Noon came so quickly. I could hardly believe it.

“We didn’t even make love again,” I said to Finley as he escorted me down to the gallery. I couldn’t think of it as a ballroom any more; it seemed to…magically…change shape, size, and configuration depending on what was happening in it at any given time. Now it was more like a cozy lobby in a fancy hotel, or even the world’s biggest den. Sectional sofas were arranged in conversation areas around low tables, still covered in fresh flowers. The rain beat down hard on the skylights high above.

“We will, soon enough,” Finley said, pausing at the doorway to pull me into a strong embrace.

My lips found his and we kissed. The kiss heated up quickly, and now I really wondered what in the world I had been thinking, sitting around listening to music when I could be…

Finley drew back before I was really ready to let him go, but I knew our time was up. I released him reluctantly, stealing one last kiss before I dropped my arms.

“Have fun—I know you will,” he said, his eyes gleaming. “Max will treat you right. Still waters run deep, you know.”

“Do they?” I thought about the sexy but straight-laced-seeming guy I’d met, in both his Clark Kent and Superman personas. Was there a wild man hiding underneath there?

Finley gave me a wicked smile. “You’ll see.” Then he leaned in and brushed his lips against my cheek. “And if you want to tell me all about it some day, that would be fine with me too.” Then he was gone, slipping out and down the hallway, leaving me to wait for my next assignation.

I smiled to myself, still shaking my head in disbelief. Yes, this did all seem so natural, but it was also entirely absurd. Surely there had to be some jealousy, some strife, some hard feelings?

“Well, if it isn’t the lady’s newest pet. Waiting for your next fuck?”

I wheeled around, shocked at the harshness of both the words and the tone. Edwin stood in the doorway, dressed in a grey business suit with a maroon tie. He looked like every stereotypical finance asshole you’d ever met, or seen in a movie. His bevy of women was nowhere to be seen. “I beg your pardon?” I asked, trying to sound regal and frosty, though I feared the effect was somewhat undermined by my casual blue jeans and sweatshirt.

Edwin gave his now-familiar smirk and prowled into the room, coming to stand beside me at the tall window. I’d been gazing out into the manicured grounds, watching the storm as I waited for Max; now I turned to stare back at the demon’s minion.

“They’re all lying to you, you know,” Edwin said. “Once you’ve slept with all four of them, then the enchantment is sealed and you’ll be trapped forever. ‘Lady Periwinkle’ will own your soul, and she will never let you go. She’ll drain you, and when you’re spent, she’ll abandon your lifeless husk and seek out more victims. It’s how she’s survived this long.”

I took a few horrified steps back from him as he spoke. “No. That’s not possible. Nobody is trapped…we’re helping her.”

Edwin tsk’d and shook his head, still smirking. Maybe he thought he was smiling, trying to look friendly or something. “Ask yourself this, Emma Foster: where are the rest of your lady’s cohorts? Have you met any of them?”

“There are a few more—they’re…busy,” I stammered. It was true. I had no idea who or where they might be…but this was a big house. And there had been all sorts of people at the costume party Sunday night. Surely some of them were her vassals, the other two cohorts.

“Of course they are.” He gave me an indulgent look. “And even if that is true, how is it that she only has ‘a few’ more? Shouldn’t she have a veritable army of cohorts to protect her by now? She is over five hundred years old, did you know that?”

“I knew she was old. Nobody specified exactly how old. And anyway she just figured out this magic, the cohort magic. This is new.”

He took a step closer to me; I retreated again. “They are rushing you, as well, are they not? Your lady is in terrible danger, and you must bond with the four men immediately, or all will be lost. Hmm?”

My heart sank, but I still struggled to protest. “She’s in danger, right now—from your master,” I spat at him. “We need to bond as quickly as possible. I heard what you said last night.”

“Oh?” He cocked his head. “I believe what I said last night was that Mundon is giving her one more year before he is calling in his contract.”

“But only if she stopped building cohorts—and she refused that condition! So he’s coming very soon!”

Edwin snickered. “Is that so? I do not believe that is what I conveyed to her.” He leaned in; I could smell his aftershave. It was unpleasantly chemically, sharp, and he’d used too much of it. Trying to cover something worse underneath? “It is of no concern to me whether you throw your life away for a few tumbles in the sack with some underwear models. I just thought you should be warned, should be given a chance to make an informed decision.”

“Edwin!” The voice came from the doorway. We both turned to see Max there. His eyes blazed with fury as if he really were Superman and lasers were going to shoot out of them.

Edwin gave a casual shrug and strolled over to Max. “I was just chatting with your latest victim. Charming lady. Good luck with her.” He left before either of us could respond.

Max turned to me, shaking with fury. I didn’t hesitate; I rushed into his arms, squeezing him tight. A man I barely knew… yet who I felt so drawn to. “Are you all right, Emma?”

“He’s just an ass,” I said. “He didn’t do anything to me but be a jerk.”

Max pulled me tight against him, tousling my hair and rubbing my back. “I should have been here sooner—and I should be reassuring you, not the other way around!” He gave a rueful chuckle. “I’m sorry I’m late: I’d been researching fun things to do in the city on a rainy day and lost track of the time for a moment.”

I drew back and looked up at him. “Fun things to do? I thought we’d…” I blushed. “You know.”

He laughed and squeezed me once more before releasing me, taking my hand, and drawing me to one of the sofas. “Oh, don’t worry, we’ll ‘you know’ plenty. But even the best ‘you know’ isn’t going to take all twenty-four of our hours. I thought you might want to do a few other things. Even, well, get to know each other a little better. Unlike the demon’s slave, I actually do want to know you, as a person.”

I shivered. “He said some awful things.”

Max peered at me intently. “I’m sure he did. Demons and their ilk are full of lies.”

“I have…some questions.”

“Tell me everything he said, and every question you have. I’ll explain whatever you like.”

“Thanks.” I looked around the room. We were the only ones there…but Edwin’s visit had made me wary and uncomfortable. “I’m sure you found all kinds of fun things to do out in the city, but I’d really rather just stay here…in a more private place, if we could. Do you have marvelous rooms here, like Justin and Finley do?”

Max smiled shyly. “Indeed I do. I have a feeling you might like them, but I didn’t want to presume.”

“Then I’ll presume for you. Take me to your rooms, Max.”

“It will be my pleasure.”

We climbed the stairs again, but this time continued on to the third floor. This floor was smaller, and the staircase even narrower, than the one leading to the second story. “It used to be the servant’s attic,” Max explained, as we reached the top of the stairs. “Lady Periwinkle wasn’t using it, so I asked if I could remodel the space.”

There was no door or hall or anything; the stairs just opened into a grand, undivided space. Dormer windows looked out in all four directions. I walked over to the west-facing one, peering down to the first-floor gallery below, with its skylights. Then I walked all around the huge room, marveling at it, taking it all in. “Wow.”

Max had an amazing decorating eye. The floor was polished hardwood; atop it were several huge, soft Persian carpets in jewel-bright colors. The designs picked up a number of large paintings on the wall: I recognized several famous artists, one of whom was represented by our gallery, in fact. The amount of money on the walls alone…but he also had little objets d’art scattered around, on wall sconces and low tables: busts, vases, delicate pottery bowls. A barrister’s bookcase in one corner showcased what had to be first editions of dozens of fascinating books.

And yet despite the size and scale of the place, it had a cozy intimacy to it. There were numerous little clusters of furniture, and even a few painted screens, making separate areas for conversation and meals and whatnot. A huge comfy chair sat by the bookcase, with a lovely reading lamp beside it and an ottoman before it. In the far corner was a canopied bed.

“Do you like it?” Max had come up quietly to stand beside me.

I turned to face him. “It’s amazing. I could spend hours here and not see everything.”

He drew me into his arms once more. “I hope that you will spend many, many hours here.”

This close, in his embrace, breathing in his scent, I found myself losing my mind yet again. I knew I had questions—lots of them—and he’d promised answers, but…I leaned up, offering my lips.

He responded, taking me in a kiss so tender and yet so passionate, it took my breath away. I kissed him back at least as eagerly, and (I’m afraid) far less tenderly.

As intense as the kiss was, he made no move to go further. His hands stayed wrapped around my back, holding me close, but not wandering.

Oddly, his reticence made me bolder. I let my own hands wander, explore; first feeling the strong muscles of his back, down to his waistband, and then I drew my hands around the front of him. He was wearing a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt tucked into jeans; I pulled the shirt out of his waistband. He sighed as I reached under the shirt and ran my hands over his warm, smooth skin.

But still he just held me and kissed me.

I grew even more greedy, stroking his chest up to his nipples, then skimming my hands lower, lower.

When I was fumbling with the button on his jeans, he broke the kiss and took a small step backward.

I stared up at him, surprised and a little hurt. “What is it? Are you okay?”

Max gave me a sheepish smile. “I’m fine—more than fine. I just…I know what we are here for, and believe me, I am all in favor of it, but perhaps I was…trying to savor it a bit.” He reached out a hand and drew me toward a small sofa. “Can we sit for a minute? And talk, perhaps?”

“Of course.” But my face flamed with color. I felt embarrassed, and confused. The sexual heat and energy with both Justin and Finley had been immediate, and impossible to ignore. I had felt it, and they had clearly felt it too. Yes, I had enjoyed getting to know each of them, but we had barely been able to resist tearing one another’s clothes off. We’d rushed to bed as soon as we could, and pretty much saved the talking for after. “Whatever you like.”

I know I sounded stiff; Max kept hold of my hand, squeezing it tightly. He looked so pained. “Oh god, I’ve hurt your feelings, Emma. I am so sorry. We can go directly to bed if you want—if that’s what will make me happy. All I want to do is make you happy.”

Now I felt bad too. “No! We should both be happy here—I was just confused, is all. I’m very attracted to you, and, well, I know that we have to move quickly, to secure the bond…”

He gave his shy smile. “Yes, that is true; but any time today will do the trick. I am not worried that we will achieve that.” He reached out and cupped my cheek in a warm, strong hand, turning my face so he could look directly into my eyes. “Emma. Please forgive me.”

“I do—well, I would, if there were anything to forgive. I’m sorry for rushing things.”

His smile grew, and he shook his head. “If the others could see me now—heck, if any of my former friends could see me now. You wouldn’t be the only one wondering what was wrong with me.”

“Your former friends?”

“Ah.” He snorted out a wry laugh. “I misspoke; I mean the people I used to know, when I was younger. I was a late bloomer. Every man in my college dorm lost his virginity before I did. I have had a, shall we say, very limited relationship history. And now, a stunningly beautiful woman begins undressing me in the privacy of my own room…and I tell her to slow down.” He shook his head again, more vigorously this time. “I’m a terrible excuse for a man.”

I stared at him, at this six-foot-five gorgeous hunk of a man, a man who could dress up as Superman for a costume party and be fully convincing at it, whose eyes sparkled and whose smile had adorable dimples and oh yes, whose ‘room’ was the most amazing collection of style and beauty and comfort. “If you’re a terrible excuse for a man, I’m the Queen of Sheba.”

He burst out laughing, and after a minute, I joined him, his laughter was so infectious. And just like that, we were comfortable with one another again.

“I’m sorry,” I said, after we’d finally settled down. I leaned back against the arm of the small sofa—almost a loveseat—and stretched my legs across his lap. “I’m still learning how this all goes here. I’m still…trying to understand the magic, and all that.” He cocked his head in an unvoiced question, so I went on. “There’s a magical bond between us all already, right? It’s why I’m so attracted to you all, pretty much equally, even though I’ve never even considered anything like this before in my life. Right?”

“That is true, yes.”

“And it’s why you all are okay with this as well. I mean, normally guys would be all jealous about sharing one woman. But you four—this just works, and there’s no issue, right?”

Suddenly, he looked uncomfortable again. “Well…”

I leaned forward, and almost drew my legs back, but he put a hand on them to keep them in his lap. “What?” I asked. “Is there jealousy, are there issues between you guys?”

Max gave a gentle sigh. “It’s complicated.”

I snickered. “Isn’t that what people put as their relationship status on the online dating sites if they’re looking to get a little side action?”

He shook his head, but the hint of a smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “I wouldn’t know about that. The short answer is, yes, we are all okay with sharing you—it’s how this all works. It’s what we signed up for, with our eyes open, and it’s what we all want. But, we are still human men, and humans have emotions.” Another sigh. “And complex life histories.”

I had already been wondering about a few things, even before my little “chat” with Edwin. That had given me more questions, and now what Max was saying was raising more still. Perhaps this was my chance to start getting some of these questions answered. Since he wanted to talk and all… “Justin and Finley told me I have magic in me, that Lady Periwinkle recognized it.”

“That is true.”

“And she’s hundreds of years old. So she’s magic too, obviously.”

“She is.”

“Are people born with magic, or do they…acquire it somehow? How does this all work?”

Max smiled at me and began absently rubbing my feet. (Which, I’ll admit, was part of what I’d been going for when I put my legs in his lap.) “Did Justin and Finley really not explain it all to you?”

“They explained a bunch of stuff, but…it’s a lot to take in. And, well, we were busy with other things too.”

“Indeed.” But he was still smiling. “Well, let me see what I can do. I told you I’ll be happy to answer questions.”

“Good.” I wiggled my toes in his strong hands.

“Lady Periwinkle’s origins are somewhat mysterious—because she likes it that way, I suspect. Even her name. I met her as Margaret, as did Finley; this latest name change happened only recently. Sometimes I slip up, but usually I remember what she likes to be called.”

“I thought she only changed her name when she needed to be a whole different person—so, she wouldn’t have anyone around who knew her before.”

“I believe that is usually the case, though again, she does not tell us much of her past life—lives—particularly her origin story.” Max’s strong, gorgeous mouth turned down into a slight frown as he stared into the middle distance, thinking. “Whether she originally had magic or not, it is certain that she bargained for quite a bit more, and longevity as well. She is not immortal—she will grow old and die some day, as will we all—but her life has already been extended far beyond a normal human life span.”

“Edwin said she was over five hundred.”

Max’s look darkened at the mention of Edwin’s name. “As may be. The actual numbers don’t matter so much as the current state of her power…and her vulnerability. She is a powerful sorceress, but with great power comes great risk. It is as easy to lose it all as to increase one’s strength, if one doesn’t shepherd one’s resources carefully.”

It seemed to me that this was a huge argument against magic, but I kept my thoughts to myself. “Am I going to meet her other cohorts?” I asked instead, Edwin’s taunting question still weighing on my mind.

“Of course. She has marvelous people in her service.”

“Hmm.” There was that word again…service.

“For quite a long time, she did not need this manner of protection,” Max went on, not noticing my hesitation. “She wasn’t big enough, as it were; she lived quietly, experiencing different things, learning. It was only when she tried to step on a larger stage that she attracted the attention of malevolent beings.”

“The demon.”

Max nodded. “The demon Mundon, and many other demons as well.”

“Why did she make a bargain with them, then, if they were out to get her?”

“It is my understanding that they would have killed her then and there. She bargained to save her life, and the lives of all those who served her at the time. Regular servants, that is; she had a large household of cooks and maids and gardeners and the like, and the demon Mundon threatened to consume them all as he brought down our lady.” He shook his head in wonder and admiration. “She managed to convince him not only to spare her and all the rest of them, but to extend her life far beyond that which any other sorceress had been able to achieve. It was an astonishing victory.”

“Or so it seemed,” I said, remembering last night’s discussions…both at dinner, and afterward.

“Or so it seemed,” Max agreed. “I do not know whether the demon betrayed her at the time, or later by magically rewriting the contract, but I do know that he has now tired of letting her believe she had prevailed, and he seeks to carry her soul—and those of all of us—down to the netherworlds.”

A sudden stab of fear shot through me; I sat up, pulling my feet back. “Wait, what?”

Max gave me a sad smile. “Yes, we are all in danger. You too, I fear.”

“I haven’t built the cohort yet. I’m not bonded with her; I’m not bonded with you all yet.”

“You are halfway there, are you not?” I nodded. “Then you are already committed.”

I leapt up and stalked partway across the room, then wheeled and faced him. “I was tricked! Nobody mentioned this. I wouldn’t have considered—” I waved my arms “—any of this, if I’d known my immortal soul was in danger. He can’t do this, she can’t do this!”

Max was on his feet as well; he tried to draw me into his arms, but I pulled away. Now he stood sadly before me. “You were indeed tricked, and I apologize on our lady’s behalf. But you committed yourself long before your first sip of her champagne, much less your first kiss with Justin. By crossing her doorstep Sunday night, you stepped into her web.”

I shivered, with fear and fury in equal measures. “What a bitch!”

Max looked even sadder. “I understand how you feel, and I do not blame you. But it was not of her doing. Everything she does now is out of desperation. She aims to free us all.”

“Your magic will free us all…” “Wait a minute,” I said. “Justin said something, that first night. He said my magic will free you all—he made me repeat it back to him, before he made love to me. It seemed very important…like a spell that had to be spoken, or something.”

The gleam in Max’s blue eyes brightened. “And you did? You did say it, those words?”

“I did. I didn’t understand it, but, yes, I said it.”

“Ahh.” Max turned and paced around the room, suddenly energized. “That’s interesting, that’s very interesting.”

“What does it mean?” I was still pissed and terrified, but now also intrigued despite myself.

He turned back to face me. “You asked earlier whether people have magic inborn or whether they acquire it. I could not answer, with respect to our lady; but you clearly have magic inborn. It can be amplified, but the core that’s already there is powerful, quite strong. Even I can detect it, and I have no intrinsic magic of my own. All my magic comes from—” But he cut himself off there, turning and pacing once more. “Finley has a small amount of intrinsic magic, coming mostly from his musical talent. Justin’s is all bestowed, and Aiden’s…” He gave me a smile. “I believe I will let you discover Aiden’s for yourself.”

“Where does your magic come from?”

Max looked uncomfortable. “It is part of the binding.”

“What binding? Our cohort isn’t built yet.” And then I had a terrible thought. “Wait—you four men. Have you…been a cohort before? Are you one already?”

He bit his lip, looking down at the floor before looking back up at me. “We have been bound before. We are already bound; we live under an enchantment.”

“Who…?” I could hardly bring myself to ask.

His blue gaze held mine. “We were bound to our lady.”