“Mary?” Miriam seemed startled. Her expression turned cagey as she moved around the room.
“Yes. Could she have had something to do with the attack on us?” I asked, following her.
“Without knowing the manner of attack, I couldn’t say,” Miriam said, her eyes on her hands.
I paused. That wasn’t a no, which meant there was some anger among the witches at me. Interesting that they’d lain the blame for Angela’s earlier actions at my feet. I wondered if they were more angry about her being caught, than at what she’d done.
“They used golems,” I said, watching Miriam carefully. I didn’t trust that she’d be entirely truthful. Until now,I’d never have said she would deliberately mislead me, but these were her people we were talking about. I doubted she’d reveal their secrets to an outsider.
“How many?” she asked.
“Thirty. Maybe more,” I said.
She was quiet. She looked up at me, her expression reverting to its normal mysteriousness.“I doubt Mary had anything to do with it. She lacks the power.”
“And if she worked with others?” I pressed.
Miriam shrugged, the gesture flippant.“Still doubtful. Her circle is just as inept as her. The witches with power steer clear of her sort.”
I tapped the counter in thought, frowning at Miriam. There was something she wasn’t telling me. Her denial was too quick.
Liam stirred, seeming to think so too. He gave her a menacing smile.“You know what I love about witches?”
Miriam didn’t answer, watching him with wariness as magic gathered at her fingertips. I didn’t have to use my othersight to realize she had something nasty brewing.
“Miriam, don’t be foolish,” I cautioned as the spark became a blaze.
Liam moved, his hand shooting out to grab hers, crushing her fingers as he twisted. He raised their hands between them in a grip that put tension on her wrist, ensuring she couldn’t move without causing herself extreme pain.
“They have a low pain tolerance,” Liam said, satisfaction in his voice.
“Liam, let Miriam go,” I warned.
Neither one of them paid any attention to me.
Miriam seemed not to have learned from her thwarted first attempt, magic sparking in her other hand as she turned it to face Liam. He barked out a laugh and used his free hand to grab hers, then pushed it away from him.
The magic flew, crashing into, and pulverizing several shelves. I jumped before looking back to witness Liam maneuvering her hand into another twisted grip, making it impossible for her to cast any further spells.
I let loose a frustrated sigh. Spooks and their stupid dominance games.
“Tell me what you know of the Fae and the crone’s plans for them,” Liam said, bringing his face close to Miriam’s.
She struggled, attempting to turn away with little success. He let go of one hand, grabbing her chin and yanking it towards his.
Her face went slack as his eyes caught hers. He repeated his question of before.
“She hopes to strengthen our position,” Miriam said, sounding calm and blissful. Not at all like the confident womanI’d come to know.
I hated the vampire’s ability to hypnotize. It subsumed a human’s will and turned them into mindless drones.
It usually didn’t work quite as well on spooks, but then, Liam wasn’t exactly an average vampire. He had centuries of experience with the power to back it up.
Miriam answered his questions with little hesitation.
He let her go and stepped back.
“Happy now?” I snapped. We’d learned nothing of note from that exchange.
