“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she fumbled the words and then swallowed hard. “I don’t know you.”

  “Stop your blasphemous lies!” Scarlett yelled at her. “The secret is out, Celestine!”

  And that was when Aunt Tabitha stepped forward and faced her sister and her expression was hard, all the anger she’d bottled up all these years now coming out.

  “Scarlett is exactly right,” Tabitha snapped. I watched as Mother’s eyes went wide in obvious shock. “You know damn well they’re your sons, Celestine.”

  “You’ve gone daft,” Mother tried to argue, but Tabitha shook her head with a fury I’d never witnessed before. Now that she was able to talk, she wouldn’t be silenced.

  “I tried to stop you the first time, but you bound me. And not just me. You bound anyone who could spill your sordid secret.” Then she turned to face the audience at large. “Celestine has been feeding undesirables to the vampires. I made her promise not to touch my children.” And then she turned back to face her sister. “And what did you do? Had your pet vampire, Janeth, snatch them at the first opportunity. And she almost turned my son. I ought to hex you into oblivion just for that.”

  So, Tabitha didn’t realize Maverick was a Blood Warlock? Or maybe she was sparing him the embarrassment of admitting as much in front of all these witches?

  Either way, Mother’s calm facade began to crumble, but to her credit, she was going to stick to the lie as long as she could. Judging from the outraged noises the other witches were making, though, her defense wouldn’t hold up for long.

  “You’re delusional and you’ve been jealous of me and my rank for far too long. To have come to this low point, Tabitha—”

  “If that’s so, how do you explain these?” Tabitha produced a sheaf of paper and waved it at her. “Do you know what these are, Celestine? Bank records. Records that you’ve contracted vampires all over the country, but it appears you especially like Janeth as the majority of the bank records are made out to her.” There was a round of shocked whispers at that—Janeth was well-known for being brutal. “She’s a known witch killer,” Tabitha continued. “What self-respecting witch associates with a vampire who hunts our kind?”

  Mother’s shoulders went tight, and there was a resigned set to her jaw. She knew she was going down, but she wasn’t going to let Tabitha get away with this without a fight. She kept her fingers crooked, ready to cast.

  “They were warlocks,” Mother said finally. “And we all know warlocks are unstable. Was it better to burn them or take their heads with an ax? Both are barbaric. This was cleaner.”

  I laughed. “That’s your defense? ‘It doesn’t matter because they’re warlocks?’ If you buy into the sick magical hierarchy we adhere to, then yes, you’d have a point.” Then I reached out, and taking Astrid’s hand, pulled her gently out from behind her brother. “How, then, do you explain Astrid?”

  Astrid licked her lips nervously and glanced at me as I clutched her hand even more tightly, giving her a quick smile to let her know I had her back. We all did. At my encouraging nod, she sucked in a breath and then whipped her scarf off, exposing the ring of bruises around her throat. She seemed to wither under the stares of so many witches, shoulders hunching forward. She wouldn’t look at anyone in particular.

  “You are so much better than any of them,” Lorcan whispered into her ear and with that, she straightened up. I turned to him and gave him a smile that said just how much I appreciated him.

  The sound Tabitha made when confronted with the truth of what had happened to her daughter was enough that everyone in the room knew the truth—knew what Celestine had done—and knew she was now trying to cover it all up.

  I jabbed a finger at her. “Look at Astrid! Janeth’s vampires abducted her, choked her unconscious, and hurt her! They were going to turn her into a vampire if we hadn’t interceded when we did.” I turned to face all the witches who were staring back at me. “And I don’t need to tell all of you, but I will anyway—Astrid is a witch, not a warlock.” I turned back to face Mother. “And she’s not even of age, yet you were going to condemn her to an unlife because she got a little too close to the truth. She’s only alive because Maverick threw himself on top of her, taking the bite that would have ended her life. He was willing to die to save her, which makes this ‘unstable warlock’ a damn sight better than you.”

  “I did what I had to do!” Mother raged, shaking her head as her hands fisted at her sides. “We can’t let any taint into this line. No warlocks, no Blood Witches, no upstarts! You want to challenge me, fine. But, be warned, I will flatten you.”

  My smile was as cold as her heart. “Maybe. Maybe not. If you really want to find out, I’m game. But even if you win the battle, you’ll lose the war.” I spread my arms wide. “Do you really think all these witches gathered around us are going to allow this?” As I glanced around, I realized all the witches were shaking their heads. They weren’t going to let this stand, with or without me.

  I faced Mother again. “You can’t fend off everyone. But, luckily for you, I’m willing to give you an out.”

  “An out?” she echoed, and tried for scornful. Her words just came out small and a little scared.

  “Banishment,” I said. “You tuck your broomstick between your legs and you live the rest of your miserable life in isolation. Or you can face all of us in battle. Your choice.”

  Mother’s gaze swept the room, and her shoulders actually bowed beneath the weight of the collective vitriol. The air was charged with magic and barely repressed violence, and she was at the center of it all. If she chose battle, it was over. She wasn’t leaving the Sanctuary alive. So, she did the only thing she could do.

  She nodded.

  “I say this on the behalf of everyone,” I continued as I faced her. “Celestine Depraysie, you are hereby under arrest and sentenced to exile for the murder of five warlocks, and the attempted murder of a warlock and witch. A sentence which is to be carried out immediately.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Five Days Later

  “Your heart is really going, sweetling,” Lorcan laughed at me. “I had no idea watching Yule savage my old socks would be so enthralling. Shall I teach him to say ‘Are you not entertained?’”

  I hid a smile behind the rim of my cup.

  Scarlett had insisted we see a proper healer after Mother’s sound defeat at the Assembly. I’d lost around two pints of blood during Janeth’s attack and hadn’t even realized how exhausted I was until after everything with Mother was over.

  Between the blood loss and the magical expenditure, I’d nearly collapsed when the excitement was over. Lorcan had been there to catch me, as usual. It had been embarrassing. And a little thrilling. It wasn’t witch-like in the slightest. But ask me if I gave a damn.

  I didn’t.

  Maybe the scene at the Assembly would change things between our species. Maybe not. But I knew one thing—it had changed things for me. Knowing what I did now put things into some much-needed perspective.

  Regardless, Scarlett’s healer had told me what I already knew—I needed rest and lots of it. So that’s what I’d been doing for the last five days—resting. And there was a reason I was doing it curled next to Lorcan on the couch in his home, rather than laid up in the old duplex or the Coven’s new communal living space. Both Betanya and Olga had decided to move into the Tudor Revival, which was fine by the rest of us.

  For the last five days, I’d basically been in and out of the deepest sleep of my life. On the fifth day, when I finally woke up for good, I learned Olga and Betanya had bespelled me to a healing sleep.

  Now that I was awake, I needed to tell Lorcan what had happened with Janeth, even if there was a frog stuck in my throat at the idea. I just—I didn’t know how he’d react? And if there was a threat that I was going to lose my wits and go full feral, would Lorcan be forced to kill me before that ever happened? Would he wait until it did? I didn’t have any answers for the myriad questions that plagued me.

  His grin faded around the edges when I didn’t laugh or immediately snark back at his comment about Yule and his socks. He took my free hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

  “What’s wrong, my dear?”

  “It’s… something and I… I don’t even know where to begin. But… But we do need to talk about it.”

  Lorcan’s lips twitched as he nodded and there was a level of seriousness in his eyes that wasn’t normally there. “I must admit, there was something I wanted to discuss with you, as well.” He took a breath and that devil’s smile overtook his lips again. “But, let us start with your topic first: are we going to see other people now, darling? You do have a new selection of vampires to choose from, it seems.”

  I scowled at him.

  William and the other turned warlocks were currently negotiating the sale of a large Victorian Gothic just inside Haven Hollow city limits. I didn’t think the move was motivated solely by my dilemma, but it was certainly part of it. Rupert was still a real and pressing danger to my continued mortality. Until recently, Lorcan had been the only real vampire presence in the Hollow, which meant Rupert could negotiate from a point of strength. When Rupert tried to come for me again, he’d have to deal with my brothers and their compatriots. I was fairly sure they’d all rather eat garlic than let me or their recently blooded cousin be turned against our will.

  “That’s what I need to talk to you about… sort of.”

  Lorcan’s brows shot up. “So, you are leaving me for another vampire?” he asked, with another smile but I could tell there was something nervous behind it. “I'll admit, I thought you’d go for the brutish sasquatch as I do believe ‘Erasmus’ and ‘Wandellmellia’ would stretch the character limits of your wedding invitations?”

  I pressed my lips to his, and swallowed the rest of his words, winding my arms around his shoulders. A soft groan built in his throat, and then his arms were around my waist, pulling me closer.

  “I’m not leaving you,” I murmured against his mouth. “Never. I… I can’t.”

  “And why is that, my dear?”

  I swallowed hard and then forced the words from my lips, even though they were entirely true. “Because I can’t.”

  Lorcan went very still beneath me.

  Even his breath stopped, which was eerie.

  Even knowing what he was, I kept expecting the rise and fall of his chest. Most vampires breathed out of habit, but they didn’t need the oxygen. A vampire could theoretically only draw breath when they needed to speak.

  “Sweetling...” he began.

  I pressed a finger to his lips, shushing him with a soft smile. “Let me get this all out before I lose my nerve, okay?” I asked as I realized there were actually two things I needed to tell him—what happened with Janeth, yes, but also… my feelings for him.

  He nodded after a moment, and then shivered when I settled myself on his lap, wrapping my legs around his waist. I could feel just how happy he was to have me there.

  “I talked to William about us before I knew he was my brother. Which in hindsight is very embarrassing, but that’s beside the point.”

  “The point, my dear?”

  I laughed. “Right—the point… Anyway, William asked me why I couldn’t tell you how I really felt about you.” I took another deep breath and wanted to kick myself over how difficult this was to do—something which was silly, considering they were just words.

  “And what did you say?”

  “I told him the… truth.” I couldn’t say anything more for another second or so.

  “And what was that truth?” Lorcan prodded.

  “That I… well, that is to say.” I took another deep breath.

  “Wanda, dear, I am trying to be patient, but there is a limit even to my patience.”

  I nodded. This was getting ridiculous. “The truth was… that I was… too embarrassed to tell you my feelings.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I didn’t trust them... I was sure these feelings I had for you had to have been manufactured, a product of the bond but...”

  I ducked my head as a surge of emotion overcame me. I couldn’t look at him. What if I did something inexcusable like cry?

  “But?” he prompted.

  “But then I saw how you are with Astrid, and I thought about what a shame it was that you never got to have a daughter of your own. And then those thoughts led to other thoughts like what an incredible father you would make. And then I thought about how you’re a good man in general, Lorcan, with a good heart, and you’ve sacrificed so much trying to keep me alive and happy. I’d like to think I’d love you and… be in love with you… even if we weren’t tied together.”

  “Yes, well, about that bond,” he started, but then lost his words as he watched, mesmerized, as I popped the buttons on the emerald blouse I wore. I’d made it months ago, cursing myself when I realized I’d chosen the color without thinking and it just so happened it was the same shade as his emerald eyes. It was proof that Lorcan was on my mind more than I’d ever like to admit.

  Why? Because I loved him.

  I loved Lorcan Rowe, and had for a while, even if it had taken me too long to understand the feeling. And longer still to admit it to myself and now, to him.

  I shrugged out of the blouse and then the bra, tossing both across the room to land on one of the armchairs near the fire. Lorcan’s eyes were fastened to my breasts as he took a deep breath and then brought his emerald eyes back to mine.

  “You are beyond beautiful,” he whispered.

  Yule watched the clothing with some interest before turning tail and trotting toward the doggy door that would let him into the basement. As a guardian spirit, he was smarter and more intuitive than he looked.

  “I’m not running anymore, Lorcan,” I said as I realized this could be the very last time I had the chance to be physical with him—if what he’d said was true, there was a chance that I could become ravenous at any moment, owing to Janeth’s blood. Thus, there was no time like the present.

  And, yes, that conversation was still hanging on my tongue, but I just couldn’t interrupt the moment with it now. But it would come soon. That much, I promised myself. “I know you’re not going to abandon me the second the bond is gone,” I continued. “You wouldn’t, even if I had just been a conquest in your eyes. You take care of your heirs. And even if you decide to up and leave, I’m not alone. I have my brothers to help me. I know I’d be okay.”

  I undid the necklace that protected me against him and allowed it to fall onto the couch and disappear under the cushions. Then I reached up to cup his face again. The kiss was achingly slow, and I could feel the line of tension in his body. He must have bitten himself at some point, because when I coaxed his lips open, a coppery tang crossed my tongue.

  I don’t know how long we kissed but when I finally pulled away, I kissed and nipped my way down his neck and continued the trail downward, popping the buttons of his shirt as I went. When I reached his pants, I paused and then added in a teasing tone, “Am I supposed to ask your permission first… sire?”

  That did it.

  Lorcan let out an utterly inhuman sound, and then I was suddenly airborne. I found myself lying in front of the fire, pinned beneath his weight. He’d shed his shirt at some point and before I could blink, we were now skin-to-skin, my breasts mounded against his chest. A second later and he’d removed his pants, leaving him clad in just the silk boxers. A pile of black fabric settled a few feet away, and I grinned.

  “When did you take off my skirt?”

  “Sometime between ‘permission’ and ‘sire’,” he growled.

  I wound my legs around his waist and pulled him as close as he could get to me. Two layers of thin fabric were all that kept him from being inside me. I couldn’t reach my own panties, so I began pushing the silk down his narrow hips. His entire body shuddered when his erection freed itself from the material and brushed against the lace of my panties.

  “I love you, Wanda,” he whispered into my ear as he faced me. I smiled up at him.

  That was all the encouragement he needed. The lace underwear put up only pitiful resistance against his strength and fluttered to the ground like expensive confetti when he was through with them.

  “I’m sorry, I just… I can’t wait a moment longer,” he said. “I need to be inside you.”

  When he pushed into me, the feeling was so sudden, so intimate, and so intense, my fingernails bit into his back as I screamed out my pleasure. Desire shivered up my spine when he set a slow, careful rhythm, lavishing kisses on every inch of skin he could reach. I writhed underneath him when one hand found my breast, toying with me before slipping his hand lower.

  I felt his finger circling the sensitive nub between my thighs and I strained against him, feeling an orgasm beginning to build.

  Lorcan let out a breathless laugh when I actually whimpered.

  “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you do that, sweetling.”

  It was then that the orgasm claimed me, throwing me into a fit of trembling desire as if I’d been caught up in a tsunami. Once I was able to catch my breath, I opened my eyes and found Lorcan studying me, his eyes alight with the flame of his own desire.

  He looked like some kind of sinful demi-god stretched nude and perfect above me. His golden hair caught the firelight and dazzled my eyes. I could barely meet his gaze. It was somehow more intimate than having him inside me.

  So I watched his skin, flushed with the effort it took to hold himself back. I watched the clench of muscles as he worked himself into something more vigorous. I couldn’t help a smirk when he seemed to lose the will to speak English entirely as I met his thrusts and raked my nails down his back as another orgasm claimed me and took me to the same soaring heights.

  When he leaned in to kiss me again, he shifted the angle, tipping me over the edge. My spine bowed, my legs shook, and my pulse thundered in my ears. I went blind with the intensity of my own pleasure and a sudden, magical crescendo that had nothing to do with sex.