“If you are with me long, I will begin to spell Master with two M’s.”

“In practice, I always get you to give me the red M&M’s.”“That was a device to let you know when you were using enough charm to affect a human,” he snapped. “I got it from a human parenting manual. I didn’t think you were stupid enough to believe you could use your charm against me.”My eyes flashed. I remembered mother telling me the only way she’d found to potty train me was giving me M&M’s. I was not flattered by the comparison.”

“This was love, I supposed, and eventually I would come to know it. Someday it would choose me and I would come to know its spell, for long stretches and short, two times, maybe three, and then quite probably it would choose me never again.”

“I have been so long masterthat I would be master still, or at least that none othershould be master of me.”

“I want you to break the spell. Finish it off.”"What do you mean?”"The spell you did on me and Dimitri.”"That spell is done. It burned itself out.”I shook my head. "No. I keep thinking about him. I keep wanting to…”He smiled knowingly when I didn't finish. "My dear, that was already there, long before I set that up.”

“With knot of one, the spell's begun.With knot of two, the spell be true.With knot of three, the spell is free.With knot of four, the power is stored.With knot of five, the spell with thrive.With knot of six, this spell I fix.”