Page 55 of Rites of Passage

Lines furrowed her brow. She clenched her teeth and took a ragged breath. “Okay. It sucks, but it needs to be done. You’re my friend and I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

Vlad stared at her, his heart now knocking against his ribs for a whole other reason. “You never cease to amaze me, you know that?”

He curved a hand around her nape and took her mouth in a hot kiss.

Mae gasped. Nikolai sucked in air.

Fire burned Vlad as he tasted the woman he wished to possess. He ended the kiss reluctantly and pressed his lips against the witch’s brow.

“And really, Princess? Friend?” He chuckled. “You’re hurting my feelings.”

Mae punched him in the ribs and stepped out of his hold.

“That was cheating!” she snapped, her flushed cheeks telling their own story.

“You’resucha dick!” Nikolai growled.

“Ouch.” Vlad’s smile widened. “Oh, come on. You would have done the same.”

Nikolai glanced at Mae. “I would have asked her permission first.”

Vlad blinked, too stunned to speak for a moment. His lip curled back. “My God, you really are a goody two shoes, aren’t you? That’s why you’re going to lose, choir boy.”

Mae threw her arms in the air. “What am I, some kind of trophy?!”

A middle-aged man in a blue tuxedo with a ferret on his shoulder rushed out onto the balcony before they could reply. He glanced distractedly at Vlad and Nikolai, but focused on Mae.

“You’d better get in there,” he told her stiffly. “Things are about to get ugly.”

Magic ruffled the curtains in turbulent currents. Vlad tensed as it washed across his flesh, surprised at the potency of the powers he could sense. Mae frowned, gave Nikolai his jacket back, and led the way inside.

A crowd had gathered near the center of the ballroom. Vlad slowed when the focus of their attention came into view, tension knotting his shoulders once more.

An elderly woman with red hair and a sphere of incandescent, cerulean magic in her right palm stood facing Ephra Erwin, Gerard Mosele, and Karin Everheart. Though she looked the worse for wear, she still glowered at the High Council members, her back straight and her head held high.

“Is that April Blackwood?” Mae asked the man in the blue tuxedo.

“Yes. She just got here.”

Mae’s face grew troubled. “Her magic core is almost depleted. She shouldn’t be using her powers like that.”

The guy in the blue tuxedo shot her a shocked look. Vlad frowned.

Magic sparked at the fingertips of the scowling High Council members. Two others stood behind them. An elderly woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and an indulgent face. And a young woman with dark eyes and short, jet-black hair. The latter pair’s expressions stayed impassive as they observed the confrontation, their magic unengaged.

Bryony, Barbara, and a feisty-looking lady in a purple dress framed the redhead, their familiars at their sides and their respective delegations at their backs. The rest of the sorcerers and witches in the ballroom were giving them a wide berth, the low buzz of their furious whispers making the air hum while their bright gazes focused on the contestants of the impromptu showdown.

Vlad narrowed his eyes.Like vultures to a kill.

CHAPTER25

“We must cancel this covenstead,”April Blackwood ground out.

Nikolai’s stomach tightened at the witch’s words. He exchanged an uneasy look with Mae.

“Really, April,” Ephra scoffed. “I know you’re the host of this year’s Annual Grand Meeting, but to not be here from the start and just barge in when it suits you is utterly deplorable, let alone single-handedly deciding to call off this gathering.”

“You may be the High Priestess of this city, but your authority stops there.” Karin eyed April haughtily. “We can override your mandate if we so wish.”

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