Page 78 of Fangs and Family
Strangely, the mood had shifted, as if my berating the Seethe’s Master somehow created a balance the place needed. When we were passing people, I noticed a few friendly smiles and one or two nodes of appreciation. It almost felt like I was in my element, directing a crowd of people to do what was best for them.
‘Well done, Matron. You will have them all under your thumb in no time.’ Adam said as we drove to Sara’s. Something in the way he spoke gave me pause.
‘Did you just… Please don’t tell me you were an arsehole on purpose. And why? What did you gain from it?’
‘Nina, by being with me, you will become the Mistress of the Seethe. You are not a blood donor or a side chick. You are my equal, my partner in everything, and if my nest want to have their Seethe Master to deal with all their bullshit, they will have their Mistress too,’ he insisted, and I felt warmth spreading inside, but I had to ask.
‘What if I don’t want to?’
‘The choice is yours, my love. Not theirs. You can be as involved as much or as little as you want to be. I won’t press you to do anything, but if you decide to stay by my side and help me run the Seethe, they will accept you. That, or they can find some other place to live.’
The intensity of his voice made me smile. I reached out and placed my hand on his thigh.
‘Thank you for not giving up on me,’ I said. Adam turned his face toward me, and I saw the love shining in his eyes.
‘Never, my love. After all, one of us had to be the responsible adult,’ he teased, and when I tried to smack him playfully, he raised my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles.
Raised voices and the sound of an argument assaulted our ears as soon as we entered Leszek’s home. This was so unusual in this tranquil dwelling that Adam’s wings instantly snapped open, and he positioned himself in front of me.
Suddenly, the Coven Mistress, Veronica Sandoval, stormed from Leszek’s office, her stilettos grinding to a halt when she saw Adam in all his winged glory.
‘Oh, cut it out, budgie boy,’ she snapped, her mouth thinning in disapproval before her gaze met mine. ‘Hi, Nina. I hope it was fucking worth it.’
She rushed to the door, angry tears in her eyes, leaving us in utter confusion. Adam raced to Leszek’s office, snapping the door open. I saw a handsome man in his forties with a salt-and-pepper-short beard gesturing toward Leszek before he noticed our arrival.
He looked me in the eye, and I felt all the secrets I’d ever hidden reveal themselves to him. Next to him was Sara, and I instantly recognised her ‘stubborn doctor’ glare. Something was wrong, and my friend was in the middle of it.
‘I will be going. Nina, it is a pleasure to meet you,’ he said, and I blinked rapidly, taken aback that he knew my name.
Before I could answer, he vanished.
‘I regret nothing, and if those arseholes have a problem with it, they can fuck the hell off,’ Sara said, glaring at Leszek. Her husband sighed before looking at Adam.
‘I need a drink. Care to join me?’ The Forest Lord was already walking towards the small bar before Adam hurried to catch up.
‘What happened?’ I asked, confused by this entire situation.
‘Sara wasn’t supposed to be able to create a portal or a vampire with a soul. It’s caused a problem with the flow of magic, destabilising the Nether. Clearly, impossible magic doesn’t resonate well with the old spells, and portals are difficult to close completely,’ Leszek said, rubbing his temple.
‘How could I know it would open a rift? Besides, nothing much happened, and it is not like we are draining the Nether of its magic,’ she snapped back with a determined expression.
‘What rift? What magic? Was that the reason Veronica was here?’ I asked, feeling even more confused. ‘Can someone please explain to me what exactly happened?’
Leszek took pity on me, and while passing his wife a glass of sweet Tokaj wine, he answered.
‘Maybe you should ask your house spirit? We were getting peacefully berated by the Council of Gods because Jurata was being a bitch again, accusing Sara of exploiting the Coven when your kikimora turned up, shouting that Nina was in danger.’
‘Lori?’ I gasped, unwilling to believe ourSmooth Operator-loving spirit could do something like that.
‘Yes, next thing I know, Sara had bolted, and I followed. While we were riding to the Gates, there was a huge influx of magic, and this insane woman decided it was taking too long, so she invented a portal spell. Next thing I know, we’re bursting out of the Nether and landing in a flower-covered bloodbath,’ he explained, while Adam looked at Sara like she was his hero.
‘I thought I closed it, but magic is still seeping through; then Veronica came complaining that Coven spells had become overcharged and unpredictable,’ Sara said.
‘After that, Stribog came here to warn us that after this latest incident, the council is divided on whether they should keep Sara in Gedania or allow her to live with me. They are afraid she could cause irreparable damage to the barrier.’
‘I’m going nowhere,’ Sara growled, and Leszek stroked her hair.
‘No, you aren’t. I won’t be separated from you, my Firefly, but that creates a problem. Your intervention created a small hole in the over-inflated balloon that contains the Nether’s magic, and now this power is trickling into Tricity,’ Leszek said, and I bit my lip. Sara was always there for me. Maybe it was the time I paid back my debt to her.
