If she reacted to my flirting the way she reacts to my teasing, this whole “make her fall in love with me” plan would be a lot easier.
“Mind sitting in my chair for a minute? Let your scent soak into the leather. It’ll help me feel closer to you. You know how much I love that.” I flash her an adorable grin, and right on cue, Hazel starts fuming.
When is she going to realize her tricks won’t break me? I’m not some weak loser who folds under pressure. Hazel is testing me, and I refuse to lose.
My fiery hellfire storms out, leaving my office—and my heart—empty as the volume spikes again.
Time to end this before Hazel drives me completely insane.
There’s only one person who’d help her pull this off without fearing the consequences. Time to visit the Prince of Famine and his warlock partner-in-crime.
My Divine traces the punks, and I teleport straight into the game room inside Famine Castle, ready to twist them into pretzels, only to freeze mid-step.
Seiji stands in the middle of the room, wearing nothing but pajama shorts with bright yellow ducks printed on them, screeching into a karaoke mike.
Suddenly, the music in my head doesn’t seem so bad. Thank Fates, Hazel was kind enough not to pick Seiji’s voice singing in my head all day long.
I spot Jackson on the sofa, watching his mate croak like a crow with an adoring smile. He clearly loves Seiji more than his hearing. Only a man deeply in love would sit through this torture willingly.
Right before the battle with the Crescent Moon Coven, where Nevaeh killed Visha and destroyed her empire, Seiji found his mate. A warlock, no less.
It wasn’t easy to trust Jackson after what his kind did to my kids, but he’s proven his loyalty to Seiji and this kingdom time and time again.
Jackson finally notices me, and the smile on his lips twists into something wicked. “Hello, Dean. What brings you here?”
“Cut the shit, Jackson. Where’s the hex bag?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” His head tilts like an innocent puppy, but he’s Seiji’s mate. Anyone who lives with the Prince of Famine has to have a little chaos in them.
“Come on, man. Khatri’s waiting for me in the dungeon. If I go down there like this, I’m going to kill someone.”
He tsks, leaning back with his arm draped over the couch, deep brown eyes staring into my soul. “I can’t go against Hazel. Everyone knows your siren is crazy.”
I growl, “What do you want?”
I can see it on his face. The asshole is bargaining.
Jackson grins like he’s already won. “Anxo is taking a proposal to the council. Refuge for witches and warlocks in the Tetrad kingdom. I want your vote.”
A breath whooshes out of me. Fuck. That’s a big ask, and he knows it.
After Visha’s coven fell, the impact rippled across all realms. One by one, covens have collapsed, leaving only a few still standing.
Because of Visha, her reach, her alliances, her damage, so many supernatural kingdoms are turning away witches and warlocks who have nothing left.
I won’t lie, a huge part of me was glad to see their fall. But that doesn’t mean I can ignore innocent bystanders caught in the aftermath. Visha was a tyrant. There’s no way anyone in her coven could’ve stopped her, no matter how powerful.
It stings that Jackson doubts me. I’ve been so loud about hating Visha that I forgot to reassure him that my grudge is not against his entire kind.
“You already have my vote, Jackson. I won’t turn anyone away, especially not for what they are. The Tetrad kingdom was built as a sanctuary.”
Jackson rubs the back of his neck. “I just needed to be sure. Sorry about leveraging the musical torture.”
“Put me out of my misery, and I’ll forgive you.”
Jackson laughs, rising to his feet. A hex bag drops into his outstretched palm from nowhere. He closes his eyes, mutters a complicated spell under his breath, and the little pouch ignites in a flash of blue before vanishing.
“That should do it.” He claps his hands together, rubbing his palms before snapping his fingers twice, and the music begins to fade before finally stopping altogether.
