Page 119 of The Hunger
The complete civility of her tone shocked me stupid. Fenris’s head reemerged a second later.
“Did it work?” he asked.
River swam around him. Seeing her circling with that back fin poking up from the water sent a dart of fear through me, and my vision sharpened in response.
“I think so. If those fresh clothes Eliana is holding are for you, you should be fine.”
Fenris’s head turned toward me.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He grinned. “Taking a bath.” He glanced at River and thanked her for letting him use the pool.
“You know you’re welcome here any time.” She looked at me, blinking her second set of eyelids. “You too, Eliana.”
Too weirded out and confused by the encounter, I said nothing as Fenris lifted himself out of the water. He accepted the clothes and said he’d be right back. I sat at the table and watched the mermaids. There were no hisses or catcalls. And it wasn’t because they were ignoring me. A few of them even waved.
I’d done this? Changed their perception of me and Fenris with the command to find love? While I was glad they were no longer so hateful toward me, I worried about the ramifications. What would happen when it wore off? I was texting that question to my mom when the door to the pools opened and the druids walked in.
“We have the payment,” Lauv said.
River stopped her frolicking to look at the trio. “That’s so sweet of you, but it’s really not necessary.”
Lauv’s reaction was similar to mine. Stunned silence.
River and her friends didn’t seem to mind, though. They just went right back to their play, trying to tip the boat over and laughing over failed attempts.
“This is weird, right?” Lauv said, tossing the packet of fish food on the table.
“If the spell wore off, they wouldn’t be this calm,” Meg added.
My phone buzzed.
Mom: Coercion is short-lived. For humans, it wears off in a few days of no contact. For most other creatures, those it even works on, it wears off much faster. Our other ability is a different matter. That doesn’t wear off. It ends whenever the objective is met. At the Club, the humans stopped when the earthquake stopped. Most don’t remember. Or, if they do, they believe it was their idea.
Mom: Are you busy tonight? Your father is making steak and lobster.
“So is it okay if we still use the bathroom for spells?” Anne asked the other druids.
“If they’re not pitching a fit, I say let’s go for it,” Meg said.
“Have you given any thought to my offer?” Lauv asked when the other two walked away.
“I need to talk it over with Megan.”
She nodded. “With someone of Zayn’s skill, I know you probably don’t need favors from us. The simple truth is that you’d be doing us a huge favor. We learned so much in the fifteen minutes he was with us. I wish he wouldn’t have been in such a hurry.”
I remained silent, unwilling to give her the assurance she was looking for. Eventually, she gave me a small smile and went away.
Fenris sat next to me.
“I can smell your worry,” he said. “What’s wrong?”
“This is wrong,” I said, looking at the mermaids. “I did this, and according to Mom, they’ll never know it. What I can do is dangerous, Fenris.”
“Maybe in someone else’s hands. Someone like Aubrey. But not you, Eliana. The fact that you recognize how dangerous it is shows that you’re not taking the power you have lightly. You know what it’s like to have someone who has more power than you to play with your life. You won’t do that.”
“I already have. Look at them.”
