Page 14 of His Eternal Temptation

Lane’s presence seemed to grow in the silent room until it took up all the air.

It was a welcome relief when Rowan’s phone finally buzzed.

Nicole:

Where are you? I have a theory to test, then I should have some answers.

Rowan:

Excellent work. Meet me in my office.

Hopefully, she’d untangle this mess, and he’d be rid of Lane before breakfast. Rowan cleared his throat dramatically.

Lane snorted awake. “Where the hell…?” He sat up, covers falling to expose a broad chest dusted with light hair.

“Morning.” Rowan stood and grabbed a fluffy robe, tossing it on the bed. “Nicole has something for us.”

“She figured it out?” Lane’s sleepy demeanor evaporated, and he hurried out of bed to slip the robe on. It was too tight across his shoulders, but covered him well enough.

“Let’s find out.” Rowan led the way across the hall.

Nicole arrived shortly after he and Lane, carrying a large mug of coffee, which Lane gazed at with longing.

“I want to do one more assessment before I start spouting theories,” Nicole said without preamble.

“Be my guest.” Rowan settled on the couch opposite Lane, who was perched on the edge of his seat.

“Whatever you need,” he agreed.

Nicole sent magic washing over Rowan, her eyes closed in concentration. She gave no indication of her findings as she moved on to Lane.

“All right.” Nicole opened her eyes, expression neutral. “I can say with certainty that the curse is parasitic, designed to feed off the victim until there’s nothing left. What I said last night stands. The curse is shared between you. Now I’ve had a better look and can see what it’s doing, I can say definitively that it’s feeding off of you, Rowan, not Lane.”

“Not at all?” Lane clutched the robe’s hem with white knuckles. “I mean, that makes sense. I don’t feel anything, but why?”

“Rowan is more powerful. Vampire magic is immortal and can theoretically sustain the curse forever, giving it no reason to feed on you.”

“Forever?” Lane’s eyes widened in panic.

“Not if I counter it.” Nicole directed this at Rowan. “Until then, your immortal magic is doing its job protecting you, and incidentally protecting Lane. Unless he moves too far away, fracturing the bridge between you.”

“Forcing the curse to feed on me? On us both?” Lane asked.

Nicole nodded. “Do you know much about parasitic curses?” Lane shook his head, and Nicole’s expression tightened. “They’re powerful, and grow stronger once they start feeding. This curse consumes magic and lifeforce. Countering it isn’t going to be straightforward.”

Rowan’s spine stiffened. “What are you saying?”

“We aren’t getting rid of it this morning. Lane’s incredibly lucky it latched on to you, Rowan. Even if I’d been here the second Lane arrived, and knew exactly what was happening without investigation, I couldn’t have saved him in time. I’d say this curse is incurable when cast on anyone but an immortal. But in this case, it has a limitless supply of magic and life to keep it busy while I work out a counterspell.”

Lane’s voice pitched high. “What if the bridge breaks before then?”

Rowan leaned forward. “It won’t if we stay close.”

“What about when the effects of our shared blood wear off? Vampire blood only lasts a day after ingestion, right? Then the bridge will break.”

“You’re right, it will only last about twenty-four hours. Will you need longer, Nicole?”

“Most likely. I haven’t found anything about countering deadly parasites yet. It might never have been done.”