Page 73 of A Debt of Darkness

“Do I even dare ask?” Ryan asks, swirling the amber whisky around his glass.

“We’re fine.”

Fine never means fine when it comes to women, and Ryan's aware I've been particularly irritable in the last week.

Things are tense. Not because of Ivy. The Blackthorn Coven isn't keeping their side of the agreement we brokered to keep Ivy safe. The truce won’t hold and they've interpreted my willingness to ignore this as a sign I either won’t defend my own or have grown reluctant.

I've given an inch and they’re trying to take a fucking mile.

Now, we're going to deal with it. The Blackthorn second's been fucking around, and Ryan and I have had enough. They’re sending an envoy to discuss the final points of contention.Knowing Rowan, he'll send a small party to try to catch us by surprise. He'll probably include himself. He's nothing if not predictable.

“We've made the right decision about Ivy,” Ryan says, trying to convince himself he's right. “She isn't ready to be there. It isn't fair. Rowan will accept she's unwell and we can offer him some sort of feast in his honor to introduce them. It'll flatter him.”

It will. But he's not an idiot. He'll recognize my reluctance to introduce my wife and Rowan will guess why.

“Let's keep her out of this as long as possible.”

I down my cognac as Ryan finishes his whisky. We walk towards the castle entrance, waiting in the entrance hall to receive our guests. It's fucking rich to call them that, but manners are manners and it’ll be easier if things run smoothly.

Then I can return to Ivy and rebuilding the trust between us. It isn't broken, but she's wary of me—and I fucking hate it. We were comfortable and relaxed. Now, we're tense and fueling each other's anxiety. We're in a vicious spiral and only she can break it.

The coven stands behind me and we wait, counting down the time until Rowan and his imbeciles arrive. They're obnoxious, arrogant and idiotic. The problem is they have numbers and strength. His coven is built on brute force and ignorance. Mine is smaller but more select. It's taken time but my coven is cunning, ruthless, and intelligent. I'm fucking proud and I won't let a cunt like Rowan destroy it.

The doors swing open and as expected, it's a small party. Slightly larger than a few but not so many as to appear rude. And as I predicted, Rowan's with them. He's dressed in a Saville Row suit as if that will impress me or anyone else here. He's irritated me and I haven't even spoken to him. That'll be his plan and I steal myself for the ramp-up in pressure as hisbehavior escalates.

“Henry,” he announces. “Always a pleasure.”

Cunt.

“Rowan,” I reply in a tone as treacly as his. “The feeling's mutual. Shall we get the boring bits over and move on to something more interesting?”

Rowan grins and I know that fucking sneer. He's got something up his sleeve. He's got a plan and he's about to set it in motion.

He claps his hands gleefully and steps forward. “Let's move to them now. I brought a priest. You know him.” He waits for the hooded figure to step forward. “He officiated at your wedding. To your human wife.”

Ryan snarls and steps to stand level with me, muscles poised to move with unrelenting force. He's sure as fuck not going to let a prick like Rowan insult my wife, even if he's not entirely comfortable with her. Matt's made more progress and Ryan's still got work to do, but he's reacting the way I'd expect him to. They way I'd react if someone insulted Matt.

“Of course,” I say through gritted teeth. “To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?”

“He was visiting my coven, bestowing blessings, and he mentioned your marriage. It's an unusual arrangement and apparently, you've made certain agreements. Our visit seemed an ideal and convenient opportunity for him to see how they’re going.”

Fuck.

He's here to check on Ivy. To make sure she's still willing. That was our agreement. I wouldn't turn her until she was ready and she had to be willing. I fooled him about her being ready for the wedding; now she isn't ready to face this.

He's determined to make sure I keep my agreement. TheBrotherhood has little respect for humans, but they value marriage and the sacred bond created during the ceremony. They don't want it tainted by something as disgusting as human greed and were reluctant to take the risk that our wedding was a way for her to gain immortality. We agreed she'd be my wife first and pet second, respecting both the sanctity of marriage and the hierarchy they've established. Vampires first. Humans far beneath them.

“It’s simple to address,” Rowan continues, strolling towards me as he plays with his fingernails.

“I'm sure the Brotherhood can speak for themselves.”

The priest pulls back his hood and grins. “Delighted, Henry. The Brotherhood has always recognized your respect.” He brings his hands together. “And deference.”

I nod and bow slightly.

Rowan looks pissed.

The priest isn't an idiot and he knows he's being used. The Brotherhood hates it when their rules are broken, but they hate being manipulated more. Rowan's off to a bad start and his mistake could work in my favor.

---