Page 64 of Captivated
“You’re not like me.” He bit off the words. Morgana felt her charm slipping, the color washing out of her cheeks.
“No. You’re right. I’m different, and there’s nothing I can do to change it. Nothing I would do. If you’re finding that too difficult to accept, then let me go.”
“You’re not going to walk out of here and leave me like this. Fix it.” He gave her a brisk shake. “Undo the spell.”
The illusion fell away so that she stared at him with shadowed eyes. “What spell?”
“Whatever one you used. You got me to tell you things I’ve never told anyone. You stripped me bare, Morgana. Didn’t you think I’d figure out that I’d never have told you about my family, my background, if I’d been in my right mind? That was mine.” He released her, and turned away to keep from doing something drastic. “You tricked it out of me, just like you tricked all the rest. You used my feelings.”
“I never used your feelings,” she began furiously, then stopped, paling even more.
When he noted the look, his lips thinned. “Really?”
“All right, I used them yesterday. After your mother called, after you’d told me all those things, I wanted to give you some peace of mind.”
“So it was a spell.”
Though her chin came up, he wavered. She looked so damn fragile just then. Like glass that would shatter at his touch. “I let my emotions rule my judgment. If I was wrong, as it’s obvious now I was, I apologize.”
“Oh, fine. Sorry I took you for a ride, Nash.” He jammed his hands into his pockets. “What about the rest?”
She lifted a shaky hand to her hair. “The rest of what?”
“Are you going to stand there and tell me you didn’t cause all of this, manipulate my feelings? Make me think I was in love with you, that I wanted to start a life with you? God, have children with you?” Because he still wanted it, still, his anger grew. “I know damn well it wasn’t my idea. No way in hell.”
The hurt sliced deep. But, as it cut, it freed something. His anger, his sense of betrayal and confusion, was nothing compared to what bubbled inside her. She reined it in with a light hand as she studied him.
“Are you saying that I bound you to me with magic? That I used my gifts for my own gain, charmed you into loving me?”
“That’s just what I’m saying.”
Morgana released the reins. Color flooded back into her face, had her eyes gleaming like suns. Power, andthe strength it brought, filled her. “You brainless ass.”
Indignant, he started to snap back. His words came out like the bray of a donkey. Eyes wide, he tried again while she swooped around the room.
“So you think you’re under a spell,” she muttered, her fury making books fly through the room like literary missiles. Nash ducked and scrambled, but he didn’t manage to avoid all of them. As one rapped the bridge of his nose, he swore. He felt a moment’s dizzy relief when he realized he had his own voice back.
“Look, babe—”
“No, you look.Babe.” On a roll now, she had a gust of wind tossing his furniture into a heap. “Do you think I’d waste my gifts captivating someone like you? You conceited, arrogant jerk. Give me one reason I shouldn’t turn you into the snake you are.”
Eyes narrowed, he started toward her. “I’m not going to play along with this.”
“Then watch.” With a flick of her hand she had him shooting back across the room, two feet above the floor, to land hard in a chair. He thought about getting up, but decided it was wiser to get his breath back first.
To satisfy herself, she sent the dishes soaring in the kitchen. Nash listened to the crashing with a resigned sigh.
“You should know better than to anger a witch,” she told him. The logs in his fireplace began to spit and crackle with flame. “Don’t you know what someone like me, someone without integrity, without scruples, might do?”
“All right, Morgana.” He started to rise. She slapped him back in the chair so hard his teeth rattled.
“Don’t come near me, not now, not ever again.” Her breath was heaving, though she was struggling to even it. “I swear, if you do, I’ll turn you into something that runs on four legs and howls at the moon.”
He let out an uneasy breath. He didn’t think she’d do it. Not really. And it was better to take a stand than to whimper. His living room was a shambles. Hell, his life was a shambles. They were going to have to deal with it.
“Cut it out, Morgana.” His voice was admirably calm and firm. “This isn’t proving anything.”
The fury drained out of her, leaving her empty and aching and miserable. “You’re quite right. It isn’t. Mytemper, like my feelings, sometimes clouds my judgment. No.” She waved a hand before he could rise. “Stay where you are. I can’t trust myself yet.”
