Page 28 of Dragon's Desire

Kiercy's anger flared at Peter's touch. She was barely able to hold back the spell she used on him. A little more power, and she could have stopped his heart. She might have hated him, but not enough to kill him ... yet. She burst through the doors, startling an employee in the hall.

"Sorry," she said.

"Rough day?" he asked.

Then she finally took him in. He was a lanky older gentleman with a very grandfatherly look about him. But then she noticed the lab coat. He must have been a researcher of some kind. What was he researching, she asked herself. He could have been studying advanced medicine. Cancer treatments for puppies or something. Or he could be one of the ones developing weapons for Gil Xander.

She had no way of knowing, but all she did know was that he worked for this company. Even if he was involved in something benign or beneficial, he still helped keep the company profitable.

"I'm fine. Thank you," she said through gritted teeth.

The man in the lab coat shrank away from her, obviously aware of how not fine she was and that she was not looking to explain.

The amount of anger Kiercy felt was frightening even to herself. She hated this. She hated the way Peter made her feel. Why she ever let him touch her was beyond comprehension. He was a witch hunter. It made no damn sense.

She got into her car, shut the door, and let out a primal scream of rage. It was disgusting watching the way Peter was almost giddy scrolling through all the ways he could kill her and her people. That's what she needed to remember. He was a witch hunter.

Their people had been enemies stretching back to before recorded history. But then why did it feel so fucking amazing when they had sex? She was angry with herself for even thinking about it. Something like that shouldn't matter compared to the safety of her people.

That's what she had to concentrate on. She needed to clear her head. Starting the engine, she looked back at the building one more time, unsure what she was looking for. Maybe it was Peter coming out to apologize or him just coming out so she could run him over with her car.

Kiercy didn't know where she was going but knew she just needed to go somewhere that wasn't here. Weaving in and out of traffic, she tried to outrace her own thoughts. The sound of screaming breaks and honking horns followed her as she went. Then she jerked the wheel and parked on the side of the street before letting out another scream.

She looked up to see the sanctum of her coven. Without operating on a level of conscious thought, she'd driven to this place. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Kiercy tried to settle her thumping heart rate.

Once she was down to a reasonable number of beats per minute, she opened the car door and stepped out. The bottom floor was primarily used as a living space for certain coven members. Newly added members learning to acclimate to their power were often housed here.

It was also where those who would be without a home otherwise could find shelter. There were more of those people after the Veil fell. Once witches were outted, they'd been asked to leave jobs and living spaces. But after the influx, they'd finally gotten most people back on their feet.

It made her feel better to be here. It was a place where she felt safe and protected. She knew what to expect here. As she climbed the stairs, she felt like she was leaving more of the weight on her soul behind. Here was a place that Peter Winthrop couldn't spoil for her.

She entered the matron's chambers. Magda had been the coven matron since well before Kiercy was born. She was old enough to start to look old. For a witch, that made her ancient.

The moment Kiercy came in, Magda looked up and said, "What's troubling you?"

As much as it felt like she'd left her troubles at the door, the storm cloud around her must have been obvious to someone as entuned with magic as Magda was.

Kiercy sat cross-legged in front of the matron and let out a sigh.

"I don't even know where to begin," she said. And she was being honest. How could she even begin to explain what had transpired over the last few days?

"I've always thought it's best to start at the beginning," Magda said with a smile.

"Well, I was in pursuit of a suspect ..."

And so Kiercy set about explaining everything that had happened since that night on the street when she first saw Legermain use the totem. While Kiercy glossed over some of the details, such as what they filled the witch bottles with, she did mention that things got intimate with Peter. She didn't think it was particularly relevant to clarify that they had sex just before Legermain attacked.

The matron seemed not at all disturbed about Kiercy having sex with Peter. What caused her to look shocked was the discussion of all the weapons Gil Xander had under development.

"And Peter looked so happy. He was like a kid in a candy store. Each new weapon made him more excited. I was disgusted by his eagerness. But I don't have an alternative at the moment. Legermain is gathering an army, and there's not much I can do. I don't want Peter to be right because if there's a justification for these weapons, they will find their way into the wrong hands, and our people will be in danger."

Kiercy put her head in her hands, "And why do I keep thinking about ... my time with Peter."

"Oh, child. The heart can be foolish."

"No. It's not my heart. I do not love him."

Magda held up a hand. "You didn't let me finish. The heart can be foolish. The body even more so. Just because a man can make you feel good for a few moments in time doesn't make him a good choice for you, and I think you know that. But also, you can't deny how someone makes you feel, even if it is just in your sacral chakra," she said with a slight grin.

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