At least your old minions have got the magical world covered, huh? Even then, who was to say that rallying every magical defense would make a difference? My sister could mount an entire army, and the Atlanteans could still win. I hadn’t wanted to think about that, but I had to. I’d made that last-ditch effort, and it could still result in nothing.
A guard nudged me in the back, urging me toward the doorway. There, I was “encouraged” over the threshold with Kaya at my side. She gave the expected regal waves and cheerful, blushing bride smiles to her beloved people. They had no idea I was an unwilling participant, and once I drank the love spell, they would probably never find out.
In the small annex, which looked like a miniature version of the cathedral outside, the priest went straight to a cupboard at the back of the room. From a variety of drawers and shelves, he produced several glass bottles and set them on a table. With spears at my back, I stood there, totally frozen in shock and horror. He began to pour the ingredients into two small bowls of blue sea glass. True love’s grace? Give me a break. This spell was nothing more than a bottled drug to trick two people into thinking they loved one another.
“Princess Kaya, Finch Merlin, please accept the gift of true love’s grace.” The priest stepped toward us with the two bowls, having mixed the potion in double-quick time. He offered the first to Kaya, and she drank it without hesitation.
“I’m not thirsty, thanks,” I said, putting my hands behind my back, as my turn came.
The priest looked suddenly panicked. “You must drink it, Mr. Merlin.”
“No, that’s all right. I don’t want it.” I shook my head. “In fact, you can shove it up your—”
Rough hands shoved me to the ground, with a swift kick to the back of the legs sending me crashing to my knees. Ovid, who’d entered the annex as part of the wedding party, seized the silver bowl from the priest, while one of the guards yanked my head back. I squidged my lips tighter together, determined to delay this for as long as humanly possible.
“Open your mouth!” Ovid snapped.
I shook my head and mumbled a “nope.”
“Very well.” With his free hand, he grabbed my face and pushed his thumb and index finger into the sides of my mouth. Pain shot through my jaw, my teeth throbbing as he pressed harder and harder. I tried to fight it, but he had serious strength in his soon-to-be-dead fingers.
My lips were pried open a smidge, and he forced the love spell into my mouth. A few drips trickled down my chin as he clamped his hand over my mouth. I had to swallow or suffocate. Unfortunately, my survival instincts won out. My throat constricted, and the liquid went down.
“Did that make you feel powerful? One last show of strength before you push up daisies?” I muttered bitterly, the sour taste of the potion tingling on my tongue. It tasted of herbs and chemicals, worse than any medicine.
“You would do well to be quiet,” he warned.
“That’s what you’d like, isn’t it? An obedient, mute son-in-law who doesn’t say boo to a goose?” I glowered at him, feeling the warmth of the potion swirl in my stomach. “Well, let me tell you this for nothing—until this spell works, I’m not going to be quiet, and I’m not going to be obedient. You’ll have my voice ringing in your ears until you take your last breath, and I hope to Chaos that my screeching follows you into the afterlife!”
Kaya stepped between us and put her hands on my shoulders. “Enough, Finch. It is done. Before long, you and I will look upon one another with affection. This spell will bind us, and we will love one another as we have never loved before.”
“You think that’s true?” I snarled. “Because your daddio didn’t seem too bothered when your mother died. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but when someone you love dies, you at least shed a tear! My guess is, it stopped working a long time ago, but your mom and dad were already in too deep after hundreds of years together, so they just kept right on pretending!”
She recoiled in horror. “Finch!”
“What? Didn’t your precious Ganymede tell us to be honest in our conversations? Well, here’s some brutal honesty for you.” I clenched my hands into fists to try and stem my tears. “I don’t care what this spell does to me. I’ll never love you, Kaya. How could I, when you took me away from the woman who really has my heart? You made her watch, and I’ll never forgive you for that.”
She drew a slow breath. “You will, Finch. You will forgive everything I have done, just as I will forgive you for what you have just said.”
“Don’t count on it,” I seethed. But the truth was, I had no assurances. No guarantee the note in my pants would do its job. The spell was in me, and I didn’t know when it’d hit. Maybe I had a few hours with Ryann in my heart. Maybe I’d have until tomorrow morning. Or maybe I only had a few minutes to remember that I’d come so close to having everything I’d ever wanted. Her. That three-letter word that meant everything.
People like you aren’t destined for a happy ending… Lux’s words came back to haunt me and it hurt so much more now because I knew she was right. All this time, I’d just been fooling myself. Now, against my will, I had to let go of Ryann. And, so help me, I didn’t want to.
How long could I cling on, when soon enough, my mind wouldn’t be my own?
My guess was, not nearly long enough.
HARLEY MERLIN 16: Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie
Dear Reader,
Harley Merlin 16: Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie releases February 25th, 2020!
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Bella x
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Read more by Bella Forrest
DARKLIGHT
(NEW! Fantasy)
Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
HARLEY MERLIN
Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn’s Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
THE GENDER GAME
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)
THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6)
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)
THE CHILD THIEF
(Action-adventure/romance. Completed series.)
The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)
HOTBLOODS
(Supernatural adventure/romance. Completed series.)
Hotbloods (Book 1)
Coldbloods (Book 2)
Renegades (Book 3)
Venturers (Book 4)
Traitors (Book 5)
Allies (Book 6)
Invaders (Book 7)
Stargazers (Book 8)
A SHADE OF VAMPIRE SERIES
(Supernatural romance/adventure)
Series 1: Derek & Sofia’s story
A Shade of Vampire (Book 1)
A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
A Shadow of Light (Book 4)
A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
Series 2: Rose & Caleb’s story
A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
Series 3: The Shade continues with a new hero…
A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
Series 4: A Clan of Novaks
A Clan of Novaks (Book 25)
A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
Series 5: A Dawn of Guardians
A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A Race of Trials (Book 35)
A King of Shadow (Book 36)
An Empire of Stones (Book 37)
A Power of Old (Book 38)
A Rip of Realms (Book 39)
A Throne of Fire (Book 40)
A Tide of War (Book 41)
Series 6: A Gift of Three
A Gift of Three (Book 42)
A House of Mysteries (Book 43)
A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)
A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)
A Ride of Peril (Book 46)
A Passage of Threats (Book 47)
A Tip of Balance (Book 48)
A Shield of Glass (Book 49)
A Clash of Storms (Book 50)
Series 7: A Call of Vampires
A Call of Vampires (Book 51)
A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)
A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)
A Den of Tricks (Book 54)
A City of Lies (Book 55)
A League of Exiles (Book 56)
A Charge of Allies (Book 57)
A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)
A Battle of Souls (Book 59)
Series 8: A Voyage of Founders
A Voyage of Founders (Book 60)
A Land of Perfects (Book 61)
A Citadel of Captives (Book 62)
A Jungle of Rogues (Book 63)
A Camp of Savages (Book 64)
A Plague of Deceit (Book 65)
An Edge of Malice (Book 66)
A Dome of Blood (Book 67)
A Purge of Nature (Book 68)
Season 9: A Birth of Fire
A Birth of Fire (Book 69)
A Breed of Elements (Book 70)
A Sacrifice of Flames (Book 71)
A Conspiracy of Realms (Book 72)
A Search for Death (Book 73)
A Piece of Scythe (Book 74)
A Blade of Thieron (Book 75)
A Phantom of Truth (Book 76)
A Fate of Time (Book 77)
Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A SHADE OF DRAGON TRILOGY
A Shade of Dragon 1
A Shade of Dragon 2
A Shade of Dragon 3
A SHADE OF KIEV TRILOGY
A Shade of Kiev 1
A Shade of Kiev 2
A Shade of Kiev 3
A LOVE THAT ENDURES TRILOGY
(Contemporary romance)
A Love that Endures
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3
THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR
(Supernatural/Magic YA. Completed series)
The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Book 1)
The Breaker (Book 2)
The Chain (Book 3)
The Keep (Book 4)
The Test (Book 5)
The Spell (Book 6)
BEAUTIFUL MONSTER DUOLOGY
(Supernatural romance)
Beautiful Monster 1
Beautiful Monster 2
DETECTIVE ERIN BOND
(Adult thriller/mystery)
Lights, Camera, GONE
Write, Edit, KILL
For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net
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Harley Merlin 15: Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow Page 32