Page 27 of Seared Fates

A couple of curious heads peek around the corner, but the moment they spot us, they vanish again. The scent of ozone is so thick that I can smell rather than see all his hidden wolves. But it’s the next scent that has me turning on him.

Rotting meat.

“This is not an ambush,” Grey says smoothly.

“Why is a blood mage here?” I demand.

“Not just a blood mage.” A voice cuts in before I can react, as a woman with a shock of white through dark hair walks out of the kitchen.

“Astra Roth,” I spit.

“Blood Mage Sovereign now,” she corrects, chin high

I dart forward, but Grey’s hand on my shoulder holds me back from ripping out her throat.

“Your pissant brother Sebastian finally made you the leader of the blood mages?” I snarl. “And here I thought you’d have to pry that disgusting title from his cold, dead hands.”

“I did. Because I killed him.”

“Should that impress me,Seiðskratti?”

“You got him speaking Norse,” Grey sighs. “I did say we shouldn’t leave this as a surprise.”

“He wouldn’t have come if you’d told him,” Astra argues back.

“I would have,” I bite out, “just to have the chance to watch you bleed.”

“Vidar, please. We’re all here to talk,” Grey says. “And then maybe you could rip out her throat.”

“Not funny,” Astra says.

Grey lets go of me, lifting one nonchalant shoulder as he saunters into the warm living room. “I wasn’t joking. Why don’t we all have some tea?”

After a beat, Astra follows him, and I take up the back to watch every move the blood mage makes as she slips into one of the armchairs, the long coat she wears slipping away to reveal afilthy spellbook, the leather a wrinkled white and strapped to her outer thigh with two belts.

“You have five seconds before I kill her, then maybe go on a little rampage of your wolves, pup.”

Grey chuckles and gestures lazily at Astra as he gets comfortable in the armchair closest to the crackling fireplace.

Astra’s chin remains high and her back straight. “I didn’t approve of Emma going after your family. In fact, she’s been exiled for years.”

My glare holds strong from where I plant myself, arms folded, in the threshold. “You had no idea Emma would send her rats to my home? Go after my family?”

Grey pours tea into three cups. “Straight to business then, I suppose. I was so excited for these biscuits, too…” And pops one in his mouth.

“Emma is my sister.” Astra looks at me, expecting a reaction. But when I give her none, she continues. “Over the years, our numbers have dwindled. As a family, Sebastian, Emma and I worried over this.”

Grey hums. “Something about slaughtering others for their blood would cause some friction, yes.”

Grey might’ve planned this circus, but at least he isn’t falling for any honeyed words.

“It’s true,” Astra agrees, “and we will not survive if the killing continues. To solve this, I proposed that we mend ties with the supernatural communities.”

“Emma and your brother didn’t agree,” I say.

“They did not,” Astra replies tightly. “My sister had other ideas, ones that were hidden in vaults only my brother had access to. Ones that gave him the First Tome.”

I don’t budge, yet suspicion pricks at the back of my neck. “How bad is this thing?”