Page 25 of Allie

A mating spell. A lump formed in my throat while my chest tightened. “So, your feelings aren’t real?”

Asa gently moved Aspirin off his chest and rolled to hover over me. “My feelings are real. The spell doesn’t manipulate them. I think the way it works is it draws us to you. It doesn’t make us fall in love with you.”

“Oh, okay.”

Kissing me on the mouth, he said, “Come on. I’ll make you breakfast.”

The mention of food made my stomach rumble again. “Food sounds amazing.”

We made our way to the kitchen. I fed Aspirin while Asa pulled out the fixings to make pancakes from scratch.

"Last night, Roan and I found out where the cult Doyle was involved with meets," he said, his voice low. "We're going undercover tonight."

A surge of adrenaline shot through me. "I'm coming with you," I stated without hesitation, my resolve firm.

Asa’s eyes searched mine, measuring my conviction. After a moment, he nodded. "We'll need to be convincing," he cautioned, his psychic intuition probably giving him a glimpse of what could go wrong.

"Convincing is my middle name," I quipped, though my heart hammered against my ribs. "It's Allie Convincing Interesting Everton, didn't you know?"

His chuckle eased the tension coiling between us. "Just stick close to us, okay?"

"Like glue," I promised, feeling the weight of the mission settle upon my shoulders.

* * *

Dinner wassilent as each of us was lost in our own thoughts. Roan and Draven had come over a few hours ago and we’d gone over the plan for tonight. Roan wasn’t too happy that I was going, but he really didn’t want to leave me behind, either.

“There will be dark magic in the place and more than what was in Doyle’s apartment,” Roan said, concern that my head would start hurting as soon as stepped foot in the building.

Asa stepped in front of me and winked. “I’ve got that covered.” He placed his fingers on my temples and closed his eyes.

I relaxed as he entered my mind and helped me build a shield to deflect the effects of dark magic. When he was done, he stepped back. “Keep that shield until we leave the meeting.”

“I will,” I said.

Draven handed me a black hooded robe that smelled faintly of earth and incense. I slid into it, the fabric whispering over my skin. Asa adjusted the hood around my face, careful to shadow my features. Roan stood by the door, his normally relaxed demeanor replaced by an alert tautness.

"Remember to breathe," Draven murmured, his cool fingers brushing my wrist reassuringly. His crimson gaze locked onto mine, a silent promise of protection.

"Breathing is optional; surviving isn't," I replied, trying to mask my anxiety with humor. But my attempt fell flat, even to my own ears.

"Your light is stronger than their darkness," Asa reminded me, his voice a soft caress against the backdrop of fear. "Let it guide you."

"Right," I muttered.

"Stay sharp," Roan added, his voice firm, his amber eyes reflecting the last traces of daylight. "Trust your instincts."

We stepped out into the night, four shadowy figures melding with the darkness.

As we approached the decrepit building where the cult gathered, my heart rate increased. Inside the hushed chamber, we joined the circle. My breath caught at the sight of flickering candles casting eerie shadows across masked faces. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I stood my ground.

"Welcome," intoned a voice from the front, and I felt the boys tense around me. Their presence was a fortress, their determination my shield.

The rhythm of the cult's chant wound its way into my bones, each syllable a dark whisper that threatened to shake the light from my core. The air was thick with incense, pungent and choking, as if it could smother the very essence of goodness. I could taste the metallic tang of fear on my tongue; it mixed with the bitterness of the smoke to create an acrid cocktail that I struggled not to gag on.

Focus, Allie.

My gaze skirting over the congregation that writhed like a living shadow before us. The room pulsed with an energy that was both entrancing and revolting—a morbid dance of power that lured the weak and consumed the willing. I was grateful for the mental shield Asa put in place.