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  “Probably none.” Julian chuckled. “It’s funny how everyone is going to assume that we had sex last night when the truth is that we didn’t even kiss.”

  “Sorry about that.” She cast him an apologetic sidelong glance. “And thank you for being so patient and understanding. You’re a true gentleman.”

  Julian wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for.

  For not kissing her?

  Or for not having sex with her?

  He’d known it hadn’t been on the table when she’d asked him to take her to his house. The only reason Ella had gone home with him and had spent the night was that she’d been so shaken up over Dalhu’s depiction of Navuh’s son and her inability to say anything about it.

  It must have felt awful to be controlled from afar by a puppet master, unable to use her own mouth and say what she wanted to say.

  If Julian ever got his hands on that Doomer, he was going to exact payment from his hide for every little bit of discomfort he’d caused Ella.

  She’d recognized Lokan as someone she’d met during her captivity, but she couldn’t tell anyone how and where because he’d compelled her silence. Dalhu had filled in some of the information, like the bastard’s name, and that he had the extremely rare ability to compel humans. Kian had added another piece of the puzzle. Apparently, Ella had told him about a lunch meeting she’d attended with a shady character the Russian was selling weapons to.

  Come to think of it, there must’ve been more to it than the one business meeting Ella had told Kian about. Otherwise, her panicked response to Lokan’s portrait didn’t make sense.

  He frowned. “Did Lokan ever touch you?”

  Ella opened her mouth to answer, but then grimaced and shook her head.

  “Damn. I’m such an idiot. I shouldn’t have asked you about him. I’m sorry. Did I give you a new headache?”

  “Yeah, but it was only for a moment.”

  He should have been more careful and avoided mentioning Lokan at all. Every time Ella tried to say something about the Doomer, she suffered severe headaches.

  Julian gave her hand a light squeeze. “I’m sorry for causing you unnecessary pain.”

  She squeezed his hand back. “We are apologizing too much to each other. I don’t like it.”

  “Right. It’s not a good way to start a relationship.”

  Ella didn’t respond to that, but the expression on her face bothered him.

  What was going through her head?

  Hopefully, she wasn’t reconsidering being in a relationship with him. Was she?

  “Well, we’re here,” Ella said as they climbed the steps to her front porch. “Brace yourself.” She opened the door.

  Maybe that was what her troubled expression had been about. She’d been bracing for facing her mother.

  “Oh, good,” Ella whispered. “There is no one in the living room.” She took off her high-heeled shoes, motioned for him to follow her, and tiptoed to her room.

  “Ella? Is that you?” Vivian called out.

  “Damn. Busted,” Ella whispered. “Yes, Mom. I’m just going to change before going to the clinic.”

  Vivian’s footsteps got faster, her house slippers flapping a rapid tempo on the living room floor. “The clinic? Why? What’s wrong?”

  Ella turned a pair of pleading eyes at him. “Julian?”

  “Go, I’ll take care of this.”

  “Thanks.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before ducking into her room.

  “What’s going on?” Vivian asked.

  “Let’s go back to the living room.”

  Vivian shivered. “You’re scaring me, Julian.”

  He took her elbow and turned her around. “Ella asked me to tell you what happened yesterday at Dalhu’s exhibition.”

  “Should I call Magnus in?”

  “Is he home?”

  “He’s out in the backyard with Scarlet.”

  “I thought he went back to work.”

  “He did, but he has the morning off. This evening he’s going out on a mission.” She grimaced. “I hate it, but I knew what I was signing up for when I allowed myself to fall for him.”

  “Magnus is a good man.”

  “The best.”

  “I’m sure he will want to hear this too. But if possible, I don’t think Parker should be here. Not that any of this is age-inappropriate, it’s just that you should decide what he needs or doesn't need to know. Not me.”

  Vivian nodded. “Parker is in his room, studying. I’ll get Magnus.” She walked over to the sliding door and opened it. “Can you come in for a moment? Julian needs to tell us something.”

  The Guardian stepped in with Scarlet trotting behind him. Sensing the tension, the dog tucked her tail between her legs and plopped down on her doggie bed.

  When the couple sat on the couch, Julian took the armchair across from it and debated where to start. Ella hadn’t told him whether Vivian and Magnus knew about her meeting with Lokan, but he shouldn’t assume that she had.

  “While still with Gorchenco, Ella attended a meeting he had with a business associate. She heard them talking about the Russian supplying the other one with weapons and about an island, which later on she figured out must’ve been the Doomers’ island. She told Kian all of that, but without mentioning the guy’s name. Yesterday, at the exhibition, she recognized him from one of Dalhu’s charcoal portraits. According to Dalhu, his name is Lokan, and he is one of Navuh’s sons. Lokan has the unique ability to compel humans.”

  Vivian frowned. “Is there a difference between a thrall and a compulsion?”

  “A compulsion is much stronger than a thrall and lasts longer. Sometimes it can last indefinitely. It depends on the strength of the compeller and the susceptibility of the compelled.”

  “What does it have to do with Ella?”

  “Apparently, and for unclear reasons, Lokan compelled Ella not to mention him. When she recognized him and wanted to say his name, nothing came out. When she tried harder, she got a bad headache. Bottom line, Ella can’t tell us anything about him.”

  Magnus smoothed his hand over his goatee. “I don’t understand. You said that she told Kian about meeting him. So, mentioning him was okay but saying his name wasn’t? That doesn’t make sense.”

  “I agree. That’s why I think there is more to it than that one meeting. Unfortunately, Ella can’t tell us what it is. That’s why she’s going to the clinic. Merlin is preparing what he calls a tongue relaxer for her. Hopefully, it will help her tell us a little more.”

  3

  Ella

  “Fates, Merlin. Do all your potions have to be this stinky?” Julian held out the small decanter to Ella. “I know that we’ve decided we shouldn’t apologize to each other so much, but I have to apologize in advance for this.”

  She took the bottle and held it away from her. “If this helps with my problem, I don’t care how vile it smells or tastes.”

  “Hold on. I’ll get you a Godiva chocolate.” Merlin rushed out of his office.

  Her favorite, but one was not going to cut it. She was like an addict with those. Once Ella got a taste of one, she craved more.

  “Do you know where he hides them?” she whispered.

  “The chocolates?”

  She nodded enthusiastically.

  “No clue.”

  “Then follow him.” She waved her hand, shooing him on. “We can raid his stash later.”

  Merlin was such a scatterbrain that he wouldn’t notice some of it missing. Or most of it. Besides, he was a chill guy, and she knew he liked her. He wouldn’t mind if she pilfered some of his chocolates.

  Julian crossed his arms over his chest and affected a stern expression. “I’m not raiding anyone’s stash. I’ll buy you as many chocolates as you can possibly eat.” He leaned to whisper in her ear. “But then you’ll run the risk of gaining those extra hundred pounds you've mentioned.”

  For a moment, she wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Was it someth
ing she’d said? It sounded like it.

  The headache had done a number on her last night, and everything was kind of fuzzy. But then she remembered Julian picking her up and carrying her to his home. He’d said something about her weighing nothing, and then they’d joked about it.

  Gasping dramatically, Ella put a hand over her heart. “God forbid. Don’t say such things when I’m about to risk my life, drinking this stuff.” She lifted the decanter. “Nasty things are floating at the bottom. Do you think Merlin used spider webs to make it? Or was this just a very dirty container?”

  “No spider anything.” Merlin returned with a small box of chocolates. “I brought you four, so you’ll have enough to share with lover boy.”

  Crap. Was everyone assuming she and Julian got it on last night?

  And how did Merlin even know where she’d spent the night?

  Apparently, Julian had been right about gossip in the village. These immortals needed to get a life, which apparently they didn’t have because they couldn’t find anyone, immortal or Dormant, to have a relationship with. That would also explain their excessive fascination with any new couple and their sex life.

  “Okay, young lady. I suggest that you pinch your nose, drink up, and follow with a chocolate.”

  “Do I have to finish the whole thing?”

  Merlin nodded. “As much as you can stomach. The more, the better.”

  Ella eyed the floating unidentifiable objects, hoping they were just residue from the herbs or whatever else Merlin used to cook his potions from.

  Once she removed the stopper, the smell almost knocked her over, but she was determined to do whatever it took to remove the freaking compulsion. Pinching her nose with one hand, she lifted the decanter with the other, gulped down its contents, and then snatched the chocolate from Julian’s palm.

  Popping it into her mouth, she chewed it up and then reached out her hand. “Quickly. Give me another one.”

  She ended up eating all four and not leaving any for Julian. “I’m sorry. It’s just that it tasted really awful, and I can’t control myself with these small pieces of divine goodness.”

  He shook his head. “No apologies. I’m not a great lover of chocolates.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him what he was a great lover of, but that would have been cruel considering that she wasn’t ready to let him demonstrate.

  Instead, she asked, “What now? How long before we know if it worked or not?”

  “Twenty minutes or so.” Merlin pulled a fob watch out of his pocket. “You can sit in the waiting room if you want. Or you can take a walk and come back by eleven o’clock.”

  “I’d rather take a walk.”

  “Let’s go.” Julian tossed the empty chocolate box into the wastebasket.

  A few minutes into the walk, Ella started feeling the potion’s effects. It reminded her of the time she drank too much wine at Gorchenco’s prompting.

  “I don’t feel so hot.” She leaned on Julian.

  Without heels, she was so much shorter than him that her head barely reached his armpit. If he wanted to, he could have tucked her head under his arm.

  “Do you want to sit down?” He eyed her worriedly.

  “Yeah. I’m getting dizzy.”

  As they found a bench, Ella motioned for Julian to sit down first and then sat in his lap. “I hope you don’t mind. But I want you to hold me.”

  “Mind?” He wrapped his arms around her, propping up her back so she could get comfortable. “I love it.”

  “Good. Because I’m planning on doing it a lot.” She cupped his cheek and smirked. “I’m so evil.”

  Julian frowned. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because I know what it does to you. I can feel you getting hard under me, and I know it must be torturous.”

  What had possessed her to say that?

  Tongue relaxer.

  Well, now she knew what it meant.

  “I’m sorry. Crap. I keep saying it. It’s the freaking potion’s fault. I mean, about what I’ve said before. And about apologizing. Damn. This is hard. I didn’t realize how compelling it is to say sorry.”

  Julian rubbed her back. “It’s okay. No need to feel bad about pointing out the obvious.” He kissed the top of her head. “I have a beautiful girl sitting in my lap. It’s a natural response.”

  “Right? That’s so true. I should feel good. If you didn’t get hard, I would’ve felt way worse.”

  He laughed. “I think the potion has done what it was supposed to. We can head back to the clinic.”

  “We should.” She tried to lift her head, but then let it plop back on his chest. “I can’t. You’ll have to carry me.”

  “No problem. I love doing that too.”

  Merlin opened the door for them. “Back so soon?”

  “I can’t lift my head,” Ella complained.

  “You must be very sensitive.” He followed them inside into his office, then pulled out a chair for Julian and one for himself.

  “Let’s give it a try, shall we?”

  Ella nodded.

  “What can you tell us about Lokan?”

  She opened her mouth, tried to speak, but nothing came out. Shaking her head, she tried again. “I can’t.”

  “Headache?”

  “No. I just can’t talk.”

  Merlin smoothed his hand over his long beard. “At least there is that. But that’s a temporary effect. Once the potion is out of your system, I’m afraid the headaches will come back every time you try to talk about him.”

  “What I don’t understand,” Julian said, “is how come Ella could tell Kian about the meeting and what was discussed, but not anything else. Did Lokan just compel her not to say his name?”

  Ella shook her head, but that was all she could do.

  She’d wondered the same thing. It occurred to her that the trouble had begun after Logan had made her promise not to tell anyone about his dream visits. The first and second dream encounter had happened while she’d still been with the Russian, and she’d told him about them. The compulsion hadn’t been there yet.

  Damn, how she hated this.

  Even here, in the hidden village, he was controlling her from God knew where. He could be on the other side of the planet for all she knew.

  The big question was what Lokan aka Logan wanted.

  Why was he doing this?

  Was it his way of amusing himself?

  Or did he really plan on coming after her?

  And if he did, how?

  She had to find a way to keep him out of her dreams. Sleeping in Julian’s arms might have helped, but on the other hand, Logan’s visits hadn’t been nightly. He might have just happened to skip last night.

  There was no guarantee that Julian’s presence was helpful. She’d dreamt about Logan while sleeping with Gorchenco. If his presence hadn’t deterred Logan, Julian’s probably wouldn’t either. Ella doubted that her feelings toward her bed partner made a difference.

  The thing was, she couldn’t even ask anyone’s advice on keeping her dreams private because she couldn’t talk about it.

  Or maybe she could if she didn’t mention anything specific?

  It was worth a try.

  She turned to Merlin, who seemed to know a lot about many things. “Is there a way to guard dreams against intruders?”

  Once the question had left her mouth, Ella clapped her hands in glee. It worked. She’d voiced it, and her head didn’t feel as if it was going to explode.

  Merlin shook his head. “There isn’t. If you have disturbing memories or thoughts, they might manifest in your dreams. Even thralling you to forget them won’t help. The subconscious is very difficult to control.”

  Ella’s smile melted away. Merlin hadn’t understood the meaning behind her general question, and neither had Julian.

  Damn. There must be a way around the stupid compulsion, and she was going to keep trying until she found it.

  4

  Julian


  “I think I can walk by myself,” Ella said as Julian pushed to his feet, still holding her in his arms.

  He could understand her embarrassment about being carried around the village in broad daylight, but she was still a little woozy. Merlin had brought coffee for the three of them, and it had seemed to help with Ella’s dizziness, but she was still slurring her words, and her eyes were unfocused.

  “Let’s give it a try. Lean against me, and I’ll prop you up.”

  Merlin shook his head. “We should have a golf cart here for cases like this.”

  “There is one for deliveries. I’ll go get it.” Julian was about to put Ella down on the chair when she clutched his sleeve.

  “Don’t go. Please, just help me up. I’ll walk home.”

  When she looked up at him with those big blue eyes of hers, pleading for him not to leave her, he was helpless to refuse even though getting the golf cart was the smart thing to do.

  “Okay.”

  Lifting Ella off the chair, he tucked her against his side and wrapped his arm around her middle. “On one.”

  For several steps, he had to hold her up, but the movement combined with the fresh air seemed to be helping, and Ella tried to walk on her own. That lasted for about ten steps, and then she leaned against him again.

  “Are you sure Merlin’s potions are safe? The only other time I felt like this was when I got drunk on too much wine. My bodyguard had to carry me up to the bedroom.”

  “The one who tried to save you from the fake explosion?”

  She nodded. “Misha. I hope he’s okay, and that Gorchenco hasn’t killed him for letting me die in that explosion. I liked him.”

  As the jealous bug gripped him with its poisonous pinchers, Julian forgot all about being a gentleman and took unfair advantage of Ella’s drunk-like state. “How much exactly did you like this Misha guy?”