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General knowledge of the Lunar Lord ebbed and flowed among the supernatural community, depending on how involved I’d been in paranormal affairs within a given century. Mortal beings tended to forget me quickly as my name faded from their stories. If we hadn’t met, the “Lunar Lord” seemed more like a mythical being than a real one and, frankly, I’d tended to prefer this as the decades stretched on. Who could come after me if they didn’t even know I existed?
Now, though, that plan was coming back full circle to bite me in the ass. There were multiple families or clans, even a few covens, who had trouble believing I was real at all. It was up to the Order of the Stars to ensure they understood how important the upcoming eclipse would be, and why their help was needed to support the current balance within the paranormal world. Itdid not matter if they believed in me or the Solar Sovereign—she was going to strike, and she’d stop at nothing to ensure the scales of power would tip back in her favor.
What still concerned me, however, was how this would ripple through the human world. I had far less control over that, and though the Order did their best to infiltrate human organizations, catching any rumors of paranormal activity before they spread too far, their numbers were only so many. There was only so much they could do, and gathering allies was more important right now.
One issue was the group of astronomers who were planning to travel to Peru, excited to experience the apex of the total solar eclipse from a prime location. It’d be best if they could simply beconvincedto view it elsewhere, but so far, they’d resisted gentle suggestions. I was debating sending a vampire with hypnotic talents such as Piers, but hadn’t come to any firm decision yet. There was also the possibility of using my alpha command, though this meant potential exposure to humans.
I sighed, my mind drifting from my own alpha command to the one Celeste appeared caught under. I was convinced the Solar Sovereign had commanded Celeste to kill me, and her inability to shift was part of the curse. A hot rush of anger flooded through me, and I took a breath to settle my fury before it took over. My fated mate had already suffered enough, having her magic silenced and wolf ensnared most of her life, and for someone to rob her of that now…
I took another breath and looked down at my desk. I’d continued with the current strategy, but I hadn’t stopped coming up with a Plan B, either. If something were to happen to her, I’d call off my forces. I’d still be vulnerable, but the Solar Sovereign would surely expect me somewhere near Machu Picchu. There was no way she’d be able to find me in the seven minutes I was most vulnerable if I was across the globe.
My cell phone rang, and I glanced down, frowning at the name.Game time,I thought before forcing on a false smile. Convincing the humans to leave my site alone was all part of the plan.
“Hello, Dr. Bronson,” I purred into the speaker. “Thank you so much for returning my call. Now, I’d like to talk to you about the upcoming eclipse and a potential donation to the Bronson Astronomy Lab from the Southern Sky Research Station…”
After spending several hours with little to show for it, I nearly threw my phone at the wall. I’d convinced Dr. Bronson to go elsewhere, but there were still six other scientists who weren’t persuaded by donations nor by other means. That meant I’d have to send Piers and Gilbert to finish the job.
I stretched as I got up from my leather chair and headed down the hall, hoping to find Celeste in the library as she prepared to train in magic tonight while the moon rose in the sky.
Chapter 6
Celeste
Fenris’s Private Villa
Isla Lobo, Panama
Time Until the Eclipse: 23 Days
Val had given me free rein in her storeroom, offering me whatever I wanted in her catalog. I was welcome to use anything, and at first, I balked at the idea, but the older witch insisted it was easy enough to replace anything I used. She also insisted that even the rarer items weren’t as valuable as Esme or Lyka.
Not for the first time, I found myself wishing Val had been my aunt when I was a little girl, but I was still grateful to get to know her now. Her mentorship was invaluable.
I grabbed some rose petals and a few basil leaves, then dropped them into the stone mortar and grinded the plants methodically. It was a monotonous task, especially considering how many tinctures and spells I’d tried in the past few days. There wasn’t anything in the Handmaiden grimoire that specifically mentioned death marks or anything similar, so I’d been rifling through some of the books Fenris kept in his library.Even with Morgan’s help researching Aurora witches, I couldn’t find anything specific to death marks or even tangentially related to the spell.
I’d resolved to make things work for Esme or Lyka, but after my experience transporting myself to Egypt, I was also determined not to touch anything to do with dark magic again. Regardless of my walking right into the Solar Sovereign’s waiting claws, I was still completely wiped out by the experience. It wasn’t worth draining my energy so thoroughly that I’d be unable to do any other magic for days after. I wouldn’t help anyone if I exhausted myself like that, and if it went poorly enough, I wouldn’t even be able to perform magic when the eclipse rolled around. The only plus side was that my wolf wasn’t such a powerful undercurrent in everything I did.
I refused to let her aggravation and fear bleed into my thoughts and my actions, but that was getting harder. It wasn’t like I’d shifted every day before Zyanya cast an alpha command over me, but the knowledge that Icouldn’tat all drove my wolf crazy.
The restlessness was not a good enough reason to grind myself down, though. Instead, I took Abi up on her offer to join some of her training sessions with Grant Oakley in the morning. I was mostly there for the physical exertion, but I had to admit, the former hunter knew every magical creature known to man—and some that weren’t. This morning, he showed Abi how to take down a siren if she ever found herself under one’s call. Yesterday, he explained how to hold your own against a witch without magic at your disposal.
These were all good things to know, but I didn’t feel any better about the upcoming eclipse. If anything, I worried Abi might need to takemedown so I didn’t hurt Fenris, and the last thing I wanted to do was fight my best friend again. She still felta lot of guilt for trying to drown me while under Sabine’s control, no matter how many times I told her it wasn’t her fault.
Suddenly Fenris’s scent filled my nose, and I only had seconds to process the familiar warmth of wood smoke and cinnamon before he leaned down to kiss my cheek. I paused, standing still at the workbench as he pressed his chest against my back, one hand on my hip while the other settled into the bench top.
“I could practically feel your stress out in the hallway,” he murmured, moving to brush a few strands of hair away from my face before leaning in to kiss my neck. “I would much prefer mykhuyabe relaxed and satisfied.”
I glanced down at the herbs I’d ground into paste before placing the pestle in the mortar, then slid the stone tools across the bench until they were against the wall. “Is that so?” I asked, allowing myself to press my weight back into Fenris’s warmth.
I felt the rumble in his chest as much as I heard it. “It is,” he said. “I would be more than happy to take you to bed to help resolve the issue.” He kissed the shell of my ear.
“Why take me to bed when there are so many other places youhaven’ttaken me yet?” I asked, canting my hips to grind my behind against him.
Fenris’s nostrils flared, and I heard his sharp inhale as he nipped at my skin, grabbing my hip to turn me around so we stood chest to chest. “Well, we should remedy that right now,” he growled, lifting me up to sit on the bench before sealing his lips over mine.
I sighed softly, content to melt into his affection. As he nipped at my lips, I granted him entrance, groaning gently as his tongue pushed against mine. Fenris kissed like he made love: purposeful, determined, and focused. I threw my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his dark hair. He growled as I scratched his scalp, and I groaned in response, rolling my hipsagain as heat pooled inside me. Then I tipped my head to one side when he pulled back for a breath, exposing my neck to him.
Fenris’s amber eyes flashed, and he leaned back in, running his tongue up the length of my neck. He didn’t bite, but he teased my skin with sharp teeth.
