Page 55 of Of Flames and Crows

Hellreaver was snapping his serrated teeth close to one of the ashen faces of the Fire Magic users. The sorcerer’s eyes rolled back in his head as he fainted.

The weapon froze when Mae pinned him with an accusing stare.

What?he said guiltily.I still have some pent-up tension to release.

Brimstone made an approving noise as he shrank back down to his small fox form.

CHAPTER23

Ludmila Vissarion’sknuckles whitened on her cane. “Roman was kidnapped by the Dark Council?”

Vlad lowered his brows at her distraught expression.She looks like she actually cares about his fate rather than his potential as one of her pawns.

Budimir wasn’t convinced by the Vissarion matriarch’s sincerity either.

“How did you find out about Roman?” he ground out. “I made sure to keep him hidden from your clutches all these years. Which scumbag dared betray my trust?!”

A bout of sympathy shot through Vlad at Budimir’s fury. Instead of using his grandson’s powerful magic for his own ends, he had done his utmost to give him a normal life and protect him from those who would abuse his abilities. It was the exact opposite of how Ludmila had treated Katarina Vissarion.

I have to admire the guy, if only for that.

From Mae’s friendly bearing toward the Bratva general, she shared Vlad’s feelings on this matter. It concerned him somewhat that she’d managed to charm so many high-level criminals in a such a short time, from Yuliy to Cortes, and now Budimir. He masked a grimace.

She’ll probably have the head of our Bratva eating out of her hand the minute she meets him.

“It wasn’t one of your men,” Ludmila said dismissively. “Let’s just say the Dark Council isn’t the only one who has spies in relevant places.”

Nikolai tensed at that. Vlad didn’t miss Mae’s slight squint.

The only ones who knew about Roman were the Council of the Moon and the people in the room.

“How powerful is Roman’s Fire Magic?” Ludmila asked brusquely.

Budimir’s face reddened.

“Wait.” Mae placed a hand on his arm before he exploded. “I don’t think she means it the way you think she does.” She studied Ludmila carefully. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because three members of our extended family have been attacked by the Dark Council in the past month.”

Mae’s pulse quickened as Ludmila’s bombshell statement echoed across the suite.

“We rarely move alone, so the witch and sorcerers who were targeted were able to escape, though barely,” the old woman continued bitterly. “We were investigating the reasons Oscar Beneventi and Vedran could be targeting us after all this time when I was made aware of the incident in Prague and learned of Roman.” She faltered, her voice fading to a whisper. “If they have him in their clutches and he’s weak, it doesn’t bear thinking what his fate will be.”

Budimir fisted his hands.

“What do you intend to do with Roman if we find him alive?” Mae asked quietly.

“I will help him master his Fire Magic,” Ludmila replied immediately.

Vlad raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “That’s all?” He leaned his elbows on the table, barely holding on to the anger storming his veins. “You expect me and Budimir to believe you’re not planning on putting a chain around his neck, like you did my mother?”

He couldn’t stop the resentment underscoring his words. Budimir flashed him a surprised look.

Ludmila looked like she’d aged ten years when Vlad mentioned Katarina Vissarion.

“I won’t make that mistake again,” she said bitterly. “It cost my daughter her life in the end.”

A fraught silence ensued.

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