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All of this was true—after Juan had left, the rest of the Drakes in the room started congregating around my desk.Ms.Yasmeen had sent them out but they came back at the end of class, crowding the hallway and trying to give me gifts and professions of love.I had barely made it to the Dining Hall in one piece!

“Oh dear!”Megan looked really upset.“Oh, Avery—I’m so sorry!”

“That’s not even the worst part,” I told her.“In last period Study Hall, Juan Gonzales got down on his knees and recited me a love poem—a very bad one, I might add—Shakespeare he isnot.And after that, he asked me to be hisboyfriend.”

“What—in front of the entire class?”Megan was aghast—as well she should be.

“Yes,” I said tightly.“In front of theentire class.Do you have any idea how much he probably hates me now?”

“Who hates you, Avery?”It was Kaitlyn, standing beside me.She put her tray down on the table and put an arm around my waist affectionately.“Who could possibly hate such a sweet guy?”she demanded.

“I knowIcertainly don’t,” Ari declared.He put his own tray down and then stood on the other side of me and wrapped one muscular arm around my shoulders.He dipped his head and pressed his nose against the side of my neck.“Have I ever told you that you smell really, reallygood, Avery?”he rumbled in my ear.“Like, amazingly good—Dios!”

“Oh my God—it’s spreading!”Megan looked absolutely horrified.

“What’s spreading?”Jalli demanded, coming up with herchimelingswhizzing around her head.They went to confer with Mr.Seahorse, Kaitlyn’s ownchimeling, who was ducking and diving around his mistress and looking at her in a very confused way.

Jalli looked confused too when she saw what was happening.

“Um…why is my big brother sniffing your neck, Avery?”she asked.

“Because he loves Avery—wealllove Avery,” Kaitlyn answered in a dreamy voice.

“I love you too, Katydid, but we’re all getting just alittletoo close here, don’t you think?”I asked, trying to extricate myself from the double embrace of my two Drake friends.

“Hmm, so I guess your attempts to break the spell werenotsuccessful?”Griffin remarked, coming to stand beside Megan.

“’Not successful’ is perhaps the worst understatement I’ve ever heard!”I complained.I was still trying to get away from Kaitlyn and Ari but both of them were extremely strong—probably because of the Drakes inside them.

“What in the world is going on here?”Emma asked, as she and Bran and Lachlan came up to us with their trays in their hands.“Why are Kaitlyn and Ari hugging all over Avery?”

“Because it appears that the “Good Manners” spell has been somehow intensified,” Griffin answered.“At this point, it seems that anyone with a Drake inside them is completely smitten by our Coven mate.”

Megan snapped her fingers, a look of comprehension coming over her pretty face.

“Maybethat’swhat happened!Maybe instead of removing the spell, I spread it to Juan and the other guys’ Drakes by accident instead!”

“That would certainly explain the way they went from merely friendly to being desperate to date me,” I said tightly.“The problem is, they’re all going to remember this when the spell finally comes off andnoneof them are going to be very happy about it!”

“Well now that I know what I did wrong, I’m sure I can fix it,” Megan promised me.“I’ll go do it right now.Er…maybe you’d better come with me,” she added, eyeing the way Ari was still nuzzling my neck and Kaitlyn was rubbing her cheek against my shoulder affectionately.

“I’ll try,” I said.“They don’t want to let go of me!”

“Here,” Emma said.“Let us help!”

While Lachlan and Bran attempted to pry Ari off from one side, she and Megan came around and started tugging on Kaitlyn from the other.But none of them were having much luck until a deep, growling voice said,

“MINE!”

17

AVERY

Ilooked up and saw Saint standing there.His fists were clenched at his sides and his eyes were doing that horrible flaming thing again, though at least he wasn’t crying lava tears this time—not yet, anyway.The look on his face was half rage, half betrayal as he stared at the way Ari and Kaitlyn were holding on to me.

At the sound of another Drake’s voice, Ari stopped sniffing my neck and stood up, frowning at Saint.

“By what right do you claim him?”he demanded, frowning at Saint.