Page 4 of Witch Queen

“Nikolai?”

He blinked.

Mae was studying him with a trace of concern. “You haven’t touched your food.”

Nikolai suppressed a wry smile. Mae had already cleared her plate and was on her second serving.

“Sorry, my mind was on…other matters.”

He picked up his knife and fork, sliced a chunk of carrot for Alastair, and dug into his steak. Irritation shot through him at the way the meat melted in his mouth.

He squinted at Vlad.This asshole even cooks perfectly.

Vlad narrowed his eyes. “What’s that look for?”

“You’ll make a good wife,” Nikolai admitted reluctantly.

An expression of utter disgust dawned on the incubus’s face. He shuddered. “Please, the way you said that is giving me chills.”

Nikolai scowled and stabbed his steak viciously.

“Hey, watch the china!” Vlad growled.

Mae’s mouth flattened into a thin line. “Has anyone heard from Cortes? He hasn’t answered my last few messages. I can’t get in touch with Anya either.”

Enrique Cortes and Anya Mendes had left for South America a week ago to talk to their respective covens and for Cortes to have a one-on-one with theBacatá Cartelboss. As the future head of the Medellin coven and Anya’s fiancé, the sorcerer’s presence in the world of magic needed to be permanent. For that to happen, he needed to cut his ties with the criminal underworld.

According to Vlad, there was only one way for someone like Cortes to leave a cartel. And that was in a coffin.

“They’ve been in theBacatá Cartelcompound for the last two days,” the incubus admitted reluctantly.

Surprise jolted Nikolai. “They?”

Mae sucked in air. “You mean, Anya went with him? Why?!”

Realization struck.

“Oh,” Nikolai muttered. “So, if things don’t pan out the way they want, she’ll cast her Illusion Sorcery on the cartel and they’ll walk out of there unharmed?”

“Bingo.” Vlad made a face. “Better than us waking up to the news that the most powerful criminal gang in South America’s gone up in flames overnight. You can say what you want about theBacatá Cartel,but they keep a tight leash on the psychopathic cabals in that part of the world.”

“Still, how could Cortes take her there?” Mae protested.

“I know you think Anya is some kind of fragile flower, but she has a pretty strong backbone,” Vlad said. “She did survive the Dark Council’s torture.”

“You’re right.” Mae wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. “And she said some pretty nasty things in that warehouse when the Dark Council attacked us.”

“Yeah, trash talk still doesn’t suit her though,” Vlad muttered.

Nikolai’s cell pinged with an incoming message. He checked the screen and frowned before leveling a wary look at Mae.

“Bryony wants to see us.”

CHAPTERTWO

The next morningsaw them pulling up opposite the address Abraham Whitworth had given them. Mae stepped out of the Jeep with Nikolai and stared at the imposing facade of the seven-story, redbrick and limestone mansion taking up half a block on 5th Avenue.

“This is the temporary headquarters of the coven?” she said leadenly.

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