nodded. “Literally translated, it means woman kisser.”
Her eyes widened. “Oo-kay. And…”
Antonin paced again and that pit in her stomach returned, the one that usually signaled a panic attack. This time, it felt more like dread. She wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“My parents are full-blooded linchetti ,” he started, “and occasionally full-bloods produce children with…a few more magical attributes than normal.”
She had no idea where he was going with his. Justin would have. He’d memorized their father’s tales as a kid, made them his life’s passion as an adult.
Maybe if she’d listened a little more intently, she wouldn’t be so behind the curve.
“And that means what? Come on, Antonin. Help me out here. Until yesterday, I didn’t know there were people like Sal and Scarlata in the world. At least I didn’t remember that I knew. I just spoke to my dad, who supposedly died more than ten years ago. Give me a break and just spill it. It can’t be that bad.”
Or could it? Antonin’s grave expression made goose bumps shoot up her arms.
Luckily the dread hadn’t morphed into panic yet.
84
Seduced in Shadow
He took a deep breath. “I was born with the bassadone spell woven into my genes.
It’s kind of like being born with the sickle cell gene.”
“Are you sick?”
He shook his head. “No.” Then he took another deep breath. “The bassadone spell acts like an aphrodisiac. It makes me irresistible to most women. Some are immune.”
He grimaced. “Not many though. It’s not something I can turn off but I didn’t want it.”
Ellie’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re telling me the only reason I want you is because you’re magically irresistible?”
Antonin scowled at her expression of confusion, disbelief and anger. She was going to hammer him for this. Hell, if Ellie wasn’t immune, he would have taken advantage of her and he deserved to be punished but, come on, he’d never asked to be born bassadone .
Sure, he admitted to loving it at first. He’d been able to get any woman he’d wanted. Only one or two women had ever turned him down. After a while though, the spell had wreaked havoc on his conscience and his self-esteem. What if no one really wanted him? What if it was all because of the bassadone spell?
He’d always been careful and he’d never slept with all the women who’d come on to him. Still, when he did, it’d been like taking candy from a baby.
And now it was coming back to haunt him, because the one woman he’d met in all these years who really held his interest was looking at him as if he were a piece of garbage stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
He watched her shake her head, sigh then throw her hands in the air. “I’m not really sure what to do here,” she said. “Are you really telling me there’s something in your genes that makes women throw themselves at you?”
“I know it must seem weird for someone like you…”
Her eyes narrowed to slits again. “Wait, someone like me? What the hell does that mean?”
85
Stephanie Julian
“Someone who wasn’t raised in our world.”
“Oh, so now I’m ignorant?”
Antonin raked his fingers through his hair, ready to pull it out by the roots. This wasn’t going well at all. “No! Damn it, you’re twisting my words.”
Sighing in frustration, he stared at her. She was so beautiful with that haughty look on her face, her arms crossed over her chest and one foot tapping an angry beat on the floor. Which just made him want her even more.
With the exception of his mother, he’d never had an argument with a woman before, magical or not. After a while, the bassadone spell lost its potency. When that happened, those relationships always fizzled out. They never went down in flames with a huge blowout.
So did her anger really mean Ellie wasn’t affected by the spell? So far, she’d shown none of the telltale signs women usually exhibited when they were under the spell. The glazed
Her eyes widened. “Oo-kay. And…”
Antonin paced again and that pit in her stomach returned, the one that usually signaled a panic attack. This time, it felt more like dread. She wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“My parents are full-blooded linchetti ,” he started, “and occasionally full-bloods produce children with…a few more magical attributes than normal.”
She had no idea where he was going with his. Justin would have. He’d memorized their father’s tales as a kid, made them his life’s passion as an adult.
Maybe if she’d listened a little more intently, she wouldn’t be so behind the curve.
“And that means what? Come on, Antonin. Help me out here. Until yesterday, I didn’t know there were people like Sal and Scarlata in the world. At least I didn’t remember that I knew. I just spoke to my dad, who supposedly died more than ten years ago. Give me a break and just spill it. It can’t be that bad.”
Or could it? Antonin’s grave expression made goose bumps shoot up her arms.
Luckily the dread hadn’t morphed into panic yet.
84
Seduced in Shadow
He took a deep breath. “I was born with the bassadone spell woven into my genes.
It’s kind of like being born with the sickle cell gene.”
“Are you sick?”
He shook his head. “No.” Then he took another deep breath. “The bassadone spell acts like an aphrodisiac. It makes me irresistible to most women. Some are immune.”
He grimaced. “Not many though. It’s not something I can turn off but I didn’t want it.”
Ellie’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re telling me the only reason I want you is because you’re magically irresistible?”
Antonin scowled at her expression of confusion, disbelief and anger. She was going to hammer him for this. Hell, if Ellie wasn’t immune, he would have taken advantage of her and he deserved to be punished but, come on, he’d never asked to be born bassadone .
Sure, he admitted to loving it at first. He’d been able to get any woman he’d wanted. Only one or two women had ever turned him down. After a while though, the spell had wreaked havoc on his conscience and his self-esteem. What if no one really wanted him? What if it was all because of the bassadone spell?
He’d always been careful and he’d never slept with all the women who’d come on to him. Still, when he did, it’d been like taking candy from a baby.
And now it was coming back to haunt him, because the one woman he’d met in all these years who really held his interest was looking at him as if he were a piece of garbage stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
He watched her shake her head, sigh then throw her hands in the air. “I’m not really sure what to do here,” she said. “Are you really telling me there’s something in your genes that makes women throw themselves at you?”
“I know it must seem weird for someone like you…”
Her eyes narrowed to slits again. “Wait, someone like me? What the hell does that mean?”
85
Stephanie Julian
“Someone who wasn’t raised in our world.”
“Oh, so now I’m ignorant?”
Antonin raked his fingers through his hair, ready to pull it out by the roots. This wasn’t going well at all. “No! Damn it, you’re twisting my words.”
Sighing in frustration, he stared at her. She was so beautiful with that haughty look on her face, her arms crossed over her chest and one foot tapping an angry beat on the floor. Which just made him want her even more.
With the exception of his mother, he’d never had an argument with a woman before, magical or not. After a while, the bassadone spell lost its potency. When that happened, those relationships always fizzled out. They never went down in flames with a huge blowout.
So did her anger really mean Ellie wasn’t affected by the spell? So far, she’d shown none of the telltale signs women usually exhibited when they were under the spell. The glazed
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