Page 80 of Magical Midlife Conclave

“Here.” Niamh tossed it. The durable glass hit the bar and bounced off before tinkling across the ground.

“Ah, there we go.” I jerked my head at it. “Maybe learn how mages do things before you try to implicate them. Which is a pretty dumb thing to do, anyway. It would’ve only proven the very real danger that is out there. Too bad you’re too stupid to pull it off.”

He braced again, leaning on the balls of his feet. Power swirled. Most of the shifters tensed. Expectation crawled across my flesh. I’d given him a challenge.

“You don’t have proof of any of this,” Armendale growled. “So some of my people and Theo’s went out—so what? They came home. Calvin’s man stayed out and look what happened. His wounds didn’t come from a shifter.”

“His wounds didn’t come from an animal. Last I checked, you have opposable thumbs, just like mages. I wonder, if we searched your people’s rooms, would we find the knife?”

“Only if ye also find the enforcer with the mustache in Professor Plum’s pantry,” Niamh drawled, rolling her ice around in the glass. “Oh, weren’t we playing the easiest game of Clue in the history of board games?”

Nessa spat out a laugh.

Now I did stare, straight into his eyes. The bonds from Austin screamed at the danger, basically begging me to stop. He hated when I got challenged. He would’ve lost his mind if he’d seen me face off against the Elder.

I didn’t budge. I knew how this part of things worked. Maybe Armendale didn’t give the command. Maybe he only applauded the foresight of the one who did. That didn’t make him innocent. He felt no remorse that someone had died, and he’d been in here the whole time, trying to control the conversation. Trying to sow discord in this territory just so he could hang on to a few fanboys.

Did he think we were suckers?

“Get out,” I told him. “You don’t have to leave the territory—I’ll let that be Austin’s call—but you do need to leave my sight. I’ll have someone tailing you and your people twenty-four seven. I’ll know who you speak with, and I’ll know what happens after that. If there is any suspicious activity that might have originated from your camp, I will show up at your door personally, is that clear? And I can get a lot more colorful in my fighting than Austin. I will not tolerate your putting this territory—anyone in it—in danger.”

He leaned a bit closer. If he took a step toward me, I would blast him straight to hell.

He must’ve seen it in my eyes.

“You’ve created an enemy,” he rasped, only in control of his beast out of fear or cowardice or both. “You’ll regret this.”

“You’d already decided we were an enemy. You treated this territory accordingly. You talk trash about my mate to anyone who will listen. You actively try to pit people against us. You could’ve just said, ‘No thank you, I don’t want to join,’ but instead you had to try to weaken the one faction that is working on unity. And because of that, you are a danger to shifters as a whole. You’re a danger to your knucklehead friends and the people who look to you for protection or guidance. You should be ashamed. If we have to show up and play hero for your people, we will, and I will delight in stripping you of your title. You’ll regret meeting me.”

Take that step, I begged him. Give me a reason.

The breath gusted from his parted lips. I was sure I heard bitch ride it, but he was already moving toward the door. His friends glared at me, but not for too long. They flicked their gazes at Austin, but they ignored Aljoe and Sue entirely.

Those remaining issued a collective sigh. Kingsley and Sue shuddered, and two of Aljoe’s sisters pushed back onto their heels.

Austin looked at me steadily. There were too many emotions rolling through to know what he was thinking.

“I would like to speak to you privately,” I told him with as even a voice as I could muster. I was so mad right now that it was hard to contain. At him for excluding me. For not trusting me. “But first, how many infractions did I commit?”

“Infractions?” Sue asked, walking closer now.

“Shifter rules. How many rules did I just break? Gargoyles would be running to file grievances against me.”

Kingsley’s lips curved. He was always more expressive with me. “We don’t file grievances. We challenge or we attack.”

“He wanted to do both,” Austin said in a rough voice.

“I really hoped he would.” I took a deep breath.

“How’d you know about his people and what they were wearing?” Aljoe asked, pushing away from the wall to walk closer.

“Niamh and Patty⁠—”

“I made it up,” Niamh interrupted.

I turned to her with raised eyebrows and an open mouth. “You did what?”

She shrugged. “I figured it was the case. It doesn’t take a genius, like. That shifter wouldn’t survive a day with mages.”