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“The psycho stole someone’s life and magic for weeks, months, maybe years. She’s unhinged. This isn’t murder. It’s execution. And you’re getting in my way.” Clark’s eyes glowed, and then he was levitating, and an enormous wind threw Lark across the clearing and into the trees. No one else tried to protect her after that, for some reason. We should show mercy, right? Except that she wouldn’t give mercy to me and my children. And she could control people’s thoughts. She was too dangerous, and she was attacking us.

Clark created a blast of raw power that sucked her up into a funnel then dropped her, twitching to the ground on our side of the fence. He landed next to her, grabbed her throat and then sucked the life and magic out of her. So fast. So hard. And then she was dead, and he throbbed with so much raw energy. I took a step back to get out of range.

“That wasn’t the best idea,” Clark’s uncle said. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, drawing diagrams in the dirt for James. Such a weirdo.

“Why isn’t it a good idea?” I asked, separating myself from the minds of the creatures so I could focus on my family.

“That much magic will make him trend towards psycho. Also killing his own sister. Not a good choice. He should have had you do it, but he wants to protect your innocence, your goodness, your shine. Now he’ll probably annihilate the entire council, and then there’ll be nothing to check the unhinged advancement of darkness.”

That was enough information. I stalked towards Clark, summoning the tiger beside me. It was probably big enough for me to ride.

“Climb on,” he said, with that creepy tiger smile.

I sighed then climbed onto the tiger, who raced towards Clark, dodging the blasts of energy and lightning that came from the family, because it seemed like Clark dragging his sister over the fence had broken its protective magic.

I rode that tiger through exploding mines and bolts of energy until I reached Clark where he was slowly levitating, wrapped in so much power it made my teeth ache and my skin tingle in not sexy ways.

I leapt at him before he could really get off the ground, and hit him, knocking him down onto one knee while I wrapped my arm around his neck so I could hiss into his ear.

“Clark, stop killing them. We’re done. Your sister had to die, but no one else does. We’re fighting on the same team. None of us want darkness to spread unchecked. None of us want psychos to hurt the innocent. You’re better than this. You’re the best man I know. End the conflict with diplomacy. Make a deal. You like deals. Make any deal you want, but no more death.”

I looked over his shoulder at the council, his family, who stopped attacking and just waited, each face tense, thinking that there was no way Clark would be reasonable after he’d tasted so much power.

Clark’s mother came forward, head tilted as she considered me, dangling from my husband like a monkey, with a monkey on my shoulder. Still. Even though it had done absolutely nothing useful. “New deal. An alliance between Hoar House and the Council of Avia. You are the new high consulate, Peregrine. The teeth has become the voice.”

“I’m not part of the council,” Clark said in a voice like doom. Also kind of emotionless and terrifying. It was like he didn’t even notice me dangling off him like a keychain bobble.

“What are the hours?” I asked, ignoring him.

She focused on me, frowning because she clearly would prefer I were dead rather than talking. “Hours?”

“I don’t want my husband gone for weeks at a time. That doesn’t work for me, particularly if I’m having another set of twins. I’ve tried to block out the last time, between Jerome’s colic and James’s never-ending diaper rash, plus the ear infections. Do you remember the ear infections, Clark? Anyway, I want my husband to take nights for me. It’s his fault I’m in this mess, since he’s the one who’s a twin. What about if Uncle Claws does some ruling? Maybe they can be co-rulers of the council, so the hours aren’t as long. And Lark can do the enforcing with a nice committee that focuses on maintaining the integrity of your excellent corporation. Is it a corporation? Seems like a family business. Do you have stocks? Is it public? Never mind. The point is, joint control seems like a much better option. Don’t you think, Clark?” I bit his ear because he still didn’t seem to notice me. Apparently, I didn’t like not being noticed.

“That isn’t an option,” Clark said slowly.

“Why not? Do the two of you not work well together?”

“It is an option,” the woman said clearly. “It is an option unless…” She turned to look into the shadows of the woods. I followed her gaze and saw them. The undead. Hundreds, maybe thousands of vampires, and one enormous creature of darkness in the center.

We were so screwed.

twenty

. . .

I dropped from Clark’s neck, but he grabbed me, pulling me against him before I could faint in terror or run away.

“Don’t leave me,” he murmured before pressing a hard kiss to my hair.

“Vampires,” I said in return.

He studied me with lightning eyes that grew softer and more human by the moment. Did we need a human? Seemed we needed a psycho sorcerer to face this new threat. “Yes. In case I needed to be put down. Before I killed my own wife and children. That happens. I requested the Grand Master’s presence. Also, he wanted to meet you to see if you’re a threat to his people, since you can control them. It’s something he wondered about.”

“Oh.” So many things to unpack there. Clark was going to maybe kill us all? And vampires were here because I was a threat against them? Because of that time I was drunk in the bar. Right.

“Good evening,” the vampire said, stepping out of the shadows and looking more tired than I’d expected. Also familiar. Like, incredibly familiar. Like I’d spent an hour lecturing him about how to be a good husband before my foster sister married him.

I stepped forward and pointed at him. “Hazen?”