“My son is very lucky.” She smiled and then moved to Adam’s side, curling into him when he wrapped an arm around her slim waist.
Yeah…no.
Maverick folded his arms across his broad chest. “I hope you covered your tracks coming here.”
“Of course. I’m not stupid.” Adam scowled at my bear. “I came because I heard that my brother plans to arrest Raven and put her on trial for crimes against magicals. We can’t let that happen. If he gets hold of her now that her necromancer magic has been unlocked, he’ll use it to raise an undead army and overpower both the human and magical worlds.”
Everyone froze. Including me.
“Um, Kenji? Can I raise an undead army using my freaky new powers?”
“Possibly,” he replied. “The last necromancer witch tried using her powers to raise the dead.”
“And what happened?”
“The vampires killed her.”
“Oh. I’m not sure I like that fate for myself. I was hoping for a future that involved a low-stress job and lots of chocolate.”
“I’m praying to the goddess for that too. Then perhaps I can have a moment’s peace.”
“So Kenji says I could do that, which is a concern.” I chewed my lip while not meeting anyone’s eye. “While I believe I have leadership abilities, I am less confident about commanding a zombie army.”
I pictured hordes of undead warriors moldering under the sun.Eww.They’d smell horrific. No amount of scented candles and burning sage would help.
“Anyway,” I continued. “If we kill Tiberius, problem solved, right?”
“I love the way you think, pet,” Zane said once he’d finished snorting at my internal monologue.
“Unfortunately, killing my brother is no longer an option,” Adam said with a deep sigh. “He’s Nula’s soul-bonded mate, so if he dies, she dies.”
“And?” Zane shrugged dismissively.
Fiery embers jumped from Adam’s fingers, leaving scorch marks in the faded rug between us. I hoped it wasn’t a priceless antique.
“You’d countenance the death of an innocent female who’s endured years of torture at her mate’s hands?”
“If it saves my pet, yes.”
Maverick pinched his nose and muttered something I didn’t catch before speaking.
“Zane, be quiet. You’re not helping.” He turned to Adam. “Nobody wants harm to come to Nula, but I’m struggling to think of a way to keep Raven safe without killing Tiberius.”
“Brianna is the key,” Adam replied. “My brother acts like he’s the most powerful mage in the country, but he is mediocre at best. I was always the stronger one of us. Nula would have enhanced his magic, but once he met Brianna, his bond with Nula became too damaged.”
“I don’t understand,” I interjected, scrunching my nose at Nula. “Why would he choose Brianna over you?” Alaric’s mother drooped, her eyes full of pain.
“The minute he met her, it was as if I didn’t exist. She has some kind of hold over him.”
“Maybe she used dark magic?” From what I knew about dark magic, anything was possible. Especially when the goal was as twisted as corrupting a soul-bond.
“He certainly changed when Brianna came along,” Adam agreed. “She rose to power after Ellora disappeared.”
“My mother?”
“Yes. Brianna took over the Nightshade Coven when Nymon stole your mother away. The coven sealed the portal not long after, to prevent more demons from crossing into our realm.”
“So let me get this straight. Briannaabandonedmy mother to an unknown fate and stepped into her shoes?”Wow, what a cuntosaurus.
