Point of No Return

by Tara Fox Hall

  “Why send your best man?” Terian asked.

  Devlin rounded on him, snarling. “Because the person who killed the werelion was Samuel, Terian. He killed him at his estate. Lash was the only one who was good enough to get in and out without being detected.”

  “If Devlin did this to Theo, he did it without my help,” Titus rumbled. “Leri is not skilled enough in love magic to have done this spell. Logically, he is innocent. That leaves the next most likely suspect: Samuel himself.”

  I sank down to the floor, sitting in a heap. “All this time, it was Samuel.”

  Devlin crouched down, and helped me back to my feet, settling me in a chair. “Why do you say that?”

  “Samuel hated Theo, thought he’d interfered with me as Danial’s Oathed One. He promised Danial he’d look for him, and wouldn’t kill him. I thought that meant he was helping us. Instead, he found a way to keep us apart without breaking his word to Danial.”

  “Even if Theo found his way back to America and met Danial and you again, that spell ensured Theo would move on,” Devlin mused. “Ingenious.”

  “Perseus knew already that you were splitting up before any of us did,” Terian added. “It makes sense now that Samuel told him.”

  “I’m not pleased to have ridden to your rescue, Sar, only to be accused—” Devlin said, glaring at me.

  “Ease off her!” Terian said, blackness flowing out of him. “She loves you, and she wants to trust you, but she’s afraid to. She remembers what you did to her, all of it, not just that day you made love to her, if you can call the first time she was with you by that moniker.”

  Devlin stared at Terian. “Who are you to tell me what she feels?”

  “I saw her memories, looking for signs of the love spell I suspected was on Theo. I saw a lot of you in them, Devlin, and felt her emotions through every encounter.”

  I flushed. Devlin gazed at Terian, a small amount of respect in his eyes. “Forget what you saw and felt,” he said finally. “Sar and I will build our own relationship without any help from you or magical means.”

  “I’m sorry for suspecting you,” I said awkwardly. “It made sense at the time.”

  “You were being logical,” Devlin said with a wave of his hand. “Now that we determined what’s going on and who is behind it, what do we need to break this spell?”

  “I can break the spell, Devlin,” Titus said, his warning tone that of stone grating on stone. “But you should make sure you want me to.”

  “Explain,” Devlin commanded.

  “This isn’t a simple spell he’s under,” Titus continued. “To make matters worse, he’s got two layers now, with her addition of another on top of the previous one that was waning.”

  “Why did it wane?” Terian said. “Everlasting Love is supposed to be, well, everlasting.”

  “Distance,” Titus explained. “That was the only thing that saved him. That and his character, I suppose. A lesser man would have been unable to leave her at all.”

  “Why did she do it?” I asked. “Why force someone to love you?”

  “As long as there has been magic, there have been love spells,” Titus growled. “Everyone craves it, and few feel safe in it, even when they have it.”

  “Why caution me?” Devlin said to Titus.

  “Because once it’s broken, Theo is going to come looking for Sar. He is not going to be able to stay away from her, not for anything. No matter where you take her, Devlin, he’ll follow you.”

  “Why is that a problem?” Devlin replied. “I said I’d share her with him.”

  “He will not want to share her with you,” Titus stated. “That is also the nature of the dream they share. He must possess her utterly, and she will not want to give herself to anyone else, not you, not Danial. Her bond with Theo has been lessened by the spell. When it’s dissolved, it will spring back in full force, enveloping them both.”

  I wanted no part of what he was describing. “Fuck, can’t anything ever be simple?” I cried.

  “Not this,” Titus said, his red eyes on mine. “Make a decision, Devlin.”

  “Tell me what you need to do,” Devlin said. “And what will happen, if you know.”

  “I can break the spell. I have a mixture with me that will do it. But it is going to prompt Theo and Sar to dream of each other one last time. When they wake up after, what is between them will be stronger than ever. As before, they will seek each other out.”

  “Terian told me long ago that we renewed the dream, by dreaming a second time together,” I interrupted. “We didn’t know what that meant.”

  “What you shared that first time made you reveal your feelings. When you acted on your feelings, dreaming of each other, the magic deepened your love for one another, made it all it could be. When you dreamed a second time together, you made the love you share much stronger than normal love is, much more powerful. The third time, you may make the bond between you unbreakable.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked, scared.

  “I mean if Theo should die, you may die as well, Sar.”

  “I’ll not risk that,” Devlin said stridently. “I want Sar safe. Do not break the spell, Titus.”

  “It is your decision,” Terian said curtly. “But is also Sar’s as well.”

  “The question isn’t can we do this, but should we do this,” I said wearily. “I think we should leave well enough alone.”

  “You want to leave him under her spell?” Terian said, aghast. “How can you say that when I know how much you love him, how much you are dying inside from him leaving you?”

  “It is because I love him that I’m suggesting this,” I said angrily. “He’s happy, really happy with her. As he said to me so eloquently, he doesn’t have to share her with anyone. If we break the spell, not only is he going to cause trouble with the new Oathing arrangement, but my personality—who I am—is also going to change. I don’t want that.”

  “Don’t ask me to do it, because you know I won’t,” Devlin said, his tone hard as stone.

  “I know you won’t release me from my Oath to you,” I retorted. “I don’t want you to. I’m saying this bond sounds not too much different than the spell he’s under with Tasha. Theo never asked to be bound to me, not the first time or the second time. I don’t want to enslave him against his will.”

  “You would be binding yourself as well as Theo,” Titus added in. “But it isn’t false love, like he knows now with Tasha. Your love is real, and the depth of it is rare, Sarelle. Your wills, your wanting of each other, your love for one another is the strength of the spell. It cannot be against either of your wishes, by the very nature of what you share. In short, you cannot bind him against his will.”

  “You want me to do this,” I said in surprise, looking at him. “Why?”

  “I was under a love spell before, many, many years ago,” Titus said, remembered pain in each word. “I hurt someone I cared for badly, and stayed with someone I hated. By the time my brother broke me free, the woman I loved was lost to me. I still regret it.”

  “Do it,” Devlin said, sighing. “I’ll never hear the end of it from you or her if I don't agree.” He turned to me. “But you, Sar, are going to make me a promise here and now with them as witnesses.”

  “What promise?”

  “Even if your feelings for me change, even if you don’t love me anymore, I expect you to honor your vow to me, to work with me to have my child. Even after it’s born, I expect you to come to me when I ask you to, and to come willingly.”

  Devlin’s eyes were cold and cruel, but it was a cruelty born of his fear of losing me, not malice. I kissed him. “I swear it,” I said. “I’m not going to break my promise, either to you or Danial.” I turned to Titus. “Are you sure there isn’t another way?”

  “No,” Titus said. “Everlasting Love was meant to be forever. Most often death is the only sure way to break it. Even then, when one of the lovers dies, the other usually commits suicide out of despair.”

>   “Do it now, Titus,” Devlin said. “Where is Theo, Sar?”

  The package! How in God’s name had I forgotten it? “We have to get to the driveway!” I shouted frantically. “There is a package that needs to be incinerated! Theo is most likely there!”

  In a second, the four of us appeared on the driveway, bumping into Danial and Theo.

  “Danial,” Devlin said with a winning smile. “How good to see you again.”

  “What are you doing here?” Danial said, his eyes narrowing, looking from Dev to me.

  Theo growled, looking at Devlin with murder in his eyes. “What do

  you—?”

  “Where is it?” Titus said, ignoring everyone but me.

  “There,” I said, pointing to the package lying on the driveway.

  Titus walked up to the package noncommittally and picked it up. We all watched, riveted. Titus vanished, then reappeared by us in a few seconds, sans package.

  “What did you do with it?” Danial said. “What was it?”

  “It was poison, all right,” Titus said cheerfully. “A high grade, made for werelions. No point wasting it.”

  “I’m sure you’ll put it to good use,” Theo said sarcastically.

  Titus bared his teeth at Theo in a half smile, half snarl. “Stay on Dev’s good side, or I will.” He turned to Devlin, Terian, and I. “Let’s go inside,” he said urgently. “Terian has discovered something on his travels this past week. He needs to share it with all of us.”

  We went inside, Terian following. Just as we entered, Terian disappeared.

  “Where is Terian?” Theo said angrily, folding his arms across his chest the moment we were inside the great room. “I need to get back to work.”

  “He’s coming,” Titus said, moving to Theo’s side. “He needed to bring in one more to hear what he has to say.”

  Terian blinked back into view abruptly, holding a woman. She was struggling frantically. When her eyes saw Theo, she let out a scream. “Theo, help!”

  “Tasha!” Theo shouted, lunging for her.

  “Hold him!” Titus yelled.

  Devlin and Danial moved as one, grabbing Theo fast. He snarled, and tried to bite them, but they held him.

  I gaped at Tasha. God, she was Aspen’s twin. If I didn’t know better, I would think she was Aspen.

  “Theo!” Tasha cried, her Russian accent slight. “Help me!” She suddenly saw me and froze.

  Rage filled me at her guilty face. “Tell him what you did to him,” I said, moving toward her. “Tell him what you did to us!”

  “I did nothing!” she said defiantly. “Now let me go!”

  I decked her as hard as I could. She went down on her side hard with a grunt. She looked up at me in fear, blood from a split lip trickling from her mouth. I moved closer. She cringed back.

  “Stop it, Sar! Don’t hurt her!” Theo screamed, flailing.

  “Do it, Titus!” Devlin shouted. “We can’t hold him much longer!”

  Titus hauled Tasha to her feet, and stood her in front of Theo, his hands on her arms. Theo was screaming, his cougar fangs snapping in the air, his yellow eyes furious. Danial and Devlin held him, bleeding from scratches inflicted by his clawed hands.

  Titus threw some wet sparkling stuff over Theo. He swayed, and stopped struggling.

  “Release him from your spell,” Titus rumbled to Tasha. “Or I’ll break every bone in your body, little girl.”

  “No!” Tasha said stubbornly. “I need him! I need him to love me, to protect me! I’m all alone here! We’re in love!”

  Titus opened his mouth and growled at her, revealing his many rows of teeth. Tasha screamed, her eyes wide. That woke Theo from his stupor and he lunged for her again, roaring.

  I grabbed a hold of Tasha’s hair, and yanked it back. “Do it, you fool! Or I’ll kill you here and give your soul to that demon!”

  “Never!” she screamed. “I love him!”

  “Do it,” Devlin snarled. “Or I’ll kill your lover before your eyes. And you’ll kill yourself from despair because of your Everlasting Love.” He yanked an explosive bullets gun from his back, and pressed it to Theo’s neck. “You know I mean it, even if they don’t. Release him!”

  “I release him!” Tasha screamed frantically. “Don’t hurt him!”

  Theo went to his knees suddenly, then to all fours, his body racked with tremors, pulling Danial down with him. Devlin released Theo as he fell, and grabbed Tasha.

  Tasha struggled in Devlin’s grip, her eyes on the gun. “No, please don’t kill me—!”

  Devlin tossed away the gun, then gave her a wide grin, showing her his fangs.

  “Vampire,” she breathed, her eyes wide.

  Devlin sank his fangs into her throat to the hilt. Tasha screeched, writhing, but he held her, swallowing her down even as she fought him.

  “Don’t kill her, Dev,” Danial said.

  Devlin made no sound, gave no sign he heard, still swallowing her down just as fast as he could. As she went slack in his arms, he stopped, letting her fall to the floor with a thud.

  Terian went to her side and put pressure on her spurting neck wounds, giving Devlin a nasty look.

  “What?” Devlin said, licking his lips. “I don't want that one coming back a vampire. I don't dare heal her, but you can, if you choose.”

  “Devlin, Danial, get ready!” Titus rumbled. “He’s coming out of it!”

  Theo had stopped shaking, and was pushing himself up off the floor.

  “What will he remember?” I said quickly. “Anything?”

  “Everything,” Titus answered. “But all he will want is you, having you, however he can get you. He hasn’t felt the full effects of what you share for years now. It’s going to hit him like a sledgehammer—”

  Theo’s head snapped up at that moment and his eyes darted, and then they focused on me. “Sar,” he said softly. In that one word was all the love and tenderness I’d thought never to hear again. Wanting and desperate need enveloped me, squeezing my heart like a vise. I staggered, then lunged for him.

  “Hold her!” Titus warned.

  Danial grabbed hold of me. I tried in vain to shake him off. “Let me go!”

  Theo exploded in movement. Devlin and Danial together almost couldn’t hold him back. “Sar!” he screamed. “Sar!”

  I had to get to him, had to be with him. “Let me go!” I shouted, breaking free of Danial.

  “Sar!” Theo screamed again.

  Terian grabbed me, his skin hot. “No, don’t go to him!”

  “Let me go!” I shouted

  “A little help, Danial!” Devlin yelled, grappling hard and fast with Theo.

  Just as Danial grabbed Theo’s arm, Titus passed his hand over Theo in a delicate movement. Theo slumped to the ground, unconscious. Danial and Devlin both fell with him.

  “You could’ve warned us,” Devlin said nastily, getting to his feet. He and Danial lifted Theo’s prone form up and put him on the couch.

  I went to Theo’s side, clasping his hand. “Is he okay?”

  “He’ll stay like this until you fall asleep, Sarelle,” Titus said. “Then the dream will start for you two, as it has before.”

  “Why is it always the same night?” I asked. “Is there a reason?”

  “It doesn’t have to be, Sarelle. It can be any place you want it to be,” Titus replied.

  “You mean it’s a blank slate?” I said in wonder. “Anything?”

  “Yes,” he said, giving me a small smile. “Use it wisely. I don’t expect you’ll ever have this opportunity again.”

  “Thank you,” I said giving him a hug. “I owe you for this.”

  “No, you don’t,” he replied, hugging me. “If you had not been with Terian when Leri attacked him, he’d be dead. I know also how you saved him from being killed at Theo’s hands. It’s I who owe you still.”

  “He’s my friend,” I answered uncomfortably, roasting from his heat.

  “Thank you for that, too,” he replied,
then let me go.

  “What should we do with her?” Devlin said, eyeing Tasha’s prone form. “Lash would really like her—”

  “Send her home,” I said, grimacing at that unsavory fate. “Her father can punish her worse than we could. Maybe he’ll marry her off.”

  “You don’t want vengeance?” Danial said, astonished. “After all she did?”

  “This was Samuel’s doing, not hers. She could never have done it by herself.” I turned to him. “All I care about is that Theo is free.”

  Danial looked at me, then quickly looked away.

  “Bring her to me,” Titus grated out.

  Devlin picked Tasha up, and brought her over. Titus held his hand over her heart, and said something. His hand glowed, and she writhed as if in pain. Then the glow sank into her skin, and she stopped moving. “She’ll never again do any magic, or even be able to handle a spell of any kind,” Titus said, still angry. “She deserves worse, but this will do.”

  “Someone want to clue me in here?” Danial said. “I have no idea what just happened.”

  “Theo was under a love spell,” Terian supplied. “I wasn’t strong enough to break it, so Sar called Titus. Devlin came with him. Titus broke it.”

  Danial’s eyes narrowed. “I know you,” Danial said, rounding on Devlin, who was licking his lips. “What did Sar have to promise you this time, Dev? It had to be a lot, to get your help with Theo, knowing how you feel about him.”

  “Nothing she hadn’t already promised me before,” Devlin said arrogantly.

  Danial moved to speak again, but Titus interrupted. “I would have done this in any case, Danial. I was once under a love spell myself. Devlin speaks the truth.”

  “Thank you, then,” Danial said, clasping Titus’s hand. “Can I repay you?”

  “The poison you let me take is good enough,” Titus grinned. “Easily worth tonight’s trouble.”

  Danial looked uncomfortable, but just nodded, and let go of Titus’s hand.

  “What now?” I said, gazing at Theo lovingly.

  “My son and I will teleport you and Theo home,” Titus rumbled. “It’s almost dawn. You’ll sleep at least eight hours once you fall asleep. You and Theo will wake at the same time, as before.”