Page 16 of Lunar Diamonds (Celestial Magic #1)

RILEY

I f my jaw kept hitting the floor like this, there’d be no bone left.

Fiancé? Really? What the hell?

Drake shook his head, his expression revealing hints of a deep-rooted sadness, as if the mirror cracked for a moment, revealing parts of himself he didn’t want anyone to know about.

“It started after a drunken night of sex,” he said. “I didn’t know who she was because I didn’t care. That night wasn’t about anything else other than blocking out…” he hesitated, eyes downcast. “Things.”

The silence that followed was awkward. No one said a word.

“I took her back to my flat in Norwich,” Drake carried on. “After we did it, she hit me with the bond. I was so elated at the time, for obvious reasons, my defenses down. I barely noticed until it was too late. I only agreed to the engagement to spare my neighbor’s life.” He didn’t elaborate on that.

“She was that good in bed you lost your head?” Isaac asked.

Erin threw him a glare.

He shrugged. “Yes. And she’d also found me through clients. I find things for people, on the quiet, to protect myself.” More of that sadness broke through. “That was six months ago. She wanted me to find the Aurora triplets, the diamond part was a bonus.” He cracked his knuckles. “I didn’t mean to tell her about those.”

Erin folded her arms in her lap. “Does anyone from House Kingwood know where the other diamonds are?”

“No. You have my word.”

“But they did know about the one in my ring,” I contributed.

“Yes.” He explained the plan to charm me and bring me back to the Kingwood’s hideout—a plan he’d thwarted with his own. That he’d watched me from afar, getting a sense of my routine, my energy.

So, what? I looked like an easy ride? A sucker for any hottie who smiled at me the right way? And what’d been the backup plan? Clonk me over the head?

Dammit.

A tremor rocked my belly when he took a pause. “What do the Kingwoods want me for?”

Things could have gone so badly for me tonight if he’d been, well, a different kind of guy.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. And I have no idea where they are or what their plans are. They move around all the time.”

“You were driving, though,” I said.

“Rhianna likes me to drive. She says it makes her feel special.” I watched his throat bob. “At a certain point, I must yield and wear a blindfold. I’m sure we always backtrack, but that’s how she does things.”

“Really?”

“It’s how she likes it.”

“Weird power-tripping,” Isaac said.

“Yes.”

The poor guy. How messed up. The more I listened, the more my sympathy extended toward him.

He’s really not the bad guy…

Erin jumped back in. “There are only two ways to break a shadow bond without ending your life. The first is Rhianna breaking it, or by switching the bond to another. Changing it. A spell was added to the grimoires shortly after the creation of shadow magic to counter it.”

That wasn’t part of my limited magical knowledge.

“Exactly,” Drake answered. “I’m hoping for the second option.”

Color me confused.

“Help me and I’ll help you,” he added.

Erin took her time to answer, creating more awkward silence. “And who would you be bound to? Riley?”

“Wait, what?” I chimed in. “Bound to me?”

Erin held up the vial of pink liquid. “Drink this, Drake.”

He didn’t question her, popping the cork and knocking it back.

Pink liquid. Wasn’t that a truth potion?

“Is this all true?” Erin asked.

Drake’s mouth moved like a talking puppet. “There is truth in all things said. This body and tongue do not lie.” He burped up a cloud of pink smoke.

“Excellent,” Erin said. “So, the new bonding. Considering these are your diamonds, Riley, I can only suggest it be you. Which I’m not happy about, but it makes sense for you to work closely.”

This was giving me whiplash. Bound to him? What would that even entail?

“I know it’s a big ask,” Drake said, his eyes imploring. “But you need the lunar diamonds, and I need my freedom. And I promise to help you.” He burped again, adding, “This is truth.”

How long would that potion last?

“But you won’t be free,” Erin countered. “Your predicament only changes. The consequence of changing your bonding means you will be linked to Riley for a good number of years. At least ten, if I recall?”

I swallowed, sinking into bemusement.

“It’s ten years,” Drake confirmed.

Ten years? Just when I thought things weren’t weird enough, along came this little twist.

“And what happens to my freedom?” I asked, tugging at my collar.

“You’ll have freedom,” Erin replied. “But not from Drake.”

Damn. Damn. Crapping damn. Now what? How was I supposed to react? The arsehole had us by the short and curlies. Big time. If we didn’t agree to this, we’d have to find another scrying witch. And something told me we wouldn’t have time to pull that off.

The rules of magic sucked sometimes. I never understood why there wasn’t a spell of searching or whatever. Why did that particular power have to be associated with one type of witch? Was it fate’s way of keeping things interesting?

Ugh.

“I’m sorry, Riley,” Drake said.

That word got bandied around as if it meant something. Most of the time, it didn’t.

“You’re not sorry,” I retorted. “This was your plan all along. You don’t care about anything apart from your freedom. If you really wanted to help, there wouldn’t be conditions.” Okay, I was being mean here, but he’d pressed a rarely used button.

This wasn’t about me, it was about him. My choices didn’t come into it, not really. Because if I said no, he’d keep his mouth shut. So, what options did I really have? Everything now hung off my decisions. If I told him to shove it, we were left to hunt the diamonds without his handy help. But if I agreed, I was stuck with him for ten years. And how did that even work?

What an arsehole.

“Own what you’re asking,” I said. “Don’t insult me with apologies.”

“Hear, hear!” Isaac agreed.

Nice to know my brother had my back.

Drake closed his eyes, his forehead creasing, the plaster still clinging to his skin. He went to speak but held back.

“Are you done?” Erin asked him.

He opened his eyes, attention back to me. “Whatever you think, I am sorry to put this on you. I don’t want to hurt anyone, and I don’t want to be a burden. I’ll do everything I can to help your cause. I’ll help around the house, I’ll do anything you want. But I’m begging you to help me. Please.”

Isaac interjected again. “Around the house? You want shelter, too?”

“He would have to stay here if bonded to Riley,” Erin said.

Why me? If he’d asked me to do this back at Glitter Fox, I’d have probably played along. Well, no, actually. I liked to think I had a bit more self-respect than that.

Realization began to sink in, along with a sense of duty. My feelings didn’t matter, and neither did my protestations. The greater good did. The future of this house, of the world.

Who was I to steamroll everything?

I sat on the floor, crossing my legs, in need of a spiced rum and coke. “We need those diamonds. End of.” I looked his way. “Sure, Drake. Let’s bond.”

At that moment, the blue orb decided to return.