Page 60 of A Token of Blood and Betrayal

“Are you talking about the power outage that makes you wish your coven was here?”I asked.

“That’s the one.”

I scowled at the top of my desk.Apparently, Christianhadtalked to her.I guess he was eager to get things rolling.If the null spell worked, Melissa would be one step closer to having her own place within a new magical void.

“Okay,” I said.“And you need a special witch glass to create it?”

“Yep.”

“Then why aren’t you trying to get on his good side?”I asked.

Shehmmmedthoughtfully.“Turn to the left.”

“Why?”Owen replied.

“I want to see if you have a good side.”

“Oh my God,” I said.“Why don’t you just sleep with him and get it over with?”

“Kennedy thinks we should sleep together,” she said.

“Never.”Owen put an extra big period at the end of that response.

I sighed.“Give the phone back to him.”

“Catch,” she said.

I scrunched up my face, bracing for the clatter of the phone hitting the floor.

“What?”Owen snapped.

Huh.He caught it.

“Nice reflexes,” I said.“Just sell Astrid the witch glass.”

“Not until I know what it’s for, and even then, it will be at a premium.”

“That’s called price gouging.”It sounded like Astrid was speaking over Owen’s shoulder.

“It’s called an irritation fee.Get her out, Kennedy.”

I rolled my eyes.We all knew he was more than capable of expelling her from his store.Wrestling her out the door might not look great in front of the human customers, but if hereallydidn’t want Astrid there, he could have attuned his wards to prevent her from entering.Interesting that he didn’t.

“The witch glass is for something I’m working on,” I said.Then, knowing it would likely lead him to make the wrong assumption, I added, “It’s for the project we aren’t telling anyone about.”

“It is not.”Disbelief more than denial laced his words.

“Promise.”I wasn’t lying.We weren’t telling people about Astrid’s attempt to replicate the Null spell.Wealsoweren’t telling people about the dampening spell we’d purchased from Canyon last week.Owen had set up that deal, and I found it hard to believe he hadn’t known the so-called firestone witch wasn’t a fey.

“Why the hell wouldn’t you tell me this?”Owen’s voice was distant, like he’d lowered the phone to his side.

“You shouldn’t be so nosy,” Astrid replied.She really did get a kick out of driving him crazy.

“Five hundred—” The phone went dead.I didn’t know how much witch glass cost, but I was pretty sure it was at least double what anyone else would have paid.

I placed the receiver back into its holder just after thebeep, beep, beepsignaled the end of the connection.

Chapter Sixteen