“I’m impressed you can even acknowledge vampires are prideful.”
Killian shrugged. “It is to be expected when one is as superior as we are.”
I rolled my eyes. “Right. Of course. How stupid of me not to have guessed that.”
Killian made a noise of amusement in the back of his throat as he sauntered off.
“Where are you going?”
“You said you wanted a cookie.”
I hurried to catch up with him. “We’re done? Just like that?”
“Given that I do not care what you do with your little House of traitors, yes.”
“Yeah, yeah. Can I use your office phone?” I asked—Killian’s office had one of two landline phones in the house. (I was fairly certain he had it only so he could direct all Eminence-related calls there where he simply didn’t answer them.)
“Why?”
“Because I need to call the lawyers to set up an appointment.”
Killian stared down at me, his forehead wrinkled slightly.
“Because I don’t have a phone,” I reminded him.
“You still don’t have one?”
“How would I have gotten one?” I complained. “It’s not like they’re growing on bushes outside. I don’t have a way to order one online since I don’t have my wallet or access to any money, and Celestina said I can’t leave Drake Hall unless it’s for an outing with you!”
Killian sighed in irritation. “Use the phone after we get your cookie, I don’t care, just stop complaining.”
“Thank you!”
Chapter Two
Hazel
The following week I dropped by Mrs. Schuman and Mr. Shafer’s law offices for the “asset transfer”. This basically meant I had to sign a ton of forms, and we went through paperwork for hours.
By the time it was over, the handbag Celestina had lent me was stuffed with papers.
“I believe that is just about everything, Miss Medeis.” Mrs. Schuman set her hands on her hips as she surveyed the completed paperwork.
Mrs. Schuman was a short, stout woman built like a bulldog. After meeting her, I wasn’t at all surprised she managed to hold Mason off. Her voice was short and gruff, and when she frowned, she frowned with her whole body and made you feel like a bug. But she had a heart of gold, and when she smiled—as she was now—she brightened the room. “We gave you the deed—which is, of course, the most important thing.”
Her business partner—Mr. Shafer, a tall, willowy man who didn’t speak much—loomed behind her, meticulously going down his checklist.
I scrubbed my face as I stared at the sea of paperwork I’d shoved in Celestina’s handbag. “Don’t you have the signet ring?”
Mrs. Schuman shook her head. “No—we gave you the information for their vault in Tutu’s Crypta & Custodia, didn’t we?”
Mr. Shafer nodded and tapped a spot on his checklist.
“Yes, I just thought my parents would have left the House signet ring with you since you have everything else.”
“The will dictates that you are to receive the ring, but your parents never officially told us where they kept it,” Mrs. Schuman said. “It was safer that way. We had access to the House deed. To have it with the signet ring could have been dangerous given the importance of House succession. In this unfortunate case, it seems your parents prepared well.”
“I will check Tutu’s Crypta & Custodia, then.” I slowly stood and adjusted my black suitcoat. (It was the only thing besides workout clothes that I had to wear.)
Tutu’s might sound a little ridiculous, but it was one of the top magical vault providers in America.
Supernaturals needed vaults—we had too many powerful magical items, family heirlooms, and artifacts that could be stolen and cause a lot of damage. Some stuff was on a city-destroying level, and others were more like the signet ring—a life-or-death matter for those it affected.
I couldn’t Ascend without the ring, and if Mason got it first, he’d be able to stake a claim since he had the rest of House Medeis under lock and key and help from a lot of wizarding Houses that supposedly had been our allies.
“I regret to say such a thing, but is it possible the ring is in House Medeis?” Mrs. Schuman rested her hand on the sole patch of her desk that wasn’t covered in papers and manila files.
I straightened my tie, then picked up my borrowed handbag. “It’s not very likely. If it was under the House’s guardianship it would have shoved it in my face every chance it had. My parents had a safe, but it was for paperwork only—like birth certificates and social security cards—and again the House would have pushed me to it. The only way it could be in the House was if my parents gave it to a member of the House to hold for safekeeping, but that’s impossible because if it was one of my family members they would have given it to me, and if it was someone under Mason’s thumb he’d already have it.”
“A wise statement.” Mrs. Schuman offered out her hand. “We wish you luck, Miss Medeis. We’ll keep Mason hoodwinked as long as possible, but we have to post a notice with the Curia Cloisters for their record keeping. I imagine he’ll figure it out after that.”
I shook her hand, then Mr. Shafer’s. “Thank you for everything you have done—both of you.”
Mr. Shafer smiled and waved before he began organizing papers.
Mrs. Schuman saw me to the lobby of the office building they rented rooms in, where Josh was waiting for me.
Josh was Killian’s Second Knight and the most unlikely vampire ever.
He was about average height—which made him a little short for a vampire—and though he had the classic vampire good looks with black hair, pale skin, and the tell-tale red eyes, his mannerisms and way of talking totally threw the stereotypes out the window.
For starters, he’s pretty obsessed with death for someone who is immortal, and he has enough weapons to arm a small army.
Josh also happened to be my third trainer. He usually coached me on sword fighting, but he sometimes took over for my martial arts training if Celestina was busy.
Yeah, I don’t understand why Killian uses his top two vampires as my nannies either. I think it’s because he wants a quality product out of this, but he’s so mercurial it’s hard to tell for sure.
Josh had been staring at the unlit fireplace in the lobby, but he stirred when I approached him. “You have finished your business dealings?”
I slung my borrowed handbag over my shoulder. “Yeah. I need to stop by Tutu’s Crypta & Custodia, but it’s already pretty late.”
“How could you say it is late, when the blush of night hasn’t yet murdered the light of day?” Josh unfolded a black umbrella before he joined me outside, standing in the orange glow of the evening sunlight.
Contrary to popular belief, vampires didn’t instantly die or turn to ash if they were touched by the sunlight.
It was super uncomfortable and it did a number on their speed and natural power, so most vampires avoided it. Of course, Josh was a member of the Drake Family, and Killian never did anything by halves, so naturally he had his vampires train outside in the afternoon sunlight some days.
I hefted the handbag strap farther up my shoulder. “Are we going to wait for someone to drive out from Drake Hall and pick us up?”
“No.” Josh slipped on a pair of sunglasses. “His Eminence was in town this afternoon for a meeting. I believe he is en route.”
“Killian is picking us up?”
“Indeed.”
“That’s…something,” I lamely said. I looked up and down the city street—which was still bustling with traffic—but paused when I saw a woman leaning against the brick edge of the office building.
She was on her cellphone and watching me, but when I met her gaze, she spun around…but not before I saw the House Tellier coat of arms that was printed on her T-shirt.
House Tellier was one of the wizarding Houses that helped Mason pull off his coup. Which meant it was probably Mason she was talking to on her phone—or if not him, one of the Tellier rats who was going to scurry off and report back to him.
So much for misleading Mason as long as possible.
But if he was going to be a total idiot and try attacking me in public, I’d rather not make it near Mrs. Schuman and Mr. Shafer’s office after all the help they’d given me.
“Hey, Josh, could we cross the street?” I asked.
“If you wish.” Josh led the way to the crosswalk, dutifully pushed the button, and waited for the light to change.
The House Tellier wizard watched us, but she didn’t try to follow, even when we walked a few blocks to a city park.
I kept a death-grip on my handbag as I considered tapping magic—even though wizards were supposed to avoid using it publicly. Though I didn’t see Mason or his goons, it didn’t mean they weren’t on the way.
I tilted my head, feeling for the tell-tale sizzle of wizard magic.
Josh watched me from under the rim of his umbrella. “Is something wrong?”
“No—” I froze when magic brushed my senses. It wasn’t the zesty feeling of wizard magic, but the floral flavor of fae magic—which tasted like rose-scented bathwater.
I turned in a slow circle, my eyes carefully tracing our surroundings. “There’s a fae somewhere nearby,” I whispered, knowing Josh would be able to hear me.
Josh didn’t move, but the air around him sharpened.
I casually drifted closer, freezing momentarily when I saw the man standing just to the side of a small copse of trees. He was eye catching with his silvery hair and copper toned skin, but I’d seen him before. He was a fae from the Night Court—the fae Court that loathed Killian and his vampire Family. “I see Ira—my three o’clock,” I muttered, standing still for a few long moments before moving to face the curb where Killian would hopefully soon arrive.
Josh briefly twisted, as if addressing me. “I see him.”