Page 5 of Witch Queen

“It’s Bryony’s ancestral home.”

Mae startled. “Really?”

A smile tilted Nikolai’s lips as they crossed the road, late autumn leaves dancing colorfully around them on a mild breeze. “Don’t tell me you thought she lived in the apartment at the coven?”

“I totally did.”

The sorcerer chuckled. Relief lightened Mae’s chest at the sound.

Over half a month had passed since their return from Europe. Most of that time had been spent grieving what they had lost during their last battle with the Dark Council.

But the time for mourning was over.

There may not have been any signs of the Sorcerer King, Barquiel, or even the missing Oscar Beneventi as of late, but no one in the world of magic was foolish enough to believe that they were truly gone. The magic councils and the covens allied with them all over the world remained on high alert, aware their enemy could strike at their heart at any given moment.

Mae greeted the guards manning the entrance distractedly as she and Nikolai entered the building.

We need to put in motion the plan I came up with if we are to have a fighting chance against Vedran and Barquiel.

Nikolai was not only crucial in any future fight against Vedran. He was the most powerful white magic user on Earth and had been able to follow traces of Ran Soyun’s magic to where Barquiel had hidden her in Hell. Mae was convinced that once they met up with Azazel, the sorcerer and the demon’s combined abilities would allow them to track down her stolen soul and body.

She shot a faint frown at Nikolai.And for that plan to work, he needs to be on top of his game.

She could see the darkness gnawing at him in his eyes and the troubled expression he often wore when he thought she wasn’t watching him. Mae suspected the sorcerer still had not absolved himself of what he had done to her and her bonds after he fell under Anya Mendes’s Illusion Sorcery. And she feared the wrathful emotions he harbored toward his father and brother would influence his future actions in such a way that they would put him in danger once more.

She had already lost him once. Mae’s nails dug into her palms.

I refuse to lose him again.

Warmth thrummed across her bond with Brimstone.

The fox nudged her leg.Are you alright, my witch?

Yes. I will be.

Hellreaver’s pendant lay against her chest under her T-shirt, his broken pieces temporarily fused with their magic. His silent presence was a cold reminder of their defeat at Vedran’s hands.

Brimstone’s gaze found Nikolai.He is strong. Stronger than he was before he fell under the Illusion Sorcery. You must trust in him, my witch. His heart may be tainted with rage but he will stand by your side whatever comes.

Guilt knotted Mae’s shoulders at his solemn words.

Or you could just take two consorts,Brimstone continued blithely.In case something happens to one of them. Even if it doesn’t, I hear from a reliable source that threesomes are all the rage these days.

Mae’s footsteps faltered. “What reliable source?”

Nikolai aimed a puzzled glance her way.

The tiger told me some pretty saucy stories about the incubus. Brimstone sniffed.That guy could charm the pants off Satanael himself.

A group of witches and sorcerers came out of a corridor to their right. They slowed when they spotted Mae and Nikolai, admiration and awe etched across their faces. Heads bobbed sheepishly in greeting as they scurried across the foyer.

Stories of the epic battle in Europe had spread through the covens like wildfire.

Mae smiled and waited until they were out of earshot before fixing Brimstone with a glare. “Is that why the two of you were snickering in the corner of the room the other day while we were watching a movie?!”

Alastair eyed the demon fox disapprovingly.

Suspicion clouded Nikolai’s face. “What did he say?”

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