince her to stay as well. She’ll do that. If she loves you enough she won’t leave you.’”

Manipulative bitch
, I thought.

She obviously had her spies working overtime, since she already knew Bryn was part fae. Well, that couldn’t be helped. It didn’t change anything. I wouldn’t let her stop us from escaping.

“It appealed to me,” Bryn added. “I’m sure in my subconscious I look for you to make a big gesture to prove how you feel. I had to convince you to date me. I had to convince you to marry me. It was like she knew it.”

“She hasn’t tricked all her knights into swearing oaths to her by being dumb,” I reasoned.

“I didn’t kiss her. I think that surprised her.”

“Probably so. She’s very pretty.”

Bryn glanced at me. “You should replace the taste of her on my lips.”

“Do you still taste her? Or soap?”

He frowned. “A little of each.” He rubbed his face and then squeezed his lips. “It’s the worst thing imaginable to lose one’s self. A form of dementia really.”

The sadness and worry etched on his face troubled me. She had had him . . . well, a version of him. Bryn’s brilliant mind had been dumbed down to almost nothing under her poison. It was a truly terrible curse. She doled out her mind-numbing magic pretty casually. I guess she didn’t care how violated her victims felt afterward.

I strolled to him and climbed onto his lap, facing him.

“I love you,” I said, taking his hand and sliding it under my shirt to press it against the skin over my heart. “With every bit of my heart and every drop of my magical blood. If she wrapped you in chains and dropped you in the ocean, I’d come after you in a submarine. If she poisoned you, I’d beg, borrow, or steal a cure and give it to you.” I nodded over my shoulder at the broken glass on the floor. “If she locked you in a room to keep us apart, I’d bust through a window to get to you. I might worry about what will happen to us if we stay together. But I worry way more about how we’d feel if we had to be apart. Don’t doubt that I love you enough to do whatever it takes to be with you. You’re mine. If she wants me to prove it, I will.”

His sapphire eyes darkened. “That was a good speech. It’s almost like you’ve been spending time with a lawyer.”

“Thanks.” I grinned. “Lawyers are good at talking the talk, but you guys aren’t known for being romantic.”

“I must be the exception then, since I’m romantic, at least when it comes to a certain redhead.”

My hands slid up his neck to his face. I kissed him, slipping my tongue past his lips. I caressed his mouth. He groaned and leaned back, taking me with him.

I reached between our bodies, fiddling with our clothes.

Soon we were naked, lips pressed together, skin sliding against skin.

Things felt different. The wizard’s magic that usually crashed over us, heightening every sensation, wasn’t with us in the Never. But even though there was a slower build, the passion was still there, still intense. Several times I had the sensation of rocking on the water, like I was on a boat. He tasted of salt, toffee, caramel, and chili powder.

He gripped my hips, and I plunged into pleasure. Then I felt a sharp sensation and a ripple of heat deep inside my belly. I gasped against Bryn’s mouth.