Page 31

Chapter 31

I was sweating over the potion that was simmering away in a bronze cauldron even before I increased the flames underneath it to make it really boil. I was brewing in a small cauldron, but it was one of my most powerful receptacles.

I pushed back a sticky strand of hair that had fallen loose from my braid. With a sigh, I grabbed another clip to keep it out of my face and out of the potion. A stray hair from me and the whole thing would be ruined. I didn’t fancy keeping Krieg hanging around much longer; he’d already been waiting for more than six hours. Still, the potion had to be right and the ingredients wouldn’t be rushed.

I crushed the milk thistle and waited for the temperature to rise. The brew was bubbling vigorously and if I waited too long to turn it down, it would be ruined. It had to be timed to perfection. The thermometer was in the cauldron but in truth I didn’t need it to tell me that the potion was ready for me to add the milk thistle. I poured it in deftly with one hand whilst stirring with the other. I continued to stir with my right hand as my left hand doused the flames.

I kept one eye on the temperature of the liquid. When it hit ninety degrees exactly, I carefully lifted the cauldron and placed it in an ice bath. The cauldron hissed in protest at the shock of the cold, and steam rose. I smiled smugly. Perfect. Now for the final ingredient – and Krieg wanted to be present when I added that.

I walked back through my office and into the living room. The atmosphere was tense. Krieg was sprawled on my sofa with his two henchmen standing behind him on sentry duty. Bastion’s body was rigid. Violence stirred in the air.

I frowned at Krieg. ‘You were supposed to wait in reception.’

‘I did,’ he growled. ‘For five and a half hours. Then I grew impatient.’

‘Did I give you the impression that it was a quick potion?’ I asked, exasperated.

‘You did not,’ he admitted.

‘I told you I would summon you,’ I huffed. ‘But since you’re here, you may as well come in.’ I paused. ‘Just you,’ I clarified. His guards stiffened.

Krieg nodded once. ‘Fine, but the griffin stays here with them.’

‘Amber…’ Bastion started.

‘Stay here,’ I ordered firmly. ‘Keep an eye on these two. Krieg has given his word he won’t harm me. If he goes back on his word then you have my permission to slice him into sashimi.’

Bastion’s jaw tightened and I felt his anxiety. I tried to reassure him, but I was still a novice at this bond thing so I had no idea whether it worked or not. I kept the bond as open as possible so he could feel that I was working calmly and nothing more.

Krieg followed me into my office then into my no-longer-so-secret laboratory behind it. I checked the temperature of the potion and moved the cauldron to my tripod stand, then I went to the fridge. I’d covered the bowl that was filled with Krieg’s blood with clingfilm and placed it in there. If I’d known that Krieg was going to insist on waiting, I would have drawn the blood fresh rather than risking spilling it in my car on the way home. But there you go.

I peeled back the sticky film and poured the cold blood into the cooling potion. I grimaced a little as I spotted a few clots; they weren’t a problem but they made my stomach turn. As the dark blood dripped in, the potion started to swirl. Slowly it shifted from a sludgy brown colour to a crystal-clear potion, as clear as water.

‘Lean forward,’ I instructed Krieg. ‘At first you’ll only see yourself reflected in the potion, but then it will shimmer and show you your mate.’

Krieg’s hands curled into fists at his side but that was only indication that he was tense. His face was calm. I made a mental note never to play poker with him.

He leaned forward over the clear liquid. His reflection stared back at him, then it shimmered and the potion turned pearlescent. His image faded and another vision replaced it. ‘Oh heck,’ I said aloud as I saw who was staring back at him, a hint of defiance in her gaze.

‘You know her?’ Krieg asked. He tried to say it casually, but I wasn’t buying it.

‘Stacey Wise. She’s an inspector in the Connection.’ I’d only met her briefly, but she’d struck me as ballsy. She’d need to be if she was going to get hot and heavy with the ogre king .

‘Stacey,’ he repeated reverently, a small smile tugging at his mouth.

‘She works in and around Chester and Liverpool.’

‘Then that is where I shall go.’ He pushed back from the potion. ‘She’s a wizard?’

‘I assume so, though I haven’t witnessed any magic from her.’ I paused and asked an impertinent question. ‘Were you expecting an ogre?’

‘No,’ he admitted. ‘I’ve travelled up and down this country and across Europe. I’ve met with many of the ruling ogres and their people, but no one has drawn my gaze.’

‘Will it cause problems for you? A human-creature relationship?’

He smiled, and there was nothing friendly about it. ‘Only temporarily.’ I could hear the subtext clearly: anyone who made it an issue would catch a sudden case of death. I wondered what Inspector Wise would think about that.

I cleared my throat. ‘I take it that you accept that the potion has been made to your satisfaction and, as such, my end of the deal has been upheld?’

Krieg nodded once. ‘I do.’

‘Then you will permanently cancel the contract? ’

‘I will.’ He paused. ‘I will put a permanent ban on killing you. Obviously I can lift it if you piss me off, but for now you are safe from all ogres in the UK.’

I was surprised by the weight of relief and gratitude I felt. ‘Thank you,’ I murmured.

‘Thank you for freely telling me her name and location,’ he said stiffly. ‘Good day, Miss DeLea.’

I bowed lower than I would usually have done and saw him smile a little. He made his way out of my lab. No doubt we both felt like we’d got the best side of the bargain. With the contract out on me cancelled, it was only the black witches and the necromancer I needed to concern myself with. Piece of cake.

When I walked into my living room it was ogre free. Krieg had wasted no time making tracks, eager to either connect with his mate or to leave my Coven; both were fine with me.

Bastion had boiled the kettle. ‘Tea?’ he asked lightly.

I hesitated. The last time I’d had a cup of tea, it had been poisoned. However, I didn’t want Becky to have any sort of long-term effect on me and I trusted Bastion implicitly so I nodded. ‘Yes, please. That would be nice.’

If he was surprised by response, I didn’t feel it through our bond; rather, I felt a tendril of something I’d have called pride. He was proud of me? That felt surprisingly nice. I hadn’t had anyone other than my mother, Oscar or Aunt Abigay feel proud of me before. There is something possessive about a sense of pride, and I found that I quite liked the idea of Bastion feeling possessive about me.

He made the tea and brought my cup over to me. His mug had a picture of a unicorn on it and said: Back the hell up, sparkle tits. Today is not the day. I will shank you with my horn.

I snorted with amusement. ‘Now, I know that’s not one of mine. I knew you’d been expanding my collection! Have you been amusing yourself with buying mugs, sparkle tits?’

He flashed me a grin and his pecs did a little dance under his shirt, making my chuckle transform into a full-blown guffaw.

I examined my own mug: was it an old one or a Bastion one? It said: I’m not an early bird or a night owl, I’m some form of permanently exhausted pigeon . I laughed at that. A Bastion one, for sure, and it wasn’t wrong. I burned both ends of the candle, but who had time for sleep? After all, you could rest when you were dead.

My phone rang before I had taken my first sip of tea. It was Voltaire. I took a deep breath. I was tired after spending a six hours making a complex potion and I did not want to be going to some sort of black-witch auction just now.

I swiped to answer. ‘DeLea.’ My voice was terse.

‘I have something of yours,’ he groused. ‘I’ll dump him tonight in the shadows by the Coven tower.’

‘Is he in one piece?’ I asked calmly.

‘For now. He’s an annoying little prick so my answer might change.’ He cleared his throat. ‘The soul auction is tomorrow night. I’ll send further details once I know them. I trust you have a disguise ready.’ He rang off.

I glared at the phone. ‘Bye-bye,’ I said to the disconnect tone. ‘Nice chatting to you.’

‘You know that your passive-aggressive sarcasm works better when they can hear you?’ Bastion quipped.

‘He is such a jerk.’ I sipped my tea to calm my nerves; it was like manna from the heavens and I gave a happy sigh. ‘Oh tea, I have missed you.’

‘I think I’m jealous,’ Bastion laughed.

‘Don’t be. I make better noises than that for you.’ I winked.

He grinned broadly. ‘You do. Drink up so we can make some more.’

I do not react well to orders, but this was one that I could get behind. I drank up.