Page 19 of Waltzing With Witches

Elegant nostrils flare as Connall cocks his head from one side to the other. The kitchen is silent. After a tense moment, he reaches around me, holding a hand out to shake Lou’s.

She takes it and gives it a vigorous shake, but says nothing.

Lou never says nothing.

Curious.

The scent of burnt marshmallows fills my nose, and I glance down at her. But her eyes are locked firmly on Connall’s enormous biceps.

The Keeper clears his throat, drawing my attention back to him. “Richard, what have you found out?”

The big alpha sighs as he places the box on the table. After reaching in, he withdraws bags dripping grease and sets them on the countertop. I resist the urge to bitch about how Lou and I just cleaned, but I’m fucking starving, and I smell salty cheese.

Lou rips the bags open and tosses me a burger, then grabs one for herself and dives right in.

Richard and Connall watch her for a moment, something between surprise and enjoyment in their expressions. Eventually, Richard glances over at the Keeper.

“It’s like you suspected. When Hearth HQ raided the haven we captured, he wasn’t there. That’s why you’ve heard nothing.”

I swing my head toward Richard. “Wesley wasn’t there? Are you sure?”

The Keeper sets his bourbon glass down, then crosses his arms. “Your source?”

“Reliable,” Richard says with a low growl. “Absolutely reliable. If he says Wesley wasn’t in the haven, he wasn’t in the haven. You could have Alo check with Keira, though. She led the raid.”

“Eww, no,” I bark without meaning to. I throw both hands up. “Ignore me.”

The castle shimmies around us, the kitchen windows flapping open and shut. It agrees with me, I can tell.

It’s hard not to get involved when Wesley, fucking asshole, continues to be a thorn in Ever’s side. First he attacked the town, then he tried to abduct Catherine, and then he figured out how to build a secret haven and attach it to our damn wards.

Amazingly, Alo’s son, Iggy, discovered it with the help of a friend.

We thought we’d finally captured Wesley, but I guess he wasn’t in the haven.

Damnit.

The Keeper’s eyes drift up to the ceiling and over to the windows, finally landing on me before he breaks the gaze. “This means changes here in Ever,” he says. “If Wesley remains at large, Evenia will send another Keeper, perhaps even return the rest of Dirk’s hunter team or a small army. My mother won’t allow us to continue along like this, given Wesley’s attacks here and the attachment of a hidden haven. It’s too dangerous. Especially with Catherine opting not to relocate to Hearth HQ.”

Richard and Connall exchange a glance.

I’m processing a shitload of info and trying to keep up, so I look over at the Keeper. “She threatened to send another Keeper before but didn’t. Why would this be the tipping point?”

The Keeper sighs, and for the first time, I wonder if being Keeper exhausts him.

“Keeping up appearances is my mother’s MO. If she thinks I’m not doing a good enough job, she’ll replace me, despite how it would look for House Zeniphon to do so. Replacing me is preferable to losing control of the Hearth. If she loses that, she has nothing, in her mind.”

I grumble under my breath. I’ve met Evenia and her husbands several times, and each time, I’ve disliked her more and more.

“If Wesley is still out there, I imagine Evenia will call me any day now to let me know who she’s sending. I’ve got a short list of likely candidates.” His dark eyes flick to Richard. “My hunch is it’ll be someone who’d prefer to live in the forest on your side. We should be prepared for that.”

Richard lets out a menacing-sounding growl that lifts the hair on my nape. “Hate that, but you’re right. Comm me your list so I can look it over.”

He opens his mouth to say more, but two voices echo from the front, and my sisters rush up the hallway toward us. Thea bursts into the kitchen first, followed by Wren. They throw themselves on top of me with a million questions before realizing the kitchen is full and we’re in the middle of a meeting.

Thea’s the first to step back. “Err, sorry to interrupt. We’re only here for moral support. Carry on.”

The Keeper purses his lips but returns his focus to Richard and Connall. “Let’s head to my office to continue this conversation.”

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