Page 37 of The Fang Arrangement (Celestial Witches #2)

A nother fruitless night of hunting for the Slayer, and I can tell that the council is beyond agitated.

It’s more than the fact that we haven’t found the Slayer.

It’s clear that they’re becoming suspicious of me.

Or perhaps I’m a jaded, paranoid, immortal being who thinks everyone is out to get me.

But we’re going with the idea that I’m completely rational and these fuckers need to go.

Sebastian and Samantha hunted together again. They’re all smiles as we walk back into the home. The rest of the council, however, looks like they’re out for blood.

“We need to bring the vampire who brought these allegations to us back into the fold. I know Warin has confirmed the account of the Slayer, but isn’t it curious that the whistleblower is nowhere to be found?” Justin asks.

That would be because he is now serving as fertilizer, but they definitely don’t need to know that.

“Who was the whistleblower again?” I ask.

Joyce rolls her eyes. “As if you don’t know. Someone in your nest mysteriously leaves, and the council appears. Don’t be such a dumb blond, it’s not attractive.”

“God, Joyce, you’re giving me whiplash. Do you want to fuck me or see me burned in the sun? Neither is on the table, by the way.”

“This cun—” Joyce hiss, her fangs bared to me.

“I grow bored with this,” Magnus drawls. “Slayers aren’t built to lie in wait. With the amount of new vampires in town, there’s no way they could tame their beast enough to not attack.”

Unless they found their mate, that would trump everything. Fuck, I hate that I had to agree to Ember’s terms. I really was looking forward to gutting him and watching the life leave his eyes. Yes, I’m trying to be a better man for Ember, but a man still needs his hobbies.

“Perhaps the deputy of the area would agree to call on us if there are any future sightings. Warin wounded him enough that he did perish,” Beatrix says.

“Or maybe our gracious host is lying to us,” Joyce says.

Her ugly, comfortable shoes clack against the floor as she circles me.

“Maybe he’s hiding the Slayer. Just like he locks his witch in her little tower and we’re unable to access her,” Joyce says, and I hate how close to the facts she is.

“Why would he hide a Slayer, Joyce?” Sebastian asks, bored with all of this.

I can’t help but notice his hand is on Samantha’s shoulder.

“Same reason he hides his witch. Why we executed so many witches in Chicago all those years ago? Warin isn’t one of us, not really. You’ve been working with the witches again, haven’t you?” Joyce says, and I keep my face passive.

“It’s not illegal to fraternize with witches,” I say.

“He’s right. It’s odd, but it’s not forbidden by the council,” Sebastian says.

“It is still suspicious, no? A member of his nest comes crying to the council, telling us he needs our protection and that there’s a slayer his previous leader didn’t notify us of. He lives to tell the tale of being staked by a slayer and has his little live-in whore warded away in his bedroom.”

My jaw ticks and Sebastian looks like he wants to shut her down, but she’s talking too much sense.

“We will interview Ember again,” Sebastian says pragmatically.

Beatrix, Justin, and Magnus groan in irritation. I have to swallow down my fury of them being near her. Not after I’ve had her, not after this connection of ours has been solidified.

“Are you afraid of what we might find out?” Joyce taunts.

“Just worried that you might have a temper tantrum over how much she enjoys my company, is all.”

“Right. Go get her,” Joyce demands.

I jerk my head in a nod and head toward my bedroom, leaving Samantha and the council in my wake.

When I open the door, she’s in my bed, her pink hair splayed all over my pillows, her raccoon snuggled against her.

Fuck.

If I had a heart, it would be pulsating and racing over seeing her like this, alongside the nerves of deceiving the council. Ember is a brilliant witch, but lying directly in the faces of multiple old as fuck vampires will be a challenge.

I push her hair off her face and cup her face. When she stirs she presses her face against my palm and smiles.

“You’re back,” she says, blinking away sleep, and grabbing my wrist. “Good. I need you.”

“As much as I wish that’s why I was in here, we have a problem.”

Her brows furrow, and I stroke her face.

“The council is getting restless. They’re demanding to interview you again.”

Her eyes widen in shock and fear. This wasn’t part of the plan. I was supposed to figure out how to get the council off our backs while she and her friends work on making sure the Slayer doesn’t kill me.

She swallows thickly, untangling herself from her familiar, who barely stirs.

“What if they don’t believe me? What if they can tell I’m lying?” she says, looking at me for guidance.

I glance down at her ring and shake the idea away immediately. There’s no way I’m leaving her vulnerable with them.

“Do you know any spells to calm your nerves?” I ask, rubbing my hands up and down her arms.

“We’re waiting!” Joyce screams from the sitting room.

Ember nods her head sharply, holding her wand and doing a small incantation.

“Should I get changed?” she asks. She’s wearing one of my shirts. I shake my head, at war with myself over them seeing her like that, but realize it’s a good thing.

“No. I’ll protect you, above anything else. You're safe with me, okay? Just do your best to answer their questions like you’re being compelled, alright sunshine?”

She nods, some of her nerves fading away from whatever spell she cast on herself.

I grab her by the waist and walk her barefoot, messy-haired self, to the sitting room. It’s reminiscent of the night they showed up, and I do exactly what I did that night, plopping her on my lap.

“Do what you must, Joyce. I’m ready to go home. You know I have my favorite little blood bags waiting for me,” Magnus says.

Magnus stands with his back to the wall, Justin and Beatrix sit boredly on a couch together. Samantha and Sebastian are exceptionally close together as Joyce paces, staring down Ember.

“Ember, have you seen the Slayer?” she asks.

“No,” Ember says a little too robotically, and I rub her thigh, giving her reassurance.

“So you can not say whether Warin was injured by one?”

“I just know that I removed the stake from his stomach,” Ember says.

“I see. And has Warin given you his blood?” Joyce asks.

“Why in the fuck is this relevant?” I ask.

“I’d like to know as well,” Magnus chimes in.

“Only to heal wounds,” Ember says.

“Never directly on your tongue? Never to use it for a spell, perhaps?” Joyce asks.

“No.”

Joyce snatches Ember’s wrist, and I can’t help the hiss that rips out of my throat.

“Simmer down, War. Just checking your little pink toy’s pulse.”

Joyce does just that, her fingertips dangerously close to where Ember’s protection ring sits on her finger.

“Does Warin drink from you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you enjoy it?” Joyce asks.

“What the fuck does this have to do with the Slayer?” I interrupt.

“Yes, Joyce, what does this have to do with the Slayer?” Sebastian says, getting to his feet.

“We came here to hunt. There’s been no sign of him.

Warin has been a gracious host, despite your blunt rudeness.

This is enough. I will stay, make sure that the Slayer does not return. The rest of the council will go home.”

Joyce glares at Ember, still holding her hand, and I can sense that Ember is holding her breath. She eventually drops her hand and turns to Sebastian.

“We never split up,” Joyce says, straightening out her cardigan.

“Did I ask you how you felt about it?” Sebastian retorts, and Joyce tightens her lips. “Come nightfall, you will go back to HQ while I ensure that everything is safe here.”

The three other council members look relieved, while Joyce turns and glares down her nose at us.

“Very well,” she says, turning away and heading to her room.

“Does that compromise suit you, Warin?” Sebastian asks.

“Yes, thank you,” I reply.

Even though I want all these motherfuckers out of my house, especially the most powerful one who keeps touching and giving my progeny saucy looks.

“Very well. Everyone have a good day and I’ll see you off tonight with instructions,” Sebastian says. The council leaves.

Samantha, Ember, and I stay seated, all sharing looks, knowing no words can be shared between us. I haven’t told Samantha about the Slayer, but she looks at me suspiciously, before giving us a tilt of her head and retiring for the day.

“Come, let us go to bed, you need more rest,” I tell Ember, holding her hand and bringing her to our room.

As soon as we’re in the room, Ember starts breathing heavily. I cup the back of her head and bring her to my chest.

“You did great. You were so brave. We’ll just have to deal with Sebastian, but it has solved a big portion of our problem.”

She nods against my chest, holding me tight.

“Come on, let’s get some sleep, okay?”

“Okay. You really don’t think she noticed I was hiding something?”

I bring the blankets over both of us, we’re lying on our sides facing each other and I have a hand on her hip.

“Even if she does, Sebastian doesn’t, and that’s all that matters. She’ll be leaving and you won’t have to deal with her ever again. Things will be less tense with only Sebastian here. Although, we’ll still need to be vigilant.”

“Does Samantha know about Iris?” she asks.

“No, I haven’t told her anything.”

“I’m sorry you have to lie to her.”

“Whatever it takes to keep you safe,” I tell her, and she shifts her body so her head is on my chest, and I’m holding her tight. Her soft hair is pressed under my nose as I inhale her delicate scent.

Her thumb moves back and forth on my chest and she sighs like she has something else to say, but drifts off to sleep.

I don’t slumber immediately, my head filled with problems and solutions. It would be kind of nice if Sebastian killed the Slayer. Then it wouldn’t be me who did it, but he would be out of the picture.

Groaning, I shake that thought from my head. She asked me to spare him, and that’s what I’ll do. It will make her happy, and that’s my life’s mission.

My life. My endless fucking life, while Ember’s is much shorter.

I’d never condemn her to this. She’s far too radiant. I’d love her no matter how she looks. I’ll have to accept the years I have with her as a blessing.

But I make a vow to myself that the moment she leaves this earth, I’ll leave it with her.

I kiss the top of her head, trying to not think of such morbid things. I’ve spent so much of this immortal life hoping for more in the future and I finally have it. Thinking about the moment this happiness is ripped away from me will only cause me pain.

I will live in the moment with her, though I don’t deserve it.