“Alright,” he said in that clinical way of his. “What was that about?”
“What?” Kellen did a remarkably unsuccessful job of acting as if nothing was wrong.
“Don’t give me that. You were barely even in the room from what I could see. The moment the door opened, you disappeared in a puff of smoke. What gives?”
“Man.” Leaning to brace his hands on his knees, Kellen let out a hard sigh. “I can’t believe this, but…I found my mate last night.”
His cousin’s eyebrows shot up at the admission.
“You too? Damn, that was a helluva party!”
“Her name is Evie, she’s a friend of Galwyn’s, and Eldan? I swear to the gods that I knew instantly. There’s just one problem…”
“There can’t be.” Eldan was firm. “When it’s a match, it fits. That’s all there is.”
“Yeah, well.” Kellen reached up to rub the back of his neck, ill at ease with his cousin’s assertion. “I lost her. She’s gone.”
Eldan balked. “What do you mean you lost her?”
“She was here with me last night, and it was incredible. But when I woke up, there was no Evie, no note, no anything.”
Just saying it out loud was like a jagged lump in his gut. It was impossible to reconcile feeling something so profoundly and then losing it.
“Hang on.” Sidling past his cousin to sit on the bed, Eldan plucked up the phone and started dialing.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling Dain’s room. This Evie was Galwyn’s friend you said, right?”
“Yeah?” A faint tickle of hope eased over Kellen.
Eldan shrugged and waited as it rung. “We can just ask her where to find your missing lover.”
That last bit slid out with just a hint of a jab, and the small bit of normalcy was like a balm to Kellen. Eldan wasn’t one to use kid gloves, and playful barbs were always part of how the Oberon men got down.
“Hey, Dain,” he said as the line went live. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Again, that little glint said otherwise. “Oh, well, my bad. Listen, I need you to put Galwyn on the line. No, she doesn’t need to get dressed or anything.”
He shot Kellen a wink and passed the receiver over. “Good luck.”
“Hello?” Her voice sounded flushed, with a slightly giddy edge to it. The mere sound of it sent Kellen spinning back to the wild abandon of the previous night.
“Hey, it’s Kellen. I wanted to ask about one of your friends? Evie?”
“Evanora? She’s far more Kelly’s friend than mine. They were in the same orphanage, I think.”
Kellen’s heart went cold and sank down in his chest.
“Really?”
“Yeah, if you want anything beyond her name, you’re gonna have to ask Kelly.”
That insistent little glimmer of hope flickered back up inside Kellen. He never got Evie’s last name. At least he had a place to start.
“Thank you,” he said. “That’s an enormous help already. By the way, what is her name?”
“Wow.” He could almost hear Galwyn grinning along the phone line. “You Oberon guys are really something else, aren’t you?” With a laughing little sigh, she offered up, “Evanora La Croix. That’s all I’ve got.”
“I’ll take it,” Kellen said. “Galwyn, thank you so much. I’m sorry if this call spoiled the mood.”
“Oh, you haven’t spoiled anything!”
The line clicked and he looked at the buzzing receiver in his hand. Sure, maybe all he had was a name, but that was more than he’d started with. Better still, he had a notion of who he could ask to find out more.
Chapter Five
“Shoot.”
Clenching her jaw, Evie squeezed her way past the elder witches. They were already crowding into the hallway of arched stone, the one that led out of the mess hall, and that meant they were already done with breakfast. It was her job at the coven to wash up every morning after breakfast—she’d barely made it back before the meal was over. Thankfully, none of the witches seemed to be that preoccupied with Evie’s unusual lateness.
“Slept in, Evie?” one of them asked, and when Evie turned around to face her, she found Eleanor’s gentle eyes boring into her. The older witch, who was close to eighty now, never walked past Evie without offering her a kind word. “I can imagine it must’ve been hard to fall asleep with tonight’s festivities on your mind. You must be excited, dear.”
Eleanor winked, and Evie’s insides clenched up with guilt.
“I’m excited, absolutely,” she replied, doing her best to put on a happy smile.
In truth, the word she should’ve used to describe her state of mind was “conflicted.” She was looking forward to tonight’s ceremony, that couldn’t be denied, but she also knew what that meant. As magical as last night had been, things with Kellen would never go any further. He would be firmly labelled as ‘forbidden’ and forever placed out of Evie’s reach. Love would be pulled out from her life and tossed aside, much like a weed someone yanks out of a garden.
“I can only imagine,” Eleanor muttered, looking down at her feet as if remembering her own ceremony.
With a quick smile, Evie nodded at the kindly witch and bid her goodbye. Once inside the mess hall, she glanced at the rows of wooden tables and sighed. Endless plates and glasses were scattered everywhere, as usual. Even if today was a special day, that didn’t mean she’d get a break from her duties.
Whistling a tune from the night before, she waited until the last of the witches had left the hall and then rolled up her sleeves. Clapping her hands together, she let a burst of magical energy spread out around her. Almost immediately, all the cutlery, plates and glasses rose a few inches from the tables. With a wave of her hand, Evie directed her army of breakfast dishware toward the kitchen, keeping everything balanced with only a sliver of her focus. She had done this so many times that she was sure she’d be able to do it with her eyes closed. Not that she was going to try it.
Once inside the kitchen, she filled the large stone sink with hot water and took a step back. Another wave of her hands and the dishes started flying in and out of the water, soaking themselves under Evie’s magical orders. Still, despite how busy she was, it took her less than two minutes for her mind to start drifting back to last night’s adventure.
Sighing, she remembered how it had felt to fall asleep in Kellen’s arms and how he had peppered her naked skin with kisses. The way he had pulled her close and how she’d wrapped her legs around his waist so that he could take her. It had only lasted one night…but it had been perfect.
She shook her head, knowing that she couldn’t afford to be trapped by the past. As a ward of the Inactus Coven, she had to be above such things. Unfortunately, it was easier to think about it than it was to do it. How was she supposed to scrub her mind clean of those memories? After all, it wasn’t like she wanted to forget them.
“Daydreaming, huh?”
Evie brought a hand up to her chest, her blood freezing in her veins. She heard the crackling sound of a magic portal dissipating behind her, and when she turned around, she found Kelly standing there.
“You scared the shit out of me, Kelly,” she muttered, her hand still resting over her galloping heart. “What are you even doing here? I didn’t expect you to be up before noon.”
“And why’s that? I have a job, you know?”
“Well, you were drinking a lot of champagne last night and—”
“What the hell do you think I am? The town drunk?” Kelly shook her head in a disapproving manner, even as a smile played on her lips. “I’ll have you know I haven’t had a hangover since… Well, let’s not go there right now. I didn’t come here to talk about me, anyway. I came here to talk about you.”
Evie sighed.
The reason for Kelly’s visit couldn’t be any more obvious. Whenever there was a situation that involved the opposite sex, Kelly just had to know about it. She thrived on knowledge—the sordid kind of knowled
ge, anyway.
“Come on, don’t stand there with your mouth shut,” Kelly continued, taking a step forward. She laid one hand on Evie’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “It’s time for you to share. I promise that your secrets are safe with me.”
“There’s nothing that I need to—”
“Oh, c’mon!”
“I’m serious, there’s nothing—”
“Give it up, Evie.” Folding her arms over her chest, Kelly blew her hair from her face. “I know you’re dying to tell someone about that handsome Oberon guy, so don’t try to play coy with me. I know you were behind that smoke machine mishap, so I’m pretty damn sure there’s something juicy here.”
“Fine.” Evie pursed her lips, her whole face heating up. She looked down at her shoes—where was she supposed to start?—and ran her tongue over her parched lips. “We left Guildcrest Hall and went for a walk. I know people say all kinds of nasty stuff about the Oberons but Kellen’s actually a nice guy.”
“By all that is magic and holy!” Kelly held both her hands up and looked at the ceiling in a gesture of exasperation. “I didn’t come here to listen about nice guys doing nice things, girl. Gimme the deets.”
“The deets?” She knitted her eyebrows together. “Oh, the details.”
“Seriously, Evie, sometimes I think you’re a vampire and not a witch. It feels like I’m talking to a two-hundred-year-old prude.”
“Alright, fine.” Taking a deep breath, Evie allowed the memories to bubble up to the surface once more. “We didn’t go for a walk. I mean, we did, but it was a short walk—one that led straight to his room.”
“Holy shit.” Kelly’s eyes widened and, in purely dramatic fashion, she waved her hand to summon a chair. Twirling her fingers, she had the chair do a little spin in front of her before straddling it, both her arms draped over the backrest. “Now that’s what I came here for. I didn’t know you had it in you, Evie.”
“I didn’t either,” she muttered, and by now her cheeks were burning so hot it felt as if her whole face was on fire. “It’s just that… I don’t know, Kelly. There was just something about him. I couldn’t help myself.”
“Wait.” Kelly lowered her voice into a whisper as a sudden realization washed all over her face. “Did you…go all the way with that guy?”
She took Evie’s silence as an affirmative answer and her jaw almost dropped to the floor. “And here I was thinking that you only had a cool making-out-in-the-backseat story for me. Holy shit, Evie, that’s huge. You finally got laid!”
“Lower your voice!”
“Does this change things? I mean, today’s your birthday and—”
“No, it doesn’t change things,” Evie replied. “I mean, it’s a little too late for that. Just don’t tell anyone that I’m no longer a virgin, okay? Nobody can know or else I’ll be in deep trouble and…”
She trailed off when she noticed a shadow moving behind her. Spinning around, she found Ingrid standing by the kitchen’s entrance.
“Ingrid, I…I didn’t see you there. Do you need something?”
A wave of nausea washed over Evie. There weren’t a lot of people with whom Evie would willingly share her secret, and Ingrid certainly wasn’t one of them. The skinny brunette was the same age as Evie, but that was their only similarity. While Evie always made an effort to be nice to everyone, Ingrid went out of her way to be extra-snarky to anyone she saw as being beneath her. It just so happened that Evie was one of those people Ingrid didn’t really like.
“No, I don’t need anything,” Ingrid said, her lips curling up into a triumphant grin. She held Evie’s gaze as she spoke, and there were sparks of joy in her eyes. “I think I finally have everything I need, Evanora.”
Before either Evie or Kelly could do anything about it, Ingrid turned on her heel and marched out of the kitchen. She waved her hand as she went, using her magic to slam the door shut behind her. Evie’s heart tightened into a little fist.
“What the hell was that about?” Kelly asked, arching one eyebrow as she stared at the closed door.
“That was Ingrid. She overheard us, and now she’s going straight to the High Priestess. Kelly…I’m done. If the High Priestess hears about this, I’ll never be able to take the blood oath!”
Her secret was out.
And her life was about to take a turn for the worse.
Chapter Six
“Tell me you’ve found something.” The words were out of Kellen before Eldan had even managed to get all the way through the door.
Kellen had been pacing in his room for the better part of two hours, and both the carpet and his patience were worn thin.
“That’s a funny way to say hello. What language is that?”
“Sorry.” Kellen scrubbed his face with his hands and waved his cousin in. “I’ve been chewing myself up since you left.”
“I can see that. Not that I’m surprised. Why do you think I insisted on letting me do the snooping?”
“Because you love digging up information. It’s the reason you exist.”
“True, but mostly because you’re so heated up that you won’t listen to anybody. I’m told that’s your biggest failing since stepping into your Lordship.” The last bit cut straight through to Kellen’s gut, and he fell still.
“You were told…?”
“Something like that…” Eldan shrugged. “When you get all tied up in yourself, you’re no good to anybody. Just saying.” The criticism was offered without a drop of snideness, which only made it stick more firmly in Kellen’s jaw. He flopped down on the bed and surrendered to a tiny wave of self-pity.
“I wouldn’t get too comfortable.” That little gleam danced up in the corner of Eldan’s eye again, and Kellen sat bolt upright. “We need to head over to the Othercross Arcane Judiciary before they close.”
“Why?”
At Kellen’s question, his cousin cut him the classic “oh, come on” look.
“That’s where Kelly Holloway works. When she’s not in class, that is.”
The tidbit of information ran through Kellen like a thunderbolt, and he practically leapt off the mattress.
“Easy there,” Eldan cautioned. “Come at her like that and you’re liable to get us thrown out.”
He was right. Kellen took a couple of deep breaths to square himself. The last eighteen hours had been a complete whirlwind, and his entire life was coming into question. There had been any number of calls to get himself in line, and it was time to finally heed them. Everybody likes a cut-up, but nobody takes one seriously.
Fortunately, he had the entire trip over to the Judiciary to give himself a stern talking to. Not that he actually did much more than chase himself in a circle. Waking up bereft of his mate had rattled him almost as much as the loss of his father. In truth, if he managed to lose Evie, he wasn’t sure he would recover, their bond was that solid. At least for his part.
The bell clanged over them as they pushed through the massive ornate door that led to the Othercross Arcane Judiciary office of Sentinel Cora Nicolaides, Kelly Holloway’s boss. Kelly was immediately on hand, clearing up a stack of files. A flash across her face told Kellen that she recognized two of the Oberon outcasts, but her professional demeanor held out. The gal clearly had some serious backbone.
“Hi,” Eldan said, affecting his best, easygoing manner. “You’re Kelly Holloway, yes?”
“You already know that, Eldan. What do you need?”
“It’s not what I need…”
He cast a look over to Kellen, who swallowed hard. That was his cue. He was going to have to do his own talking.
“You have to tell me where to find Evie.” In his anxiety, it came out more like a command than a plea. Given how immediately Kelly went cold, it was clear she wasn’t one who responded well to commands. He added a feeble, “Please?” for good measure.
“Is that so?” She tucked away the last of her work and turned to face him dead on, folding her arms to shut him out. “Funny thing is, I d
on’t have to do anything. For you or anybody.”
“It’s important,” Kellen sputtered. “More than important, actually. I need to find her.”
His vehemence bubbled over, and he gripped the edge of the counter, almost leaning over it in his desperation. Eldan rubbed a hand across his brow and stole a glance at the snappy young witch facing them. Anyone could see she wasn’t having it.
“Well, since you put it like that—” She arched an eyebrow at him. “—you can get the hell out of here. Now.”
“But…”
“But nothing, you weirdo. You think I’m just going to tell some rando stalker where to find one of my best friends and wave him off? Huh-uh. I’ve got bad news, douche-nozzle. The answer is no. Get lost.”
He took a deep breath, reverting to the greatest tool he had. Charm.
“Stalker?” His whole demeanor changed. “That’s a pretty rough name to toss at someone you don’t even know.”
“Getting to know you isn’t high on my list of priorities. Theeeeeeenks!”
“Are you sure about that?” The hint of innuendo in his voice grated into the air and he could see Eldan cringing out of the corner of his eye. Still, it was too late to turn the ship around. “You may need to reexamine your priorities, then.”
Why had all of his charisma deserted him? His stomach flipped over as Kelly’s eyes grew even harder.
“Okay, wow. Yeah, you’ve really made me regret not telling where to find Evie right away by getting all creepy. Hang on, let me get a pen so I can write down all her information for you.”
Sarcasm dripped from her voice and spattered onto the countertop between them. It fired through Kellen, roiling up a history of being condescended to.
“Look,” he said, clenching his fists and glaring at her with a fury that was rare for him. “You either tell me where she is or…”
“Or what?”
That eyebrow arched again, and a nasty smirk sent him blazing. With a snarl, he brought his fists down on the counter, rattling pretty much everything within thirty feet.
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