Chapter 14
“Lord Pemberton is the hereditary patron of the famous Pemberton Coven, which has met at the standing stones on his lands for centuries. Although the gift passed him by, his lovely daughter, Eliza, is now a rising member of the coven, and it’s thanks to her that he can speak freely of such things wherever he goes.
She is said to craft the best anti-spying charms around,” Sam explained to Claudia.
“We can speak freely within about three feet of him, but nowhere else.”
He wanted to say so much more, but not in front of Pemberton. The man might be on the inside about magical knowledge, but Sam was uncertain of his loyalties.
“Fascinating,” Claudia replied, smiling at Pemberton warily. “As the other lady said, I’m new on the scene and don’t know all the players. It’s good to meet you, Lord Pemberton. I hope you’ll bear with me as I learn my way around.”
“Then the maritime thing is just a cover story?” Pemberton pushed.
“Not at all,” Claudia replied, much to Sam’s relief. “I did grow up in Galveston, and I do know working boats very well, indeed. I’ve been consulting with the Irish arm of Kinkaid Industries for a while now and was tapped to work with Sam on possible expansion plans.”
All of that was strictly true, taken piece by piece, though it didn’t truly add up to the whole picture she had painted with her words. Still, it seemed to satisfy Pemberton, who looked at her with appraising eyes. Then, the older man nodded, seeming to come to a decision.
“Kinkaid is right. Don’t talk magic with anybody else, even though there are other mages here.
It was not well done of Victoria to speak so blatantly, regardless of my daughter’s protections.
I think she was trying to get a rise out of you to read your reaction.
It was well done of you to give her nothing.
She’ll be spitting nails if I know that witch at all.
” Pemberton chuckled, and Claudia merely smiled back.
Sam was very impressed with the way she was handling all this. He couldn’t have scripted it better himself. Claudia had good instincts about people, and although it was still early in what would be a rather long evening, she was doing very well.
He watched Claudia navigate the ballroom with growing admiration. After Lord Pemberton excused himself to speak with some business associates, Diana Liu had swooped in with Margot Laurent in tow, whisking Claudia away to introduce her to what Diana called “the right sort of people”.
Claudia had shot him one last panicked glance before allowing herself to be absorbed into the crowd.
Sam had wanted to follow, to stay close and be protective, but he knew that would defeat the purpose.
She needed to establish herself as more than just his shadow, and the women from the luncheon were perfect for that.
Diana Liu’s approval carried weight in these circles.
“She’s doing well,” a voice said at his elbow.
Sam turned to find Nick at his side, two glasses of scotch in hand. He offered one to Sam, who accepted it gratefully.
“She is,” Sam agreed, his eyes tracking Claudia across the room. She was laughing at something Margot had said, looking relaxed, despite what he knew must be considerable internal tension. “Better than I expected, honestly.”
“You underestimate her.” Nick took a sip of his drink. “Come on. Let’s find a dark corner where we can observe without being quite so observable ourselves.”
They moved to a shadowed alcove near one of the marble columns, a spot with excellent sightlines but poor lighting. The kind of place security professionals gravitated toward instinctively.
“Mark’s making the rounds with Shelly.” Nick kept his voice pitched so low that only another shifter could hear it. “He’s positioned them on the opposite side of the room. We’ve got good coverage this way.”
“Good.” Sam scanned the crowd, cataloging faces and noting the various power dynamics at play.
Old money clustered with old money. New tech billionaires formed their own constellation.
And threading through it all, the ones who dealt in less savory enterprises.
Arms dealers, hedge fund managers who skirted legality, oligarchs with questionable connections.
“There,” Nick said, his voice going even quieter. “Far corner. That’s him, isn’t it?”
Sam’s gaze snapped to where Nick indicated, and his entire body went still.
Abdul Kettering stood near the far wall, holding court with a small group.
He was a handsome man with dark hair and darker eyes, wearing his tuxedo with the ease of someone accustomed to formal wear.
But it wasn’t Kettering himself that made Sam’s lion bristle with immediate hostility. It was his companions.
On Kettering’s right arm was a stunning woman with dark skin and elegant features. She wore a gown of deep purple that seemed to shimmer with its own light, and even from across the room, Sam could feel the wrongness radiating from her. Magic, yes, but twisted somehow. Tainted.
It had to be strong if he could feel it. Or, maybe, she was deliberately giving off that dangerous aura as a warning, or a beacon to sniff out those who would notice. Sneaky.
On Kettering’s left stood an older man, silver-haired and distinguished, with the kind of face that belonged in a portrait gallery. But his eyes were cold, calculating, and when his gaze swept across the room, Sam felt his skin crawl.
As if sensing Sam’s attention, Kettering’s gaze met his across the crowded ballroom. For a long moment, they stared at each other. Then Kettering smiled slightly and gave a small nod. Not greeting. Not acknowledgment. It was a clear challenge.
Sam felt his lion surge forward, wanting to respond, wanting to cross that room and end the threat here and now. His hand tightened on his glass, and he had to consciously force himself to relax before the crystal shattered in his grip.
“Easy,” Nick murmured so quietly the word was barely audible. “This isn’t the place.”
“I know.” Sam’s voice was rough with the effort of control.
“The woman on his arm.” Nick’s tone was clinical, analytical. “Mage?”
“Yes. Something’s off about her magic though. It feels…” Sam struggled for the right word. “Corrupt.”
“I agree. What’s your take on the man?”
“The same. Worse, maybe.” Sam watched as the older man leaned in to whisper something to Kettering, his expression showing clear disdain for something. “I’d bet everything I own that those two are Venifucus.”
“Agreed.” Nick took another sip of scotch, the gesture deliberately casual. “Question is, who’s controlling whom? Kettering acts like he’s in charge, but those two are looking at this crowd like we’re all insects.”
“Kettering thinks he’s using them,” Sam said slowly, the pieces clicking together. “He thinks he’s hired magical muscle to help with his weapons trafficking and dreams of world domination, but I’d wager those two have their own agenda, and Kettering’s just a convenient tool.”
“He’s definitely a tool,” Nick observed dryly, which made Sam grin despite his heightened emotions.
“You’ve got that right,” Sam agreed.
“But despite being an idiot, he’s still dangerous in multiple ways.” Nick’s eyes never left their target. “A man who thinks he’s in control when he’s actually being manipulated is unpredictable.”
“And pride makes him stupid.” Sam watched as Kettering said something that made both his companions smile. It wasn’t a pleasant expression on either of them. “He won’t see the betrayal coming until it’s too late.”
“Assuming they intend to betray him.”
“The Venifucus don’t share power willingly. Eventually, they’ll eliminate anyone who knows too much.” Sam felt his lion settle, the immediate rage banking to cold calculation. “The question is when, and how much damage they’ll do before that happens.”
Across the room, the dark-skinned woman turned her head, and for just a moment, her eyes met Sam’s. The impact was like a physical blow. Her gaze held ancient malice, the kind of predatory intelligence that had survived centuries by consuming lesser threats.
Then she smiled, slow and knowing, before turning her attention back to Kettering.
“She knows we’re watching,” Nick said.
“She knows, and she doesn’t care.” Sam’s hand moved unconsciously to his tie tack, the one Claudia had made him. He could feel the faint warmth of the protection spell activating, responding to the hostile magic probing at the edges of his shields. “Arrogant.”
“Or confident.” Nick shifted slightly, his posture still relaxed but ready for immediate action. “Those are two likely very powerful mages, Sam. If this goes sideways tonight—”
“It won’t. Not here. It’s too public, and there are too many witnesses.
” Sam watched as Kettering’s group began to move, slowly circulating through the crowd.
“They’re here to observe, same as we are.
They want to be seen, and they want to survey the crowd and take everyone’s measure before they act. ”
“And they like issuing challenges, apparently.”
Sam’s laugh was humorless. “Let them challenge. I didn’t come here to back down.”
They stood in silence for several minutes, tracking Kettering’s movements through the ballroom. The arms dealer was smooth, Sam had to give him that. He worked the room with practiced ease, his smile never quite reaching his eyes, his companions flanking him like elegant guard dogs.
“Movement,” Nick said quietly. “Your two o’clock.”
Sam turned to see Claudia making her way back through the crowd, Diana Liu and Margot Laurent still at her sides. She was smiling, looking genuinely pleased about something, and the sight of her made something in Sam’s chest ease.
“She survived the gauntlet,” Nick observed with amusement.
“She did more than survive. Look at how Diana’s treating her.” Sam watched as Diana squeezed Claudia’s arm affectionately before releasing her. “That’s approval. Real approval, not just polite tolerance.”
“Your girl’s got social skills you didn’t give her credit for.”
“She’s not my—” Sam began, then stopped. Because that was a lie, wasn’t it? Maybe not officially, maybe not acknowledged, but in all the ways that mattered, Claudia was his. His to protect, his to stand beside, his to want with an intensity that was becoming harder to deny with each passing hour.
Nick’s knowing smile suggested he’d heard the unspoken admission. “Right. Not your girl. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Claudia reached them, her cheeks slightly flushed from champagne and conversation. “That was exhausting. Diana knows everyone, and I mean everyone. I met three ambassadors, a prince, and someone who apparently owns half of Dubai.”
“And?” Sam couldn’t help his smile at her enthusiasm.
“And they all seemed to think I was legit. Diana vouched for me, said I had ‘excellent instincts’ and that you were smart to bring me on.” Claudia’s expression turned bemused. “I think I passed some kind of test I didn’t know I was taking.”
“You did,” Nick confirmed. “Diana Liu doesn’t give her approval lightly. You should feel good about that.”
“I mostly feel relieved.” Claudia accepted a fresh glass of champagne from a passing server. “Though Margot wants me to have lunch with her next time I’m in Paris, which is both flattering and terrifying.”
“You’ll be fine,” Sam said, then realized he’d been unconsciously moving closer to her, drawn by her presence. “Did you sense anything? Magically, I mean?”
Her expression became more guarded. “Several mages. Most of them felt normal. But there were two…” She trailed off, her eyes scanning the room. “Where’s Kettering?”
“Far corner, near the windows. Don’t look directly.” Sam shifted slightly, positioning himself to block her view. “He’s got two companions. Dark-skinned woman in purple, older man with silver hair.”
He watched Claudia’s face change as she carefully extended her magical senses in that direction. Her eyes widened, and he saw her suppress a shudder.
“That’s foul,” she breathed. “Their magic feels rotten to the core. It’s been twisted and corrupted.”
“Venifucus,” Nick confirmed quietly.
“Has to be.” Claudia’s hand moved to one of her bracelets, and Sam felt the subtle pulse of protective magic strengthening around her. “Are they looking at us?”
“They were earlier. Kettering issued what amounted to a challenge to me.” Sam kept his voice level. “I didn’t respond.”
“Good.” Claudia took a sip of champagne, using the gesture to casually glance in Kettering’s direction. Sam watched her catalog the threat, assess the danger, and make her own calculations. “We should—”
“They’re leaving,” Nick interrupted.