Fucking anal retentive whackadoo.
"Please, sit." He gestures toward a pair of leather armchairs facing the desk. "Can I offer you anything? Tea? Coffee?"
"We're fine," I say before Regina can accept any of his creepy magic potions.
She shoots me another look but doesn't contradict me.
Why do I get the feeling she's accepted his tea? Oh yeah. She has. He looks slightly surprised, and maybe a little disappointed.
Hmmmm.
Villeneuve settles into the chair behind his desk. "I take it the ritual went well?"
"Yes." Regina reaches into her pocket and withdraws the glowing vial. The light pulses gently in her palm as she sets it on the desk between them. "Very. This is just a small token of appreciation."
Villeneuve's eyebrows rise fractionally. He picks up the vial, holding it up to examine the contents with an expression I've never seen on his face before.
Genuine interest.
"A stabilizing solution," he murmurs, turning the vial to watch the liquid shift. "And a remarkably pure one." His dark eyes lift to meet Regina's. "You made this yourself?"
"It's one of my specialties."
The pride in her voice makes my chest puff up, even if I hate the fact that she's here in my enemy's lair.
And this isabsolutelya fucking lair.
He sets the vial down with care. "The composition is impressive. Most siphons struggle to achieve this level of refinement, even with their natural advantages."
"Thank you."
"I assume this is meant to offset the dragon's blood?"
Regina shakes her head. "That would require something far more substantial. This is simply gratitude for your assistance. Nothing more."
He blinks in what seems to be actual surprise. "Most witches would have tried to frame it as full payment."
"I'm not most witches."
He smiles slightly. "No. No, you're not."
They're having amoment, I realize with growing irritation. Some kind of magical nerd bonding moment over fancy potions and diplomatic procedures.
I shift in my chair and loosen my grip on the armrests before I crack the fancy fucking wood and give Villeneuve the chance to tell me I'll have to replace it with hand-picked shit from the fae realm or something.
"But I sense there's something else. Something beyond simple gratitude. I prefer to be direct, Ms. Cook. What is it you actually want?" Villeneuve leans back, studying Regina with those penetrating eyes.
Dude's totally thinking about penetrating our mate, isn't he? Whatever he is, he's an alphasomething.And I can't even rip him apart with my teeth.
Fucking injustice.
I have to physically bite back the snarl building in my throat.
Regina takes a breath. "We need a faculty sponsor."
"Ah." A single syllable, loaded with meaning.
Douchemeaning.
