chapter 67

Be nice, I implore silently as Nathan stares Xiao down across his desk. I sit beside him, close enough that I can feel how tense he is. It makes me want to give him a neck rub in sympathy. And sympathy for Nathan isn’t my default.

“It’s not a common spell.” Xiao is in the middle of explaining “everything” as Nathan demanded. She’s remarkably cool under pressure; Nathan isn’t just the king of the pack, but he holds power over thralls, as well. But she delivers the facts like she’s teaching a class. “Thralls use it sometimes when the spark is going out of a relationship or, in more unscrupulous cases, to trick someone into a relationship with them.”

“And you practice this magic on werewolves? Without our permission?” Nathan growls.

“I’ve never heard of it before, but I’ve trained in defensive magic and combat, not love spells,” she replies.

“Why didn’t you mention this to us before?” I wonder aloud. “Why haven’t any of the thralls mentioned it?”

“I can only speak for myself, but I thoug