by Lola White
“Do forgive us for intruding,” Silviu purred, hauling Ileana into the room and slamming the door behind them. “I didn’t know anyone would be in here.”
“The door was locked.” Daniel lifted an eyebrow.
“Was it?” Silviu pasted innocence over his features. “I wasn’t aware. It opened easily enough. What are you doing in here with the wedding mere hours away?”
“Dealing with my Family’s business. Do you mind?”
“Were you in here this morning?” Silviu dropped Ileana’s wrist to move around the furniture. Daniel watched him like he would a predator.
“Yes, I was. What is this about, Lovasz?”
“Were you alone?”
Daniel drew himself up. “What is the meaning behind this? You are interrupting a conversation between me and my Family member.”
“She won’t be yours in a few hours.”
“Then time is of the essence.” Daniel’s face darkened.
“Yes it is.” Silviu moved to stand in front of the fire and sent his magic spinning toward the flames. He found a faint trace of darkness. Too faint to track. They were too late. He looked over his shoulder at Ileana but she could only shake her head. She’d found nothing.
He turned back to Daniel. “What business did you have in here this morning?”
“I’ve been away from home and need privacy. I’ve just about claimed this room as my own.” Daniel stared at Ileana for a long moment as his brows lowered further.
She lifted her chin and said, “He knows Constance is your sister.”
Daniel bent a dark glare on Silviu. “Then I’m sure you understand she’s nervous today and has come to me for support.”
Silviu didn’t bother to look in Constance’s direction. “Was she here this morning?”
“No,” Daniel gritted out. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Harmful magic.” Silviu watched Daniel closely, but the light in the other man’s eyes seemed to be genuine shock. “Do you know anything about that?”
“No, good God! Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, we’ve got the situation under control.” Silviu waved his hand. “You were alone in here?”
“Levys and Ngozis have been coming and going all day. The only time I’ve had more than five minutes to myself was just after breakfast, before the others realized where I was.”
The timeframe didn’t match Adam’s. “Closer to dawn, Daniel.”
The other man shook his head. “I didn’t come downstairs until breakfast, and then I came in here and hosted a parade of nervous Family members wanting reassurances that the Ngozi Father won’t kill my sister’s groom before the wedding night.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past Muso.” Silviu flicked a glance at Constance. “Cold feet?”
She lifted her chin. “I’m sure all brides are a little anxious on their wedding day.”
“Perhaps.” He gestured Ileana toward the door.
Daniel stopped him. “Wait! Do you know something about Muso you’d care to share with me?”
Unconcerned with Daniel’s interpretation, Silviu said, “Not particularly.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tulah
Georgeanne sat on the edge of the bed holding her grandmother’s hand, eyes closed, face pulled into severe lines of concentration. Tulah remained as still as possible, curled up in the uncomfortable chair next to the bed, unwilling to draw the woman’s attention to her.
The Davenold Mother was also still, very close to the edge of sleep. She didn’t look well, yet she maintained an unbending aura of authority and there had been determination in her black eyes before she closed them. Traits shared by her granddaughter.
For as motionless as Tulah was, inside she was a ball of nerves. Hot and cold by turns, she felt electrified and close to jumping out of her skin. Her thoughts rioted, her heart stuttered. The petite Davenold heir and her deceptively calm betrothed were the source of her turmoil.
Georgeanne gave the impression of extreme confidence, treating Graves with a disdain Tulah wished she could match. But the woman was nonthreatening if you didn’t look at the hardness in her eyes or the set of her spine, and frightening if you did. Still not as dangerous as Silviu, who wore calm like a cloak, sharp intelligence glittering in his eyes.
Tulah hadn’t exactly been comfortable around them, but it had been easy enough to breathe, think and carry on without fear of extreme consequences. Now both witches considered themselves and their Family under attack, and the change they both exhibited was bordering on terrifying. The power that had passed between them when they touched had been enough to scorch every nerve in Tulah’s tense body.
Silviu and Georgie’s behavior would have been comforting if she was a part of their Family. But she wasn’t. Tulah was glad she’d abandoned her former plans.
However, Tulah was trapped with the Davenold Mother and her enraged heir. Silviu had spit out orders and the rest of the group had jumped to obey. Georgeanne had only made a token protest before she fell in line, Madeleine had agreed automatically. As he’d wielded authority over the Davenold Mother easily, Tulah knew she didn’t stand a chance against Silviu’s directives. She’d meekly done whatever he asked of her, his power great enough to override all her common sense. She was regretting her weakness.
Georgeanne opened her eyes with a sigh. “I have no idea if I’m even doing anything. For all I know I’m just holding her hand while she sleeps.”
Tulah dared to shift the tiniest bit in her chair. “Maybe that’s the best thing you could do. Let her know she’s not alone.”
Georgie snorted, stood and waved Tulah toward the connecting sitting room. “She’s the Mother of a very large Family, a master puppeteer, and surrounded by people who would lay down their very lives to keep her happy, let alone safe.”
“But not now. Now she’s surrounded by my Family, and I can assure you they are the furthest thing from supportive you could possibly find.”
They stepped over the threshold to find Margaret on her knees before the table, examining the blood-soaked scrap of fabric without touching it. Eliasz sat in an armchair that looked entirely too delicate for his big body. A soft breeze ruffled his hair.
Georgie tossed her response over her shoulder as she moved toward her aunt. “You’re wrong, Tulah. How many of us were in here? Not just Davenolds, but people who are tied to me and Silviu. Together, we are a force stronger than anything your Family could throw at us.”
Tulah had her doubts. “Even with dark magic?”
Georgie nodded. “Graves, and whoever he’s working with, is strong and smart, but so are we. And, if we put pressure in the right place, Muso will fold. Silviu is very good at finding pressure points, and now he’s pissed because Muso tried to make a fool out of him.”
Margaret looked up from the table, her eyes focusing on her niece. “There’s really nothing new to learn about the fabric. It seems as if it’s an ordinary germ.”
“We can’t destroy it?” Georgie wrinkled her nose at the offending silk.
“We don’t know the consequences, dear.”
“We don’t know a lot of things,” Georgie grumbled. “What the hell is Graves really after? I mean, power, yes, but how would this marriage benefit him in the long run?”
“An alliance with Daniel is no small thing,” Margaret pointed out.
“True.” Eliasz joined the conversation. “The Levys have a lot of influence.”
“Sister or not, Daniel would never put Constance’s welfare before the Family’s.” Georgie’s eyebrows snapped together. “The Levys are huge, widespread and taught from birth that nothing but the primary branch truly matters. Graves won’t benefit greatly from the match.”
Siblings. Tulah struggled through her shock. “But maybe Daniel doesn’t feel that way. Maybe he loves his sister.”
“Georgie’s right.” Eliasz’s tone held a hint of bitterness. “Primary first, above love, money or politics. Constance barely rates on t
he hierarchy of my Family.”
“Maybe Graves is supposed to provide some magical muscle.” Georgie lowered herself into a chair. “Daniel is notoriously weak in magic, and while that’s true of most Levys, especially the men, they do have a few strong witches that would win a challenge for the power. Eliasz, for example, could take Daniel down with minimal effort.”
“Then why haven’t you?” Tulah stared at the man—his blue eyes like chips of ice, the way they had been the night Graves had humiliated her in front of his new guests. She didn’t doubt his strength but questioned Eliasz’s motivation.
He shrugged. “The covens support him and Daniel is a very good politician, angling our Family into a position of strength.”
“Then maybe that’s the point,” Tulah said. “Maybe Graves gets power through Daniel and Daniel gets more power through Graves.”
“Daniel needs to balance the Ngozi–Njele match.” Eliasz exhaled roughly. “The only way Daniel could have more power is to challenge for the High Seat, and he’d never win against Madeleine.”
“Who’s being targeted,” Tulah pointed out.
“Even so,” Eliasz argued back, “there are others who would throw their hats in the ring. He would never gain enough support to rule the covens with such weak magic.”
“Besides”—Georgie shook her head—“Graves is more a liability. The difference between an assassin’s sword and a terrorist’s bomb. Graves has no precision. He barrels forward with brute strength.”
“Don’t underestimate him,” Tulah warned.
“He shouldn’t underestimate me.”
Georgie’s smile sent a chill down Tulah’s back, making her flinch, turning her knees to water. She sensed the steel inside Georgie, the sheer force of will the woman could bring to bear against her enemies. It was more terrifying for the fact that Tulah knew the woman had no magic, making her not only determined but unpredictable.
Like Graves.
Tulah sank down on the couch and focused on breathing. “Maybe it’s not about Constance then,” she croaked. “Maybe it’s about Warner. I mean, Graves is very attached to the man and has stopped attempting to hide it.”
Georgie’s black eyes lit with an unholy light. “I overheard Warner scolding Graves. Told him he was jeopardizing the plan.”
“What plan?” Eliasz asked.
“I guess the effigy.” Georgie jumped to her feet to pace around the coffee table. “Let’s see, Graves wants an alliance with the Levys, the Levys need an alliance with the Ngozis and Constance wants power. Daniel is doing his damnedest to bring more magic into the fold. But Warner has no power, is married to his Match and carrying on an affair with his son-in-law. What does he want?”
“Maybe that’s all he wants,” Margaret said. “Maybe Graves’ plan is simply to marry Constance and spend the rest of his life in close quarters with Warner.”
“Graves in love?” Eliasz scoffed. “I doubt that.”
“So do I,” Tulah agreed. “Graves loves himself and no one else. It’s more likely Warner gives great head.”
“Ugh.” Georgie glanced at the clock. “I need more information. Preferably before the wedding.”
“I can’t find anything more,” Eliasz said. “I’ll continue looking, of course, but I keep running into a block.”
“I can help.” Tulah could hardly believe the words had come from her mouth. Her brain buzzed in protest, her heart kicked out a hot blast of adrenaline. But she didn’t take it back. There was a deeply ingrained instinct urging her to obey the voice of authority ringing from the Davenold heir.
Tulah put it down to being born a patriarchal witch. Nature versus nurture, and nature had the upper hand. It had been bred into her DNA to follow a strong leader and let them worry about the consequences.
Georgie spun on her heel, gaze raking Tulah’s body before her curly hair stopped swinging against her chin. The spark of understanding in her eyes only made Tulah more nervous. “A kitsune witch. I wondered why your magic was different. Fox?”
“Cat.”
The Davenold heir shrugged. “Less conspicuous. Thank God it’s not a badger. That would be hard to explain.”
Tulah was surprised Georgeanne knew there was more than the fox form, but she refused to show it. “I can see what I can learn.”
Georgie studied her for a moment. “Are you the cat that’s been haunting the hotel?”
“Yes.”
Georgie was in her face before Tulah could blink. Lip lifted, her eyes hard as jet, the Davenold woman snarled, “Don’t lie to me.”
Tulah’s heart thumped, her mouth worked. She blinked and shook her head. “My mother is here, too, but Graves doesn’t know that. He manipulated things so we would be separated and threatened that I would never see her again.”
“So you brought her here in the form of a cat?”
“Yes.”
Georgie glanced at Eliasz, who was completely impassive, before easing back and sitting on the sofa. “How useful. I want to know the connections, Tulah. Warner and Daniel and Graves. That’s what I want to focus on.”
“Not Muso?”
“No, I’ll leave that to Silviu. Besides, he’ll be predictable now that you’ve told us of their history.”
Tulah took a breath but it didn’t help her confusion. “What do you mean?”
Georgie only shrugged, her mind clearly on other things. “He’ll try to kill Graves and we’ll let him because, otherwise, Silviu will, and that would be worse for us. If he doesn’t try to kill Graves, Silviu will try to provoke him into it. I think it’s likely Muso will do it on his own, though. He’ll want to reclaim face after the brawl you started at dinner.”
“I shouldn’t have done that.” Tulah offered a half-hearted apology.
“Don’t worry about it,” Georgie said blithely. “It put us in a better position than we’d been in.”
Eliasz shifted to the edge of his chair. “What are you looking for?”
Georgie thought about it for a moment. “I want to know why everyone is ignoring Warner’s presence in Graves’ bed, and why he chose to get in that bed in the first place.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“It’s too unremarkable not to be important,” she said. “Like how your father was essentially cheated out of running the Family, Eliasz. The Levys have a way of pretending the important things never happened. Maybe Warner is one of those things, and maybe we’ll uncover something we can use to cement your position on the Council.”
The man blinked and settled back in his chair. “You’re right, as usual.”
Georgie wasn’t listening. “Do you think Daniel’s goal is Graves’ death?”
Margaret sputtered. “But why…?”
Georgie rolled her eyes. “Daniel would gain an advantage with the Ngozi Family through Constance, especially if she has a child, and still be able to undo the harm Graves will no doubt cause Daniel’s reputation.”
“My mother overheard Daniel telling Graves to behave himself until after the wedding,” Tulah offered.
Eliasz hummed. “The man will eventually do something that gives Daniel the right to kill him, and God knows Daniel’s smart enough to make it look like an accident, but it’s unlikely he’ll manage to succeed. Graves has more magic.”
“Graves puts his Family in danger,” Georgie mused. “If I was the Mother and a member of my Family did what Graves does, I’d kill him without hesitation or remorse. Family safety comes before all.”
Georgie’s voice was icy, deadly serious. A new wave of anxiety swept through Tulah and acid burned holes in her belly. She dropped her eyes and turned her back on the group, tugging at her shirt. “I’ll go now.”
Margaret stopped her with a word. “Adam won’t be happy about that, and Silviu will be downright livid.”
Georgie lifted an eyebrow, waving Tulah on as Eliasz got to his feet and turned his back. “Silviu is not in charge of my Family. I will make the decisions until Madelein
e is well enough to do it herself.”
“Tulah isn’t your Family, dear.”
“Adam’s promise of protection makes her my responsibility. If Silviu has a problem, he can take it up with me.”
“Be careful,” Margaret warned. “I don’t believe he’s as tolerant as you seem to think.”
Eliasz laughed. Georgie’s face hardened and a distinct chill swept the room—not magic, just her force of will.
“Silviu is a strong man,” she said calmly, her voice smoothing into a register that discouraged all argument. “I am a strong woman. Silviu has been raised to be a leader, but I have been raised to be Mother. Do not question me again, Margaret.”
The other woman blinked and surrendered. Tulah wasn’t the only one for whom obedience to Georgeanne Davenold seemed to be instinct. She quickly shook the thought off, folded her jeans over the arm of the sofa and let her magic burst through the dam containing it.
The air distorted, her muscles shifted and rolled, her spine loosened. Her body folded down over its own form, painlessly changing shape. Tulah shook her head, stretched her back and sent her claws scraping through the carpet.
“Nice.” Georgie’s eyes were unreadable, but Tulah suddenly knew what an amoeba under a microscope felt like. “Very nice. Basic black, just that bit of white to distinguish your coat from another’s. Subtle. It’s surprising your eyes don’t change. The Shimizu witches I’ve met all had green eyes in animal form, but I suppose the amber hue works just as well.”
Georgeanne led the way toward the door, opening it and waving Tulah through. “Be careful and quick. Oh, and, Tulah? Don’t even think of launching a career as a double agent, you understand me? If you put my Family in harm’s way by any thought, word or deed, my cousin’s promise won’t stop me from seeking my revenge.”
Tulah froze. A dramatic statement, but Tulah didn’t doubt the other woman at all. Georgeanne Davenold had taken the gloves off, preparing for war now that her Family was caught in the middle of an unseen trap, and diplomacy would only slow her down.