by HR Moore
Jamie laughed. 'You can't prove a negative.'
'I need to know where you are and who you're with at all times. I need to know you're not alone with another woman.'
'You're growing paranoid, and dare I say needy, in your old age.'
'Don't insult me. I'd be stupid not to be cautious,' said Raina.
'And what about me? How do I know I can trust you?'
Raina turned to face Jamie. He met her gaze.
'Have I not been loyal to you for many lives? Fed you information? Sold out other nations? And anyway, my daughter's under your control. You know I'll never turn my back on blood.'
A week later, Raina and Jamie sat in a swanky steak restaurant. Raina wore a little black dress Jamie had picked out, with her hair swept off her face in an elegant arrangement.
This had been Raina's single romantic concession. In the time she'd been with the Templars, Jamie had taken her everywhere: to meetings, to the gym, shopping. He'd shown her every text message he'd sent or received, hadn't excluded her from a single conversation. That's not to say Raina liked everything Jamie was doing. He was manipulating everyone he could—humans and demons alike—but at least she knew about it.
Tamsin had been an endless thorn in Raina's side: forever present, forever flirting, forever trying to find an edge. Raina ignored her, but resisting the urge to knock her out was exhausting.
'Tamsin's been conspicuous in her absence today,' said Raina, sipping her blood-red wine.
'I sent her away, so her brooding presence would no longer bring us all down.'
Thank the Gods. 'Where did you send her?'
'To the West Coast, to meet with the new demon nation there. They're in territory we've been trying to secure for a while. The lands are registered to a secretive, seemingly independent demon. We've been trying to track him down, and then this new nation sprang up. They keep to themselves, but we need to know where they stand, for our security.'
'In case you go to war,' said Raina.
'War's an inevitability, you know that as well as the next demon. It never hurts to be prepared.'
'Do you think it'll happen in this lifetime?' asked Raina, swirling her wine.
'I should think so,' he said, cryptically.
'Why?'
'This isn't what I'd hoped we'd talk about tonight,' said Jamie, leaning across the table. He took her hand.
'What had you hoped to discuss?'
He linked their fingers. 'How long it's going to be before you join me in my bed.'
He looked in her eyes, his expression somehow both seductive and humorous. Despite herself, Raina felt the familiar electric spark of attraction between them. She looked down, paused, ran her eyes slowly up his torso, then flicked them up to meet his gaze. His pupils dilated.
'How many other women have there been, in this lifetime?' Raina asked.
Jamie sat back. 'I've slept with many, although usually only once or twice with each. Tamsin's been diverting for a few weeks; we had flings in previous lives, so she knows what I like. Aside from her, there was only one other longer-term arrangement. She's now dead.'
'And you think a single week of effort will land me in your bed?'
Jamie chuckled. 'A guy can hope.'
Raina shook her head. 'Not in this lifetime.'
The following morning, Raina came down to breakfast to find a group of unfamiliar demons sitting at the island in the kitchen.
'Raina,' said Jamie, 'come join us. We're going over the documents for your nation transfer.'
'My nation transfer?'
'You needed proof I'm loyal to you, and I've shown you I am. Now I need proof of my own. All you have to do is sign the paperwork,' said Jamie.
'Leaving the first part of that aside, a nation transfer requires me to visit the Registerium, to show I'm not under duress, to press my hand against the standing stone,' said Raina.
'Yes, well, the Registerium's willing to overlook those formalities this time. They're happy for you to put your hand on one of the stones in North America, and you can confirm it in Scotland at a future date.'
'That's not how the magic works,' said Raina, frowning.
'There'll be a video call where you can show you're not under duress,' said Jamie, 'and we'll email the paperwork.'
'I just told you, the magic doesn't work that way. If I put my hand on a stone here, nothing will happen. When the Registerium was founded, they added a condition that nation transfers could only take place through the stone at the castle.'
'Then we'll do the magic mumbo-jumbo later. The Registerium agreed to this approach. We have all we need to go ahead,' said Jamie.
'Magic mumbo-jumbo?'
'Magic's been outdated for at least a century.'
Raina's magic kindled. Did he really know so little?
'The Registerium's happy with this? It's against every rule in their book,' she said.
'They agreed, given the circumstances, that special dispensation should be granted.'
'Without a vote of nation representatives?'
'They were happy to make the decision autonomously in this case. A new era's dawning; the Registerium recognizes that fact.'
'Will you ever complete my transfer through the Scottish stone? Assuming I agree to transfer at all, of course.'
'Oh, probably, just so nobody can dispute your belonging to the Templar nation. But only when it's convenient, and when it's safe. And we both know, you'll agree to the transfer.'
'Do we?'
'If you don't transfer, you'll never see your daughter again. Not in this lifetime, at least, and in no future lifetime if I have anything to do with it.'
'Why's this so important to you?' asked Raina, holding back her emotions, not letting her face betray her hatred. Nobody got away with treating her this way.
'Because you and I together are unstoppable. Your brain, experience, and reputation, coupled with my resources. We'll be the most formidable partnership in history. You've made king after king, queen after queen. If you say I'm the rightful leader of the demon world, people will believe it.'
'I've never made a demon king.'
'You've made nation leaders.'
'Yes, but only when there was a need. What claim do you have to be king of all demons? All nations?'
Jamie smiled. 'Don't worry about that for now. Just sign the paperwork and make the call. And, Raina …' his tone turned cruel, 'don't ever doubt I mean what I say.'
Caspar, Rose, Talli, and Christa were in the great hall, completing a cleansing ritual. There had, after all, been a great deal of negativity in the cottage, with first the Slayer, and then the hunter.
Talli had placed only a single foot inside before demanding to know what had happened, saying she could feel the disturbance. She'd run for the sage plant, had smudged as an immediate fix, then began an elaborate ritual to properly sort the place out.
'Ahhhh, that feels so much better,' said Talli, lying back against the cold stone floor. 'Can you feel the positivity all around us? It's like a tonic to the soul.'
'It does feel calmer,' said Caspar, sitting with his back to the wall. The past few days had taken it out of him; he felt as though he could sleep for a lifetime.
Rose's phone vibrated and she pulled it out.
'Rose, what have I told you about mobile phones in here?' said Talli. 'You're ruining the balance.'
Rose ignored her, taking time to read, deep lines appearing on her forehead.
'Oh Gods,' said Caspar, sitting upright. 'What's happened?'
He hadn't had a sending of distress from Raina, but that didn't mean she wasn't in any.
'Raina's switched to the Templar nation,' said Rose.
'In Scotland?' asked Christa.
'No. The Registerium has approved the application without the transfer having been sealed in magic,' said Rose.
'Then it doesn't count,' said Talli. 'She's not really a Templar.'
'According to the Registerium, she is,' said Rose. 'Malcolm's filed a complain
t, although I'm not holding my breath. Apparently, the Templars are planning to complete the transfer in Scotland at a later date. Pablo—the record keeper—is furious, according to Malcolm.'
'We're supposed to be notified of the switching ceremony,' said Talli. 'We're supposed to be able to attend, to make sure there's no duress, to try and convince the switchee not to do it.'
'Raina may be under duress,' said Caspar, 'but she would've switched regardless. The Templars have our daughter. As long as that's the case, Raina will do whatever Jamie wants.'
'We have to find out when they're planning on making it official,' said Christa. 'Maybe they'll take Callie to Scotland too. Maybe we can get them both back.'
'They won't,' said Caspar. 'Jamie's not stupid.'
'And the Registerium's protected by powerful magic against such schemes,' said Talli. 'There can be no kidnapping of demons while on Registerium territory, nor while travelling to or from the Registerium. If you try, you die.'
'Does the magic still stand, given that the Registerium is so badly compromised?' asked Caspar.
'It's never that simple with magic,' said Talli. 'Intention's a big factor. Does the Registerium know they're acting in a corrupt manner, or do they believe they're fulfilling their mission? The political structure is supposed to keep them in check, but it appears that's been circumnavigated. So maybe everything the Registerium's doing is no longer protected by magic. Or maybe they've found a way to change the magic without needing the support of all nations.'
'How do we find out?' said Christa.
'We need a proficient, or better yet, an adept,' said Rose.
'Are there any adepts left?' asked Caspar.
'I think so,' said Talli, 'but they're secretive. It would take time to track them down … maybe even lifetimes.'
'Then we should begin the search,' said Rose, 'and call in every magical Pagan we've got.'
'Even the neos?' asked Talli.
'Everyone,' said Rose. 'We need all the help we can get.'
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you SO SO much to everyone who's helped get this book out in the world. To my hard arse beta readers (and the softer ones too), thank you for your honest feedback and insights. To my editor, Jeff Deck, for making me a better writer. To my family, for putting up with me when I ignore them. To the whole FaRoFeb community, for being so utterly brilliant. And most of all, to my wonderful readers. Thank you so much for your support—it means the world.
TITLES BY HR MOORE
The Relic Trilogy:
Queen of Empire
Temple of Sand
Court of Crystal
In the Gleaming Light
The Ancient Souls Series:
Nation of the Sun
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