Page 101 of To Crave Madly
I took her hand and kissed it with a great flourish. I’d have to rinse my mouth out with bleach later, but her look of surprise was the opening I needed. I pulled her closer as I stood back up so I could whisper in her ear.
“I hear that you’ve lost some witches. Care to share your thoughts?”
She hissed in response, a sign I’d ruffled her feathers. Good.
“Lies,” she spat. “I have not lost my witches.”
“I beg to differ. I have some mages that say otherwise. Surely, such a powerful witch as yourself should be capable of protecting her own?”
There were murmurs in her entourage behind her and the muscle under her left eye twitched.
“You know not what you speak of. There are things happening beyond our control and we can either fall in line or die.”
“What do you mean?”
She barked out a laugh. “Look around you. The magical community is terrified. Something is coming and I know that I would rather be on the winning side than dying in the gutter.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “The sacrifice of a few outweighs the slaughter of the whole.”
She snatched her hand from my grip and walked away, leaving me standing alone with my thoughts in turmoil. I needed to tell Jasper that the Witch Queen was in league with whoever was using the witches. She knew more than she was telling me, and I couldn’t believe she had brazenly told me what she had done. As if she had no shame in sacrificing some of her witches for a cause that she didn’t even seem to care that much about.
What had she seen? And what the Hell was I going to do next?
Chapter 36
LORI
The cool embrace that I had come to know so well fell from my skin as I emerged from the shadow at the far side of the room. There was a rapturous applause and triumph rose in my chest as I took in the smiling faces around me. I’d done it. I’d successfully performed the Neophyte initiation and I was apprenticed into the Arcane Forum.
Elissa was jumping for joy and giving me a huge thumbs up, and I basked in the smile that Jasper sent my way. I felt amazing. My body was humming with the magic I had used, and energy zinged through me as my demon consumed the excess magic in my system.
Octavius stepped out of the crowd and sauntered towards me. “Well, Miss Monroe. Congratulations. You will definitely be a worthy addition to the ranks of our Arcane Forum.”
I bit back my instant response of fuck off and smiled. “Thank you. You are too kind. I cannot wait to learn more.”
“Let me walk you round the guests. I am sure they will be intrigued to meet you.”
“Now that you know my worth, you mean?”
His hand found the small of my back and I had to control my instinct to flinch. “Exactly, Miss Monroe. I’m glad you know how to play the game.”
Jasper sent me a gesture that asked if I needed rescuing, but I subtly shook my head and let Octavius lead me to the first group of people. He was just in the middle of introducing all the mages to me when there was a large boom at the far side of the hall.
A flash of blinding white light burst from the doorway and I had to shield my eyes. When the white spots disappeared from my vision and I could finally see again, I glanced across the room to see glorious white feathered wings and shimmering armour.
Warrior Angels.
The one in the middle stepped forward. His hair was the colour of corn and it flowed behind him like a sheet of silk.
He was magnificent. More beautiful than I could even comprehend, and I had a sudden need to bow down and worship.
What the fuck?
I shook my head and cleared the fog that seemed to have descended into my mind with the arrival of the angels.
“Citizens of the mortal plane. I am Camael, leader of the Guardians and Protector of the Upper Realm, and I am here by Divine Law for the one they call Sin Reaper.”
That voice. I recognised that voice, but why?
“Hand her to me and there will be no bloodshed. Refuse, and we shall smite you all.”
