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“If I were you, I’d answer before he loses the mask of civility.” Stone warned. “I didn’t think there was anything that would prompt the Coven to return to their barbaric methods of threatening loved ones.”

“Barbaric? Your kind dares speak of barbarity?” Dae scoffed.

Warmth was exuding itself from Blaise, and Alessandro knew he was a ticking time bomb. Dragon pride made Blaise’s affinity for fire strong. If the witch kept stroking his fire with blatant disrespect, Blaise would burn him to death.

“Now let me be frank. I know it is the Coven who is behind the attacks on the shifters. You are here to threaten Rowan Dahl because she got in the way one too many times. I’m just trying to reach a reason not to run you through with my claws here and now and start an all out war between your witches and the world.”

“The Coven is not behind the shifter attacks.” The witch hissed. His refusal was so vehement that Alessandro wondered if Elaine’s message had been wrong. “The only reason I am here is to get the stolen Elder’s Grimoire back.”

Before he heard her. He felt her. Full of power and pissed off.

“Steal? Cherry Young delivered it to me.” Rowan’s voice shook with her indignation.

Alessandro turned and took her in. Of course, she had fresh injuries. It was apparently a thing she did, showing up beat up. A cut lip, swollen cheek, and a green-purple bruise bloomed on her temple.

In return she took him in, confusion and hurt front and center before she once again shuttered her feelings and showed him nothing but a slight mocking look as if she was saying,I told you I needed nothing from you.

His dragon reared.

He scowled and waved a hand over the bruises until they disappeared. “Defense is as important as a good offense.”

She bristled. “My defense is great, or else I’d be dead ten times over. What are you doing here, Dragon King?”

“Must you be so hostile?”

“Yes. It’s part of my defense.”

He rolled his eyes. “We got a warning that your kingdom was about to be attacked.”

“From whom?” She demanded.

“Ah, so that got through that little defense of yours, did it?”

“What in the endless hells?” Blaise’s soft curse brought them back to the realization they had onlookers.

Alessandro took in Rowan’s companions.

There was a black-haired man with golden eyes rimmed with red kohl. He could smell under layers of charms that he was a kitsune, a strong one at that.

Next to him was a brunette woman with cherry red eyes and an impressed smile that showed off fangs to denote her vampire heritage. The smell of blood he associated with the race was so slight, he nearly missed it. Was she starving herself?

Rowan stood protectively in front of what was obviously one of the other three princesses of the Eastern Elven Kingdom. He noted a lack of the succubus limbs Rowan carried, as well as the lack of concealment charms that would suggest she was simply hiding them. Were the sisters perhaps not fully related? She was a spitting image of Rowan, though her hair had an aquamarine streak and she wore round, golden rimmed glasses. Her face was taut with anxiety as she glanced at the witch.

She looked so much like Rowan that it was instinct to ease it. “As I was saying, I came to help, but your spell work beat me to the punch.”

A glint of pride lightened her eyes. “Is that awe I hear in your voice?”

“Who thinks of such a defense?” Blaise asked, approaching and holding his hand out, “Princess Rowan, I am Blaise.”

Rowan took the offered appendage. “Thank you for coming, Blaise. To be fair, the trap was a joint effort between my sister Axel and myself. She’s creative with defense strategies and I am wicked good with magic.”

“Makes me wonder how much you actually hid when we were in school together.” Stone was next to approach. “I knew I caught you practicing higher level spells in the study chambers.”

“Strange how each time you did, Louisa was supposed to be playing my lookout.” Rowan sent a glare back toward the brunette.

“I was on vampire time, and you were asking me to pay attention during my equivalent of your crack of dawn!” Louisa snapped.

There was no real vehemence behind either woman, this was just their way of communicating. There was comfort and trust that came along with such a method.