Page 10 of Wicked Deeds

I knew it was sensible, but it was also irritating. Sure, they had more experience than me, but I knew the wards around Damon’s house as well as anyone. I hadn’t found any holes, Maia hadn’t found any holes, and I doubted anyone else Mitch cared to task with checking would.

He could just accept that, for now, the emergency was over and send everyone home so we could all go to bed. But doing things the easy way was not in Mitch’s DNA. Not when it came to keeping Damon safe.

Which I couldn’t be annoyed with him about.

I stifled a yawn, focused back on Aubrey. “Do we know if she has magic?” I asked.

“She has an aura. She looks like a tanai to me, but if she has any power, she is being tight-lipped about how she might use it.”

“Well, I guess it’s up to her.” It was her decision whether or not to embrace her power. Fae magic didn’t work the same way as a witch’s. Witches who weren’t taught to use their power could have unpredictable results, but there were tanai who ignored their magic quite happily. And Gwen’s couldn’t havecaused her any problems when she was younger because she hadn’t learned she was tanai until she got to university.

But if Gwen had no interest in magic, that was one less thing to worry about. Her Fae heritage might make it tricky if she decided to go back to studying VR. She’d need a chip eventually and not all tanai could tolerate them. My friend, Pinky Andretti, also a tanai, had one, but she was lucky. Iron didn’t bother her at all.

“Yes,” Aubrey agreed. “And if she doesn’t want anything to do with Fae, it’s probably just as well if she’s happy to leave any magic she may have learned there behind.” She tucked a strand of hair that had dared to break free from her bun back behind her ear and straightened. Shifting back into Cestis mode. Hopefully preparing to get on with her day rather than drop some Cestis bombshell on me.

“Well, keep me posted if there’s anything you think I need to know.” I stopped myself from offering any more help. The Cestis had managed the magical affairs of the United Kingdom for centuries without any assistance. Gwen wasn’t the first tanai they’d helped return from the realm. She wouldn’t be the last. If Aubrey wanted our help, she’d ask.

Aubrey smiled. “I will. Say hello to Damon for me.”

“Sure.” I paused. “Any decision yet on your Archives?” Damon would ask, if I told him I’d been talking to Aubrey.

Aubrey shook her head. “No. We had a few things come up in the last few weeks along with helping with Gwen, so we haven’t had time to talk about it as a group, but it’s on the agenda for our next official meeting, which is at the end of next week. We’ll discuss it then.”

“Do you think they’ll go for it?”

Aubrey pursed her lips, considering. “Ralph, I think, can see the benefits of the idea, though he has his reservations. The others, well, they’re harder to read. They play their cards closeto their chests. The biggest sticking point will be Leo. He’s a bit of a stickler for tradition. And I’m sure Isolde will have legal questions about how the information will remain protected.”

“Cassandra had her doubts, too. I’m sure she’d be happy to speak to them if you think it would help.”

“Yes, I’m keeping that in mind.” She hesitated. “But…”

“Let me guess, a vote of confidence from someone over here is not necessarily going to be helpful?”

“Relations between Cestis can get complicated.”

I nodded. I understood. Aubrey had been frosty enough herself when I’d first met her when she’d come to learn about how the Cestis here were embracing tech in the name of efficiency. “I hope you can get them to see the benefits. It would make it easier for the Cestis to help each other. Leaving aside how much they actually want to cooperate.”

It would be much easier if I could log in to the UK Cestis Archives and access their massive collection, which was far older and more extensive than the ones Cassandra maintained beneath her house. For one thing I wouldn’t be waiting on Ralph to dig up more information on Lord Usuriel, I could have found it for myself.

Aubrey nodded, glancing down off-screen. “I’m doing my best. Now, I’m sorry, Maggie, but I have a meeting shortly and you should probably go to bed.”

“Yes. I should.” Footsteps still clomped up and down the corridor beyond my office. Sleep wouldn’t be happening as long as Mitch and the team were still doing their thing. But that wasn’t Aubrey’s problem. “Talk to you soon,” I said.

Aubrey nodded and ended the call.

Leaving me to contemplate nixlings and Fae and Usuriel. And that damned photo.

Chapter Four

The security teamfinished up around three a.m., when I was just getting to the point of being so tired I wondered if I’d imagined the whole thing. Mitch left Maia to bunk down in the guest room we kept for the security team and Jake on patrol in the garden.

I didn’t argue. It was his job to make the calls when it came to our safety—at least where it didn’t interfere with me helping the Cestis—so whether I liked it or not, he was in charge.

Damon and I crawled into bed, too tired to do anything but fall asleep, curled around each other as comfort against any more things going bump in the dark.

Damon’s alarm went off far too early. I barely managed to open an eye and mutter something as close to ‘see you later’ as I could manage on three hours sleep before pulling the pillow over my head and falling back to sleep until my own alarm went off around eight. I cut it off with a wave of my hand and forced myself out of bed, heading for the shower before I could give in to the temptation to ignore the alarm and sleep the day away.

I used every ‘wake me up’ option Damon’s complicated shower offered, alternating pummeling jets of water with cold bursts that made me yelp and regret my life choices.

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