Gray Witch (Black Hat Bureau 5)

“I would apologize again,” I said, throat tight, “but we both know I wouldn’t mean it.”

“I would settle for your word you won’t attack me again.”

“Don’t provoke me again,” I countered, “and I won’t.”

“That’s fair,” she allowed and shut the door behind her. “I shouldn’t have tested your loyalty, but Asa is my only child. I worried when he told me he was in fascination with a black witch.” Her gaze penetrated me. “Though I do wonder at that. Your magic is…interesting…but not as dark as I expected it to be.”

“My loyalty?” A dangerous adrenaline high shot up my pulse. “You asked me to bind Asa.”

Her idea of vetting me was worse than when I jokingly suggested Stavros had been the one testing me.

“It was the worst thing I could think of,” she admitted. “I hadn’t expected to see you tonight, or I would have prepared a more suitable and less antagonistic approach.”

Call it instinct, but I didn’t believe her for a hot minute. “That would have been nice.”

“My son has been greedy with you and kept you all to himself.” She risked a step closer. “I understand why, now. He’s had so little acceptance in his life. Then there was you.”

“Then there was me,” I repeated, keeping hold of Asa like she might snatch him back.

“I didn’t want you to make the same mistakes with him I did.” She twisted a ring on her finger. “I wanted to know you could love all of him, every part, before I gave my blessing. Mating is forever, you understand. I had to know he was as loved as he deserves to be.”

“It wasn’t your place,” Asa growled softly. “You have no right to play your games with her.”

“I’m your mother,” she growled back. “I have every right.”

“Why did you hide her from me?” I released him and sat back. “You’re lucky I didn’t gut her.”

“She arrived unannounced.” He rose and sat beside me. “I caught your scent, knew how it would look, and tried to protect her until I could introduce you.”

“Fascination heightens emotions,” his mother explained, as if I didn’t know. “He was right to worry.”

The effort of not punching her in the face made my fingers twitch, and her smarmy attitude didn’t help.

“She’s aware, Mother.” Asa sounded tired, and the fight drained out of me. “I’m so sorry, Rue.”

“We both could have handled this better, but make no mistake. This is not your fault.” I left no doubt of who was to blame, in my humble opinion. “What was so important she made a surprise appearance?”

With tempers running high, it felt safer directing the question to him rather than her.

“High Priestess Naeema sent me to deliver this.” She reached into her robes and pulled out a carved box she wisely passed to Asa to give to me. “It will protect Rue as long as she wears it.”

“Wear it?” I cracked the lid and sucked in a gasp. “It’s beautiful.”

A delicate gold choker with an intricate pattern that reminded me of hand-knit lace rested on a bed of blue velvet, but there was no clasp on either end.

“Grandmother sent this?” Asa touched it with reverence. “It’s a very generous gift.”

“It will hide you from Stavros,” she told me. “He won’t be able to track you, or my son, when he’s with you.” Her gaze went unfocused on the bed behind me. “Even if your treacherous y’nai bring Stavros to your door, he won’t sense you.”

“This is Tinkkit, isn’t it?” I swallowed when she nodded once. “That means it was made for me.”

The ancient fae art required the crafter to imbue their individual projects with intent for the specific recipient, almost a wish for them, and the magic in the craft took over from there.

“Asa can remove it.” She lifted it, and the fine links caught the light. “Anyone of our bloodline can.” She let a flicker of insecurity show. “Mother keyed the transference of its power to me. I must fasten it around your neck, with your permission.”

Instinct swung my gaze to Asa, who nodded, and the stare he locked on his mother held a promise of violence if this was anything other than what she claimed it to be.

I won’t lie.