Page 136 of Demon's Bane

“I said I would talk to Seren, and that I would let you know what she had to say. There was nothing in our terms aboutwhenexactly I had to pass along that information.”

Esme looks less than impressed. “You realize the rules of our agreement are not magick-clad like some other types of bargains might be.” She glances at me before turning her gaze back to Joan. “Ultimately, I have final say about your standing in this coven and your future in it.”

“I think you’ll let me stay,” Joan says.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah, mom, it is so.”

Queen Allison Ashblood of the demon realm walks into the room with her king right behind her.

The satisfaction of watching Esme’s face morph from surprise, to shock, to something that looks distinctly like guilt makes the last few nerve-wracking minutes more than worth it.

All it took was a quick trip to the demon realm this morning to get the king and queen on board with this plan. And by the satisfied look on the queen’s face as she takes the seat next to Joan and stares down her mother, her surprise visit has worked just as she hoped.

Eren takes his place behind his queen, adopting a similar posture to my own with his arms folded over his chest and the hint of an amused smile on his face.

Also like me, he remains silent.

Whatever battle our witches are about to wage, they are more than capable of fighting it without our interference.

“Allison,” Esme says slowly, as if she’s taking what little time she can to gather her thoughts. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“You weren’t?” Allison asks. “After everything that happened with—”

“It’s been taken care of. We’ve expelled Hailey from the coven, we’re fortifying our wards around the Veil, and we’re fully intending to—”

“When you say ‘we’, I know you’re including me and Eren in all of those plans, right? In the management of the Veil and in figuring out how we navigate all of this.”

Esme’s lips purse, her mask slipping as she regards her daughter.

“No more,” Allison says quietly, cutting to the heart of the matter. “No more keeping things from us when it comes to our own realm. No more operating behind our back.”

I glance down to see a sharp, satisfied smile bloom on my mate’s face as her eyes flick between the queen and the High Priestess, and I have to smother my own answering grin.

I still like all those sharp edges of hers, every prickly one.

Esme clears her throat. “Fine. We’ll have more open channels of—”

“Nope,” Allison cuts in, shaking her head. “Full transparency. Whether that means me coming here for council meetings, you visiting the demon court, or meeting somewhere neutral near the Veil, from here onwards nothing happens between our two realms without us both being fully aware. The coven isn’t the only authority on who travels through the Veil, when, and for what purpose, and with as much as you have to gain with the trade between realms, I’m sure you’ll agree those terms are reasonable.”

The staring match that commences between the queen and the High Priestess lowers the temperature in the room for the next several heartbeats.

When it’s done, though, Allison can’t hide the flash of triumph in her expression and Esme can’t disguise her slight grimace.

“Fine.” Esme turns her gaze back to Joan. “And these two? Joan and Rhett were—”

“Instrumental in finding out who was involved with the thefts in Rhett’s village. A credit to both our realms, really, they were—”

“Allison.” Esme all but rolls her eyes as she stops her daughter midway through singing our praises. “Enough. You’ve made your point. And fine, the bargain’s upheld—Joan, your debts are forgiven and your dues are excused for the next decade.”

Joan doesn’t answer right away. When I glance down, I find her looking at Allison, brow furrowed. The queen reaches over and gives her hand a squeeze.

“You don’t have to decide today,” she tells Joan softly. “And now you have the time and breathing room to decide.”

Joan nods, looks up at me, and I give her a soft smile that eases away some of that worry on her face.

In this, too, I’m here to support her. However she wants to navigate her complicated relationship with her coven, I’ll be here, never letting her forget that despite it all, there’s one place she’ll never have to doubt if she belongs.

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