Chapter 10 #3
Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a piece of rich cream linen. It was soft, and I’d embroidered pale yellow daisies around the edge. I showed her. “May I?”
She looked down her nose at it. Her head tilted to the side. “What was your name again?”
“Tempest,” I said.
“Tempest who?”
“Tempest Manfred,” I said, lying. It was the same name I’d given the clinic when I showed up looking for a job.
I couldn’t give my real surname, not when Tempest Merryweather vanished fifteen years ago, right after her parents were murdered and her house burned to the ground.
No one at the clinic had questioned it, though I thought that was more to do with their desperation for healers than anything else.
“I’ve never heard of you.” She looked me up and down again. “We’re one of the most powerful covens in Roxburgh, and I find your presumption that I don’t know how to honor one of our elders insulting.”
“I mean no offense. Brigid was someone I’ve read about and admired greatly for most of my life.
It would be a great honor for me to have her rest, even if only for the interim, on my linen,” I said.
I didn’t care what she thought of me. Brigid was all that mattered here, and besides, Matilda W always said you caught more bees with honey, though I was starting to think Aradina was more of a wasp.
Her eyes narrowed on me, then finally she waved a careless hand. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” I said and quickly laid the linen out so Fender could place Brigid on the table.
She looked down at Brigid, and a smile curled her lips. “We’ve finally got the whole set.”
My gaze sliced to her. “Set?”
“The three. Eartha, Petra and Brigid. The boost in power to our cemetery will make us almost as strong as the Thornhearts.”
Oh dear. I really didn’t like her. Power was never more important than family, whether that was by blood, or in my case, found.
Aradina didn’t seem to share my feelings on that, though.
“I’m…happy for you,” I said, at a loss for what else to say.
I’m positive I didn’t sound sincere at all, but that was the best I could do.
“I suppose you want to be compensated? Why else would you go to all this trouble?”
I frowned. “No, that’s not why we brought her home.”
“We? Are you and Fender an item, then, Tina?”
“Tempest.”
“Whatever.” Her gaze slid to Fender, then back to me. “What coven are you from again?”
This was always hard. I couldn’t tell her I was from coven Matilda.
Even if I did, I doubted many would believe me.
“I don’t have one,” I said, giving her my usual answer when I was asked.
Covenless witches were looked down on by some, but it was my only choice.
It would be far more dangerous to claim a coven that wasn’t mine.
Her face screwed up like she had a bitter taste in her mouth. “There’s a coven here in the city, Ashborne, they call themselves. They take in strays like you, Tina.”
“Tempest,” I said again.
“You should go see them. A witch without a coven is vulnerable, though you seem to have found yourself a bodyguard.” Aradina’s sharp gaze slid from me to Fender again and shifted to something a lot warmer. “I’d like to have a word with you, in private,” she said to him.
“You’ve got nothing to say that I want to hear,” he said. “Me and Temp have somewhere we need to be.”
I blinked at him. Yes, Aradina seemed a bit on the shallow side, and okay, more than a little abrupt, but his reply had been incredibly rude. “It’s fine,” I said, trying to smooth things over. I didn’t want to make enemies with anyone in this city, no matter how unpleasant they were.
He frowned at me, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “Tempest—”
“I’ll just be out here.” I hustled from the greenhouse.
I didn’t go far, there were lovely gardens just outside.
Aradina seemed to really want to talk to Fender for some reason.
He’d been a bit abrupt with her, but it could be important.
After a few minutes, I headed back. Whatever she wanted to ask, surely wouldn’t take that long.
As I neared, Aradina’s voice drifted out, and she sounded different, all soft and silky.
“We had a good time. I know you enjoyed yourself. I’ve been thinking about you ever since I climbed out of your bed.”
My heart slammed in my chest.
Fender said nothing.
“Why are you even with that covenless weirdo? She’s plain and fat, and just…strange. What could you possibly want with her?”
There was a pause, then Fender growled low. “You need to stop talking.”
“You know you don’t have to hold back with me. That’s a rare thing for males like you. You’re so big, Fender, all over. I doubt very much she could take all of you like I did.”
As inexperienced as I was, and there were things I still wasn’t clear on, I’d watched enough movies and read books to know what she meant. Fender and Aradina had been lovers.
My head was suddenly filled with images of Fender and Aradina together. I hated it, the very thought of them like that sickened me. I shoved the images out with force. Why did I suddenly feel like throwing up?
I quickly moved away again. I didn’t want to listen to this.
For some reason, I couldn’t.