Page 12 of Midnight Witch

Alastair made a comforting sound on his shoulder.

Bryony waved away his fears. “Pish posh. Everyone knows you’re a potential consort for Mae. No one would dare approach you with that intention in mind.”

Mae’s mouth flattened into a thin line. “That’s not what their eyes are saying.”

Pleasure quickened Nikolai’s pulse.Is she jealous?

Mae’s stomach growled.

He wilted a little.No, I was right on the money the first time.

Lines furrowed Bryony’s brow. “Don’t tell me the reason you’re being so irritable is because you’re hungry?”

Mae scowled. “You bet I am, lady. Why is party food so—” she waved a hand, “sparse? You’d think with the price tag this place fetched to host this event, they’d serve at least a roasted hog or three.”

Nikolai couldn’t help smiling then. Even though being here had not been high on either of their agendas of fun things to do on a Friday night, he was glad they’d come out. It had been two days since the attack in Ridgewood. The New York coven was no further along with their investigation into why a random group of hellbeasts had appeared under Mae’s apartment. As for Alicia, her trip to the Underworld hadn’t revealed fresh clues either. He was aware Mae was growing increasingly frustrated that they hadn’t figured out what the Dark Council’s goals were yet.

His smile faded.To be fair, so I am.

Not knowing what their enemy could be up to made it that much harder to defend themselves.

“This isn’t a medieval soirée,” Abraham chided. “You’ll have to do with canapés.”

Mae sneered. “Canapés are for sissies.”

Brimstone licked his chops. Hellreaver quivered on her chest.

Hope brightened Mae’s eyes as she listened to the familiar and the weapon. “There’s a new all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet three streets down from here?”

“Don’t even think about it,” Abraham warned.

A waiter came up to them with a tray of finger food and a polite smile pasted across his face. “Would you like some—?”

Mae took the tray from him before he finished his sentence. “Don’t mind if I do.” She wolfed down two of the entrées, chewed twice, and swallowed. “What is this?”

The man’s smile faded like mist on a sunny day. “Hmm, smoked salmon and caviar. Can I have my tray back please?”

“Leave it,” Abraham said in a surly voice. “And bring us another couple of those trays. She’ll burn the place down if we don’t get more food in her.”

“Hey!” Mae protested.

The waiter rushed off with a worried expression.

Brimstone leaned heavily against Mae’s leg. She grimaced at her familiar and her bristling weapon. “You sure you want some? It’s raw fish eggs.”

Brimstone made retching noises. Hellreaver stopped quivering.

A familiar aura washed over Nikolai. He stiffened at the sight of the man who appeared through the parting crowd like the proverbial Messiah.

“Why is he here?” he ground out.

“I invited him,” Bryony said briskly.

Vlad ignored Nikolai’s barely suppressed glower, his white Bengal tiger Tarang padding silently at his side. The familiar’s tail started swinging vigorously when he spotted Brimstone.

The incubus kissed Bryony’s cheek while Tarang and the fox shared friendly head bumps. He turned to Mae, gave her a dazzling smile that made several witches and sorcerers flush, and took her hand.

“And how’s my future wife doing this evening?” Vlad drawled, his eyes glinting with a banked heat.

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