Page 86 of Hexbound
Damn it. Her gaze landed on the Chalice again, which was a mistake. Betsy flicked the whip, wrapping the end around the Chalice and then jerking it toward her. The old bawd held it up triumphantly. "Looking for this, Verity?"
"That's mine!"
"We shall see." Betsy smirked, and her attention shifted as footsteps thundered in the hallway behind her. The Crows, no doubt, alert to strange sorcery in their domain.
Verity was outnumbered and outpowered, but for the first time in her life she had allies. The Crows might have been a place where she could blend in and hide, but they'd never been family. Not truly.
Verity exchanged a look with Mercy, wary but not defeated. "Keep her alive." And then she sucked in her power, stuttering faintly as weariness pulled at her bones, and vanished.
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Chapter 21
"DRAKE'S ALIVE AND well," Ianthe murmured, seeing Bishop to the door. "And I intend to keep it that way. I'm sorry that I called you out of bed. In the panic I wasn't certain if it was just the one person attempting to breach the wards, or whether there were more and they were simply testing our defenses."
"Don't apologize. We're in this together," Bishop replied. "And you have your daughter to worry about now, as well as Rathbourne."
"Lucien," she insisted.
He still felt uncomfortable referring to his half-brother by his given name. "I'll do one last check of the grounds before I leave, but don't hesitate to call upon me if anything else happens."
Bishop slid his hands into his pockets as he stepped out onto the front porch. A failed attempt at getting through Drake's wards, but an attempt nonetheless. He stared into the gardens, hunting through the shadows.I know you're out there. But who? Kali? Or Thanatos? Or Osiris?
Ianthe followed on his heels, closing the door gently behind her. "Any sign of the Chalice?"
He knew what stirred her concern. The demon had intended to possess her husband as its vessel, and came very close to it.Your brother. "No sign as of yet, but I feel like our web is tightening. Horroway’s our main suspect. We’ll find him."
"Do you have any idea why he would want it?" Ianthe drew her shawl tight around her shoulders. "We might have destroyed the Blade of Altarrh, but if Morgana is involved with the Chalice's theft, then what, precisely, is she up to now?"
"Hell if I know. Unless she plans to unleash an army of flesh constructs upon London? Force the government and the Queen to turn their backs upon the Order? Disgrace us? Or send them to destroy us?"
"She's never wanted the Order's destruction before," Ianthe said. "She's always wanted to rule it and destroy Drake."
"Plans change. Wediddrop a house on her head. Maybe she's peeved?"
"Maybe." Ianthe didn't look convinced. "I can't help thinking that Ascension is only a few days away now. If she wanted a chance at the seat of the Prime, then it's virtually hers for the taking."
Bishop glanced sideways. Hell. Perhaps now was not the time for politeness if Morgana was alive and the demon was still out there. Perhaps now they all needed to begin working together. "Are you going to take a tilt at it?"
Ianthe scowled. "Not you too."
"Youarethe perfect candidate," he pointed out. "You have Drake behind you, and years of experience as his seneschal, dealing with all his dirty work. You know the Order inside and out—"
"Are you going to do anything about your attraction to young Verity?" Ianthe countered.
Bishop fell silent. It bothered him a little that matters were so transparent. "That's really none of your business."
"My point precisely."
"It's not the same." He held a hand up when she moved to argue. "We're on the same team. You, me, and... Lucien. Right now Drake's barely any help at all, as inclined as he is to stick his head in the sand. And if the three of us cannot join forces, then what happens to the Order? Do you wish me to be blunt, Ianthe? Ascension is three days away, as you say. Someone's going to end up sitting on the Prime's chair at the end of it. Now whether that someone is Morgana and her puppet, you, or one of a half dozen other candidates, is up to you. Your husband seems reluctant to put his hand up and I'm fairly certain I know why." He'd seen the ruin of his brother's aura a month ago, after all. It was healing slowly, but a Prime needed to be invulnerable. "I'm an assassin and I don't have the experience, the skill set, or the aptitude to rule. Which leaves you. Could you sit back and watch Morgana rule? Could you sit back and watch the Earl of Tremayne rule? He's still out there, after all. And he's no friend to either of us. If someone else sits on that chair, then Drake's life remains at stake, and you will no longer have any say in the running of the Order. Can you do that?"
Frustration sparked in Ianthe’s blue eyes. "What about Lady Eberhardt?"
"Not interested," he replied, "and quite frankly, her health worries me."
Silence settled over the pair of them.
"I know you've only just gotten your daughter back in your life," he continued. "I know you nearly lost her and Lucien. I also know that you're the best option—the only option—that we've got."
