Page 65 of Madness of Her Mages

His eyes bulged.Fuck.

Later, if you’re willing.I bit my lip, realizing I had suddenly become a shameless flirt. And at a time like this! Perhaps I was more like my aunt than I realized.

He waggled his brows.I’m always willing.

I covered my mouth to stifle my laughter. How I loved this mage.Also, my aunt is angry with me for hiding secrets, and she treats Ravini males like trash.

He slanted a smile.So basically an average morning.

I squeezed his muscular shoulders.Have your brothers come back?

He frowned.No.

Worry gnawed a hole in my gut.I haven’t been able to mind-speak them.

Me neither. They are far beneath the castle. Malvolia’s spymaster’s quarters is almost like a dungeon with iron walls.

Interesting.I chewed my lower lip.So it’s either the walls or the distance that prevents us from speaking?

He shrugged.The walls are made to block out telepathic speaking.

What’s taking so long?

It always takes long.He loosed a long breath.She leaves no stone unturned.

The spymaster is a woman?I didn’t know why I was shocked. I assumed the spymaster would’ve been a fire mage.

She is.He grimaced, his eyes darkening.She’s a gray witch.

What is her mind magic?

She can tell if you’re lying.

Fear iced my veins. They wouldn’t be able to hide anything from her, even what we learned about Thorin, though maybe it could work to our advantage if the spymaster told Malvolia she could tell they weren’t lying.Do you think Drae and Blaze will be okay?

They have nothing to hide.

I spun around when Daminica loudly cleared her throat. She crossed her arms, impatiently tapping her foot. “We mustn’t keep the queen waiting.”

I refrained from rolling my eyes while taking Nikkos’s hand and following Daminica toward Malvolia’s suite of rooms. Once we reached the gilded set of double doors leading to Malvolia’s suite, I exchanged a worried look with Nikkos. I couldn’t help but feel like we were walking into a dragon’s lair.

Drae

HANGING MY HEAD INmy hands, I sat on the old wooden bench suspended from rusty chains drilled into the damp stone wall, moisture seeping into my wings, while Blaze paced thefloor, the rushes crunching under his boots. We’d been in this holding cell that reeked of mold for hours with no food or drink and still the spymaster hadn’t come in to question us. This was a typical tactic of hers, making us sweat it out so our minds became more pliable, easier to manipulate.

When in fuck is that bitch going to question us?Blaze’s growl reverberated in my skull as he projected his thought to me.

Patience.I lifted my head, speaking through thought while squinting at him beneath the glow of the low lamp light.You’ve played this game before.

Blaze released a bitter laugh.Before we didn’t have Shiri waiting for us.

I tried my best to put our mate from my mind. Nothing we could do for her here. It was disturbing not hearing her thoughts in my head, the first time since our bonding that I couldn’t feel her presence in my soul. The sensation was so odd, almost as if someone had cut out a piece of my heart or severed my wings.

I gave a start, springing to my feet when I heard boots clicking down the hall.

The door opened with a groan, and in walked Malvolia’s spymaster, General Arcani, a witch with the magical ability to discern lie from truth. Whenever she was near, my head felt fuzzy, and I knew it was her mind magic working on me. She was tall, even for a Fae, with a willowy body, sharp, dark features, and a broad nose. Her most unusual feature was her voice, dark and gravelly, the tone being neither male nor female. Even though she was only a few years older than me, I wasn’t afraid to admit she scared the crap out of me.

The door closed behind her and shut with an audibleclick, followed by the sound of locks falling into place. Blaze and I shared a look. It didn’t bode well for us that we were locked inside.

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