Page 85 of Which Witch Is Wicked?
"Now, Lucifer, take credit where credit is due," Bane said. "I had very little to do with that." He'd been more of a tool to be used, to shock, and sicken than a willing party. Somehow he needed to completely break those binds.
"True. It's sad that you aren't more bloodthirsty." She heaved a great sigh. "The places we could have ravished, the souls we could have taken, and the power we would have shared."
As if Satan would share anything. Bane wisely kept silent. One thing about Lucy, she liked to talk and loved nothing more than a captive audience.
"I'm sure you are aware that a few...relics have surfaced." The real reason she'd appeared. "I can't tell you how disappointed I was with this morning's revelation. It was all I could do not to release the hounds. The shockwave that went through the coven was enough to call in Dru to combat it. You know as well as I do what will happen if the Druids are allowed a toehold back on the earth."
Bane purposely kept his mind blank.
"I want to know how this happened," Lucy demanded when neither Nick nor Bane spoke. "Someone better start telling me what they know.Now."
Nick was the first to break the stinging silence. "From what my sources tell me, Tierra de Moray unearthed the Druid king's crown and a portion of his staff from the Standing Stones this morning."
"Wands? He fucking made wands from his staff? Why that irritating, clever son of a bitch." Fury turned her eyes to flames, destroying the demure and harmless appearance she'd attempted to cultivate. The devil did love her disguises. "Does Tierra know of her connection to the last King of the Druids?" She gritted this last bit out through her teeth. Lucifer and Malcolm de Moray had a history. He'd been able to stop Lucy's attempt to bring about the Apocalypse a thousand years ago, and she still held a grudge. It seemed like Malcolm had bested her once again and this time from beyond the grave. He'd been a patient man in life, but to wait a thousand years to play his hand? Impressive.
"By all accounts the witches are clueless," Bane imparted, keeping any inflection out of his voice and his expression nondescript.
"Five Seals are open," Lucy said. "I want the other two. The faster the better. From now on, your number one priority is the witches. Filter the rest of your duties to your minions and concentrate on the de Moray bitches."
"And what would you have us do?" Bane asked.
"If you can’t kill them, convert them.This isthe End of Days. I'm through waiting for my rightful place in the sun."
* * *
Separated by a threshold,Tierra and Moira stood outside on the porch while Claire and Aerin stayed inside the entryway. For a few heartbeats it seemed like no one was willing to cross over the sill.
Tierra broke the silence and offered up a compromise in regard to the house. "How about we gather in the solarium?" The solarium was light and airy with French doors that opened at both ends. The plants would hopefully help clean whatever putrid smell Tierra couldn't get past.
"I could use a drink," Aerin said. "It might be morning but as none of us have been to bed yet, I believe I'll have my coffee with a shot of whiskey."
Claire gave a jerky nod. "Sounds good. It's been a hell of a long night."
"How 'bout we be totally honest here and forget the pretense of coffee and just drink whiskey." Moira pointed to Tierra. "You're stuck with tea, but since the rest of us aren't knocked up, we can partake."
They ventured into the house, and Tierra held her breath. The manor needed a top-to-bottom spring cleaning. With everything going on, she hadn't had seen to it yet this year. She didn't have time now, but she had to find what Killian had warned her about.
Her stomach still rolled, but then she couldn't remember when she'd last eaten anything. At least anything that had stayed down. Through the entry, into the kitchen, and finally the solarium, Tierra looked for anything out of place or something that didn't belong. Nothing jumped out at her.
Once in the solarium, she opened both sets of French doors and fresh air blessedly wafted through. This was better. She could do this, though she felt guilty not helping her sisters in the kitchen as they gathered whiskey, glasses, and brewed tea for her.
Exhausted she yawned, sank into a patio chair, and set down the crown and wand she still had clutched in her hand on the table. She must have zoned, not really slept, but drifted on the fragrance of the flowers nestled into their colorful pots crowding the space.
Moira came in balancing a tray of fruit and scones with one hand, the other clutching a bag of pork rinds. "Here, I thought you'd like something to eat. Need to feed the little tadpole." Moira set the tray in the middle of the table. "Claire will be along shortly with the tea. You feeling okay? Your night out didn't...do anything?"
"I'm fine. Just really tired. Thanks for the concern and the food." Tierra eyed the selection of sliced apples, peaches, cherries, kiwi, and blueberry scones, then watched Moira tear into the bag of pork rinds.
Her stomach churned when the smell of fried pig skin hit her, but not in sickness, which was more disturbing.
"Did you find Cheeto?" Tierra asked, knowing Moira was careful about eating any type of pork when he was around.
"We found all the familiars hanging around the shed that Tommy and Sunny's father are rebuilding. Like a bunch of contractors watching over the progress. We tried, but we can't coax them into the house. Weird."
Aerin walked in with a bottle of whiskey and three glasses, and Claire followed behind her, carrying a teapot and a fine bone china cup and saucer.
"I went with the rose petal black tea," Claire said, setting the cup and pouring tea for Tierra as though she was offering up an apology for her earlier outburst. "That okay?"
"This is great. Thanks." Tierra raised the cup to her lips. The tea was one of her favorites. Sweet, floral, with earthy undertones. It was like sipping nectar from the heart of a rose, but today it didn't set well on her palate. Her eyes shifted to the bag of pork rinds, and she watched Moira popped one into her mouth and crunch.
