Page 19 of Soulbound

"Where?" Ianthe asked curtly.

Sebastian rubbed his knuckles in his other hand. "There's a manor on the outskirts of the city. It belongs to a man named Malachi Gray."

Mr. Cross's gaze focused rather intently on Cleo’s husband. "Gray has the Wand?"

"He did the last time I looked," Sebastian replied.

"Then he'll have it still." Cross frowned.

"My mother might have taken it back."

Cross shook his head. "Your mother has no idea who she was dealing with. Even she won't be able to take the Wand back by force, and Gray can see through any illusion she casts. You can bargain with Gray, but no sorcerer in this city can overthrow him. And if he took a liking to the Wand—or even owned some whim to keep it, just because your mother wanted it back—then there's nothing she could have offered him in trade."

Cleo shifted uneasily. "We need it. I saw the three Relics quite clearly. They're the only way to defeat the demon."

"Can he match the might of the Order?" Ianthe demanded.

"No." Cross looked contemplative. "But you don't need to bring the entire Order against him. That preempts a war with those of the Black Arts. Not every sorcerer in London cares for the Order."

"You know this Malachi Gray?" Cleo asked.

"We’ve met," Cross said curtly, "and if you think he’s going to politely hand over something powerful, then you’re quite mistaken. Not without an exchange of equal value."

"I wasn’t planning to ask," Sebastian responded coolly.

Those hawkish eyes gleamed. "I do hope you weren’t going to barrel in there and presume your strength gives you some sort of advantage against a powerful and dangerous foe? One who could possibly knot you in two? One who is very accomplished in the occult arts?"

"That’s why I’m going too," Bishop said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"A seer," Cross tipped his head to Cleo, "and two fools who think what? That strength alone can conquer an unknown foe?" His voice dropped, a dangerously melodic quality entering it. "You know not what you're dealing with. Malachi is not even human. Not anymore. And I would be very, very wary to tread where he claims ownership. If Drake were here, then I think even he might refuse to make this assault, and your father is the greatest sorcerer I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering."

"Just how dangerous is this Malachi Gray?" Ianthe murmured.

"Imagine facing me if I had no conscience, and all I cared for was the whim of toying with others. The demon you wish to bring down has as much empathy as Malachi does, and only twice the power."

"Could he face the demon?" Ianthe asked.

Cross's dark gaze shuttered. "It's not a matter of 'could he,' so much as, 'would he'? Could he survive? Maybe. But unless there was some interest in it for him, then your chances of finding an ally there are nonexistent."

Ianthe paced in front of the fire, her dark skirts swishing about her legs. "What would interest him?"

"Ianthe," Lucien warned, his hands in his pockets.

"You," Cross said bluntly, and Ianthe jerked to halt. "Your body, your heart, your soul." He held up a hand as Lucien stirred. "Simply because your bond with your husband—and your love for him—presents an impossible game to a man like Malachi. Could he win you? Could his allure defeat the strength of a soul-bond between two lovers? You wouldn't be half as interesting to him if your affections could be so easily swayed, but it's the game of it, you see. The temptation. If you want to trade him for the Wand, or for his allegiance, then that is the sort of price he will ask for."

"No," Lucien said coldly, and his amber eyes locked on his wife. "He won't even get the chance to ask."

"I wouldn't even consider it, Luc. And neither of us can leave. There's been so much upheaval in the past month, what with hunting for a demon that's practically vanished. The Ascension Ball has been delayed too long. Its only days away and I have to prepare the house. The entire Order is going to descend upon us, and we need to present a united front. With Drake gone, there's been so much unrest, and my rule is so new." Ianthe pinched the bridge of her nose. "But we need all the information we can get, and if this Gray knows something...."

"I'll go," Bishop said. "Verity and I can hunt the Wand down. I'll take Sebastian with me."

"And me," Cleo added.

Ianthe nodded, as if in thanks.

"So we can't trade for it," Sebastian said softy, pushing away from the wall. "We can't steal it. And we can't hope he will use it as our ally. What does that leave us with?"

"No Wand," Ianthe growled under her breath.