Chapter 18

18

T he Cave of Manthis sits at the base of a large mountain some ten miles north of the castle. We ride out before sunset until stars dust the sky, and we reach a large clearing. Countless members of court have made the short trek to the cave. Cloaked High Fae gather near the small burning pyres scattered throughout the clearing. Their flames dance high and wild, casting the surrounding forest in an orange glow. My eyes are drawn to the mouth of the cave, where a soft greenish light glows from within.

"The king doesn't come to this?" I ask Zadyn as he lifts a hand to help ease me from the horse.

"No. He usually stays in the castle and pays homage in his own way. Besides, only participants enter the cave, so once the initial rite is performed, the night can get rather boring for spectators. Especially when it's the longest one of the year."

Jace stands near the mouth of the cave, speaking with a few noble females. Zadyn starts toward him, and I lag behind, looking around for any familiar faces.

"Big turnout this year," a soft voice purrs in my ear. I whirl to find Kai standing behind me, his face bathed in flickering firelight.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, my tone coming out harsher than I intend.

"Enjoying the solstice, of course. Readying for the rite. But the better question is, what are you doing here?" His eyes roam over me curiously as he stuffs his hands into his pockets.

"I'm representing the king's blood," I say proudly.

"So fresh from the temple, you're still wet behind the ears." He flicks the pointed tip of my ear playfully and I swat at his hand. "I'm curious. Why on earth would the king choose a long-lost cousin for the ceremony over his own daughter?" he muses. Though his voice is light and teasing, there is an air of suspicion behind it. I steel myself, doubling down on the act.

"To relieve her of the burden, of course."

His brows lift in surprise.

"An honor, more like. Raised in a temple all your life, I'd think you'd know the distinction." He prowls closer, sizing me up. I force a fake smile onto my face.

"Is there something you want, Kai?"

"Yes. I want to know what you're really doing here." He takes a step closer, and I am forced to tilt my head to look up at him.

"The king wants me here. You're the foreigner," I say casually.

"My mother is the queen of these lands." A secretive smile works its way over his lips, like we've just shared an inside joke.

"And yet you're just the second son," I lilt, sounding a lot more confident than I feel. Desperate to avoid the scrutiny of his stare, I pull the hood of my cloak over my head. "No kingdom of his own to toy with, so here you are to toy with ours. "

He chuckles darkly, waggling his finger an inch from my face. "There's something different about you."

"You barely know me." I wave a dismissive hand as I shift on my feet. "I bet you say that to all the ladies."

His eyes gleam as he says, "I don't need to know you to know that you aren't like us."

My heart plummets anxiously. Kai is smart. It would be too easy for him to catch me in a lie and unravel the fragile story we've fabricated around Lady Serena Accostia .

I lean in close to his face, just a hair's breadth away, and tauntingly whisper, "You're insane."

Without another word, I brush past him, beelining toward Zadyn and Jace by the mouth of the cave. They turn to look at me as I approach.

"Kai knows something is up," I breathe, my eyes darting back and forth between the two males.

"What do you mean?" Jace asks, narrowing his eyes at me.

"He knows I'm…different. He's suspicious." They both crane their heads toward Kai in the most obvious way. "Well, don't look now!" I hiss.

"I'll find out what he knows," Jace says coolly, eyes still fixed over my shoulder. "You need to focus on the ceremony. Go in there with a clear mind and level head when you enter that cave. If you drink the tea in a state of paranoia?—"

"I'll have a bad trip?"

"Something like that."

"Is Kai participating, too?" I ask, stopping him as he moves to step around me.

Jace nods, glancing down at me. "Yes. Truly, there is nothing to worry about. Kai may be a hothead, but I've known him a long time. He's not a bad guy."

"Can we trust him?" Zadyn asks Jace .

"Yes." A peal of bells chimes from inside the cave. "It's starting soon. You should head inside."

Jace strides away as I cast a rueful glance toward the cave's entrance.

"You can do this," Zadyn encourages, taking hold of my upper arms.

"What's the worst that can happen?" An unsteady laugh works its way up my throat as the cloaked fae begin to filter inside.

"You puke and shit yourself." His smirk succeeds in easing some tightness in my chest. "I'll be waiting for you out here." He smooths his hands over my arms, and I force myself to swallow.

I turn and file into the torchlit cave beside the cloaked fae nobles, taking in the rough-hewn cavern adorned with soft carpets and throws. A large cauldron occupies the center of the space, heating over a pit of green flames and filling the air with a pungent scent that reminds me of frankincense.

The High Priest waits beside the fire, his flowing white robes stained green by its soft glow. Once we've all settled onto the floor cushions, he lifts his arms to the heavens and begins to chant in an unfamiliar language.

Ancient Fae.

I turn, expecting to see Zadyn standing behind me, but all I see is the dark of the night beyond the mouth of the cave. I face forward again as everyone draws back their hoods. Glancing around the circle of about thirty fae, I notice a few familiar faces—Kai, of course, as well as Cece and Ilsa. Neither seems to notice me.

The fae bow their heads and recite a collective prayer. My mouth moves with them, forming ambiguous shapes in attempt to blend. When I catch Kai watching me closely from across the circle, I quickly tear my eyes away to stare at my crossed legs.

The High Priest spoons the potent liquid from the cauldron into a large ceramic mug and makes his way around the circle. I watch as the fae drink and close their eyes, muttering what must be another prayer. When the priest stops before me and lowers the cup to my waiting hands, the smell is overwhelming. I grimace as I gulp down the hot liquid and mutter the fudged words. Then the fae begin to shrug out of their cloaks. The females are dressed similarly to me, in low-cut sleeveless white shifts belted with a thin golden chain. The males are naked from the waist up.

I don't know when the room starts to blur and skip like a TV with a faulty connection. My lids grow heavy, and I find it hard to keep resisting. I decide to rest my eyes for just a second. I sink deeper and deeper until there is no chance of opening them again.

I once watched a documentary on Jim Jones and how, in the 1970s, he convinced 918 cult members to drink a lethal cyanide cocktail. It was called the Jonestown Massacre. Men, women, and children—all sheep led to the slaughter.

How many times had I been warned not to drink the Kool-Aid? How many times had I heard the expression?

And yet here I was, just throwing it right down the hatch.

What a fucking idiot.

Everything around me is black. Not just the kind of dark where my eyes need a minute to adjust. No, this is true blackness, void of color and light. I hear nothing, I feel nothing, like true sensory deprivation. I can't wiggle my toes or fingers. I can't smell or taste or touch as I search for my own body and come up empty.

Panic begins to rise in my consciousness, fear that I've been tricked, and now I'm going to end up with Jim Jones and his pack of idiots. I'm dying, if I'm not already dead.

But the sound of a voice pauses my meltdown.

"Hello, little witch."

The voice is buttery. If I could see its owner, I would guess them to be a sparkling, glowing, otherworldly creature. An angel.

"Have you come to make of yourself an offering for me?"

Unable to locate my own voice, I answer with silence.

"Speak," she commands gently. Suddenly, the word falls out of my formless being.

"Yes," I say, but then I think better of it. "What—what do you want with me?"

"This form pleases me. And I can sense the magic in your veins, the way it sings and begs for release. I can give that to you."

"You can release my magic?" I ask.

"I can do more than that. I can make a gift of our magic, to be inside of you always."

"Our magic?"

"Mine and my mate's," she supplies. "When we are joined once again on this the longest eve."

"Joined…how?"

"When we can touch and embrace. Make love."

Woah, hold on.

"You're going to have sex using my body?" I balk. "No way, I didn't agree to that!"

"You came here willingly; you drank the tea of your own volition." Her voice begins to crackle with power.

"I didn't know that was the purpose," I counter pathetically .

"I know why you have come. Just like I know all. I know your magic remains trapped inside of you and that you have come here in hopes that I will help you in exchange for your vessel."

"No," I whisper. "No, I'll find another way."

But something is wearing me down. First, a sense of calm, a sense of peace. Then a stirring in my core. Heat where my face would be.

"What are you doing?"

"Your flesh is weak. See how it craves to be satisfied? We can give that to you as well as your magic on a silver platter. My mate is very skilled. It will be a pleasure like you have never known."

"What is happening to me?" I breathe, feeling my formless body react to some unseen stimuli. The ache inside me grows lusty—needy—as I try to fight against it.

"It is the tea taking full effect," she says, her voice growing closer and more urgent. "The moon is at its high point. Stop resisting. Let me in."

"I said no!"

"Defiant child," she tuts. "My mate would be pleased to make love to this body. If you disappoint him, you disappoint me. And that means no magic for you."

"I don't care. Choose someone else," I say, my voice sounding breathy and unlike my own.

"Very well, young witch. But do not call upon our names for favor. We will not listen." A gentle wind blows against me, and suddenly, I find myself back in my body.

My eyes are reluctant to open. I stretch out where I lay, a familiar thrum of pleasure coursing through me. Looking around, I see that there are a little less than half the bodies as before, spread out in peaceful sleep. The High Priest has gone, and all that remains of the cauldron's fire are a few simmering coals.

My body begins to steer before my mind can catch up. I rise from the ground and step out into the chilled night air in nothing but the thin sheath. My bare feet pad onto the grass, and the sensation feels decadent. Moonlight washes over me as I tip my head back, my long hair tickling the backs of my arms.

My eyes close as I smell something familiar. A campfire.

Jace .

I don't see him, but that scent is driving me crazy .

"Serena?" ? *

I turn slowly, expecting Jace, but instead find Zadyn leaning against the mouth of the cave, his body half-bathed in dying firelight. My stomach tightens as I take in his beautiful face. The warmth of his brown eyes, his tall, lean-muscled form, his large hands. I start to wonder what those hands would feel like on my waist, my neck, my ass. I want to know what they feel like on me, all over me. His eyebrows knit together as he takes a tentative step forward like he's approaching a wild animal.

And that's exactly what I feel like when I surge forward and push him roughly against the rock.

His breath leaves him as he hits the solid surface, and I marvel at my sudden show of strength. His eyes widen in similar surprise as I press myself against him demandingly. There's no mistaking what I want as my hand works its way up his smooth chest, pinning him back as he tries to lift off the rock.

"Serena, is that you?" he asks breathlessly.

"Who else would it be?" I whisper, my hands roaming over his shoulders, his arms, up his neck. His throat bobs as he swallows.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm alright," I purr, shaking my head. "But I could be better."

He stares down at me, worry in his eyes. His big hands come to rest on my shoulders.

"Serena, stop," he says gently. "It's the tea. It's making you react this way. You don't know what you're doing."

"I know exactly what I'm doing. What I want." I push forward again, my breasts pressing against him. He lets out a tight sigh as his hands slide to my waist. When I think he's about to pull me flush against him, he pushes me back, holding me away from him by the hips.

"I promise you, you don't," he says firmly. I stand there, locked in a stare-down with him, nothing but the sound of our breath and the low crackle of fire for miles. The strap of my shift slides down my shoulder, and his gaze tracks the motion, helpless as a moth to a flame. I smirk in satisfaction, knowing that a little skin is all it takes to drive a male—human or fae—to their animal instincts. I watch him intently as I slowly lift my hand to the other strap and slide it down. He bites his lip as he watches. His head gives the slightest shake when he notices that my peaked breasts are the only thing keeping the thin material from pooling around my waist.

I take the opportunity to rest my hands over his and slowly guide them upward from my hips.

"Touch me," I say softly.

He shakes his head and closes his eyes, trying to hold onto some semblance of restraint. I can feel it thinning, like a tether about to snap. I just have to push a little farther…

"Don't you want to?" I tease. My palms press against the rock as I lean in and plant the smallest kiss in the place where his neck meets his shoulder. A shudder racks through his body as I close the distance between us, pressing my legs, my hips, into his. I start to move slowly, giggling at the frustrated sigh he heaves.

" Serena ."

"Jace is right. I don't think you know how to say no to me." I lick the column of his neck from the base up, stopping just below his ear lobe. He tastes and smells amazing. "Because I don't think you want to."

"Fuck," he mutters under his breath. "We're not doing this."

I nod my head and grind my hips against him. "Not doing what?" I ask innocently.

"This isn't what you really want. You wouldn't do this if you were sober."

I grind into him again, and he stifles a groan. I can feel him hardening against me.

"Like I said, we're not doing anything." I lean my head against his shoulder and slide my hands down his chest, over his hard stomach, reaching toward his belt. "Yet."

His hand lashes out and wraps around my wrist, stopping me. I tug against it, but even with this newfound sense of strength, I'm no match for him.

"You're right," he says, twisting his other hand into my hair and forcing me to look up at him. The dominant move sends another wave of desire through me. "I don't want to say no to you. But I am."

He holds me there for a moment before I break out of his grasp. Anger and frustration momentarily override my lust as I snap, "Fine. Have it your way. I'll find someone else."

"Serena, wait—" he starts, but the moment I think of running, my feet have already carried me deep into the forest. I'm faster than before, dodging the trees with little effort, unaffected by the darkness. Adrenaline courses through me as I follow that familiar scent .

I find Jace bent by a small stream, bathed in moonlight. He crouches beside his dark horse, stroking its head as it drinks.

My heart clenches. And so does something else.

His head snaps up when he hears me approach. He slowly rises to his feet, watching each determined step I take. I can tell I've caught him off guard because he forgets to put on that mask. The one that keeps people at arms-length. The one of the stern and stoic captain. The one that hides who he really is beneath it all. The one that guards his heart.

"Serena," he says. Before he can form another word, my arms are around his neck, hauling him to me.

The kiss bursts through me like a match meeting gasoline. Every part of me is on fire. My fists close around his hair, and I'm surprised when he doesn't immediately push me off the way Zadyn did. But I can't even think of that right now because I am consuming Jace. And he's consuming me right back.

His lips part mine, and I open for him, rising onto my toes. His fingers braid through my thick hair, rooting me to him. I whimper against his mouth, and his arm wraps around my waist, pulling me closer. I am squished against his chest, unable to get down a breath, and I think there's no better way to die than suffocated, starved for air and for space, by this dark angel under the moonlight.

I bite his lower lip and taste blood. He actually growls. I go into a frenzy, clawing at his shoulders, trying to climb him, to get closer and closer until there is no space between us, and I am buried beneath his skin.

"Slow down, little witch." He chuckles, cupping my face. I swat his hands away. His golden eyes glow in the moonlight. "You feel strong."

"I'm faster, too." And to prove my point, my hand shoots up to grab him by the throat. Not hard enough to choke him, but hard enough for him to feel my newfound strength. The surprise in his stare quickly darkens into desire. I slowly bring him closer to me, at a teasing pace, testing. When his lips are a breath away from mine, I hear a twig snap.

"Are you fucking kidding me," Zadyn's voice calls from behind me.

"What do you want," I toss back, uninterested.

"Were you just going to take advantage of her? Let her do whatever she wants?"

"No, that's your job," Jace quips. Then Zadyn shoves him from my grasp, too fast to register. All I see is Jace stumble back into his horse.

"Easy. It was a joke." He holds up his hands. "I had it under control."

"She was about to eat you alive. And you were going to let her."

"Hey! I knew what I was doing," I snap.

"Oh, please, Serena, no, you didn't. You would never throw yourself at me like that—and certainly not at him ," he growls at Jace, who straightens, dusting himself off. He glances between the two of us.

"If it bothers you so much, then maybe you should have given me what I wanted instead of acting like a jealous prick!" I spit at Zadyn. He gives a humorless laugh.

" I'm the prick, yeah, for wanting to protect you when you're clearly not yourself. For stopping you from making a mistake like this one."

"Oh, please, we kissed, whoop dee doo." I swirl my pointer finger around in the air lazily.

"She went to you first?" Jace asks Zadyn.

"Yes. Although if she had seen the horse first, I'm sure she would have propositioned him, too."

"Oh, fuck you, Zadyn!" I hiss. "I told you I knew what I was doing—that I was in control. I wish you'd stop treating me like a fucking baby. A baby that can't do anything in this world—that can't even do magic, or walk, or breathe, or want to have sex! I can do whatever I want, despite what you think I should or shouldn't do, all because you're sworn to me with some stupid possessive bond. You think you have the right, but you don't!" I shout. "You don't."

A long, tense silence ensues as Zadyn and I glare at each other, and Jace watches me carefully.

"Come on," Jace says after a few moments. "We should head back. You're going to crash soon."

"I feel fine. I want to stay," I bite.

"Then find your own way back."

He turns to mount his horse without another word and slowly gallops off. I catch a flicker of hurt on his face before he is swallowed up by the dark woods.

Is he upset with me?

"You can hate me all you want," Zadyn starts, his voice hard. "But I'm not going back without you."

We stare at each other confrontationally for a long moment.

Then I shake my head and stalk off in the direction Jace rode a moment ago. We make it back to the clearing, where Zadyn silently lifts me onto a horse and then settles in behind me. I hear soft moans coming from inside the cave.

Sounds like they're having a good time. Good for them.

It's tense and uncomfortable the whole ride back, neither of us breathing a word. As we approach our rooms, I see Jace standing outside my door—his posture upright, his icy mask of indifference resurrected. He doesn't bother to look at me.

I pause when I hear Zadyn warn him in a hushed voice, "She might try and get out in the middle of the night."

"So take care of her like she wanted, and she won't. Better her familiar than a stranger. "

Zadyn scoffs. "Like you were about to if I hadn't interrupted?"

"You shouldn't insinuate such things," Jace chides lightly.

"Hey," I snap at them. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here. If I want to go out in the middle of the night, I will. If I want to fuck someone in this hallway, I will." They both eye me silently. "Don't worry, I'll let you watch."

"Go to bed," Jace says, his voice sounding somewhat tired.

"We'll talk about this in the morning," Zadyn says firmly. "All of us." He eyes Jace, who doesn't return his look. Zadyn and I slip into our rooms without another word.

I'm still riding high on the tea, but the initial buzz I had when I came out of that cave is quickly fading. I flop onto my bed, sad and horny.

I dream about Zadyn.

Of his scent—a cool mixture of black tea, cedar, and bergamot. I dream about his hands, his arms, and his restraint hanging by a thread. I dream about my body pressed against his and how it feels when I drive my hips into his.

My eyes flash open, and I sit up with a loud gasp.

Oh my god. That wasn't a dream. That actually happened.

I tried to fuck Zadyn last night.

Oh my god, Jace, too. I tried to fuck both of them within a span of five minutes. And both had rejected me.

What was I thinking? What came over me?

My door flies open, and Jace storms in.

"Are you alright? I heard you gasping," he asks, his voice strained. I nod through the pounding headache and force a dry swallow before a wave of nausea works its way up my stomach. I launch myself out of bed and sprint toward the bathroom, shoving Jace out of the way in the process.

"Serena?"

I throw myself down over the toilet just in time to empty the contents of my stomach. My body shakes as I heave violently. A pair of cool hands graze the nape of my neck, gathering my hair behind me as my stomach lurches again.

"What the fuck," I groan loudly into the toilet.

"Puking and shitting," Jace supplies in answer, his hand tracing small circles on my back. I press my face into the cool porcelain and breathe hard. "You're alright," he says gently.

"Last night, I—" I try to apologize but am interrupted by another surge of vomit. I'm still spitting the foul taste from my mouth when Zadyn's tight voice sounds from behind me.

"Is she alright?"

"It's a normal response. Her body is just trying to dispel the tea."

I slump back against the massive tub, my eyes closed, trying to focus on my breathing. Someone dabs my face with a cold washcloth, smoothing it over my sweat-slicked brow and dry lips.

A glass is placed in my hand, and Jace says, "Swish it around and spit."

I obey, swirling the minty liquid around my mouth, trying desperately to wash away the horrid aftertaste of last night. Then I'm being lifted and carried toward the bed. I don't protest. My whole body feels empty and limp, like jelly.

I curl up under the covers, my teeth chattering.

"I feel like a junkie," I whine.

"I'll have Gnorr brew you a tea," Jace says.

"No!" My eyes fly open. "No more tea. Just let me lay down a few minutes."

Jace perches beside me on the edge of the bed. Zadyn stands beside him, arms folded over his chest. They wear twin expressions of concern, watching me warily.

"You guys—" I try to sit up and wince at the effort it takes. "What happened last night…" I shake my head. "My behavior was completely out of line."

"It's okay," Zadyn says finally. "You weren't yourself."

"I knew what I was doing, but I had this, this uncontrollable, insatiable lust. It was like nothing I've ever felt before. I couldn't even think straight or see beyond it. I was an animal. I'm so embarrassed."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Zadyn pulls a chair up to the bed and sits. "The tea does that. It makes you starved for sex."

That's right.

"Oh my god," I whisper. "I saw her—I saw Aerill. She spoke to me."

"What did she say?" Jace asks.

"She…she wanted to use me as a vessel. She promised me my magic and some of her own if I let her…" I trail off and glance between them.

"Oh, you two are dead." I shake my head at them, furious.

Jace's lips press into a thin line.

"You didn't think I should be told that the point of this little ritual was to be possessed by Aerill so she could turn me into her husband's personal sex doll ?" I can almost feel the steam coming out of my ears.

"He's technically not her husband," Jace mutters under his breath. I whack him in the arm.

"What the hell were you thinking keeping that from me?" I demand.

"We thought it was pretty self-evident," Jace retorts.

"To who?!" I shout. Idiots.

"We told you that the point of the ritual was for them to take physical form so they could be together for one night out of the year," he explains. "If I had realized how na?ve you were, I would have spelled it out for you." His brow arches.

"I'm not na?ve; it was just never explained to me explicitly! Forgive me for not putting two and two together after being thrown into a world where everything is upside down, and my brain is already fried from the insane plot twists that just keep popping up around every corner. You expect me to be thinking straight? I'm surprised I haven't completely snapped yet! You should have spelled it out for me. I was completely blindsided," I fume. "Would you really have whored me out just to access my magic?" My gaze shifts between the two of them.

"No, of course not. I'm so sorry." Zadyn looks sick to his stomach. "That wasn't?—"

"You're right," Jace cuts in. "We should have been more direct. But we knew you'd be given a choice in the matter. It wasn't up to us to decide for you. Aerill presented you with that choice, and you chose. Clearly, you didn't accept," Jace says.

"No. I didn't. She promised me magic for what she wanted me to do, and I said no. Sorry for botching your plan," I say a touch bitterly.

"That wasn't our plan," Jace explains, leaning forward. "We had no intention of you accepting her offer. To be frank, I thought there was little chance she would even appear to you. We just hoped that the tea would trigger your magic. When you came out of that cave, you were stronger."

"Faster, too," Zadyn says.

"That was from the tea?" I ask.

"Well, yes, the tea readies your body to receive Aerill and to?—"

"It turns you on," I supply for Zadyn.

He nods gratefully. "It enhances things."

"Oh, it certainly did. "

"Those effects are temporary, but we hoped it would act as a catalyst for you."

"They could have been permanent if I wasn't caught so off guard," I say bitterly.

"Would you have said yes to her otherwise?" Jace angles himself toward me. "Correct me if I'm wrong in saying this, Zadyn, but neither of us had any intention of you whoring yourself out for magic. Trust me, if you had said yes to Aerill, the two of us would have put a very abrupt end to the experiment."

My eyebrows knit together as I try to unpack that statement.

"We would have never allowed you to go through with it," Jace says, golden eyes searing into me. "We only wanted to see if the tea could trip your magic."

"And what if she had forced me?" I counter.

"She cannot force you. It only works if you consent," Jace says simply.

I glance between the two of them.

"I'm still pissed at you two."

"We're still pissed at you," Jace says with a shrug.

"If I had known I was going to be a sex demon when I walked out of that cave, I would have chained myself up. That you could have at least warned me about." I cross my arms, cringing at the memory of how I behaved.

"We tried to tell you, but you were rather determined." Jace chuckles. My cheeks heat, and I bury my face in my hands, thinking of Zadyn trying to pry my hands from his body.

But Jace?

When I crashed into him, he kissed me back with a ferocity to rival my own. The small cut on his lip is enough to send a new flash of emotion through me—a cocktail of desire and shame and secret satisfaction .

"I know it's no excuse," I begin again, "but I really wasn't myself."

"We know," Zadyn says.

"No, you don't. Aside from throwing myself at both of you, I said things I didn't mean. Terrible things that were completely unwarranted. I was just frustrated and riding high on the tea."

Zadyn studies his hands. "I know. It's okay. And I'm sorry for not being more direct with you. We both are. It won't happen again." He looks at me sheepishly. I give him a small smile.

"Good. And I won't try to maul you again. Either of you." I meet Jace's eyes and suck in a breath. "Can we just agree to never speak of this again and move on?" I ask.

"Already forgotten." Jace stands. "I'll give you the morning to recover. We can train in the afternoon."

"What?" I protest. "I just puked my guts up! Doesn't that warrant a sick day?"

"Not on day three of training, it doesn't." He smiles, amused by my reaction. "I told you I'm not going to coddle you."

"Whatever."

Zadyn stands. "I'll bring that brew up for you." He touches my shoulder lightly and follows Jace from the room.

I close my eyes and snuggle into my pillow. I'm asleep before Zadyn returns with the hangover cure.

* ? Cue: Sour Patch by Ruby Waters