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“Miss. Butler,” she greets as if this meeting has been planned for ages. “How lovely to see you!” Turning to the hostess, she adds, “Please bring us some water. That will be all for now.” As Becky leaves to fetch our water, Ms. Leblanc gestures to the table, indicating I should sit.
“Ms. Leblanc,” my voice is plain, void of warmth or recognition, and I sit warily. Her smile seems forced now like she’d rather be anywhere but here.
“Please, call me Sophie.”
“Okay, Sophie. Who are you, and what the hell am I doing here?” I want to get to the point. I want to get back home. Something is gnawing at me, and I don’t like the feeling I’m getting from this woman.
“Wren,” using my first name since apparently we are so well acquainted now. “I want you to know that I, and my coven, mean you no harm.”
Coven?
I look her over. She definitely isn’t a vampire. I can hear her heart beating. At the same time, she gives off the vibe of a predator.
“You’re not like me,” I state. “But you’re more than human. What are you?”
Whether she means no harm is something I will find out later, but right now, I want to know more about Ms. Sophie Leblanc.
Becky returns with our waters, and Sophie sips hers. My impatience for an answer must be plain because Sophie seems to scramble to answer.
“I am, for lack of a better term, a witch.” Her voice is low enough that no nearby patrons can hear, but I can hear her perfectly fine with my heightened senses.
Air hisses into me.
Reading the archives, I learned that many supernatural creatures existed—demons, fae, werewolves, witches. Pretty much anything humans ever feared going bump in the night is real. We are all trying to coexist and keep our presence a secret. Despite the common goal, all the texts and journals I’ve read make it seem like our kinds don’t mix much. I’m still not sure what being a witch means, but I can guess.
“So why ask to meet me?”
Ask isn’t exactly the word. She’d more or less commanded me to be here. Curiosity and the unease I felt about the council are why I came.
“I have a proposition for the vampires, one I think you are in a unique position to listen to, given who your mate is.” Ah, the crux of it. She wants the vampires for something. Likely, she doesn’t think Oz will meet with her at all. Me, the newborn mate of the vampire coven leader, is a much safer bet to invite and at least be heard out.
She’s not wrong.
“What would that be,” I can’t hide my interest. I have been eating up all the knowledge I can about my new world. Magic and supernatural things fascinate me. If my childhood self could see the things I just happened to stumble upon, she’d be squealing with delight.
“A chance to re-imagine the vampire's existence and condition. A chance to change the fate of vampires everywhere and keep up with the rise of werewolves and demons.”
“And witches,” I add, noticing she purposefully omitted her own kind.
Nodding in agreement, Sophie leans in. “The demons are becoming a problem. We cannot stand against them individually but united, and we stand a chance.”
So she wants an alliance?
The demons I’ve read about are dark and evil, on the run from their realm and hunted by their law enforcement, I.M.P. The Inter-realm Magic Police. They come here and cause mayhem until their side catches up with them. It’s quite a lot of red tape, and demons live forever, so it’s not like time is a concern. Why did she mention the wolves? From what I can tell, there is no direct animosity between us.
“Why do you want to unite with us? Why vampires?” Sophie is holding back. She has a card that she wants to play when the time is right. I am anxious to get to that time, to have it all laid out in front of me.
“We can’t offer the wolves anything that they don’t already have. They will probably agree to join us for safety, but why would vampires? Unless your kind has something to gain, you’d leave the rest of us to it and keep your own necks safe.” She’s annoyed. She thinks we should be helping out of the kindness of our hearts, and we aren’t.
I cross my arms and lean back in my chair. “Fine way of asking for help.” I don’t hide the irritation in my voice and watch her face as she tries to backpedal.
Good witch.
Smart witch.
Don’t forget I have the power in this situation.
“I just mean that demons haven’t been as large of a concern for your kind as they have been for the rest of us. You’re the most difficult to fight and kill, and so you are afforded a certain protection from them. They don’t come after you the way they come after us. And make no mistake… They are coming after us.”
