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Viggo let go of him, swung his legs over the other side of the bed, and reached for his trousers where Evander had discarded them on the floor the night before.

“Surely you’re not the only Arcane Investigator Winterbourne can call upon for grave matters?”the Brute grumbled as he slipped into the garment.

Chapter2

Evander swallowed a sigh.

He was conscious Viggo didn’t approve of the long hours he put in at the Met.Which was ironic considering the Brute invested as much time and energy in his work as the head ofNightshade.

“Apparently not,” Evander murmured.He set the message aside and poured them both tea from the silver pot.The fragrant steam curled upward, carrying the relaxing scent of Darjeeling.

The mage was well aware he was overdue this rest day.

Alas, the fallout from the ghastly affair with Caine Renwick, the dark mage who had threatened to blow up the southern embankment and kill thousands of thralls a few weeks ago, was still ongoing.

Following Evander’s reports to the Ministry of Arcane Affairs and the War Office, the corridors of power were alive with whispers of a conspiracy that could threaten the very order of not just London society, but the British Empire at large.Whispers that had reached Parliament and were stirring just as much havoc in the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The growing tensions in the city between magic users and thralls had only served to make matters worse.

Both Evander and Rufus Grayson, his friend and fellow inspector in the Met, had been asked to provide more detailed accounts of their investigation into what had gone on during the week that had begun with the murder of Alastair Millbrook, the Charm Weaver Renwick had tasked to build a device that could steal the life force of thralls so as to augment the magic powers of mages, and ended with an explosion that had brought down the warehouse where Evander and Viggo had confronted Renwick.

Viggo frowned as he came around the bed and accepted the cup Evander handed him.He plopped down beside him, the mattress sinking under his weight.

“Do you think it might have something to do with the letter you received and that‘I’character?”

Evander’s fingers tightened on his drink as he recalled the chilling contents of the missive that had been delivered to his Mayfair townhouse following Renwick’s death.

“Maybe.”

The sender had made it clear that the dead mage had been but a pawn in a much larger scheme.The letter was currently locked inside Evander’s desk, in the small office adjoining his bedchamber.

“Things have been far too quiet these past few weeks,” he observed in a troubled voice.

Viggo kissed his head.“Quiet is a good thing sometimes.”

Evander leaned against his lover, grateful for his warmth and his strength.“It is most quiet before the storm.”

A chuckle vibrated through Viggo, the sound low and rich.

“My, you are feeling very poetic this morning, your Grace.”

Evander rolled his eyes at his teasing tone.

They finished their tea and freshened up in the bathroom before getting ready for the day ahead.

Evander watched as Viggo began to dress, admiring the play of muscles beneath his tattooed skin.Despite the sliver of anxiety still singing through his veins at Winterbourne’s curt message, he found himself reluctant to leave the warm intimacy of their shared morning.

Viggo’s gaze captured his in the mirror.His fingers slowed where he was buttoning his shirt.

“I fear we may never make it downstairs if you keep looking at me like that.”A sultry smile tugged at the Brute’s lips.

Evander flushed and busied himself selecting his uniform for the day, a dark blue wool coat with the silver-and-gold aiguillette that marked him as a Special Arcane Investigator.

He had yet to reveal to Viggo the significance of the blue threads weaved within it.

They enjoyed a pleasant breakfast in the dayroom before parting ways at the servants’ entrance.Though Evander had insisted Viggo enter and leave his home through the front door, the Brute wished to maintain discretion for the time being, not just because of the delicate circumstances of their affair but because their enemies were still out there.

“Are we still meeting for dinner at Ginny’s this evening?”Viggo asked as Hargrove handed him his coat.