Page 58 of Witch Queen

“So, this was the trouble you sniffed out?” Astarte asked Alicia in a mildly exasperated tone. “You could have said before you left.”

The Reaper queen frowned. “Azazel was not the one I’d sensed.”

CHAPTERTWENTY

Bryony stood staringout of a window overlooking Central Park. Penley sat on the sill in front of her, his tail swinging lazily while he watched the army of aides loading suitcases into the SUVs parked outside the mansion.

The members of the High Council and their entourage were finally returning to their cities.

Though she would never admit it openly, Bryony would miss their presence. Mae’s arrival into their lives had not only made all their past squabbles seem like playground spats, it had strengthened their friendships and alliances in a way nothing else could have.

Bryony stroked Penley’s head. “I guess having a strong Witch Queen really is the best thing for the world of magic.”

The cat closed his eyes and purred.

Bryony’s face tightened.But not just any witch would have done. It’s because of Mae Jin that we are now stronger together and finally in a position to face the Sorcerer King, instead of cowering before him like we did for countless years.

Still, she couldn’t help the foreboding gnawing at her insides.

It had been two days since Mae left for Hell with Nikolai, Vlad, and Cortes. There hadn’t been any sign of Barquiel or Vedran in that time. Even the bodies of the Dark Council members had stopped turning up.

Bryony wasn’t sure if this was because the Sorcerer King was close to achieving his goal, or for another nefarious reason he had yet to reveal. She frowned.

Call me cynical, but things are too quiet for my liking.

“Or maybe I’m just getting old,” she told Penley under her breath.

The cat meowed. Green flashed in his eyes. His tail stilled, his alert gaze swinging toward the road.

Bryony stiffened at the sound of tires squealing on 5th Avenue.

An unmarked police sedan with an emergency dash light barreled through the traffic and pulled up sharply at the curb. Jared jumped out just as an SUV braked inches from the bumper of a San Francisco coven’s transport. Violet and Miles emerged from it and joined the Immortal.

Abraham and Derrick approached them, Raven, Karin, and Ephra in their wake. A tense exchange followed. Ephra paled. Abraham cursed.

They rushed inside the mansion.

Bryony exited the room at a brisk pace, pulse racing and Penley scampering beside her. She met them in the main foyer.

Jared had stopped to talk to Gerard, Isabelle, and Simon.

“What’s wrong?” Bryony said sharply from the main landing of the grand staircase.

A muscle jumped in the Immortal’s jawline as he turned to meet her gaze. “Our ally in Chicago just sent a warning.”

From Violet and Miles’s tight expressions, they too had heard from their Seer friend. Dread knotted Bryony’s stomach. Her premonition was coming true.

Let’s hope whatever this is, we can handle it without Mae.

“What’s going on?” someone said curiously.

Bryony looked over her shoulder.

Roman was coming down the stairs with Marlena and Nadia. His puzzled gaze swung from Bryony to the group below. Marlena slowed when she registered the tension in the air. A wary look dawned on Nadia’s face.

Jared glanced at the coven witches and sorcerers watching them from the upstairs galleries and the corridors branching off the entrance hall. “Let’s have this conversation somewhere private.”

A commotion reached them before they got to Bryony’s study. They were passing a drawing room that had been converted into a makeshift office when several horrified shouts rent the air. A witch turned up the volume on her cellphone. Others gathered around her to listen in.

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