Blood and magic, p.31
Blood and Magic, page 31
Just when he thought it would be impossible to adore her more, she proved him wrong. Over and over.
“I mean, don’t get it twisted, offending Patience is like my morning coffee or whatever. But not generally about this sort of thing. It’s a big job and despite her boner for you, she’s made a lot of improvements in the years since you came to Las Vegas. She can learn. That’s important. Don’t tell her I said that. I don’t want her thinking I like her.”
No danger of that.
“I appreciate the offer. I will bring it up. Naturally and not rehearsed,” he added because his wife was about to tell him that.
“Okay. Good.”
Star wandered in, her nails tapping on the floor. After a quick look to see what Rowan had to eat, she headed to her water dish and slurped it with gusto enough to have Rowan snort with amusement.
“Hi there,” Rowan said and then tossed a piece of strawberry Star caught neatly. “She’s going to come to the Joint Tribunal with us. I just said that without even conscious thought.” She turned to Clive, eyes a little wide.
“Then that’s what will be. Darling, these dreams and knowings have manifested themselves on you and they’ve led you to the truth over and over. If Star needs to be in Prague with us, by all means, we’ll pack her best toys and dog bed and put it on the plane. Elisabeth and Betchamp are coming along so she’ll have plenty of people to feed her, scratch her ears, and accompany her on walks.”
“I don’t always know how to process it. I’m more comfortable with punching my way to a solution to my problems. This sagey, woo-woo stuff is...it’s part of me I’m working on. I accept it as a gift. But I’m going to need to sharpen those skills like all my other gifts. It’s a trip to dream of confetti and find actual confetti outside a werewolf’s cell. Those abandoned human places? The paintings, but also I think it was about the kidnappings. Storms and tempests, we got the Procellas and their casino right in front of where I was ambushed. Then Holly Drive and Fiona’s stupid fucking vaudeville nickname. I wonder if it’s like this for Carl.”
“If so, let us hope you do not take on his sense of fashion or love of taxidermy.”
“Roger that. Rather than have to travel back to Southern California to interview Rose, that nutbag, since she’s free of the geas, Konrad is moving her here, along with Bess and Alfonso. But since we have all we need for the moment, I’ll let them stew awhile.”
“What about Teresa?”
“She’s a shark. Rose is a robot whose only pleasure seems to come from hurting people for amusement. Fiona is a boss bitch and all that, but she’s so greedy and entitled she’s gotten herself in over her head. And she knows it’s her own fault. If she wasn’t such a goon, I’d like her. Gerard, the husband, he’s all booming voice and backslaps, but he’s mean underneath it. Joseph, gods, what a dingus. Money. Power. Education. Talent. And he’s just useless unless he’s being directed. Rose holds the reins there. Still, he’s too dangerous to be free. I hate this for Genevieve, but her ex-husband Tristan is tangentially involved. Someone else has taken over that part of the investigation. The Salazars? They’re tight. Work as a unit. It would be nice if they weren’t working to kidnap people and sell them to Vampires.
“The rest of these witches got high on money and control and since they already think they’re better than not only humans, but non-Genetic witches, the road to get them to a place where it’s acceptable to use adepts like goods instead of people wasn’t very long. They’re devoid of empathy. I’m sure some Conclave psychologist will be writing papers on this for years.”
They got up to put away their dishes, but Elisabeth materialized with a tray filled with two large slices of coconut lemon cake, a pot of tea, and all the various accoutrements.
“I’ll take this to your sitting room and then come back to deal with the dishes,” Elisabeth called out as she walked past.
After thanking Elisabeth, and being left alone, Rowan moved to the love seat and fit herself against his side, allowing him to wrap an arm around her shoulders. The ease of her choice had been a hard-won battle. He hoped he never forgot what a gift she was.
“So, Teresa. She absolutely does not see anything she’s done as wrong. There was a market for adepts. She filled it. Described it as job creation. Positively crowed about how her business brought together multiple parties of witches to make money off Vampires. The witches and humans she stalked are nothing to her but columns on a balance sheet. Rose is honestly, she’s the closest to true sociopathy I’ve seen in a witch. But Teresa saw that and weaponized it. To make money off. To build her own power from. She bragged about being self-made. When we told her Kerry hadn’t lived, she said it wasn’t her fault that Mardoc couldn’t treat his stock better. Stock.” She shook her head. “I wanted to punch her, but she’s...there’s nothing redeemable about her. Nothing. Even if I punched her, I’d have a sore hand and she’d still be irredeemable. By the way, she knew about the mage firebomb at the Procella mansion before it happened and said nothing. She didn’t know none of the family were home at the time.”
She sighed and sadness trickled through their bond.
“What a remarkable group of assholes, darling. I’m sorry you had to deal with them. Especially the ones who tried to have you killed.”
“Oh, and that’s a whole new thing on my to-do list. I’ve got to suss out this shifter situation. I can’t have these superpowered tree-trunk-sized people forming hit squads at the behest of witches. I don’t give a fuck what the witches have to say about that. That’s a Treaty no-go.”
“Prague first. The shifters in my cells will hold until after we return from the Joint Tribunal. Then we can go to Seattle. I haven’t been there in a few years. I want to swap out some of my Las Vegas people for some of theirs. Bring them back to Die Mitte and train them properly before we send them to their territory once more. Alice is creating an itinerary for visits across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. You can combine Hunter Corp. business if you like and accompany me.”
“Okay. I think I can do that. I have my own inspections to do. You cannot buy me a house in every territory we visit,” she warned.
“I do believe you said it best, I do what I want, Hunter.”
That made her laugh and lean her head on his shoulder. “I love you, Scion. Thank you for everything. The last months especially, I don’t know what I would have done without you. But I didn’t have to. That’s...well, I didn’t have that before.”
Her blush always delighted him.
“Let’s save this cake until after you rut upon me.”
“I do love a good rut. I promise to be gentle as you’re still healing.” He wanted her every moment of every day. But not more than he needed her to be healthy.
“You do know where everything is. It’s a fine quality.”
“Of course I do. They’re all my favorite places.” He stood, pulling her into his arms and carrying her into his bedchamber, kicking the door closed.
* * *
Acknowledgments
I started this series well over a decade ago, after a trip to Las Vegas with friends. I had this idea while waiting for my flight home that started with What if Vampires were real and that show on the Strip was a cover?
Eight books later and I’ve loved every glimpse into Rowan, Clive, David, Genevieve and Darius’s world and I hope you all have too.
Over the years, I’ve had so much help with beta reading, editing, cover art, etc. This wasn’t done alone so thank you to everyone who had a hand in Goddess with a Blade, honestly I couldn’t have done it without you all.
Also available from Lauren Dane
and Harlequin
Goddess with a Blade
Goddess with a Blade
Blade to the Keep
Blade on the Hunt
At Blade’s Edge
Wrath of the Goddess
Blood and Blade
Bad Blood
Blood and Magic
Diablo Lake
Moon Struck
Protected
Awakened
Cascadia Wolves
Reluctant Mate (prequel)
Pack Enforcer
Wolves’ Triad
Wolf Unbound
Alpha’s Challenge
Bonded Pair
Twice Bitten
de La Vega Cats
Trinity
Revelation
Beneath the Skin
Chase Brothers
Giving Chase
Taking Chase
Chased
Making Chase
Petal, Georgia
Once and Again
Lost in You
Count on Me
Cherchez Wolves
Wolf’s Ascension
Sworn to the Wolf
The Hurley Boys
The Best Kind of Trouble
Broken Open
Back to You
Whiskey Sharp
Unraveled
Jagged
Torn
Cake (novella)
Sugar (novella)
ISBN-13: 9780369736529
Blood and Magic
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Lauren Dane, Blood and Magic
