Chapter 41 #2
A shaft of something altogether unpleasant filled his eyes.
He wasn’t used to being spoken to like that.
His lips curled up in a poor attempt at a smile, but in contrast his voice was smooth and unconcerned.
“I’m hardly young, Mary. I was around long before you were even a twinkle in your granddaddy’s eyes. ”
“Yes.” Her eyes, normally soft and gentle, blazed down at him. “One would think you would have learned better manners by now.” She snatched up the empty bread plate.
Eric chuckled. Kenneth grinned. Even Karson smirked.
I watched Rodney intently. I didn’t think he would hurt Mary, but you never truly knew with a vampire. They were volatile creatures, prone to sudden bursts of violence.
He held a goblet in his left hand, running his long fingers over the fine detailing etched in its side. He said with a voice like silk and daggers, “You forget, Mary, whom you speak to. There is a limit to my patience.”
Mary snapped her gaze to him, no fear in her eyes, but a wariness as if she expected him to rush at her.
“Do not threaten Mary,” I snapped. Somehow, my palms were up and my powers surged. The chair he was seated on screeched as it flew back along the timber floorboards, leaving great scratches in its wake. I held him frozen to his chair.
Karson remained seated.
Georgie clutched Josh’s arm so tightly her fingers faded into the white of his shirt.
Michael whispered something into her ear. She nodded and relaxed but didn’t let Josh go.
Rodney just sat there, studying me like I was a creature of interest and he had all the time in the world.
Eric whipped a hand over his mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to smother laughter. Kenneth grinned at Monique, but she looked away. Janice wished me dead.
“Amelia,” Karson said calmly. “Perhaps it might be somewhat more appropriate, if you let our dinner guest back to the table.” Like it was a complete overreaction.
Mary threw daggers with her eyes at Rodney and muttered under her breath. Rodney looked like he wanted to laugh.
Mary’s lips were pulled so thin they disappeared into her mouth. She yanked the next plate off the table, and it clattered on top of the others. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she hurled them at him, but instead she pivoted like a woman half her age and strutted from the room.
“It’s a little hard to reach my drink from here.” He waved a hand casually. “So, if you would be so kind to remove the vice off my chest.”
When Mary left the room, I let my hands fall and sat back in my seat as Rodney collected his chair and returned to the table.
“Have a nice trip?” Eric grinned. “Cold out there?”
“You keep that up, Eric, and you will find out,” Rodney quipped, but he smiled as if the whole thing was funny.
Karson sat there like nothing had happened. Why didn’t he defend Mary? I hurled my boot into his shin so hard, the thump could be heard around the table.
He dropped his gaze to me, amused. “Trust me when I tell you, Amelia, Mary is more than capable of holding her own against any of us on this table, and Rodney was only baiting her. He revels in firing people up.”
“Georgie.” Rodney smiled, the sound of her name rolling off his caviar tongue irking me.
His eyes swept to the V of the fitted black dress she was wearing and back again.
Her hair was out and curled, and her lips shone a glossy pink.
She too looked beautiful, even if her eyes were a little bloodshot and glassy.
“I heard about your little run-in with Sarah.”
I sighed loudly. He could read Georgie’s mind without even trying.
I didn’t know how much Karson had shared, and I didn’t know how much Georgie might reveal.
She never saw the grimoire in Sarah’s hand, but the wolf, if she even thought of the wolf, Rodney would know about my connection to the waters.
The more people that knew, the greater risk I was in.
If the grimoire surfaced, whoever sought it would actively hunt down anything in their way. And I was in their way.
Pin prickles landed on her arms as she rubbed them abstractly. “Yes, but Amy kicked her ass.”
Rodney’s eyes swept over my face. “Really, quite the achievement to fight someone with her skill, Amelia, and live to talk about it. What coven do you belong to?”
I grabbed another dinner roll and thumped it into the gravy. “I don’t.”
He sat back in his chair and interlinked his hands over his head. “A witch without her coven is like a wolf without its pack. It can survive, but it’s lonely, and always feels like something is missing.”
His words struck somewhere deep. I wanted to belong, to fit in.
It’s all I’d ever really wanted. I had love though.
I had Karson, Ethan, Georgie, Jodie, BJ, Darcy, Michael, and Josh.
I was lucky to have so many friends. Still, the yearning for family spread through my stomach like a void I needed to fill.
I threw back a mouthful of wine, wiping my lips with the back of my hand, and settled the glass softly on the table. “What about your coven, where are they?” I asked sweetly.
He spread his arms out. “I’m a vampire now, this is my coven.” He quickly turned his attention back to Georgie. Interesting. “Sarah attacked you in revenge for cheating with Ethan, did she not?”
Georgie’s face bloomed red and she dropped her gaze to the table.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Rodney.” Monique threw him a sharp look. “Leave the girls alone. You can see Georgie isn’t comfortable talking about it.”
“I can imagine, Monique. Given Sarah took you out with a bit of dragon’s blood, you are not comfortable talking about it either.”
Dragon’s blood—the first I had heard of that. Monique looked daggers at Karson. He ignored her and met my inquisitive gaze.
“It’s an old potion some witches have hoarded. It takes the wind out of our sails for a while.”
“Sounds fabulous. I don’t suppose you have any lying around,” I half joked.
He arched a brow, the epitome of arrogance. “If I did, I can assure you, you would be the last to know where it was.”
“Shame, imagine the fun I could have with that.” I looked squarely at Rodney. If he wanted to play games, have at it, ass.
He merely smiled as if my threat was a thing of amusement.
Josh placed a tray filled with sliced beef and pork into the middle of the table. “We should eat before the food gets cold.” He slipped down in the chair beside Georgie and squeezed her arm in a show of support. Everyone started eating and chatter flew around the table.
Kenneth, despite his tough, foreboding look, had a softer side.
He tried to engage with Monique and she responded, but it was terse.
Janice was like reading steel. Eric, if I had to guess, was a newish vampire.
His look between Georgie and me was unsettling at times, but when I caught his gaze he would look away and drink with gusto out of his goblet.
The waitresses came out as we finished eating. As they collected the plates, the girl who took Karson’s bowl had trembling hands. I would have felt bad for her, but there was no excuse for allowing a lady of Mary’s age to do the bulk of the work.
Karson had shifted to the other end of the table beside Rodney, chatting about old times that included fine balls and dining on the necks of dignitaries. Charming.
I was hot, and my skin was clammy under my jumper. I stood up and pulled it over my head. As I did, my white t-shirt caught and was coming with it. Michael snatched a hand out and grabbed it, pulling it back down.
A low snarl rumbled through the room. “Son, I would take your eyes off her,” Rodney said, “or if Karson doesn’t pluck your eyeballs from your sockets, I will.”
Eric dropped his head so his hair covered half his face.
Karson looked like he wanted to tear Eric’s throat out but said, “No harm done.”
“Sorry, Amy,” Eric muttered, lurching to his feet. “It’s just your sc—”
“Eric,” the rumble came from deep down in Karson’s chest. The room fell silent.
“I’m going to get some fresh air,” Eric said, then disappeared. Wind blasted into the house as he slipped out of the front door.
“My what?” I asked, confused.
“It’s your smell,” Janice answered, her claws tapping on the table. “Witches always smell sweeter, but you.” She uncurled a long black nail at my chest. “Are like bringing a little lamb into a den of wolves.”
“To all of you?” My eyes darted around the group, stopping on Karson, intensely aware that everyone’s eyes were on me. In the silence that followed, I had my answer.
“Oh, that’s unfortunate,” Georgie slurred.
“Thank you, Janice,” Karson said, “for your unnecessary insight.”
“Personally, I think you reek.” Monique wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I never did like the stench of a witch.”
Was she attempting to make me feel better?
I threw out a hand. “You don’t think this little insight might have been shared earlier?”
“You have my protection,” Karson responded lazily. “No vampire will touch you.”
“He is correct.” Rodney stroked his stubbled chin. “No one will touch you and certainly not one of my clan.”
Kenneth rose. “I will go and check on Eric. He’s bound to be upset.”
“I could check. He is kind of hot. I wouldn’t mind a little get-over-the-cheating-asshole-move-on sex.” Georgie laughed.
My mouth fell open. How drunk was she?
Kenneth grinned. “I will let him know, Georgie. I doubt he’d decline your offer.”
“Oookkaayyy. No more wine for you,” Josh said, taking the glass from her and pouring her a glass of water instead. She pouted but took a few sips of water.
Karson swung his head in the direction of the door, frowning as Rodney announced loudly, “Oh good, our entertainment is here. I do hope you don’t mind me inviting a few people, Karson?”