Page 57 of Blood of a Huntsman

Levi chuckled. "Understandable. What can I get you?"

Catherine and Chloe opted for wine, and when Bash replied “anything,” Levi made him his own drink of choice: a rum and Coke. They moved to the comfortable light brown sofa and armchair suite. Levi picked a loveseat, and Chloe hopped on his lap as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

They truly seemed to fit together effortlessly, like two halves of the same coin.

"I knew about the storms," Levi said, starting the conversation.

Catherine's eyes widened. "You did?"

He shrugged. "Your family and the rest of us may have grown suspicious and withdrawn to our own lands, but we were young once. And arrogant. Ariadne turned Drusilla somewhere around the start of the third century, if I'm not mistaken. I was one of Ariadne's slayers at the time, so I was there when she found a talented young air mage."

"The goddess has slayers?" Chloe seemed surprised.

Bash wasn't. He knew Ariadne kept four talented subordinates close to her at all times. Always four.

The huntsmen had hundreds of books about Ariadne, because while she was quiet these days, if she ever decided to cause havoc, she'd be one of the greatest threats Earth had ever faced. Her name was always said with a mixture of fear and respect, in that order. They hoped she'd never be an enemy. But they were prepared.

"Indeed. It's my understanding that her husband used to also keep four knights. She kept up the habit. In any case, Drusilla was talented but arrogant. These things often go hand in hand. Drusilla spent her first century challenging us—Jeremy Beaufort, Renee Rosedean, Tristan Helsing, and me—to show that she was better than us. She was under the misconception that if she won against us, Ariadne would pick her as a slayer. Eventually, she did win against Tristan, killing him in single combat. Instead of promoting her, Ariadne beat the crap out of her and told her to get out of Greece."

Bash's respect for the goddess went up a notch.

"No wonder Alexius doesn't like me," Catherine said. "My ancestor killed one of his."

Levi shook his head. "Oh, Alexius never knew Tristan. He was his…great uncle? I'm not certain. If Alex dislikes you, it's because he's…well, Alex."

No one asked him to elaborate. They weren't here to solve the mystery that was Alexius Helsing. Fortunately.

"She threw everything she had at us, and she could destroy any shield, any physical barrier. But she relied on her magic too much, and was weaker in hand-to-hand combat. Besides, calling her elements took time. It was easy enough to knock her down while she concentrated. That's why I seldom resort to magic myself," Levi explained. "I'm sure she's grown stronger with time." He shrugged, self-deprecating. "But then again, so have we all. Still, I'd wager she's stronger, and faster."

Why did he sound so damn matter-of-fact, relaxed even?

"So what do we do?" Chloe asked him.

Levi was staring at Catherine too intensely for Bash's liking.

"A few things can stop Stormhale magic, right, Cat?"

He knew the answer, that much was clear. He was testing Catherine, seeing if she was prepared to turn her back on her clan. Her family.

She nodded.

"Yes. Another Stormhale, for one. We're not allowed to fight each other with our lightning. If two powerful mages from my family truly attacked each other, the blast would burn everything and everyone in the vicinity to ashes."

"Indeed. And what else?"

She bit her lip, frowning a little. "Water. We're immune to most air magic, and lightning can't hurt us. But if we're in water…"

She didn't finish her sentence, gasping as she understood Levi's point at the same time as Bash.

"You could electrocute them all," Bash guessed. "If they turn up at the gates, you could flood them when they call their magic.”

Levi smiled. "The so-called lake behind the hill is no natural pool. It's a canal I carved. Not without reason. It’s a dangerous tool, because I’d risk hurting our side, too, but we’re not defenseless. However, with the Beauforts, all their mages, and who knows how many slayers, Drusilla could potentially take Oldcrest."

Shit.

"So, I assume we have a plan." At least, Bash hoped so.

"Indeed. We make alliances of our own. We have everything we need right here, but we're still missing trust. While the wolves stick to their borders and the vampires glare at the witches, the huntsmen stay among themselves. While we can't tell who might be working for the Stormhales, for the Beauforts, for the queen, it's unlikely that we can fight as one. I will need you to cross those bridges. All three of you, along with everyone else."

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