“Lord Mordecai Wince,” she’d said conversationally, as if we were discussing a grocery list.
I’d recognized the name. A vampire who’d gone missing weeks ago. One of King Lucian’s top advisors.
“You’ve had him all this time?” I’d asked, genuinely surprised.
“Just his soul.” Arabesque had smiled that terrible smile again. “His body proved disposable.”
She’d placed the ring in the center of a complex sigil drawn in what I smelled was human blood, then spoke words that made my ears ache. The diamond had glowed, then cracked, releasing a wisp of silvery light that the demon had inhaled like a junkie taking a hit.
“A soul for a favor,” Arabesque had told the creature. “To be called upon when I need it most.”
The demon had grinned with too many teeth, passed her a token she could redeem for her favor, and vanished in a puff of foul-smelling smoke. Arabesque had tucked the token in the open beakof a taxidermied raven perched on a low bookshelf, then cut her eyes at me, as if she were contemplating stuffingmesomeday…
I shuddered at the memory. I’d seen some Dark shit in my time, but soul trafficking with demons? That crossed lines evenIpreferred to avoid. I didn’t mess with diabolical forces any more than I sought divine intervention. My philosophy had always been simple: Keep your head down, mind your business, and look out for number one.
Some might call me a shit-stirring opportunist, too slick for my own good. They wouldn’t be wrong. But I knew my limits. And I knew that when the time came, I’d bail on this situation and, yes, even on the Cimmerians if necessary. We might be tight, but my self-preservation instinct always won out.
I enjoyed one last moment of quiet in Arabesque’s office, then slipped out, closing the door behind me. Time to make myself scarce before the twins realized their mother was gone and decided to take advantage of her absence.
With my luck, they’d burn the place down just to spite her, and I’d be the one explaining the charred remains when she returned.
#
Exactly forty-three minutes after Arabesque’s sleek black Bentley disappeared down the gravel driveway in a cloud of dust, Amabel and Eluned emerged from their rooms like vengeful spirits, faces tight with matching scowls and eyes gleaming with rebellion.
“She’s really gone?” Eluned asked, her voice lifting at the end like a child hoping for a snow day.
“All the way to Chicago.” I nodded from my perch on the staircase banister, where I’d been waiting for this exact moment. “Won’t be back until Friday night.”
“And she left you in charge.” Amabel merely narrowed her eyes.
It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway.
“Someone has to make sure the rogues don’t tear each other apart. And someone has to remind you two about your mother’s expectations.”
“Her expectations,” Eluned spat, twirling a strand of long brown hair around her finger until it turned white from lack of circulation. “Always abouther. Never whatwewant.”
“What you want rarely aligns with what’s strategic, El,” Amabel snapped.
And there it was. The hairline fracture between them that I’d been watching grow wider since Serafina had left. Before, they’d beenunited in their hatred of their stepsister, channeling all their spite and jealousy toward the poor girl. Now, with Seri gone and married off to the Cimmerians, the twins had no common enemy to focus on and were turning on each other.
“Strategic?” Eluned shrieked. “Like sitting here while all the important witches are networking in Chicago? Oh yes, very strategic, Am.”
“Mother will introduce us when we’re ready.”
“Whenshe’sready, you mean.” Eluned pivoted to face me with alarming suddenness. “We’re going shopping.”
“Shopping.” I raised an eyebrow.
“In the city,” Amabel clarified, suddenly aligned with her sister again.
I recognized the look on their faces, the stubborn set of their jaws, the challenge in their eyes. They weren’t asking permission; they were daring me to say no. I weighed my options. I could try to stop them, which would likely end in a magical pissing match I wasn’t eager to engage in. Or I could let them go, knowing Arabesque would be furious either way.
I chose the path of least resistance.
“Your mother specifically said you’re not to go toChicago,” I reminded them, emphasizing the city name while leaving a loophole big enough to drive a truck through. “She was very clear about that.”
Amabel’s lips twitched in what might have been the ghost of a smile. She got it. Girl might be an iceberg, but she at least had her shit together.
