The Talon & the Blade

by Jasmine Silvera

  “Shirokane,” she said. “You asked me… well, my family name was Shirokane, once.”

  He slid his fingertips along her jawline, and when his mouth met hers, he tried to pour all his relief into her. Her response was fierce and hot, her fingers knotting in his hair and driving him to a frenzy. They broke apart, laughing at the clash of lips. He tasted iron. Even love would be a battle between them. One he looked forward to winning and losing.

  She dabbed at his split lip. “First blood.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Isela looked up from the witch’s grimoire balanced on her knees at the scent of agar and toasted cinnamon. The distant squeak of the front door opening and the energetic ripple of the valet’s mental greeting reached her. Elmo woofed at the foot of the bed, her plumed tail thumping the coverlet.

  “You’d better be on the floor before he gets here,” Isela told the dog.

  Elmo whined a long yawn, then slunk off the bed, mincing her way to the palatial cushion near the hearth. She cast one long, pitiful glance back at Isela before circling and flopping into place.

  “One of us has to follow the rules.” Isela grinned.

  He took his time coming to bed. She fidgeted, torn between demonstrating her dedication as a student by focused study on her book and letting her eagerness to see him show. The dog had no such conflicts. She rose again as his footsteps came down the hall, stretching her upper body long and low as she yawned a welcome. Before the door opened, she was dancing on her forepaws. Her great plumed tail swung back and forth.

  He’d showered, which explained the delay and meant he’d been summoning. He knew she could smell the dead on him afterward, and this was his way of not bringing his work home. She appreciated the gesture even if it gave away the scent he meant to remove.

  “I spoke with Gregor.” He greeted her with a brush of lips against her temple before bending to the dog. “He’s coming home soon.”

  Isela’s brows slid northward. “I thought they’d wrapped up that thing weeks ago. I wondered if he’d gone rogue.”

  “Miss him?” Azrael slipped into bed beside her. Damp skin, warmer to the touch than a mortal’s, slid against hers. His teeth grazed at the skin of her neck.

  Isela shivered and fixed him with a long look. “We need him here. The Allegiance—”

  “The Allegiance will hold,” Azrael said, careful to avoid the book in her lap even as he teased her earlobe with his lips. “He asked for a few more weeks. It seemed a small request for what I put him through.”

  Isela obeyed his unspoken request and closed the grimoire, sliding it onto her nightstand. At the coven’s insistence, she’d begun studying witch spells as well as those of necromancers. She had a temple thumper of a headache. Fingers crossed her sister-in-law, the coven scholar, Bebe would be able to explain what she’d read. Every spell she’d tried to cast so far had been a miserable failure.

  The book crackled with protest. Her mother warned her it hadn’t been opened recently and might make a nuisance of itself. Unused grimoires tended to accumulate excess energy.

  A low rumble from deep in Azrael’s chest sent the hair on her arms and neck standing on end and heat pooling in her belly. She surrendered her mouth for his kiss.

  “Shit,” Isela said, remembering too late as she elbowed Azrael aside to lift the book again.

  He leaned back, amused. “Another one?”

  She slid the sleek black rectangle out from beneath the book. The screen stayed dark. “My phone. I forgot—”

  “That’s the fourth one in as many weeks,” he said, plucking the dead thing from her hand.

  “Can’t you…” She waved her hand, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. “Do something.”

  “I am a necromancer, Isela.”

  “It’s dead.”

  Azrael tried not to laugh. He lay back on his pillows and examined the useless bit of electronics before setting it on his side of the bed. “Tyler will bring you a new one in the morning.”

  Isela glared at him. “I can take care of my own—”

  “Sending you inside a store full of these things with a grimoire in your purse is going to cost me a fortune.”

  “I don’t carry a purse,” she grumbled. “And it’s my fortune. I’m not a kept woman, you know.”

  “You are witch blood and wolf hearted. It’s not so much a matter of keeping you as enticing you to remain.”

  She laid a series of wet, noisy kisses down his bare chest to the blankets at his ribs. When she looked up, his eyes lit expectantly as if to say go on. She slid the blanket down, happy to oblige. His skin tasted fresh and damp. It took a moment before her exaggerated kisses turned into real, heated ones. By the time she reached the thin line of dark hair below his belly button, steam rose from his chest and his eyes hooded, smoldering. She sent her hand ahead of her, and his eyes closed.

  Something niggled at her. “I don’t question his needing time off.”

  “Are we still talking about Gregor?” Azrael slapped his hand over his eyes with a snarl.

  Undaunted, Isela stacked her palms on the rigid plane of his belly and rested her chin. “He’s earned it. I just wonder what’s got his attention. Gregor doesn’t seem like an LA kind of guy.”

  “I don’t think it’s the city that’s holding him,” Azrael growled.

  “You think he and Ana worked it out?”

  “He hasn’t been run through, yet. I’d have felt it.”

  “Gods’ tears,” Isela muttered. “Thinking of the two of them together gives me nightmares.”

  Azrael lifted his hand, opening one eye to study her. “It’s best you get used to waking up in a sweat then. I get the impression Gregor is not coming home alone.”

  Isela’s smile faded.

  Azrael laughed. “My consort, speechless?”

  “He’s bringing her here?”

  Azrael’s chin tilted, and his gaze fell heavy on her skin. “That bothers you?”

  “Yes!” Isela yelped before she got ahold of herself. “No. I mean, no. Just, I thought she served Raymond.”

  “If she completed the terms of her service to Raymond or they came to an agreement by which he released her, then she is free to go as she is,” Azrael said. “It happens rarely, but it’s not unheard of. Ito—”

  “But what will she do here?” Isela said weakly. “I can’t imagine her playing happy hausfrau while Gregor runs around all day killing things for you to summon up later.”

  “Is that how we operate?” Azrael pinched her chin before sighing. “That’s up to her now. Her soul is her own again—unless she chooses to serve another.”

  Isela turned her eyes on him and for the first time wondered at his expression. “You?”

  “I doubt it.” Azrael shrugged. “But you might consider adding an actual warrior to your council.”

  “What, a phoenix, a scientist, and a spider aren’t enough?” She grinned.

  Azrael drawled, “You are awash in academics and librarians.”

  She paused, torn between continuing their playful banter and responding to the darkness behind his gaze. A new thing, but worrying. Best to confront it head-on.

  “Azrael, you didn’t think I objected to Gregor bringing her here for any other reason, did you?”

  He went still, and the darkness flared once behind his eyes then receded.

  “That I was… jealous?”

  His eyes again filled with the bright, affectionate glow she was still getting used to. “Gregor is connected to your family in ways I still do not fully understand,” Azrael said, running his fingers along her hairline. “Which I suppose he will reveal to us both in his time. But no, I do not fear it.”

  Isela frowned at his calm, even tone. She could not forget the darkness now that she had seen it. She thought of his new power and the fractious effect a change in abilities had on necromancers.

  “Good.” Isela made herself grin, refusing to worry about something in the distance. Correction: som
ething else. For tonight they had one another and all the time in the world. She pressed her mouth to the furred skin below his navel. “Now then, where were we, my lord?”

  “Master?” Azrael teased.

  “Keep dreaming, death dealer.”

  If you enjoyed The Talon & the Blade, check out the rest of the Grace Bloods series at www.jasminesilvera.com/books

  Glossary

  Aedis—Secret room used by witches and necromancers to cast spells and protect magical objects.

  Aegis—The warriors designated by a necromancer to provide protection and loyalty in exchange for immortality.

  Allegiance of Necromancers—The eight most powerful necromancers in the world divided the world into territories and rule each.

  Geas—Spell or compulsion used by necromancers/witches.

  Gods—Powerful entities that evolved out of their physical forms and began to interfere with the humans, mistaken for human deities. In mixing with humans they gave birth to necromancers and witches.

  Godswar—Conflict brought by humans who learned to manipulate the power of gods through dance. Ended by the Allegiance of Necromancers.

  Godsdancers—Humans trained to dance in specific choreography to manipulate the power of gods for human benefit/gain. Regulated closely by the Allegiance following the godswar.

  Grace bloods (grace blooded)—All supernatural creatures descended from the gods intermingling with the mortal world. Necromancers and witches are their direct descendants.

  Necromancers—Offspring of gods and humans, capable of raising, commanding, and communicating with the dead. Each identifies with a specific classical element (fire, water, air, earth) and have unique abilities.

  Praha Dance Academy (the Academy)—A necromancer-sanctioned school for teaching humans how to dance for gods.

  Prague coven—First openly practicing witch coven in the post-godswar world.

  Undead—The formal name for humans turned into servants for necromancers in exchange for extended lifespans. Turning can also be used as punishment for crimes committed. Derogatorily referred to as zombies.

  Wards—Spells for protection placed on objects or persons used by necromancers/witches. These can be used to keep energy in or out.

  Witches—Offspring of gods and humans, capable of raising, commanding, and communicating with the energies of living things.

  Vogel pack—Markus, Tobias, and Christof Vogel in their wolf forms.

  Zombies—see undead

  Acknowledgments

  I’ve decided that whenever I need reassurance that we live in a kind universe conspiring to help us achieve our goals, I’ll set out to write another book. The usual suspects were out in force for this one, along with a series of fortuitous coincidences, connections, and the incredible staff of the Seattle Public Library, who are a godsend to an author who turned up repeatedly with big ideas, rudimentary research acumen, and a very busy four-year-old in tow.

  I am extraordinarily grateful to Bethany Robinson, who saw clear to the heart of the story I was trying to tell and left an impeccable (and occasionally hilarious) trail of comments to help me find my way there. To Beth Green, Eva Moore, Neile Graham, Esha, Oliver, and Mama Silvera for being in the inner circle of cheerleaders, drill sergeants, and fairy godparents. To Eilis Flynn for consulting on Japanese language used in the book—any remaining errors are mine. To Jo Bryant for spiriting me away to Lopez Island to help me find the focus needed make it to the finish line. To my fellow members of GSRWA who patiently listened to my ranting over titles and offered helpful suggestions, and Clarion West for ongoing support of their volunteers and alumni. As always, gratitude to Damonza, Victory Editing, and Vellum for making the book in your hands so beautiful.

  Finally, this book wouldn’t be what it is without the readers of Death’s Dancer and Dancer’s Flame, who confirmed enthusiastically that finding out what makes Gregor tick was a story worth reading. This is for you.

  Thanks For Reading

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  Want more Grace Bloods? Check out www.jasminesilvera.com for deleted scenes, extras (and other goodies) and to sign up for Jasmine's monthly newsletter.

  About the Author

  Jasmine Silvera spent her impressionable years sneaking "kissing books" between comics and fantasy movies. She's been mixing them up in her writing ever since. A semi-retired yoga teacher and amateur dancer, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner-in-crime and their small, opinionated human charge. She is the author of three books in the Grace Bloods series: Death's Dancer, Dancer's Flame, and The Talon & the Blade. Binding Shadows, the first book in the Tooth & Spell trilogy, is forthcoming in 2020.

  Also by Jasmine Silvera

  Grace Bloods

  Death’s Dancer

  Dancer’s Flame

  Tooth & Spell

  Binding Shadows

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, events, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Copyright © 2019 Rashida Scholz

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Violators subject to punishment by necromancers.

  Published by No Inside Voice, Seattle, WA 2018

  Cover design by Damonza

  Editing Victory Editing

  Book Design by No Inside Voice