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“I’m sorry about the fire, little one,” I said. “Want to try again?”
I put the plant in front of me and concentrated, this time focusing on keeping things cool and calm. From the center of the plant, a tiny leaf started to grow. It got larger and larger, and as it did, another leaf sprouted across from it.
By the time the smell of steak filled the air, the plant was almost whole. It even had a single flower stalk with a cluster of buds ready to bloom. But I was tired again, and this time, I recognized the feeling.
I sure hoped Eamon had made me a huge steak, because I was ravenous.
Chapter 25
Eamon
“Relinquishthewitchtome, demon,” the asshole said over the phone.
I gritted my teeth, silently fuming.
Desmon had called earlier asking for Tansy. After their talk, she’d asked to contact the wizard Seth using Redrock’s secure line, to which I’d made some excuse why she couldn’t and hid it in my office. When Tansy failed to contact him, Seth decided to contact me instead. Luckily, Desmon had given him Redrock’s number instead of hers.
“Like bloody hell, wizard.”
Seth grumbled something about demons being difficult just for the fun of it, then said more clearly, “You’ve done all you can. It was a valiant effort.”
I could hear his unspoken “for a lesser being” loud and clear.
“Now, let a professional finish the job,” he continued. “This is beyond what Redrock can offer. She needs my help.”
Tansy didn’tneedthis wizard; she didn’t need a professional. I was enough.
“The answer is still no. She trusted me with her safety. Now if you’re done—”
“She will be protected here. My home is well-guarded and warded. I’ll never let her out of my sight. I’ll even keep her in my room and throw myself on her to protect her if I need to.”
That did it. Just the thought of her sleeping next to the wizard had me growling. I wanted to chuck my phone across the room. Instead, I hung up and blocked the number so the call wouldn’t forward to Graham’s phone, then turned off my phone.
That would send him straight to the Redrock Protective Services voicemail. He could leave a fucking message. I’d check on them eventually. Maybe sometime in the next century.
Wasn’t that what they recommended we do for a healthy work-life balance? I wasn’t running from the situation; I was just trying to be healthy.
I’d been willing to concede to meeting with Desmon, but not with Tansy leaving to stay with the wizard as he fast-tracked her to the right level to trap the soul. I ignored the fact that it had been Desmon who’d insisted the two meet up.
There had to be other ways. I tucked the phone back into my pocket and focused on the list of names on my screen. It was all the contacts the EA had available for their use. The answer was somewhere here.
I entered the requirements and let the system run its search on the extensive database. Seth’s name stared back at me at the top of the list, and I quickly scrolled past it. The next name was worse. Another wizard, one I’d had a run-in with in the past. In fact, the first half-dozen names were all wizards.
I hadn’t realized so many powerful wizards had left the WEC and were now kept on retainer by the EA. I wondered how far the EA went to vet all the people they worked with. What were the chances of a WEC spy getting on this list?
The EA might trust a wizard, but I didn’t. They were prone to befriending you, only to trap you into servitude forever. I knew this for a fact.
I narrowed the search to exclude wizards, marveling at modern technology. The first result was nearly as bad. A demon. One I knew chased every skirt on two legs, often even four. I scrolled down. The next few names looked promising, though I didn’t know them well. I copied them down and started my research into them.
It was going to be a long day.
“Absolutelynot,”Isaid.
I’d known my excuse wouldn’t keep her away for long. Tansy was nothing if not persistent when she wanted something. And she wanted a solution. A solution she thought the wizard could give her.
Over my dead body.
I didn’t care how reformed and nice this wizard had managed to trick others into thinking he was; there was no way I’d let Tansy anywhere near him. Especially if he was truly as nice as they claimed he was.
