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His gorgeous glittering eyes met mine from inches away, then he tugged at Sloan’s ring on my finger. Slowly understanding what he wanted, I took it off with some hesitation and Phillip haphazardly tossed it onto the floor. Out of his pant pocket, the Austrian pulled out a beautiful ring that was a deep red, surrounded by a woven nest of black and gold.

But for some reason, my eyes strayed briefly to the discarded opal ring, not sure what the sudden pang in my chest was with the very thought of not wearing Sloan’s ring anymore, but I tried desperately to do away with the flittering thoughts.

I stared at the new ring as, bent over with his chest expanding and retracting with effort, Phillip fitted it over my left-hand ring finger. He brushed back his loose black locks with thick fingers and licked his lips. Hesitantly, pale eyes flicked up to meet mine, and I couldn’t help but stare stupidly back.

I’d never seen the powerful man look so vulnerable, and at one time I’d even go as far as to argue the other Hunter was incapable of it.

Still, my eyes wandered back to Sloan’s ring, and thoughts of the other Hunter appeared unbidden in my head. It was quite literally ridiculous to be here with Phil, wearing his ring, and thinking about someone I’d been convinced wasn’t the person I wanted.

What’s happening to me?

Phillip offered me a sheepish smile. “It’s time for you to stop wearing another man’s ring,” he implored in the sweetest voice yet.

I should’ve been over the moon, but the words dropped like lead in my stomach, and I’d never been so instantly uncomfortable as I was under one man while dreaming of another.

What the fuck is wrong with you, V?!

Then Phil’s mouth was right next to my ear, dropped so low it wouldn’t be detected by human, or even supernatural ears if they weren’t close by, and my thoughts snapped to attention. “Cassius may be tempted to keep you for himself at this rate, so keep that ring on at all times, maus.”

I startled slightly when the whispering Hunter’s hand sunk into my pliable gym leggings and he drove several fingers into me. My heady moan was swallowed by his hot mouth and tongue overwhelming mine, smothering every sound that tried to make its way out. I couldn’t spare a moment for the conflicting thoughts inside my head because the older man knew exactly how to distract me into a mindless mess.

Pinned down to the spot, my stomach and chest retracted sharply with every hard lunge of his fingers.

It was torture not to be able to move, but truth of the matter was, it’d be easy to overpower the brute. I was stronger than him—and one utter of “goblin goo” and he’d set me loose himself. But I didn’t want freedom. I wanted Phil and every ounce of pleasure he gave me, good or bad.

“Do you understand?” Phillip asked, stalling his hand’s mesmerizing movements. “Answer me.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. “Yes.”

“If Eros gets a whiff of betrayal or the trap we’re setting, he’ll move quickly and desperately,” Phillip went on, fingers flicking and twisting. “Then we’ll both have to react accordingly.”

My hips gyrated, chasing pleasure. “You’re sensing betrayal?”

Something in the other Hunter’s eyes cut through the lust and pleasure like a sharp-as-fuck knife, and it all but ended my desire to continue this little interlude of ours.

When his hand froze, fear hit my chest and I grabbed hold of the man’s face. “What is that look?” I demanded. Phillip’s eyes strayed, so I sat up and forced him to meet my gaze. “Phil?” I dropped my voice to the same barely-there whisper his took when he beseeched me to keep his loaded-with-intentions ring on. “What are you not telling me?”

“They were called Royal Sirens,” Phillip finally said, eyes igniting with something akin to dread.

“Who were?”

Phillip’s hands took hold of my hips, keeping me steady. “The ancient Fae blood you’re mixed with.”

Royal Sirens?

“So…” I pieced it together. “You think I’m seducing Cassius with my abilities from that?” I surmised slowly, knowing the answer already. “And with you and Sloan? Nigel?”

His eyes narrowed violently. “No—”

Oh, god. Sloan. Had I seduced him with some unintentional power?The revelation hit me as hard as a punch to the stomach, and I had difficulty voicing my next question—feeling somewhat miffed that I’d given Phillip a chance to tell me everything in the hidden lab and he hadn’t until I dragged it out of him today.

“But how can you be sure?”

The weight in my stomach was outright painful. If I’d inadvertently seduced everyone I met, then how could I ever trust the feelings I shared with others? Trust the feelings Sloan had for me?

Why am I thinking about Sloan right now? It should be Phillip.

Shaking the thoughts away with vehemence, I refused to let the confliction of my feelings distract me from what this all meant. It was the inevitable other shoe dropping. I’d never be the girl with a happy ending, not really. I’d spend a lifetime second-guessing people’s feelings for me and wondering if endangering them was worth it.