MERIBELLA

Consciousness waited for Meribella. Hushed voices invaded her safe space. Different scents prickled in her nose. Someone held her hand. All of it was designed to lure her out of the darkness, but she clung to the shadows in her mind, refusing to wake up.

How had she been so foolish? Valencia had warned her of Nerida's true nature, and still she went with the woman, unwilling to judge her off the words of others. It was the same reasoning she'd used when Mac sent her after Raff, and she'd been right to follow her instincts then. This time, she was paying the price.

There was a fire in her blood. Burning bright then dwindling to embers. The surges made her ill. She knew its source was a poison. During a brief moment of lucidity, she'd watched as someone pricked her skin with a needle, delivering a gray, viscous liquid into her veins. Within moments, every cell was ablaze, and she screamed until her throat grew raw and copper coated her tongue.

But that had been days ago. She'd made no noise since. The will to fight was gone. All that was left was a vague sense of want. A want for the wrong person. And she was so very afraid if she opened her eyes, she would come into the world as a stranger. She would forget him.

Meribella.

She thrashed her head to the side. The voices in her head were almost worse than the ones outside. Sometimes it was female. Sometimes, it belonged to Raff. All of them urging for her to hold on, but she was so tired now.

Meribella, please.

So, it was Raff today. He broke through more often than the others, and his voice was stronger than it had been the first time she'd heard it. No trace of pain was left- not the physical kind, at least. But she'd noticed a new note of agony in his words as the days passed. The longer she refused to answer, the more tortured he sounded.

"Why isn't she waking up? You said she'd come to after a week. It's been nearly two."

Another voice she recognized, but he was was an outside voice. Caspian had been by her side for days. What part he played in his mother's crime, Meribella wasn't certain.

"Her reaction to the infusions wasn't what we expected."

"You keep saying that, but you haven't explained what that means."

An exasperated sigh echoed around the room. "The toxin you release is supposed to act like a stimulant-"

"I'm well aware how it works," Caspian growled. "Not to mention it was working just fine when I was administering it the natural way. Through pheromones and touch."

"We think that's part of the problem, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"You were putting her through repeated exposure, and something in her system was building up a resistance to it. Like an allergy."

"What?"

"We think she would've started exhibiting signs of allergic reactions to it. Giving it to her directly like that. Undiluted. We almost killed her."

Caspian roared. It was loud enough Meribella couldn't stop the flinch that spread across her body, and she prayed they didn't notice. Her prayers went unanswered.

"Did you see that? She reacted to my voice."

Cold hands moved across her neck and face. They moved away, and then, there was a snap beneath her nose. The sharp odor of ammonia overwhelmed her and forced her eyes open.

"Meribella?"

Caspian leaned over her. His blond hair obscured his eyes, but she could see the concern etched in the tight line of his jaw. He ran a finger along her face, causing a tingle to erupt below her skin, and in her gut, a new fire burned.

"I wouldn't do that," the stranger snapped, pulling Caspian's hand from her body. "I just told you she doesn't react right. We think it's the soul bond. Do you not see the welt you left on her skin?"

He grabbed her jaw, twisting her head to the side so he could examine the mark. She could feel its heat on her cheek, but all the while her brain shrieked for him to release her, her traitorous body demanded more from his touch.

"I think you and my mother forgot the most important part of the equation when you chose to administer the toxin to her directly. Me. Do you not smell the desire coming off of her?"

Meribella grimaced as the other selkie inhaled deeply, his eyes darkening as he detected the fragrance of her arousal. She snatched her eyes away. Lying on this gurney, she was unfortunately eye level with the growing bulge in his pants, and she wanted nothing to do with it. His or Caspian's.

"I would still caution against it," the man said, adjusting himself without embarrassment as his eyes roamed over her body. "Like most allergic reactions, it will only grow worse the more she is exposed to it."

"Let me out of here." Her voice was raspy from disuse. "And remove your hands from me."

"You don't really want that," Caspian said, his lips twisting in amusement. His hands continued their exploration, moving from her face, down her neck, and across her breasts. She started to tremble.

Meribella? Speak to me.

R-raff? She retreated inside of her head to escape the desire coursing through her. She heard a sigh of relief, and she wrapped its echoes around her like a shield.

I'm coming for you. Can you hold on?

"Meribella, where did you go?" Caspian demanded.

He parted her legs and his grip remained on her thighs. As if he knew how the suggestion of where he planned to go next would cloud her mind so she couldn't focus on answering Raff. She strained against her restraints, not sure if she was trying to get away or get closer.

A tear escaped and slid down her face. "I thought we were friends. I thought I could trust you."

"We are friends," Caspian whispered, and for the first time, she saw his eyes. He was pleading with her to cooperate. The desperation in those fathomless depths couldn't be faked. "And that's why this is what's best for you."

"I love Raff. You have to understand that."

"I know, and I do."

"Y-you do?"

He nodded, unbuckling the cuffs around her wrists and ankles. Drawing her to a sitting position, he turned to the other man and commanded, "leave us."

"Why then?" she asked after the door slammed shut.

The answer wasn't immediate. The large selkie stepped away from her, and he stared at the wall. She followed his gaze as if expecting to find something special, but all she saw was the dripping of water over stone. For a moment, she considered escape, reaching inside of herself for her power, but just the faintest brush against the knot in her center made the room spin. She was so weak. Helpless.

"This would've been so much easier if I'd found you first," Caspian finally said before nudging her over and sitting on the bed beside her.

"Would it have mattered? My soul was always made for another's."

"You would've never known that."

"Why is it so important that you have me? There's a hundred other women who would be happy to warm your bed," Meribella insisted. None of this made sense.

"But they're not the Star Blessed."

"It's about the power?"

"It's about saving our people. Isn't that what you came here to do?"

"I did, but I told you from the beginning, I'm going back to Raff."

He exhaled and looked up, struggling with something she didn't understand. "That's why we did this. To make it easier on you."

"You pumped me full of poison to make it easier on me? Forgive me if I fail to grasp that logic."

"My mother's method was extreme, but it's not supposed to feel like poison. It's supposed to heighten your attraction to me. And no matter what you think, there is attraction between us. If you will just stop fighting it, you can forget him. I don't want this to be hard for you."

"Fabricated attraction," she insisted, scooting away from him, but he grabbed her by the arm. Another rush of desire swarmed her.

"What does it matter as long as it feels real?" he asked, cupping the back of her head and bringing his lips down on hers.

Raff... Raff...

I'm here!

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she kissed Caspian back, unable to stop the whimpers in her throat as he dragged her onto his lap. It was wrong. Everything about this was wrong, and she couldn't stop. No part of her mind was in control- just her hormones and they were high on the drugs oozing through his skin into hers. Even his smell made her mad with lust.

Picking her up, he stumbled across the room, clearing a large table in the center before lowering her onto its surface. She noticed he barely broke contact with her. During those brief moments, she struggled to fight against the carnal cravings, but he would dive back in,driving back the temporary clarity she'd found. A sweep of Caspian's tongue against hers almost made her pass out, and as she watched him begin to untie the front of her gown, she knew if he claimed her-took her in a way Raff had never been able to- she would be his forever.

Unwilling.

Enslaved.

Whatever magic was at play would make sure of it, and Nerida would win. Morgan le Fay would win. And Raff would lose her as surely as if she had died.

Meribella?

A sob choked her as her dress fell aside.

Caspian.