I didn’t understand. “Why?”

Taran grabbed me forcibly by the arm. “Because we can see everything,” she hissed.

Aric ripped into Misha like a wolf possessed. “She had no right being there. All you had to do was notify the weres where Shah was and we would’ve handled it. Now look at her!”

Misha ignored him, appearing more stunned by my behavior than anything Aric had to say. I smiled and gave him a small pinky wave. He threw back his head, laughing, which only infuriated Aric more.

I stormed toward Aric. I had had enough. I shoved my fists onto my hips and stamped my foot down, causing my breasts to shake. Tink, tink, tink, went my nipples. “Do you like how I look or don’t you?” I demanded.

Aric gaped at me like I’d asked some bizarre question. “Well?” I asked. “I’m waiting.” Aric shut his mouth, which meant he didn’t find me attractive. Tears slid down my perfect cheeks and fell against the tarmac in the form of small diamonds. “You don’t think I’m pretty,” I said.

“Sweetness. It’s not that, it’s—”

“You don’t think I’m pretty!” I wailed.

The murmuring around us stopped. Aric struggled with what to say. “Celia, you’re not yourself, love. I…”

“I think you’re stunning,” Misha said, smiling.

I turned to him, my grin returning. “You do?”

“You are the most beautiful creature my eyes have ever gazed upon.”

I clasped my hands beneath my chin and bounced up and down. Tink, tink, tink. “What a sweet thing to say.”

Aric didn’t agree and tackled Misha to the ground. Several vampires jumped on top of him, causing the wolves to attack. My sisters screamed at everyone to stop over their growls and hisses. I was furious they were fighting. Now no one was paying attention to me!

Ooo. A butterfly!

I bounced away, chasing after it while I spread my arms and imitated its movements. “Fly, little butterfly. Fly, I say.”

I followed it into the wooded area and over a small brook when I heard Taran screaming behind me. “Celia. Celia. Goddamnit, get back here!”

I pointed to my little friend. “Butterfly!” I said, continuing to run.

“Jesus Christ, she’s fucking high.” Taran stopped trying to chase me and leaned on her knees, struggling to catch her breath.

Aric tore after me. His shirt was ripped to ribbons and blood dripped from the gaping wounds on his chest and arms. “Celia, wait.”

Something in his voice made me pause. “Hi, Aric. Why are you bleeding?” I pointed again. “Did you see the pretty butterfly—”

He snatched me in his arms before I could say anything more. “Get my ride,” he growled to the wolves following him.

Bren raced ahead of us while Aric ran full-out with me back to the private airport lot. I sniffed. Then sniffed again, pressing my nose against Aric. His brief smackdown with Misha heightened the underlying musk of his aroma. I lifted my chin and flicked my tongue along his neck. Mmm. He tasted so good.

Aric stiffened in all the right ways.

Martin’s truck peeled into the lot, screeching to a halt. He raced to us, his steps slowing as he neared. “What in blazes happened to Celia?” he asked.

Shayna stepped forward. “Shah went inside her somehow. We think.”

Martin frowned. “Did she touch him—is she his holder?”

Shayna shook her head, making her ponytail swing side to side. “No. That’s the strange part. He was as big as a car and we were trying to figure out how to move him. Celia smiled at him and bam. Everything exploded with light and the next thing we knew Celia was naked, and crystal clear, and all like, sparkly.”

No offense, but I was getting bored. So I took another lick of Aric. That was fun, so I kept it up.

Aric cleared his throat. “I should take her home, until we figure things out.”

Martin sighed. “Perhaps that’s best. I’ll conference with the witches to see what they think.” His voice trailed off when he realized what I was doing. “Is she all right?”

“Her behavior appears to have been affected,” Aric ground out, his voice strained.

“Agnes thinks she’s intoxicated by Shah’s power,” Emme added, sounding oddly apologetic. She climbed into the passenger side of Aric’s Escalade when Bren slid behind the wheel.

Aric cleared his throat. “She’s ah, fine. Just—we need to get her home,” he added quickly. He lifted me into the backseat and buckled me in, then sat beside me and placed his arm around me. Bren cranked the engine and pulled out of the lot.

Aric sighed, holding me close. “Baby, about what I said, before you left the hotel. It was crazy, and I’m not sure where it came from.”

“ ’Kay.” I unbuckled my seat belt and straddled him, needing another taste of him. “You smell so good,” I purred. I trailed my tongue along the curve of his neck until I reached his earlobe and tugged.

Aric grunted loudly.

“Celia. What are you doing?” Emme yelled from the front.

The car jerked off to the side as Bren exploded with laughter.

Aric clasped my wrists when I reached into his pants. “Celia, baby, st-stop,” he stammered.

“I don’t want to,” I told him. “And I know you don’t want me to, either.”

I ground my hips against his lap, arching my back so my breasts skimmed against his face and my nipples swept over his lips. Aric grunted, turned his head and bit back a low growl when my hips rocked faster.

Bren continued laughing. Emme panicked and called Martin. “Martin—It’s Emme Wird. Celia is trying to have relations with Aric.”

“I beg your pardon?” Martin repeated into the phone.

“Celia’s trying to have sex with Aric!”

“What? Ah, ah, tell him to—tell him to resist.”

“Aric,” Emme urged, “you have to resist her.”

Aric held my hips, my wrists, trying to stop me. I welcomed his challenge with more hip swivels and tongue sweeps than he was prepared for. “I can’t,” he groaned. “It’s still Celia.”

The ride back to our house consisted of Aric and me wrestling in the backseat, him trying to keep me from tearing his clothes off with my teeth, Bren laughing and struggling to keep Aric’s Escalade on the road, and Emme demanding I stop my behavior. But then we were home. Aric lifted me into his arms and raced us into our bedroom, slamming the door shut.