Page 56 of The Maestro's Mates
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Wolf’s face was a mask of anger.
“I’ve made my decision, Wolf.” Linda’s voice was a cold monotone. “You aren’t a witch. You don’t understand these things.”
Wolf turned and stomped back up the stairs and into the house, slamming the door behind him. Linda’s face betrayed no emotion at his temper tantrum.
“These four will stay with you tonight,” Freddie said. “By tomorrow, we will have a better sense of the schedule of shifts. I’ll do my best to create a sense of regularity.”
Linda glared at the four vampires, all dressed in tightblack clothes. It was the uniform Freddie preferred them to wear for outside jobs.
“And these are trustworthy?”
“They are.” Freddie didn’t expand on that.
“Well, thank fuck that is done.” Justin knew that rich bass voice. It was his mate. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Sebastian dropping out of a tree.
Freddie raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead, he gestured for the other vampires to follow him as he stationed them around the perimeter of the house. Justin stood waiting as Sebastian made his way over to him and Linda, being careful not to betray any emotion. The negotiationmightnot be over here. If Linda was still involved, things could always go sideways.
“What the fuck were you doing up there?” Linda asked, crossing her arms.
Flipping his shoulder-length black hair with his hand, Sebastian let out a laugh. “I was waiting for you to finish up. Both you and Wolf make everything more complicated than it needs to be.”
“We’re done,” she said. “Do you need something?”
Sebastian glanced over at Justin, who thought he caught a flash of guilt on the witch’s face.
“I’m going after Veronica.”
Linda’s arms slowly uncrossed and fell to her sides, but she said nothing. Was she seriously considering his words? Wouldn’t she talk him out of such an insane move?
After a moment, she spoke. “Fine.”
“What?!” Justin squeaked, unable to contain himself any longer. “You don’t know where she is, you don’t know how many people she’s working with, and you don’t know how dangerous those people are.”
Sebastian stepped back in response to Justin’s vehemence, which only made Justin angrier. Of course he was worked up—Sebastian was his mate!
“I’ll come with you,” Justin continued. “I can convince a few of my covenmates to go as well.”
“No.” Linda’s voice was like a warning bell cutting through the crisp evening air. “This is Circle business. This is family business.”
Justin stared at her in absolute disbelief. “What are you talking about? He could be walking into a trap.”
“She’s my sister, Justin.” Sebastian stepped closer to the vampire, and for a moment, it seemed like he might reach out and grab his hand. But he didn’t. “I need to try to talk sense into her. One last time.”
Linda nodded and walked back toward the house, calling out to them as she opened the front door. “If she doesn’t see reason, you have permission to kill her. The Circle has decided.”
Justin felt his face pale, but Sebastian showed no sign of surprise. Had he expected that?
“This is insane, Seb.” Justin closed the distance between them, grabbing both of Sebastian’s slender, toned arms. “It’s too dangerous. You can’t do this by yourself. And you can’t kill your own sister!”
A ghost of a smile crossed Sebastian’s face. “You called me Seb. I like it. That’s nice.”
“Are you listening to me?!” Justin couldn’t recall being so frustrated with another person.
“I am, sweetheart, I promise.” Sebastian leaned down and kissed Justin on the forehead. A warmth spread through him at the gesture, but all that did was annoy him.
“Then don’t go!”
“I have to.” Sebastian wrapped his arms around the shorter vampire. Justin was pulsing with frustration. Sebastian was placating him like an upset child.
