by Viola Grace
“Yes, my king?”
“Make sure that when your consort is restored to a more mobile state, he learns what the traditions mean and he adheres to them. He will not be able to crawl away from another meeting with my apprentice. I will let her destroy him, and I will give her the tools to do it.”
Shaline jolted and swallowed. “She is here?”
“Oh, yes. She is here and unscathed, which is good for you, as I am aware of your attempt to distract me while your consort lured her to an ambush.” He released the leash he kept on his power and pressed down on the nest queen. “Do not think that you can depose me, Shaline. It is not the first time a taken has had that idea. I destroyed the one who spawned your line, and I will not hesitate to remove parasites from what remains.”
Shaline bowed low and backed away; she didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Matthias kept the pressure on her throat until she had reversed herself to the entryway.
The moment that he released her, she darted away at full speed.
Dorn came out of the shadows, and he asked, “Do you think that she got the hint?”
“Oh, I think that she caught on. It will take her days to repair her beau, and in the meantime, Leonora can begin training.”
“I do not think she will enjoy that.”
He chuckled at the understatement. “I do not care. For her safety, I want her able to drive any vehicle and use any weapon. Magic is off limits to her, so that leaves everything else.”
He returned to Leonora’s side and undressed, crawling into bed with her. Her heartbeat sounded deafening in the dark room, and he let it lull him into the closest thing he could feel to sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
“Leo, I love you, but your boss is really highhanded.” Minny sat with Leo in the front yard and watched the moving vans bring everything she owned through the heaviest wards money could buy.
“Yes, but he is the mayor and does get what he wants.” It had been thirty-six hours since the fight with Robert, and Leo was back to normal, more or less. Her skin tone was back to pink.
“He came in and talked to me, you know.” Minny looked over to where Leela was playing with the baby.
“The mayor? Odd. He is not normally chatty.” Leo smiled.
“It might have been a dream, but I remember his eyes glowing as he spoke to me. He said that you had done more than just take the job with him. You had attacked a vampire queen.”
Leo shrugged. “She is a nest queen who is getting above herself. She came in search of Robert. She was the one who chewed on me.”
“I don’t remember much from that night. Robert came to the door, and then, he lunged at me with those fangs.” She shuddered. “I can’t imagine one of those blood fans letting themselves be bit.”
Leo shrugged. “It takes all kinds.”
Minny leaned in close and whispered. “You haven’t let him...”
Snorting with laughter, Leo looked at her sister. “I haven’t let him do anything. What I have done was necessary.” She paused and answered honestly, “And some was for fun.”
Minny ducked her head to ensure privacy. “And he drinks from you?”
The cool feeling of his hair against my inner thighs and the steady motion of his tongue...
Leo cleared her throat as her blush burned her cheeks. “Not after I got the apprentice mark. Not blood.”
“Then what... oh.” It was Minny’s turn to blush.
The movers were walking slow and steadily into the house. The zombies could lift almost anything, and they may take longer, but they didn’t complain or file lawsuits if they were injured. They simply repaired themselves and got on with it.
The first moving truck was the entire contents of Minny’s drawers and cupboards. Matthias had requested that the furniture remain in place for a few weeks. He had provided complete replacements for everything, plus plenty of furniture for the rest of the house.
“You know, Leo. I never thought you would be interested in a guy.”
“You thought I was after girls?”
“No, you just never seemed to be interested in anything but work.”
“You were always too involved in your own relationships to notice mine. I have had a few, but they were little flares, no lasting burn.”
“What about Matthias?”
Leo sighed. “I am with him as long as it takes. I will keep you safe no matter the situation, by whatever means necessary.”
“Will he break your heart?”
“Probably. It is more likely that I will lose it.”
They watched two grey-skinned men carry a couch in under the new housekeeper’s watchful eye.
Minny finally said, “You don’t need to do all of this for us.”
“I do. Since Mom and Dad took off, you are all I have.”
Minny took her hand and squeezed it. “Not just me. Not anymore. There is Melly, too.”
“Melly has you and Leela. I am just backup.” Leo shrugged. “I am used to it.”
“You aren’t just backup. You are just so self-sufficient that I forget you need somebody to listen now and then. The other night, you needed to talk, didn’t you?”
Leo nodded. “I did. It’s okay. It has been resolved.”
Her sister stared at her for a moment. “That was when you two got physical?”
“Um, yup. I was in the Night Garden, drinking alone, and he came in to console me. The next thing I know, we were naked.” Leo shrugged as if she didn’t know what had happened next.
Her phone chirped, and she sighed. “Well, enjoy the rest of moving day. I have to get to work.”
“Will you be coming over later?”
“I will try to make it tomorrow morning before I pass out. Oh, you got your new phone?”
Minny blushed. “I had no idea that he had gotten it.”
“Well, you have a new number, and you need to start getting it to your friends. That should take you a few days.” Leo got up, and she started toward the wall that divided the two properties. A heavy door was being installed, but today, Leo could just walk through.
She crossed to the manor’s property and jogged across the grounds to the main house. She had half an hour to shift into her normal business garb. French braiding her hair was going to take nearly half that time, but she didn’t want to get helmet head. Today, she was learning how to ride motorcycles of differing engine sizes, in heels. She wouldn’t need to ride unless it was an emergency, and if it was an emergency, she wouldn’t have a chance to change. Learning how to ride in office clothing was the easiest way to make sure she could do it if necessary.
Yesterday, she had done some light fight training, and Reed was an excellent instructor. Today, Coren would show her the finer points of riding a two-wheeled vehicle. Tomorrow, Nathaniel was on schedule to teach her how to drive stick.
She passed Coren with the collection of vehicles from scooters to a motorcycle that looked like it ate lesser bikes for breakfast.
He looked at her as he arranged the vehicles, tapping his wrist and flicking his wings.
“I am on it. Promise.”
He grinned as she scuttled past him and into the manor, trying not to squeak her sneakers as she passed the deputy mayor’s office. Tiptoeing at high speed was becoming something of a habit for her.
She made it to her quarters and pulled off her top and shimmied out of her jeans, pausing to yank her sneakers off.
The dress went on over her head, the shoes were practically jumped into, and she ran back to the bathroom, took a deep breath and started working on her hair.
She finished her braid in plenty of time, stuck her phone into her bra and headed out of her quarters, toward the front entryway.
“Leonora, please come here.”
Matthias was sitting with a small group of people, which were obviously a family when Leo saw them together.
The man was golden and elegant, the older woman had dark hair and bright blu
e-green eyes, and their daughter sat between them, her blonde hair and greenish eyes showing the mix of her parents as obviously as her bone structure did.
Matthias’s arm was still extended to her, so she stepped into place beside him, and he took her hand, kissing it softly.
“Leonora Wicks, these are the DeMonstres, the Cursed Ones. They are the monster hunters for the surrounding areas. Master disenchanters.”
Leo smiled at the DeMonstres. “I am pleased to meet you.”
The family smiled and nodded in unison.
“Where are you off to, Leonora?” Matthias asked her casually.
“I have two hours of motorcycles before I shower and get to my normal duties.”
“Ah. Coren is ready?”
“He is. He is even tapping a watch he doesn’t have.”
Matthias chuckled. “Have fun.”
She gave him a look that said he had ordered her to learn and his snicker turned a little evil.
She turned to his guests. “It was nice to meet you.”
The younger woman got to her feet. “I will walk out with you.”
Matthias beckoned her, and Leo leaned in. He wrapped a hand around the back of her head and kissed her.
She blushed, and when he let her go, she cleared her throat and walked out, waiting for the young woman, who looked about seventeen years old.
The woman smiled as they left the manor. “My name is Sophia, by the way.”
“Leo.” Leo extended her hand, and those eyes turned brilliant emerald when they made contact.
“Wow. You are not a vampire.”
“Nope.”
“But you have the power.”
Leo shrugged. “Do I? Good for me. So, what does being a Cursed One entail?”
Sophia grinned. “As Mayor Matthias stated, we disenchant things. Our curse is to travel whenever there is an object in the hands of someone who cannot control it. We unravel the influence and destroy the object if we can. We render it unusable if at all possible.”
“Sounds like a rough gig.”
Sophia chuckled. “I have been doing it for over a decade, but it has its moments.”
Leo was alarmed. “How young were you when you started?”
Sophia touched her face. “Oh, this. This is part of the curse. Youth is the best monster bait there is, so the active Cursed One doesn’t age much.” She smirked. “Folks gave my father looks when he married my mother. It was fine when they were young, but as time went on and she looked like a teenager, he got some comments.”
Coren was standing near the bikes and tapping his wrist.
Leo glanced at Sophia to excuse herself, and she noted that the blonde monster hunter was blushing as she stared at Coren.
“Um, have you two met?”
“A few years ago. I doubt he remembers, but he is so fun to look at.” Sophia shook herself. “Right. I had better get inside before my parents start whipping out the hint that I need to find a man. Matthias is good at matchmaking, but I am not sure that I want one of his choosing for my boyfriend.”
Leo nodded and grinned. “He does have peculiar taste.”
Sophia smiled and gave her another assessing look, her eyes flicking pure green again. “He definitely chooses those who can add something to his life. He is lucky to have found you.”
Leo inclined her head at the compliment. “I found him, but that is a tale I hope to tell you some day. Good afternoon, Sophia.”
“Good afternoon, Leo. Have fun.”
Leo straightened up and walked toward Coren. Fun was not what she was looking forward to. Healing was what came to mind.
Chapter Seventeen
After dumping two of the bikes, she got the hang of it and her arm was healed by the time she sat at her desk to work over the day’s correspondence.
“You changed your dress.” Matthias was grinning at her from his desk.
“Changed, destroyed, potato, potahto.” She finished the response to another request for Matthias to attend the waking of a new zombie.
“Instead of training tomorrow night, how would you like to join me at the gala at the museum celebrating the new additions to their vampire history collection?”
Leo blinked rapidly. “Like... a date.”
“Yes.”
She thought of her options and finally smiled. “Yes. I would like that.”
“Excellent. Dorn has acquired a suitable gown for you.”
Leo laughed and went back to work. Apparently, she was transparent when it came to his requests. Today was for work and smiling at a few images that arrived in her email of Melody trying to eat her own toes.
The invitation to the gala wasn’t on her desk. She scowled and looked over at Matthias somewhere around three in the morning. “Where is that invitation?”
He lazily reached over and lifted a heavily embossed piece of cream paper, edged with gold. “Here it is.”
She got to her feet and moved stiffly across the room, “May I see it?”
“Of course.” He pulled it back toward him so that she had to walk around his desk to reach for it. “It is lovely penmanship.”
She reached for it, and he switched hands, holding it so that she had to lean across his body.
Leo reached, he shifted, and she ended up in his lap.
“Mr. Mayor, this is highly inappropriate during working hours.”
He grinned. “I am upholding a proud tradition of men in my position.”
“What?”
“Chasing my secretary.” He wrapped his hand around her hip and held her close.
She laughed. “You hardly chased me.”
“I am ancient and wise; I lured you in.” He winked before he leaned in for a kiss.
Leo caressed his cool cheek as he teased her and got her heart pounding.
The slide of his lips against hers wasn’t possessive but playful. She enjoyed the moment and the taste of his smile.
When he released her, she returned to her desk while he left to have a meeting with representatives from the XIA and the Mage Guild.
Leo focused on his schedule and the open spot that would occur in two hours. It took a lot of self-control not to write her name in that blank spot, but she would have him to herself at the museum. The director would be terrified.
“Mayor Matthias, this is Director Simmons of the Redbird City Museum. His speciality is ancient races from before the first recorded wave. Director Simmons, Mayor Matthias.”
Leo stood in her crimson silk gown with her tiny clutch holding only her cell phone and a lipstick. The car summoner was tucked into her cleavage.
They were at the preview. The formal gala would not occur for another hour. This was Matthias’s opportunity to see the items he had donated in their secure settings.
At his urging, Leo kept her hand on his arm while they went through the exhibit. The director was babbling excitedly over the age and condition of the objects that had been donated. He obviously considered losing Leo a fair trade.
Security was visible around the room. It was probably a good idea as the amount of extranaturals at the gala would be exceedingly high. Off-duty Mage Guild officers and XIA agents were in definite control of the space.
Well, that explained why Matthias had met with the commanding officers the night before.
The director suddenly stopped and blurted out, “Mr. Mayor, I must ask. Is Leo wearing the Heart of Life?”
Matthias inclined his head. “You have a good eye. I considered offering it to the museum, but Leonora convinced me that it would be best to remain in my collection.”
She scowled and touched the necklace he had placed on her after their two hours together and before dawn that morning. “I did not say that. I merely said that you had already sent more than enough to compensate the director for my loss.”
The director looked longingly at her necklace before shaking his head. “Of course, the security for that particular jewel woul
d bankrupt the museum.”
She smiled. “It is a good thing that it is on me and not behind a display case.”jm
Matthias inclined his head. “Please, excuse us while we look at the rest of the exhibits. There are several items that I have not seen in centuries.”
“Of course, of course.” Director Simmons nodded nervously and waved at them to continue without him.
When they were out of earshot, she asked him, “You didn’t think to mention that this is a necklace with a history?”
“Everything I have has a history. The central stone of the necklace and six of the stones on the sides were made with amber from the tree of life.”
“Does it do anything dangerous?”
“Of course not.” He stroked her cheek. “Have I told you how lovely you look this evening?”
She blushed. “You look rather striking as well. I have seen you in a tux in the newspaper, but it is a little different to be next to you.”
“Our exit from the car will be on the front of every newspaper, feature on the net and be broadcast around the globe. I was delighted to be standing next to you in those images.”
“Because you have a new pet?” She kept her tone light, but he locked in place.
“You are not a pet. You are my apprentice, my companion, and one day, I hope to make our connection permanent.”
Leo patted his arm. “I didn’t mean to mock. I have just never seen you with anyone in this capacity in my lifetime.” She looked at him and frowned. “What do you mean permanent?”
“You know what I mean. You are very well suited to an immortal life.”
She blinked. “I am a sister and an aunty. I want to be there for them, as a human.”
He smiled. “I am aware of it, but Minuet and Melody will not always need you there to catch them if they fall. Once Melody has reached adulthood, I believe she will be able to deal with her aunt being a vampire queen.”
In her mind, she saw a lovely Melody getting her diploma and Matthias rising from next to Leo, bending her back and biting her in front of all and sundry.
Leo shook her head to get out of the daydream.