Page 72 of The Prince's Curse

Paris’s throat worked silently. “Sometimes I have to remind myself that my soulmate is one of the most powerful witches in the world, not a damsel in distress.” He glanced back and shook his head. “I don’t like him being hurt.”

“I know. And I’m sorry,” Julian said quietly.

His old friend chuckled. “I’m sure he was having a blast. Sometimes he misses being out in the field more. But I much prefer him being a magic nerd in his safe little workshop.”

As they drove, they took calls back and forth with the other team. Safira’s vehicle was about ten minutes ahead of them, with Dominic and Sasha in the back. Using the address they’d pulled from Kova’s car, Misha used a tablet to show them a map view of the house, with a red circle sketched around the property. “Don’t etch this in stone, but if it were me, I’d probably put the protection within the boundary of the property, but not out to the public roads or it would be alerting constantly. We should assume once we cross this line that her magic is active.”

“And one of us can go in with Scarlett’s bracelet,” Julian said.

Misha nodded. “We should do what we did when we attacked the Constitution Building. Let me take the bracelet and go up to the perimeter. I can weaken her spells. If it was her apprentice that built the wards for Shea, then I have an idea of how they work.” He glanced at Paris and smiled. “And this time I don’t have to worry about going insane or melting my own brain.”

“Misha,” Paris complained, shaking his head.

The witch just grinned. “I know you want to be the one, but let me pave the way for you. Then it’s all yours.”

Julian hesitated. Even this young man, so new to the court, was part of their family now. Was it selfish to let him risk so much, or was he a good leader for using all his resources?

He swallowed and nodded. “Once we’re in, I’ll find Scarlett. The rest of you spread out. We should still get her spellbooks so that Shoshanna can free Kova.”

“Sasha can go after Kova. Dominic and I will find Carrigan Shea and finish what I started,” Paris said grimly.

Misha raised his eyebrows and met Julian’s gaze. “And the witch? Will you keep your word not to kill her?”

He stared out the window. Even through the UV-blocking film, the daylight still made his head ache. Cars blurred by.

He did not want to keep his word. He wanted to smash Armina Voss’s face like porcelain and bring back her head like a trophy to his court. The woman had caused immeasurable suffering to everyone he loved, and if she had her way, she would kill the love of his life yet again.

And yet…she had cared for Scarlett. Even if it was all a charade, he would be taking something from her. Could she ever trust him if he lied so easily to her? If he broke his word simply to meet his own bloodlust?

“I’ll keep my word,” Julian said. “I know it’s a risk, but I want Scarlett to have her chance.”

Paris sighed. “I’ll remind you that I made no such promise.”

“Paris,” he said sharply.

“Fine,” Paris said. “But if she threatens us, it’s over. I’m not letting any of us suffer because you don’t want to hurt her. Even Scarlett should see the logic in that.”

“I guess that will have to do,” Julian said.

They drove a while longer before Paris spoke again. “You’re not going to let me convince you to stay back, are you?”Julian just chuckled, and Paris sighed. “You’d think after so many years of protecting Eduardo that you’d have more sense.”

“For most of my time serving Eduardo, he reigned over a time of peace,” Julian said. “And we both know that if Valentin had been taken by the enemy, there would have been no holding him back.”

“Well, I hope we don’t all live to regret it,” Paris said mildly.

Chapter 16

One of the human hunters had told her once about being hungover, and this had to be what it felt like. There was a tiny gun range inside her head with microscopic bullets pinging rhythmically off the inside of her skull.

Blinking her sandpaper-dry eyes, she found herself in familiar surroundings. This wasn’t her room, but one of the guest rooms upstairs. The smell of the witch and her apprentices hung thick in the air, laced with the powerful scent of Carrigan Shea and the faint hint of Kova’s presence.

Panic swept over her. She lurched to her feet and headed for the door, then stumbled as cold metal on her wrist yanked her back.Staring in disbelief, she found an engraved metal shackle around her wrist, with a lengthy chain bolted into the floor. “That bitch,” she marveled. Her voice was strained, and she shuddered at the memory of Carrigan Shea choking the life out of her, that vicious stare in his eyes. He’d wanted to kill her, and came damned close.

Being home should have been a relief, but this world felt like she’d stepped through the looking glass and into an upside-down world. She planted her feet on either side of the bolt and yanked on the chain. It sizzled against her skin, and she felt a strange sensation in her mind.

Just relax. The mistress wants you to be calm.

Horror dawned on her, and she let out a bellow of frustration. Perhaps Lux hadn’t just been experimenting with controlling vampires, but anyone she got her nasty hands on. She reflexively reached for her neck, but found no jagged stake.

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