by Lola White
“I want to be with you. My betrothal isn’t finalized and”—she smiled sweetly—“it doesn’t have to be.”
Adam added insult to injury. “Surely you’d rather have the status that comes with marriage rather than the indignity of being a mistress?”
Some dark emotion flashed in Constance’s eyes, but it was gone before Georgie could decipher it. Sulking at the rejection but still determined, Constance ran her hand down Adam’s body, sliding from his shoulder to disappear out of sight.
Adam stiffened, caught her hand and pulled it back up. “Don’t—”
“Who else will let you have control like I do?”
It was a potent point. Georgie knew how frustrated Adam was, being a strong dominant male in a Family of females who would never give him the upper hand. The Levy woman certainly knew which buttons to press.
Constance fell to her knees. “Who else will give you what you really want?”
Adam hauled her to her feet. “I suggest you get dressed before your mother sends up a hue and cry. She’ll be wondering where you are.”
“I doubt that.”
And Georgie understood in a flash that Anne Gage-Levy knew exactly where her daughter was, and had probably encouraged her to hop into Adam’s bed in the first place. He was a much bigger fish than Ngozi, even if Constance was doomed to be nothing more than his mistress. If Constance could manage to win his affection, she would hold some sway in the Davenold Family.
Georgie couldn’t allow that. She cleared her throat. “I do hate to interrupt, but I really must.”
Adam glanced over his shoulder with a sharp look of relief. Constance looked beyond angry for a split second, before her face smoothed out into a pleasant, girlish smile.
“Constance, get dressed, honey. My cousin needs a private word, I believe.”
Georgie nodded. “I do.”
The Levy woman pulled her dress over her head stiffly, clearly unhappy with her dismissal, yet fighting to remain sweet and innocent in appearance. She shimmied until the dress’s hem swirled around her knees, fluffed her pale hair and stepped into her heels. Then she moved close to Adam, sensuously hugging her body to his.
Constance reached up and licked across his lips. Adam’s face stilled, like it was molded from plastic, his lashes swept down to conceal his eyes. Georgie could feel his impatience beating at her from across the room—she wondered how Constance missed it. The woman was pressing her luck.
“I’ll see you later, Adam?”
He shrugged easily, peeling her arms off his shoulders. “Later.”
Mollified, Constance sashayed across the room. The Levy woman lifted her chin, sent Georgie a vague smile and twitched her hips. Georgie closed the door behind her, locking it before she arched an eyebrow at her cousin.
He waved a hand and a silver wall spread out in a silencing spell. “I don’t trust her not to press her damned ear to the door,” he said.
Georgie’s lips quirked. “Having trouble?”
“You owe me big.” Adam ran a hand through his hair. “She’s clingy.”
“So I see. She wants your power.”
“Aw, now you hurt my feelings. She could just be addicted to my big dick.”
Georgie snorted. “She knows you’ll have power in the Davenold Family regardless of whether Grandmother chooses me or Christiana.”
“I’m rooting for Chris.”
“Even though she comes with Milo?”
If Christiana was chosen as the heir, Adam and his brother-in-law would probably end up duking it out to see which of them would become the true leader of the Family. The Davenolds would suffer from Christiana’s susceptibility to the men. Georgie would never let that happen.
In truth, she didn’t think either of the twins wanted that much responsibility. Neither had a talent for handling all the little details of running a large coven with such political clout in the wider witching world. Georgie had been well trained to do so.
Adam ran his tongue over his teeth. “What did you need to tell me?”
Georgie took one look at the rumpled bed and moved to sit on the narrow window seat. “Someone tried to hurt Silviu. Maybe Alexandru, too.”
“What happened?”
“I was with Silviu when his face went totally blank, like there was no one home. Then he said Ileana was in danger and he needed to help her. We went running through the house and found her and Eliasz fighting Alexandru.”
Without emotion, she told him the rest. She described the events in as much detail as possible, trusting her cousin to see any connections she’d failed to notice. When her explanation finally came to its end, she had no new insights. Neither did Adam.
“Alexandru really used his magic against you?”
“Yeah and now I’m wondering about the knife.” Georgie leaned her forehead against the windowpane, shifting slightly to watch Adam as he eased onto the seat next to her. “Maybe it was a test. Maybe he didn’t understand how Bane magic works.”
“Hmm. An oxymoron, that. Bane magic.”
“What else would you call it?”
“I don’t know.” Adam pulled an odd face. “You think he’s trying to hurt you?”
“He doesn’t want Silviu to marry me.”
Adam snorted. “He doesn’t want any of his grandchildren to marry.”
“Well, he loses power over Ileana when she comes to the Levy Family.”
“And he loses Silviu to the Davenolds.” Adam drummed his fingers on the seat. “For all that you would change your name to Lovasz, and I’ve never understood why Grandmother would agree to that particular term, it’ll be Silviu that becomes part of our Family. Not the other way around.”
She’d never understood either, but it wasn’t important just then. “Silviu can handle Alexandru.”
“I would say so, if he already took on the Father without breaking a sweat.”
Georgie nodded, unwilling to say more. Adam was intelligent enough to know what that meant, how strong Silviu’s personal magic must be. There was no need to inform him that Silviu was a Reap witch. She could barely believe it herself. “I’m more concerned with the Matched magic.”
“How do you know it was Matched?”
Georgie bit her lip, trying to think of a believable lie to hide another secret she didn’t want to give away. “It had the same kind of force that you and Chris have.”
“It wasn’t us.”
“I know. I know what your magic feels like, and you were obviously busy.”
He stared at her for a long moment, but that didn’t bother Georgie. She was too used to his tricks, and he’d never had the knack of spotting her subtle lies. “And what was happening when you felt it?”
Georgie rolled her eyes but she humored her cousin, knowing he was just looking for some piece of information he might have missed before. “Silviu was pressing his grandfather back with his magic. The old man was against the wall and Silviu was stepping toward him—slow, you know? One step at a time.”
“And the hall was filled with golden light?”
“Yes. He’d called so much to him that it was visible.”
Adam squinted out of the window, thoughts spinning behind his eyes. “So, if the hall was all kinds of gold,” he spoke slowly, piecing it together out loud, “and the ball of magic was also gold, then maybe you just didn’t see where it came from.”
“It just appeared, Adam. Not even three feet from us. It popped into existence and raced straight at Silviu’s back.”
“Maybe you were too focused on the Lovaszes to pay attention.”
“Oh, come on!” Though they didn’t know she could see it, her whole Family knew she could feel magic. That hadn’t been something she’d ever been able to hide.
Adam faced her with sincerity. “You were in a dangerous situation you didn’t expect, your Bane…whatever it is, imperviousness, working at full speed while you fought with your future grandfather-in-law. You couldn’t have been paying much attention to the rest of the h
all when danger was right in front of you.”
She sighed. “Well, in a way, that’s comforting, if that’s really what happened. I’d prefer to think I just need to pay more attention rather than think we have a Matched pair who can send their magic far from their bodies.”
Witches could only use their magic in sight. Only something like an effigy, dolls holding pieces of magic, allowed spells to move beyond a witch’s natural boundaries. Georgie may not know specifics on how it all worked, but Madeleine had made sure she learned witchy weaknesses that would be to her advantage.
“There’s a Matched pair traveling with Daniel,” Adam said. “Maybe we can figure out what they’re trying to do here, Georgie. If anything.”
“Robert and Sera. The other pair is Millie and Hank. They live here full-time.”
“I don’t know them.” Adam raised his eyebrows. “Hmm. Not Polish names.”
“You know how it is,” she shrugged, “holdovers from the time of the European witch-hunts. Safety in numbers. Family members can freely choose where to live, and then they’re given protection by the closest main house.”
“Yeah, yeah. The higher-ranking witches have a duty to protect those of lower rank. Much good it did them, then.”
“They tried. It could have been worse. We could have been exterminated.”
“A depressing thought. Come on.” Adam grabbed Georgie’s hand, pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go investigate.”
* * * *
They found their quarry on the third floor. Robert and Sera snuggled up together in front of a big screen television, laughing quietly at some romantic comedy that was clearly nearing its end.
They both offered vague smiles as Georgie and Adam settled into flanking chairs. Georgie ignored the movie, examining the couple with curious eyes. Both their faces were too open to give the impression of calculating intelligence but that didn’t mean they weren’t sly and sneaky. Many witches had great poker faces.
They curled around each other without awkwardness—Robert stretched across the long sofa, Sera wedged against him, half on his chest and half pressed against the cushions behind her. His hand stroked over her spine without thought, giving every appearance of a man who couldn’t stop touching his new bride and probably didn’t even realize that he was doing it.
After a few minutes, the screen went black and the credits rolled. Robert grinned at Georgie. “You missed the movie.”
“That’s okay.” She injected pure sunshine into her voice. “We came to talk to you, anyway.”
Robert shifted, his eyes flying wide. “Me?”
“Well, both of you, really.”
“Why?”
“I haven’t gotten a chance to speak to you guys.”
Robert’s brows lowered. “Is this about my father’s retirement?”
“If I wanted to know about that, I’d talk to your father, not you. I’ve worked with him for three years, plenty of time to ask him any questions I might have.” Georgie smiled brightly. “I want to know about you. You’ve been traveling with Daniel?”
“Yes. We live in Chicago with him. My mom is from the Polish branch of the Family, so when he told us he was coming, we asked to tag along.”
“Is your mother here?”
“No, but my grandmother is.” Robert’s hand stroked down Sera’s back before he pushed her off his chest, helping her sit up as he did the same. “We visited her yesterday.”
“Oh? She lives close by?”
“In Slovakia. That’s why we weren’t here yesterday. It’s a bit of a drive.”
“You didn’t take the train?”
He shook his head. “Fredrik lent us a car and, since Sera’s never been to Europe before, I thought I’d drive so she could stop and see some sights that aren’t along the train tracks.”
“Oh, that’s lovely.” Georgie nodded at Sera. “Did you enjoy the trip?”
“Yes, very much.” The young woman’s voice was sweet and light, her eyes clear.
Georgie glanced at Adam before amping up the wattage on her smile. “You weren’t here at all, yesterday?”
“No.” Sera’s eyes widened. “But we heard about the chandelier, of course. It was a miracle no one was hurt.”
“It certainly was.” Georgie let her smile grow predatory as subtle deception slid over the other woman’s expression. Adam picked up on the undercurrents and sharpened his gaze on the couple’s faces. Georgie shifted forward in her chair. “How was Slovakia? I want to hear all about it.”
Twenty minutes later, Georgie rose, beckoning Adam to follow. “Well, we’ll leave you now. I’m sure there’s a great deal more a newly married couple like you would rather be doing than visiting with me.”
With murmured platitudes, Robert and Sera let them go. Out in the hall, Georgie linked arms with Adam, leaned close and lowered her voice. She fought to keep the triumph crowing in her suspicious mind from tumbling out her mouth. “Well, what do you think of that, dear cousin?”
Georgie knew what she thought—the pair were hiding something. They’d sat together, growing tenser as time went on. Their magic was a gentle glow between them as they pressed their shoulders against each other, the golden light flaring with every question, pulsing with every heartbeat. Like a lie detector.
Adam snorted. “You had them on the run, that’s for sure. What made you start questioning them? I thought you were about to let them off the hook.”
“I was, but then I saw something in Sera’s eyes that told me she was lying.”
“You have a knack for interrogation.” Adam laughed. “I don’t think they understood that you didn’t believe them.”
She thought about their faces. Remaining open until the end, the pair didn’t seem to be covering a murder plot, but they weren’t telling the truth, either. “They stumbled over every word.”
“Well, Sera did.” Adam paused on the top of the steps. “Robert did most of the talking, though. He rushed to answer for her.”
Georgie shrugged. “I expected some of that. It is a patriarchal Family. But, they didn’t go to Slovakia. Sera didn’t know a thing about the country.”
Adam nodded, moving down the stairs, taking Georgie with him. “They want us to think they weren’t here yesterday. And they’re lying, although I don’t remember seeing them.”
“Hmm, but they keep to themselves except for meals. There’s nothing unusual in losing sight of them.”
“Suspicious, Georgie.”
“Very. Let’s find Millie and Hank and see what they can offer.”
Unsure of who she was looking for, Georgie had to ask their whereabouts from a maid before she realized that she’d passed the parlor they were in twice. Finally finding them, she surveyed the couple as she had Robert and Sera, uncertain of which tack to take with them.
Their age threw her off. Georgie struggled against the instinctive need to be respectful of her elders as she took note of the wrinkles on their sagging, contented faces. Neither one was less than seventy, though their true ages were hard to tell. Both were small and stooped, fragile—entirely at ease in each other’s company as only a couple who’d spent the majority of their lives together could be.
They had what she’d hoped for in her own marriage, when she was a naïve child.
Millie sat next to the window, knitting by the late afternoon sunlight. Hank was in a matching chair on the other side of the casement, holding a ball of yarn and gently rolling it in his hands, unraveling it for his wife. Their silence was deep and companionable.
Georgie and Adam took their seats on a low chaise opposite the two chairs and smiled pleasantly.
“Why, hello, children”—Millie looked up from her project—“how are you both?”
“Very well, thank you, ma’am.” Georgie grinned, her eyes darting between the couple, noting the gentle golden shimmer on the air. It was a melding of magic that only came after long, long years of practice. Long, long years of growing old together, calm together. With age came strength
, and the two old people didn’t need to touch to share their bond. It contained a sense of familiarity.
“And what can we do for you?” Millie asked.
“Well, it occurred to me that I hadn’t been properly introduced to you, ma’am, and I wondered how Fredrik could have missed that.”
Millie chuckled. “There is a great deal of excitement around here these days. It’s easy to forget two old hangers-on, isn’t it?”
“I suppose, but I still wanted to greet you,” Georgie pressed on. “It would be rude not to share a conversation with you, ma’am.”
Millie waved her weaving. “No, no. I know all about young love, child. I see you with your Lovasz boy.”
Georgie felt a sudden chill. “Oh?”
Millie winked. “That’s how me and Hank looked, once upon a time. Half our days were spent spitting mad at each other, and the other half were spent in bed.”
Georgie felt her cheeks grow warm. She flicked a glance at Adam, who was struggling to keep the amusement from his face. “Um, well, we’re just now trying to figure out how to…compromise with each other.”
“Figuring things out is half the fun, dear.” Millie gazed at her husband with affection. “You won’t be bored. I do hope our Eliasz finds the same thing, you know. His little bride seems too gentle for him.”
Georgie shook her head. “I think they’ll do very well together, ma’am.”
“Hmm.” Millie turned back to her knitting, her hands busy and quick, her eyes following the rapid slide of her needles. “You know, the girl is Family already. Interesting she would be here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I came to the Levy Family nearly sixty years ago, from the Castillos. One of my favorite cousins went off years later, as soon as she was old enough, to marry the Lovasz son.”
Georgie was used to Costel and Silviu being the Lovasz sons, so it took her a moment to catch on. “Vasile? Your cousin was Amelia Lovasz?”
“Yes, Castillo before her marriage. My favorite cousin. They were Matches you know, so her father gave permission. He also bribed Alexandru to allow the betrothal.” Millie laughed in a trilling chirp.