Page 36 of Blood on the Ice

That will hit his pride button hard, and I did it on purpose. I am interested in Iggy—see my tragic taste in men, usually—but I won’t stand for bullshit after Magnus. The mage can shoot his shot if he gets his house in order and if not, I’ll consider the lovely Slade on his own. Lucas presses a kiss to the inside of my wrist, letting me know he agrees with my assessment, and I smile to myself.

My accidental mate is a hulking, dominant predator, but he has no problem with me being in charge of our bedroom guests—score.

“What the lady said, gentlemen,” Lucas rumbles as he reaches for another piece of cornbread.

Batting his hand away, I lean forward and bring the plate to my lap. Carbs are good for quick energy and though his sports star physique might not thank me, I want him to keep his protein and sugar levels up until we figure out what’s going on with him. My father’s nutrition training prep from Swallowtail days will be immensely helpful in making sure he’s eating enough for his size.

“You seem better than earlier, man. The way Iggy told the story, you were damn near death’s door in Zuzanne’s office,” Slade says as he watches me feed the polar bear a piece of bread absently.

Iggy snorts. “Yeah, he’s settling in really well.”

Once he chews the bite, Lucas gives the professor a knowing smirk. “I’m feeling less like I’m going to keel over since Morgana’s made me rest and take care of myself. In the office, I’d come from a three-hour team practice and once myadrenaline was used up, my body sort of gave out. Whatever this shit is, it keeps me about as weak as a baby. Ask her how long it took me to do the front steps, man.”

“Luckily, I’m strong as an ox or we wouldn’t have made it. Gargoyle for the win,” I say with a shrug. “He’s been pale all afternoon and we’ve taken it easy to keep him from trying to help me do shit. Since I didn’t have my laptop and forgot to ask Channing to bring it, I mostly tidied up the downstairs when he fell asleep a couple of times. This entire house needs a major overhaul and I want to be ready for the team Lucas is sending to help me ditch all Magnus’ crap.”

“They… they made you live here and didn’t clean his stuff out?” Iggy blanches, looking horrified, and Slade shudders next to him. “They didn’t remove… anything?”

I frown at him and shake my head. “No, they didn’t. That’s why I’ve been bunking in the living room in a nest on the couch. Why?”

His expression is sad as he looks at me. “You’re in for some very unfortunate discoveries, I fear. Magnus was not shy about describing his debauchery and his penchant for keeping trophies and prizes—from all his encounters, not just sexual conquests. There may be some particularly awful relics and shit in there tucked away like normal bric-à-brac.”

My eyes widen and again,I have to soothe my snakes and prevent my wings from popping out. Magnus is theonemajor trigger I struggle with and his death at my hands didn’t change that. Lucas must sense my unease because he threads his fingers with mine, squeezing my hand reassuringly. I let him because I need to ground myself right now; I thought this was all junk from his travels or gifts. Never once did I consider my ex filled his house with dangerous objects and sexual trophies; it’s appalling, even for him.

“What a dick,” Slade says softly. “I never had to deal with him, but I’ve heard stories amongst the students—both grad and undergrad. I’m sorry, Morgana. No one deserves that as punishment.”

I give him a sad smile and a shrug. “Par for the course since I found out, babe. I had very good reasons for what I did and though I’m not up to sharing them yet, I promise it wasn’t undeserved.”

“Yes, but they punished you by sending you here to clean up his admin mess at the college. Leaving this house like that was unnecessarily vengeful and extremely hazardous,” Ignatius cuts in. “Whoever made that decision wasn’t part of the trial—they’re an in-house sympathizer. Likely, it’s someone who knows exactly what pitfalls live in this dungeon.”

Great. Now Lucas and I both have people trying to kill us.

“I guess that means I need someone versed in magic and cursed objects or whatever around while we clean it out?” I ask, knowing exactly what the response will be. Ignatius isn’t lying, but he’s also self-serving and this benefits him more than he’s saying.

“Wonder where we could find one of those?” Lucas mutters as he rolls his eyes. “Be a little more obvious, dude, seriously.”

Slade’s eyes dance as he looks over at his friend. “It seems as if we're needed this weekend. Do we have plans that would interfere?”

“Absolutely not. Whatever is on the board can be rescheduled,” Iggy replies quickly, his expression warring between serious and almost giddy.

I don’t know if it’s because they’d be coming to see me or the possibility of finding rare shit in the house, though.

“Fine. Tomorrow you’ll fix your mess with Professor Nakamura and if it works, then you and Slade can come over Saturday to help me work through some of that garbage inside.” I sigh, leaning my head back on the cushion.

My brows furrow as I consider what I have to do between then and now. Since we can’t get into the greenhouse until my magical fuck-up finesses the head of the Botany department, Lucas won’t be able to go to class tomorrow for certain and maybe not Friday, either. I don’t want to leave him in the house of horrors alone, so I’ll need to work from home.

“I should call Channing, so I have my computer and files here. Not finding a solution tonight means Lucas needs to be monitored in case this gets worse. I don’t want him left alone until he’s on the mend,” I say as I pull my phone out of my pocket.

“Already taken care of,” Slade says softly. “I had Iggy call her on the way here. She probably had to finish things before she left the office, but I’ll text her and see if she’s on her way.”

“In fact, I did, Slade.” The no-nonsense voice of my assistant startles all of us as she steps around the side of the house with my bag and a small box in tow. “Unlikesomepeople, I have a great deal of appointments and responsibilities to manage for Morgana.”

Chuckling at the pointed look she gave Iggy, I gesture to the open spots in my patio set. “As always, Channing, your timing is perfect. Thank you for fielding all the office traffic for me and especially for bringing my work. How did you know I’d need all that?”

The slight ice elemental sits the box and my bag in front of the couch, then plops in one of the overstuffed chairs with a sigh. “Ignatius was kind enough to let me know Lucas wouldn’t be magically cured tonight. Of course, then I required an explanationwhya student of his stature needed to be cured and was holed up at your house, but eventually, he brought me up to speed.”

That makes my face turn bright red. I’d let Channing know I wasn’t coming back from my outing, but not why, because I was so confused about what happened with Lucas. Her gentle reprimand is deserved and I owe her an apology for not keeping her updated. She’s proving to be a valuable asset and I need to treat her as such.

“I’m sorry, Channing. I should have told you what happened at the Science building. There was a lot of confusion and uncertainty, plus I’m not accustomed to having anyone on my side. I’ll do better in the future.” I give her a sheepish look, hoping to convey that I didn’t purposely exclude her.

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