Good thing you have a vampire with mind-control abilities who’s eternally devoted to you.
I thought you weren’t going to hypnotize people anymore, to get what you wanted?Eli replied.After you released Harris from your compulsion, you made a big speech about it and everything.
I never said I wouldn’t use my powers to help you.I raised my eyebrows at him meaningfully.You’re always the exception to every rule, my darling.
Before Eli could reply, Ethan chuckled, trading a knowing look with Nathaniel. “Well, I guess we aren’t the only ones. You two are just as bad, aren’t you?”
I beamed at him. “I suppose we are, aren’t we?”
“By the way,” Nathaniel added, “the Queen of Los Angeles sends her regards. The repair bill for the hotel was… robust. Even when split evenly.”
Godric had handled the police who showed up, convincing them it was a gas leak. The hotel had been evacuated. The Queen had then sent in a team to hypnotize all the poor guests into buying the story and doing damage control.
“It would have been cheaper and easier to burn the place to the ground,” I said wryly. “And Magnus’s vampires are all finding their fated mates?”
Nathaniel chuckled. “The Queen says she’s never seen anything like it. She’s working with the other kings and queens from nearby cities to put together task forces to round up feral vampires and have them undergo Poppy’s fated-mate spell.”
“We’ll be using the mirror before doing that next time,” Ethan said. “We ought to have done it in the first place. It’ll help us foresee any unexpected side effects.” He paused, glancing at us. “We have a magic mirror that shows the future. It’s kind of… morally ambiguous. But useful. And it’s helped us in the past. Sort of. We try not to use it, except in emergencies.”
“Of course you do,” I replied. “Though that might have come in handy with Magnus.”
“We tried. His protections were too strong,” Ethan said, frowning. “The mirror can’t see past certain kinds of wards.” He paused. “We destroyed the amulet he was using to block magicaldetection, but I had to use my blood to do it. That thing was scary powerful. I wonder where he got it?”
“There you are,” Poppy said before anyone could reply, strolling up to us. Simone was beside her. Her progeny—a slender man with brown skin, glossy black hair, and dark eyes—trailed them. The redheaded witch grinned at Ethan. “You saved me some champagne, right?”
Ethan wagged his eyebrows and made a flourish with his free hand. When he held it out to her, there was a glass of champagne in it that hadn’t been there before.
Nathaniel’s eyes widened. “How on earth did you do that?”
Ethan grinned, his eyes dancing. “Magic.”
Poppy took the champagne, trading a bemused look with Ethan that instantly told me they’d been close friends for a long time. She took a sip, then said, “We didn’t train for the last million-plus years for nothing.”
“Marvelous,” Simone remarked, beaming at Ethan.
“It’s only small spells for now,” the warlock replied. “Bigger magic still tends to fizzle out, but I’m working on it. It takes a lot of focus not to unravel it before it’s even cast.”
“You’ll get there. You’ve already made extraordinary progress,” Simone assured him. Then she paused, seeming almost shy—a bit strange, given she was ancient, easily one of the oldest vampires I had ever encountered. A moment later, it made sense. She stepped aside and gestured to the man beside her. “I’d like to introduce Mateo. He’s my… progeny.”
The dark-haired vampire swept forward and gave Nathaniel a slight bow. “I’m told you oversee the vampires of this city,” he said smoothly, his voice silky and perfectly measured. “I’ll be moving here permanently, with your permission. And I swear to uphold your laws. I won’t cause trouble. I have no wish to harm anyone.”
Nathaniel blinked, perhaps surprised by the formality in Mateo’s tone. “You’re welcome here, of course.”
“You needn’t be nearly so stuffy,” Thierry said, appearing beside us with Jeremy glued to his side. Thierry wore a baby-blue tux, and Jeremy was in black. Both of them were practically glowing with happiness. My twin added, “Nathaniel’s a different breed. Less power-hungry despot, more humanitarian-with-fangs.”
Simone clapped her hands, her whole expression lighting up. “Darling,” she breathed, beaming at him. “Your vows were stunning.” She glanced at Jeremy and added, “Both of you. Truly.”
“Yes, well,” Jeremy said, scowling. “Tatiana made us practice them in front of her a dozen times. That woman is a menace.”
“Quite,” Thierry agreed. Then he bit his lip. “Though she does know her way around a floral arrangement. So I suppose she’s not all bad.”
“Exactly whose side are you on?” Jeremy demanded, sounding vaguely scandalized.
“Yours, of course. Always,” Thierry replied without missing a beat. Then he paused. “Though, acts of emotional violence aside, you must admit she did a lovely job with the execution.”
Jeremy rolled his eyes good-naturedly, drawing Thierry close and pressing a kiss to his hair. “Yeah, she did.”
“Speaking of emotional violence,” Thierry said, nodding toward Sadie and Sam, who were slow dancing in the middle of the dance floor, seemingly oblivious to everyone else. He met Eli’s gaze. “Your sister seems to have brought out a softer side of Sadie.”
