Page 43 of Blood Gift

14

Gentry

It was perhapsthe most surreal moment of my life: sitting on the bench in front of the grand piano, looking out over a room filled wall-to-wall with witches. And all of them looking back at me. The weight of their stares threatened to crush me—and for all I knew, some of them were literally trying to do just that with their powers. I saw no small amount of loathing among them.

Vanessa cleared her throat, and all eyes reluctantly turned to her. Standing there, head held high, she sent a blast of pride surging through me. Every inch the High Sorceress.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” she said, looking at all of them in turn, all except the tall, striking woman seated to her right.

Vanessa made it a point to avoid her. Anyone with eyes could see the resemblance between Vanessa and the woman with the long, gray-streaked braid and heavily-ringed fingers. In a way, her mother Cressida reminded me of my own mother. A powerful personality.

“They had little choice. None of us has a choice when we find ourselves painted into a corner,” Cressida remarked, pursing her lips in a disapproving scowl.

Vanessa accepted this without argument. “I understand this is a difficult position for all of us. And I’ve put us there. For that, I apologize.”

“A High Sorceress needs to be capable of better discernment,” her mother hissed.

“What would you have me do? Create an application form for every man I meet to fill out? Ask if he has any dark secrets or possible magical abilities?” Vanessa fired back.

Her temper flashed—she had told me about it, and about how easy it was to set her off, but I hadn’t seen it until then. She seemed to remember herself at the last minute and backed down before actual sparks flew between them.

One of the other witches spoke up. “We don’t blame you, Vanessa. It’s an unfortunate situation.”

She was lying. Even without powers, I could almost smell it on her. She was too afraid of her High Sorceress’s powers to challenge her. They all were, except for Cressida.

Another one of them nodded before adding, “The real challenge is knowing what to do about the sorcerer. Do you feel he’s a threat to the clan?”

Vanessa’s eyes met mine, but only for a moment. “I think it would be best for his brother to speak now.”

That was my cue.

Holden growled from his place behind Vanessa as I stepped up to her left.

It was important to me that I not start the meeting seated beside her. It would only give the coven the wrong idea.

“My name is Gentry Duncan. My brother is Dominic. My parents were—”

“Lawrence and Grace Duncan,” Cressida finished, her voice flat. “We know of your family and what it’s stood for ever since the first Duncan set foot in the New World. That family is legendary.”

I swallowed hard and reminded myself of how it felt to have my powers. The confidence they gave me.

I would never have let an ordinary witch, ex-High Sorceress or not, speak over me. I wouldn’t have let her look at me the way she was unless she wanted to permanently lose her sight—and I would’ve made sure to remind her of it.

I could still call on that confidence, even if I couldn’t call on the violence. “Yes. The family is legendary,” I said, slipping into my old persona as I did. It was like sliding into a favorite pair of jeans, or shoes which had been perfectly broken in. “It’s no secret that the Duncans have no love for anyone who isn’t one of us, but especially vampires and humans.”

“Why should we believe you’re not the one who planted the explosives in that vampire club?” she asked.

“It’s irrelevant whether you believe it or not,” I replied.

She raised an eyebrow.

I continued, “The question of my guilt or innocence isn’t why we’re here today. It’s for you to gain insight into my brother’s psyche. I believe he will attack the coven in some way.”

“Why would he do that? We’ve done him no harm.” A concerned murmuring rose up over the room.

Vanessa held up a hand to silence them, then turned to me as they rest of them did.

“Because the fact that I’m involved with you, even in the most tenuous of ways, is an insult to him.” I tried to put myself in his place, just as I had been since the night be burst into my apartment and begged me to take the fall for him. “He knows that if he hadn’t stripped my powers—which he was responsible for to begin with—this never would’ve happened. He’s twisted enough to do something to hurt you, to break off my involvement with your High Sorceress.”

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