Page 59 of Madness of Her Mages

Magic burned my throat as I fought back the temptation to force her to rip off those feathers and shove them down her throat.

Malvolia motioned to two more witches, one wearing blue and the other a green robe. “And these are Cordelia and Ivy.”

“Your Highness.” They both bowed, flashing wide smiles.

“Hello,” I said curtly, still aggravated by Lady Veronica.

When Malvolia loudly cleared her throat, giving me a sharp look, I forced thoughts of Veronica and Drae’s feathers out of my mind. I blurted the first thing I could think of. “Do you have any mages in your council?” I asked, noting not a single male was present.

“Silly, Shirina.” Malvolia laughed, swatting the air. “Mages are for fucking.”

Her coven broke into a cacophony of howling laughter.

Damn.I would never speak so disrespectfully of my mates.

“You should know after what Djall and Selig did to me why I don’t trust males in my council,” Malvolia said with a sneer.

“My mates would never do anything like that.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to defend them. Malvolia hadn’t mentioned their names.

“In time, maybe you’ll learn your mates are better suited for fucking than offering you council.” She clucked her tongue, shaking her head. “Just look at how your father betrayed you.”

Her mention of my father was a blade to my chest. How I’d loved and admired him. He was our protector, our provider. He’d always been such a loving father and grandfather. Perhaps the blade cut deeper because she was right. What he did to Tari and what he planned to do to the girls and me was unforgivable. Did that mean I should mistrust all males? My mates had been true to me, hadn’t they?

I didn’t know what to say, so I opted to change the subject. I motioned to the other witches. “What do the different colored cloaks signify?”

“Their colors are assigned according to their magic,” Malvolia answered. “Green, for green witches who can heal and grow. Gray for the witches with mind powers.”

I froze as I caught Lady Veronica’s eye, my gaze darting to her gray cloak.Fuck.“Mind powers? The seers?” No telling what kind of mind fucking the bitch was capable of.

“That would be me,” Lady Veronica giggled, “though I’m not very good at it.” She batted her eyes at Malvolia. “Honestly, I’m not sure why our queen keeps me in her coven.”

“Because your magic hasn’t yet reached its full potential.” Malvolia cast her a sly smile. “If you spent less time fucking and more time practicing your magic, perhaps it would.”

Lady Veronica’s cheeks reddened as she twisted the hem of her robe between her fingers. “But sex strengthens magic,” she said with a pout, reminding me of the girls whenever they were caught being naughty.

Malvolia rolled her eyes. “If that was the case, you’d be the most powerful witch here.”

I tensed when the coven broke into a cacophony of shrill laughter.

I cleared my throat, leering at Lady Veronica. “I don’t think it’s the sex, but the love that comes with it. Every time my mates tell me they love me, I feel my magic strengthen.” She might have had Drae’s body, but onlyIhad his heart. “Maybe that’s why your magic isn’t strong enough,” I added, nodding toward her necklace of feathers, “because there’s no love with your conquests.”

I felt a smug sense of satisfaction when Lady Veronica’s face paled.

Malvolia made an exasperated sound. “Listen to my niece with her three mates schooling us on love.”

I inwardly smiled when the coven’s laughter was much more subdued this time. Let that teach Lady Veronica for bragging about sleeping with my mate.

“And where are all the other seers?” I asked my aunt. “My parents told me you had dozens.”

Despite the warmth radiating from the hearth, it felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped twenty degrees as the other witches took a step back.

Malvolia’s eyes narrowed, and her lip pulled back in a snarl. “Dead.”

I caught Lady Veronica’s warning look out of the corner of my eye. “Oh.” Had Thorin killed them all or had Malvolia? A sickening feeling twisted my gut, and I suspected Malvolia had struck them down in a fit of paranoia.

“But Lady Veronica occasionally has visions that have proven useful,” Malvolia said, her features schooled into a mask of serenity. I wasn’t buying it. “She brought you to me, after all.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. “She did?”

---