The entryway was simple, but the living room it opened up into was anything but. Crown molding, wood floors, and tall arched ceilings were a few highlights from the formal room.
Georgina gestured for me to sit in a plush armchair. “Coffee, tea, brandy?”
“Brandy? It’s ten a.m.”
“So? You may need something strong for this talk.”
“Brandy, then.” I don’t know why I said yes. I hated drinking straight liquor.
She poured two glasses and took a seat on a chair across from me before pulling a worn book off the shelf.
“Do you come here a lot?” It dawned on me how strange it was that the house still felt lived in if the owner died seven years before. The furniture was neat and uncovered, and the wood floors were spotless.
She smiled. “I like to get away every once in a while.”
I didn’t press it further. There was no reason to. “What’s that book?”
“It’s a Pteron history book.” She brushed a layer of dust off the velvety black cover. Evidently the book hadn’t been used in a while.
“There are books about Pteron history?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t there be?”
I shifted in my chair, trying to get more comfortable. “Isn’t it all secretive?”
“These books aren’t easy to come by.”
“I’d imagine.”
“How much do you understand about how the royal lines work?” She set down the book on her lap.
“I know there are a few ranking families but that the Laurents have been in charge of the American region for a long time.”
“You’re correct. We’ve been in power for generations. That’s generally how it works. The only way the line usually changes is if the first born son fails to mate and have an heir.”
“Usually? I thought that was the only way.”
Georgina opened the book and flipped through the pages.
“Here, read this.” She handed me the heavy book.
“The Enchantress?” I read the fancy script title at the top of the page.
“Yes. That section.” She leaned back in her chair. “Read it aloud.”
“Every few generations, there have been changes in lines that deviate from the usual failure to bear an heir. In each case, a human woman has been the cause.” I left my finger on the spot I was on. “How could a human change anything?”
“Keep reading.”
“This woman is said to attract the male heir of each line in a way that cannot be denied. Whoever this woman chooses will become the new king. Three of the great Pteron wars can be traced back to such a woman. She is called an enchantress even though she is purely human.”
I felt sick. “You think I’m one of these?”
“I don’t see any other explanation.”
“So that means.” I didn’t want to say it. “So Levi’s only with me because of this weird Pteron lust?”
“Of course not!” Georgina was out of her chair before I could process it. She bent down over me. “No. He loves you. Don’t confuse attraction with love. He may have first been attracted to you because of what you are, but that doesn’t change the deeper feelings he has. He’s been in love with you for years.”
“No, he hasn’t. He had a dream. He was in love with the idea of me.” I should have been more concerned with the revelation that I was actually some sort of Pteron magnet, but all I could think about was Levi’s feelings for me.
“That’s not true. If you look deep into yourself, you’ll realize that.” She patted my shoulder and sat back down.
“But this doesn’t fit. I already picked Levi. Why is it still an issue?”
“I wondered that myself, until I found this.” She pulled a smaller book from her purse. “This is my Pteron history book.”
I took the book and turned to the page she had marked with a red ruby tasseled bookmark. “Once the enchantress has accepted a ring and lays with the chosen heir, the others will no longer feel the pull, and order will be restored.”
“How does this help?”
“Were you really choosing Levi as the next king?”
“No…but I did accept the ring.”
“I know that.” She leaned forward. “Think about it though. Did you accept the ring knowing you were choosing him as the next king?”
My head started to spin, and I readied myself for the headache I knew was coming.
“I’ve been researching this since I found out about your past boyfriend. It seems this was far more common years ago but not in modern history. I have a two-part theory about this.”
“What is it?” I braced myself on the arm of the chair.
“The first part is that in modern society, the families are more spread out. Five hundred years ago, the Pteron heirs would have interacted with the same human women. Now they barely speak…”
“So you’re saying if I’d only met one Pteron heir, we never would have known I was anything different…”
“Exactly.”
“So it was just random chance…”
Georgina paled.
“What is it?”
“This does not leave the room.” She sat back in her seat, closing her eyes for a moment.
“Of course.”
“That’s not good enough. I need you to swear.”
“To swear? Is that really necessary?” How serious was this?
She nodded.
“I swear I won’t tell.”
She let out a deep breath. “It wasn’t random.”
“How do you know?”
“I don’t believe in chance encounters. There’s fate, and then there’s man-made interference.”
“Which one is this?”
“A little of both.”
I sipped my brandy. It tasted as awful as I expected.
“Robert knew about Levi’s dream. He’s the one who told Carol to perform the dream spell.”
“Carol? Levi’s great-grandmother?”
“Yes.”
“He said it was for Levi’s own good, but I think he wanted to make sure Levi would take a mate. He was terrified our period of rule was coming to an end. I think that’s why he was always so hard on Levi…”
I tried to swallow a lump in my throat.
“I have one more passage to show you. Turn to the next page.”
I hesitantly turned the page. “The heads of family are often the first to sense the enchantress. An heir must see her face-to-face to trigger the response.”