Page 62 of Midnight Sun

Annikki nods and opens the door wide for them. “Troll-Burster is here, boss,” she says over her shoulder.

Jamie sends him a glare. “Who else is in on this magical conspiracy?” he hisses, mock offended. Finn squeezes his shoulder reassuringly, nonetheless.

They enter Jareth’s office. Finn likes how the entire space looks like a dark and cozy cavern with its crammed bookshelves and dark curtains. The master ofThe Worshipstands up from behind his desk and ambles over to greet them. Finn feels his skin prickling as always when he meets Jareth. He’s not sure what kind of magic exactly he possesses, only that they can both sense the other’s power. Jareth grins at him.

“Hello, Thorfinn. Good evening, James. I see the Shibari demonstration was inspiring,” Jareth drawls.

“It was way above the sorry standard your club usually shows,” Jamie shoots back.

“Fitting, as you seem to have found someone above your usual standard, too. Where is that slimy little bootlicker who’s always following you around?”

“Dead,” Finn cuts the beginning argument short.

Jareth’s mismatched eyes light up with dark glee. “You killed him.”

It’s more of a statement than a question, and Finn sees no use in denying it. He shrugs.

“He brought this to Iceland,” Finn places one of the two spell books they obtained on Jareth’s desk. The other lies locked in Dagur’s weapons cabinet, but that Jareth doesn’t need to know.

Jareth whistles through his teeth. It’s an eerie sound. “A spell book. One of the sinister variety.”

“My aunt sends her regards. She thinks you can find whoever wrote this.”

Something flickers in Jareth’s gaze as he tilts his head. He opens the spell book with a fountain pen, mindful to not touch it with his bare hands. It falls open with a thud that echoes louder than it should. Jamie flinches at the sound and stares wide-eyed at the open page.The Ritual of Loveis emblazoned in red letters across the top.

“A spell to force an unwilling person to fall in love, how witless. Did it even work?”

“No,” Finn growls. Usually, he likes Jareth’s antics, but not if he makes Jamie uneasy.

Jareth regards them as if the whole situation were a hilarious joke to him.

“A curse broken with true love, how very old-fashioned,” he comments dryly.

“My aunt will want to know if you are taking care of the problem.” Finn has no intention of rising to Jareth’s bait.

“You’re no fun. Fine, tell her there will be no more books distributed by this person, not in Iceland nor anywhere else.” Jareth raises his hands in a placating gesture.

“Good.”

A sly grin stretches Jareth’s lips. “Do you fancy giving a demonstration of your Shibari skills again this weekend? I mean, now that you two have found your fated love, you’ll surely want everyone to see.”

An angry reply is on the tip of Finn’s tongue, but Jamie squeezes his hand reassuringly before he can utter it. Finn glances at Jamie, and to his surprise he finds him grinning at him.

“Of course we want to do that,” Jamie counters nonchalantly. “Just make sure you keep an eye on your guests. I’m not going to rope-model for a bunch of paparazzi.”

Finn’s heart flutters in excitement.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Finn enjoys the sight of Jamie dressed head to toe in black sportswear. The clothes look extremely expensive and fit Jamie like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination. But Finn can’t help but worry that Jamie wants to take on too much, too fast.

“If you ask me one more time, I’ll look for another Dom willing to tie me up.” Jamie pouts. A lovely flush covers his cheekbones and his pupils are already dilated in growing arousal. How can Finn resist tying this man up in front of an audience?

“Fine,” Finn relents. “We’ll do it. But we won’t push your boundaries.”

“Yes, sir,” Jamie replies eagerly. It’s not like Finn hasn’t seen him desperate for a scene before. But this open desire has a new quality to it. Finn brushes his fingers over Jamie’s neck and down his back, pulling him close. He closes his eyes to concentrate on Jamie, breathing in his scent.

“Are you sniffing me for black magic again?” Jamie asks exasperatedly.