Ascended (War of the Covens 3)

“I haven’t manipulated you. I swear.”

“And I’m supposed to take your word on that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t care one way or the other.”

As he walked away in Jaeden’s wake, Caia squeezed her eyes shut. She needed Lucien back. Everything would be okay once she had Lucien back.

“It’s a good thing you called me out of there when you did,” Vanne stated in a deeply chilling tone, his powerful energy crackling and sparking in the air around the house. The pack was scattered in different rooms, but the Elders were in the living room watching a distraught Vanne pace in front of the main window. Alexa stood next to a grief-stricken Magnus pretending to give comfort, when in fact it was clear she was fascinated with not only Reuben but the Head of the Daylight Coven’s husband.

“I nearly killed her,” Vanne choked, coming to a stop to stare numbly at the floorboards. “When she told me about Marion …” He shuddered, shaking his head. Intimidating though Vanne may be, Caia couldn’t help but reach out to him in comfort. She squeezed his shoulder lightly, and he glanced down at her, his eyes terrifying and glassy with unshed tears. “I’ve always loved her best, you know,” he whispered. “I courted her first before …”

“Before I asked him to join me and break it off with Marion. To win Marita over instead so we could spy on her,” Reuben answered for him, his voice dead. Caia glanced sharply at him, marveling at the hint of guilt and regret she saw in his eyes.

An ache spread in her chest for Vanne. For him to have loved Marion while he slept with her sister? To be so close to the day when he would no longer have to pretend … and now the one person he wanted to share that day with was gone. Tears splashed over her lids and she sighed in frustration, turning her back to the room and swiping at them angrily. She couldn’t act like a silly little girl. She had to be strong for them all.

She sucked in a deep breath and turned to face them. “Can you do what we asked? Can you go with Reuben to the MacLachlans?”

Vanne nodded. “I’m friends with Alistair. However … it may take longer than just a few minutes to convince them. Phoebe is well educated on magik. She’ll suspect I’m another magik using glamour to look like me. Such an incident happened at the Center only a few weeks ago,” he reminded them, throwing Caia a look that managed to be sardonic despite his pain-filled eyes. He was referring to when Caia had glamoured Vil to look like Vanne to rescue Laila from the containment center. “Glamour lasts roughly thirty minutes. Phoebe knows that. So we’re going to have to sit that time out until they’re convinced I am who I say I am.”

“That’s fine. I imagine it will take longer to gather the family members of the Council who are willing to fight,” Caia said.

“That reminds me—” Vanne tugged at something in the back pocket of his suit trousers. A white paper appeared in his hand and he gave it to Reuben. “A list of the family members who tried to get in and were fought off by our guards.” He sneered. “Marita told them not to use deadly force … the idiots bought it, that holier-than-thou crap.” His tone vibrated through her like an apprehensive shiver.

Knowing what she now knew didn’t stop Caia from being disturbed by this version of Vanne. He was a mighty good actor. Every time she’d met with him and Marita inside the Center, she could’ve sworn he was a loyal husband and devout Daylight. Ignoring the impulse to gape at him as if he were nuts, Caia held out her hand to Reuben. “I’ll take that.”

He chuckled and threw her a flirtatious look, nibbling on his lip piercing. He took a moment before he handed over the paper. “Getting awfully bossy, aren’t we?”

Ignoring him and the numerous frowns thrown his way by the Elders and a disgruntled Alexa—who had so far been trying to catch his attention (even imminent war couldn’t stop her natural predilection for hooking up with the newest, hottest being around)—Caia quickly scanned the list. There were quite a number of names here.

“This should do, actually,” she murmured, knowing everyone could hear her anyway. She looked up as Jaeden entered the room with Vil and Laila. “Vil, we should go. Vanne’s provided us with a list of names to give to Alfred Doukas’s wife. She should be able to gather them to us pretty quickly.”

Vil nodded but she noticed his hand tightening in Laila’s. Before she could reassure them, Alexa stepped forward, a little pout she’d perfected years before playing on her luscious mouth. “I wanna help.”