“Master Bishop, it is a pleasure to be in your presence once again.” Cassius bows, and as soon as I see what he’s doing, I bow too.
“Cassius, how many times must I tell you to call me Sabrina? Tobias and I consider you family.” Sabrina’s eyes shift to me. “But who is this you’ve brought before us?”
“Eloise Harcourt. Her mate has been taken by the Night Haven coven, and she’s here to beseech your assistance in getting him back.”
“Your mate is a vampire?” Sabrina asks.
Tobias leans down and whispers something in her ear.
“No,” I say, trying not to stutter. “My mate, Damien, is a shade like Cassius. Please. He’s being held against his will. I need your help.”
Cassius raises a finger. “Damien is a friend from Tenebris. A warrior. He was summoned here through the same rift as me.”
Sabrina’s brow furrows. “Is he a citizen of Night Haven then, as you and Morpheus once were?”
“Yes,” Cassius confirms.
“But he didn’t leave when you did to avoid Valeska’s attention?” Her voice holds the burn of accusation. Shit. Is she blaming Damien for his own capture? I cringe. Damien would have left if given the chance. I open my mouth to say so, but Cassius shakes his head and does the talking.
“No. But until recently, he was spellbound by witches and was not a viable candidate for her mate. His curse was recently and unexpectedly broken.”
Her green eyes spark with interest. “By whom?”
“By Eloise herself. She is human, but magic runs in her ancestry.”
“What kind of magic?” Sabrina demands.
Cassius looks toward me.
I’m not sure what to say, so I go with how Maeve defined it. “Spirit magic.”
Sabrina frowns, and Tobias again whispers something to her. He’s frowning too and studying me with intense interest.
“Bring me her blood,” she demands.
What? A bald vampire with a goatee appears beside me, holding a blade and a goblet.
I dart multiple glances toward Cassius. “Is this common?”
He gives me an encouraging nod.
Sabrina clears her throat and levels a hard stare at me. “Before I can help you, Eloise, I need to understand more about you. This is the fastest way.” She points a beautifully manicured hand at the goblet.
I hold out my left arm. “Why does it always have to be blood?” I mumble as the bald vampire slices my skin and dribbles the blood into the goblet.
When he’s through, he moves to lick the wound, but Cassius has him by the throat before a drop can touch his tongue. “That won’t be necessary, Zander.”
“I only meant to close the wound.”
“I will take care of her.” Cassius pulls a handkerchief from the pocket of his uniform and presses it to the small cut. His eyes meet mine. “Hold this.”
“You can close it?—”
He shakes his head and lowers his voice. “Damien would never allow it.”
I nod and press the cloth harder against my wound. He moves back to my side just as Sabrina takes a sip of my blood. She straightens as she swallows, her eyes wildly seeking out Tobias’s. She gives him a tight nod. I watch the man drag a deep breath into his lungs and blow it out.
When she turns back to us, the intrigue I know I saw flashing across her face is gone, replaced by a mask of boredom. “I wish I could help you, Eloise, but as Cassius should have told you, relations with Night Haven are already strained. Cassius’s defection from the coven has yet to be forgiven. Lamia cannot become involved in a case involving another coven’s citizen.”
