I gave myself a mental shake.
Elias stood near the door, looking more put-together than he had in days, though I'd bet my favorite leather pants that was all for show. Talin sat close to him, her shoulder nearly touching his hip, and even from across the room I could feel the electricity between them. The bond. The inevitable.
Which left me and Alice as the only two un-bonded souls in a room full of mated pairs and family ties.
??. Fuck.
"Marcus showed up at The Purple Fang last night," Killian was saying, his slight Irish lilt more pronounced than usual.
Judy's expression didn't change, but her fingers tightened on the armrest of her chair. "What did he want?"
Elias cleared his throat, and I fought the urge to grin. Watching my usually composed brother squirm was entertaining, even under the circumstances.
"To threaten me mostly," he told her.
"But why you specifically?" she asked.
Elias and Killian exchanged a look, then Killian gave him a nod, and he turned back to Judy. "Because he thought he could get to Talin through me."
Judy held up her hand and closed her eyes. "Wait. Talin?"
I should have been paying attention. Should have been listening as the room erupted into multiple conversations going on at once.
Instead, I was watching Alice.
She sat perfectly still in her chair, hands folded in her lap, the picture of serenity. But I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers twisted together. And her brown eyes had that faraway quality that said her mind was somewhere else entirely.
But she must've felt me staring at her, because those pretty eyes suddenly cut to mine across the room, and I felt it like a physical impact right in the center of my chest.
??, ??, ??. No, no, no.
I looked away first, jaw tight, forcing my attention back to the chaos unfolding at the front of the room.
"—can't just make decisions that affect the entire coven without consulting—" Judy was saying.
"With all due respect," Elias cut in, and his voice had an edge to it I recognized well. "She's her own person capable of making her own choices."
"She's a Moss," Angel snapped. "That makes her our responsibility."
"She's my mate." Elias's fangs flashed. "That makes her mine."
The room fell silent.
Well, that got everyone's attention, didn't it?
"What?" Judy finally spoke, her eyes going back and forth between her niece and the vampire, like she'd only just noticed how buddy-buddy they'd suddenly become.
Talin reached up and squeezed his hand, and I watched him visibly fight for control. "It's true," she told her aunt.
"Let's all calm down," Killian said, his power rolling through the room like a wave. A subtle reminder that the witches didn't have all the authority here. "We're not here to debate the bond. It's done. And there's nothing to do about it. We're here to figure out what Marcus's game was by coming here, and how we should react to it. If at all."
Judy stood, her aura pulsing with barely contained frustration. "What Marcus wants is obvious. He has Alex. And now he wants Alice as well, since they're both descendants of his brother and carry djinn blood. It's what he's wanted all along."
"Then why hasn't he just taken her?"
Everyone looked at Lizzy.
She gave them a little shrug. "He took Alex. Why not just take Alice, too?"
