AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Who the hell is this?” Rainey demands.
Paloma gestures to the tall warlock lurking behind her. “This is Max. He’s a member of the new Witch Council.”
Rainey crosses both arms, and Elijah does the same. I don’t miss the pointed look shared between them. “The same Witch Council who stood by while Heather and Lucy tore our world apart? Fun. What in the actual fuck are you doing here?”
“Rainey…” Delaney starts.
“No. I want to know what the hell brings this douchebag here when he couldn’t even have been bothered to help us before.”
Rainey Astor is a hot head. She always has been—and probably always will be. It’s one of the reasons she’s so good for Elijah, but it’s also something that could very easily land her in a whole hell of a lot more trouble than she can handle.
The man clears his throat. “As Paloma stated, I am a member of the council. And this particular douchebag is here to help clean up your friend’s mess.”
His thick accent tells of a well-traveled man, probably originating from Ireland, like most of the council members have over the years. Which more than likely means he’s also very, very old. And if his dark suit and perfectly styled greying hair are any indication—wealthy, as well. Then again, council members typically are.
“Our friend’s mess?” Delaney growls. “Our friend wouldn’t have had to go to the lengths she went through had you people come through for us.”
“If only you’d phoned, we could have helped.”
“That’s horse shit,” Cole snaps. “And you fucking know it. You bastards were hiding.”
The man flashes a dark grin. “Can you truly blame us? She killed the entire immortal council and a good deal of the witch council members. Hiding was the only way to ensure survival. Our job is to maintain the balance, after all. If she’d managed to find all of us, there wouldn’t have been anyone to order the retrieval of The Five.”
Every one of us stiffens in place. This is the closest we’ve come to understanding how and why the five lost souls were brought here to defeat Lucy. Including a young Agatha Astor, who was the only one of the five that didn’t turn on us.
“Oh, you mean the group who very nearly killed us in the caves?” Rainey questions. “Gee, thanks for that.”
His face tightens. “Their betrayal was…problematic.”
“Problematic? Seriously?”
“You remedied it, though,” he says, linking both hands behind his back. “Did you not?”
“At the cost of a friend of ours,” Delaney snaps.
“If you’re referring to Jack Keller, the hunter was killed by Lucy, not The Five.”
Delaney’s eyes fill, and Rainey’s face hardens. “The hunter wouldn’t have been at the auction had our paths not crossed with four of The Five in the caverns.” Elijah’s words come out low, the underlying threat I recognize from years of traveling together.
“What my companions are trying to say,” I interject, “is that we don’t need or want you here.”
He turns to me. “We know all about you,” he snaps, “and your love for the witch.”
Hands clenched into fists, I glare right back. “Then you also know that I am willing to kill for her.”
The warlock grins before turning his attention away. “Due to her prior service for our kind, we are willing to give her another chance before we send in bounty hunters.”
Another look between Rainey and Elijah. As to why, I’ve no clue, but once we get rid of this bastard, I intend to find out.
“Oh, how kind of you.” Delaney crosses her arms. “And just what is it you’re wanting in return?”
“We want her to turn herself in and agree to have the magic removed.”
“I didn’t realize you had two fae hanging around and willing to rip the magic from her.”
The warlock arches an eyebrow. “We don’t need fae to perform the spell. It is one we can do in-house.”
“We have it on good authority that you do, in fact, need fae,” I say, as I mentally recall the conversation with Fearghas.
