Page 97 of The Blood Witch

“This,” Silas insisted. “This is proof! The council was threatened, and now a council member is dead!”

“Enough,” Alice cut him off, and stood. “Council member Silas, you are out of line. There is nothing to investigate here. And we have other matters to discuss. Do you have even one speck of evidence for your claim?”

Silas’s eyes grew dark as he watched her, unblinking. But finally, he shook his head.

“Good.” Alice gathered her papers, shifting through them before taking her seat again. “Then I suggest we move on.”

“I just?—”

“When you get proof,” Alice snapped, interrupting Silas, “you canbring this matter back up to us. But until then, you will take your seat and do your job.”

Silas did so slowly, stalking to his chair and taking his seat.

But Alice didn’t miss the anger in his eyes. Didn’t miss the scorn.

Swallowing her own anger, Alice picked the first item on the agenda and began the meeting. They didn’t have time to chase wild theories down rabbit holes. They had a realm to rule.

Chapter 43

JASPER

He played that moment over and over in his mind for the rest of the day.

She’d asked him to kiss her. She hadn’t objected when he mentioned sharing her. Maybe… maybe this could actually work. Hope blossomed in his chest at the thought of it.

Eventually, he’d have to tell her. Witches didn’t have a concept of mates, not the way some Shifters did. He would have to explain it to her at some point, make her understand what it meant…

But Fey? Gorgeous, independent,fierceFey? Telling her now, so early… it might be a mistake. Maybe he should wait. It had to be her choice, didn’t it? Her choice to let him into her life. Intotheirlives. If he pushed too soon, sprung it on her before she was ready…

She might pull away from him forever.

And he couldn’t let that happen.

The smell of her still clung to his clothes when Jasper showed up at The Last Drop for his shift that night. He couldn’t bring himself to change into something else. They smelled too much like Fey, and to Jasper, it was the sweetest perfume he’d ever known.

He really should have changed. Going into work smelling so strongly of her was bound to raise questions. But… he couldn’t do it. Couldn’t stand the idea of not being coated in her scent. He wanted her mark on him, wanted that ownership.

The touch of her skin was still fresh in his mind as he nodded a greeting to Mara at the door to The Last Drop, standing a little downwind, just in case.

But rather than greeting him back, Mara just frowned at him, looking puzzled.

Crap. He must smell even more than he’d thought.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, brow knit in confusion. “I thought you were off tonight.”

Jasper paused. “It’s Saturday, right?” he asked. He always worked on Saturdays.

“Yeah, but… Ferus pulled your shift tonight and gave it to Sid,” Mara told him, chewing the inside of her cheek. “Didn’t anyone tell you?”

Jasper’s stomach sank.

“No,” he answered, an acidic anger rising inside of him. “No one told me.”

He pushed past Mara and into the club, emotions swirling a little too close to the surface.

Sid? Why would Ferus pull his shift and give it to Sid? And without telling him? Had something happened, something?—

A laugh came from the upstairs bar, and Jasper turned toward the sound, growling.

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