“Brayden darling, it’s been decades.” She held out her hand and he stepped forward to grasp it. He brought it to his lips but didn’t actually touch it to his skin, making an air kissing noise instead.
“Morgana.” Brayden nodded and released her hand, wiping his casually on his jeans. I eyed Morgana, aka the Witch Mother, and was disappointed there wasn’t a single wart on her perfect face.
I looked over at Leah and her eyes were wide. She looked at me and moutheddecades?
Oh yes, someone needed to tell my best friend that she was now immortal unless killed.
Morgana glanced from me to Leah and she smiled. “Which one is Lena?”
Brayden cleared his throat. “Can we go into your office? I need you to look at something in exchange for some very interesting information.”
Morgana watched him carefully with her grey eyes, saying nothing. “I work in favors now. It seems to work best to my advantage.” She grinned and my stomach rolled. There was something evil about this woman.
“This information could save your life,” Brayden deadpanned, and her spine went rigid.
She stared at him for a long moment and I swear her eyes flashed white for the slightest second before she finally waved him inside and stepped through a dimly lit hallway. We all followed.
Information that could save her life? I wondered what that would be. Leah went first and I followed, lost in my thoughts as we entered a large room covered in floor-to-ceiling purple velvet wallpaper. A black gothic chandelier hung over a giant dark lacquered table that was bare of everything but for a small silver dagger.
The gothic witch stereotype was alive and well here.
I eyed the dagger and she grinned. “One lick of this blade and you’d be telling me all your dirty little secrets,” she said, and then looked to Leah. “But Lena would know that and you both look like this is the first time you’ve ever seen a witch.”
I tried to downplay my emotions, control my face. Clearly I was wide-eyed and investigative right now. I wasn’t sure what Brayden wanted to tell this woman.
Leah was looking at the blade with a frown. “The Elder Fae gave you that.”
Morgana’s face brightened. “Well, hello, Lena.”
Everything in my body rebelled against what had just happened. Leah had another memory? Why wasn’t I getting any more? Even if I were Wren, I would be getting memories too, right?
“She’s not Lena,” I growled, and then my cheeks reddened in embarrassment.Iwanted to be Lena. I wanted Brayden. And now I wanted to die for having basically said all that out loud with my response.
“Interesting.” Morgana took a seat at the table and looked up at me. “Tell me more.”
“We’re not here to gossip. I have a month until the fight and I need you to decipher this.” Brayden pulled the white paper from his pocket and slammed it on the table.
She looked at it quizzically and then leaned forward, inhaling. “Smells powerful. Where did you get it?”
Brayden swallowed hard and crossed his arms, looking down at the witch. None of us had taken a seat. I didn’t get the impression we would be here long.
“I pulled it off of the dead body of the Elder Fae,” he said.
Morgana gasped, her hand going to her chest. “I… When? How?” she asked.
Brayden tapped the paper. “Reveal the hidden message and I’ll tell you everything as payment for your services.”
She chewed the inside of her cheek. “It better be big news, Brayden Greywolf. I have no need for petty gossip as payment.”
Brayden leaned over the table, splaying a hand out and got closer to her. “Morgana, this news involves you and a threat to your life.”
That got her moving. All playfulness drained from her face and she reached out and snatched the letter up.
It hit me then why this would involve her. Novus went after the most powerful people in that generation and consumed them, taking on their power. That meant that not only would he be after Brayden, Leah, and I. He’d be after Morgana and any other powerful supernatural.
Morgana walked over to a table at the back of the room and picked up another dagger, this one smaller than the other and fully solid gold. She came back over to us and laid the paper down before her, picking up the golden dagger. With a sharp slice, she made a small gash on her palm. She then squeezed one drop of blood onto the parchment and set the blade down, plucking the paper up and bringing it to her mouth.
Some kind of whispered incantation left her lips and a breeze blew past us for a second, making my hair move and freaking me out.
