“Come on in, Gryph,” I called out.
He entered the room, hesitantly scenting the air. He’d have noticed there was a werewolf in the office. With his werewolf hearing, he’d definitely heard at least part of my conversation with Hadley. “Hadley?” he asked.
“Hi, Gryph,” she greeted him with a warm smile. Her eyes remained downcast, likely because she’d grown up behaving that way around Gryph.
“It’s good to see you smiling,” he remarked as he closed the door behind him and leaned against it. “Can I assume life has been good to you?”
“It has,” Hadley replied. “I’ve got a good life and a mate I love.”
His eyes drifted to me, and I knew his next words were as much for me as they were for Hadley. “A good mate can make all the difference.”
Heat flooded my body, and I was a little embarrassed that I was getting turned on in a room with two werewolves, both of them able to tell my reaction just by my scent.
“What have you been up to?” she asked.
“Just doing some security work,” he replied with a shrug. “Basically, I’m doing the same thing I was with the pack. I hear you’ve been causing all sorts of trouble among the packs.”
Hadley’s grin widened. “I’ve been doing my best to stir things up.”
“Good for you,” he said with a nod. “Things need stirring up. What were you two talking about?”
“You,” I admitted. Even if I’d wanted to lie, he already knew what we were talking about. “I was asking Hadley about werewolf stuff, and she ended up telling me how you saved her life.”
“The doctors saved her life,” Gryph argued.
“You were part of it,” Hadley stated. “So, a witch as a mate? That’s certainly unusual.”
“It’s a good thing I’m not in the pack anymore,” was Gryph’s reply.
“Now, we just have to deal with the witches,” I muttered, not looking forward to our meeting with the Council of Witches that night. Tatiana’s parents had insisted on a council inquiry into her disappearance, and I was being interviewed as part of that inquiry.
“Don’t worry, Sass,” Gryph murmured as he moved to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. “They won’t have time to worry about anything going on between us.”
I snorted. “That might be true of most witches, but my dad is going to be in the building, and he will definitely be curious.”
“Are you ashamed to have me meet your father?” he asked.
Hadley’s laughter interrupted our discussion, and when Gryph looked over at her, she explained herself. “I’m laughing because you’re acting like she’s worried something will happen to her. She’s worried her father will be mean to you.”
“Is that true, Sass?” he asked, reaching out to stroke my cheek with the back of his knuckles.
I nodded and turned to look up at him. “My dad is already unhappy with me, and I’m afraid he’ll take it out on you.”
“Don’t worry,” he assured me. “One of the benefits of having the big bad wolf at your side is that I’m scarier than everyone else. I’ll be fine.”
I snorted. Gryph was clearly living in denial. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Chapter 38
Gryph
There was no missing how nervous Julia was about taking me into the witches’ lair. She’d admitted to being worried earlier, but this was a whole new level of anxiety. After parking in the lot on the west side of the compound, I decided I should say something to try to comfort Julia.
When I turned toward her, she immediately put up a hand. “Don’t even think about trying to tell me to calm down. I also don’t want to hear any lines about how there’s nothing to worry about. Witches only get more judgmental and elitist when they’re gathered together. That means council meetings, or even being in the main witch offices, brings out the asshole in most. They are not going to react well to us dating.”
I had to bite back a smile. My sassy witch in a temper always improved my mood. “I was simply going to point out that you don’t need to tell them we’re dating. The purpose of us being here is to answer questions about the missing witch. I’m technically here as your bodyguard, so there’s no reason to offer more details.”
That sounded like a good suggestion to me, so I had no clue why Julia was looking at me like I’d just said something stupid.
“That’s really your suggestion for handling this?” she asked in a tone that told me Julia wasn’t going to like my answer.
“I’m not about to go in there and embarrass you in front of the other witches,” I told her. “I know things will have to come out eventually, but this will give you time to get used to the idea before you have to deal with the embarrassment. You said it yourself, the witches won’t react well. Why should you deal with that hassle today?”
“You’re an idiot, Gryph,” was all she said.
I honestly had no clue what I’d done to irritate Julia. My suggestion seemed perfectly reasonable. In fact, I thought I was being pretty damn awesome and understanding. Since it seemed I wasn’t nearly as good at reading her as I thought, I decided to just ask. “Could you give me a hint as to why you’re pissed at me?”
“I’m not really mad at you, Gryph,” she admitted with a huff. “Maybe I am a little mad that you’d think this is about me being embarrassed to be with you. Do you really think I’m like the elitist witches who think we shouldn’t talk to werewolves unless we absolutely have to?”
“I wasn’t trying to imply anything of the sort, Sass,” I insisted before pausing to wonder if I had meant that. I was used to being on the outside, but that didn’t give me the right to think Julia would look down on me.
“After all your pack put you through when they rejected you, I just don’t want to see you hurt by anyone’s ignorance,” she explained. “I might seriously lose it if someone acts like you aren’t as important as I am.”
I was touched, and a little annoyed that she’d think I was that sensitive. Why would she worry I’d be hurt by what a few witches thought of me? “A bunch of witches aren’t going to hurt my feelings. I only care about the opinions of a handful of witches. Your opinion is most important to me.”
“I’m not ashamed to be dating you, Gryph,” she stated, still looking annoyed. “We are definitely going to talk about this later. If your reasons for wanting to avoid having anyone know about us today have to do with you not wanting to deal with their reactions, that’s fine. If you’re just worried about me, then don’t be.”
I nodded, a little overwhelmed with her concern for my feelings. “I honestly don’t care what they think, but this might be a good day to avoid adding any drama. The focus should be on finding the missing witch.”
“You’re right,” Julia agreed. “Let’s see if we can make it through this meeting with no drama.”
Chapter 39
Gryph
Even though I had clearance to enter the building, twenty minutes later we were still waiting for the guards at the front desk to let us pass. According to them, they needed to confirm my security clearance was still valid. If I had to guess, I’d say they were just being assholes about the whole thing.
“The council is waiting for you, Miss Dupree,” one of the guards said impatiently. Both guards wore green robes. Their black hair was cut incredibly short. With similar features that would be described as pretty by most, I suspected they were related.
“We’ll head back as soon as you let Gryph enter the building,” she told them with a sweet smile.
I decided to keep my mouth shut since Julia seemed to be handling the guards just fine on her own. The battle of wills had all started when Julia had rolled her eyes as they’d questioned my presence. I’d been in this complex enough to know it was easy for them to confirm my security clearance. It was checked each time I entered the building.
These particular warlocks were taking their sweet ass time. Their computers were down, and they needed to check with someone higher up. The be
st way to do that would be to make a call. Instead, they were insisting they needed to handle the matter in person but couldn’t leave the front desk with only one person manning it.
“Julia?” The warlock who’d spoken was feared by many within the witch community. Demetrius Talbot was Melina’s stepfather and one of the most powerful warlocks in the area. “Why aren’t you in the meeting?”
“They won’t let Gryph into the building,” she replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest after tossing her wrinkled crimson robe on the counter in front of the guards.
Demetrius regarded the guards with a bland expression before shaking his head. He said nothing, simply sighed and rolled his eyes. Since I’d used similar tactics before, I could appreciate what he was doing. Demetrius Talbot had power that went beyond his station among the witches. The guards were likely trying to decide if he was going to threaten them with something more than just the loss of their jobs.
It was no surprise when one of the guards began to frantically explain their actions. “We have to make sure it’s really okay for him to enter.”
“Exactly,” the other added nervously. “We can’t just let anyone in, even if a witch vouches for them.”
“I understand that,” Demetrius replied, sounding offended that they would insinuate otherwise.
“They refused to make a call to confirm what I said,” Julia spat out. “Instead, we’ve been standing here for nearly half an hour when we should already be in the meeting.”
Demetrius merely raised one eyebrow in question.
“This seemed like the sort of thing we should confirm in person,” one guard insisted.
“Consider it confirmed,” Demetrius told them, not waiting for a response before continuing. “Let’s get you to the council meeting. They’re questioning Beatrice LaCroix, Desmond’s sister, first since you were late.”
My wolf didn’t like Demetrius Talbot, so I was certain my eyes were glowing yellow by that point. To my wolf, Demetrius was a challenge to our dominance. My wolf also hated seeing the man help Julia. Luckily, I wasn’t too driven by my wolf. Julia reached out to place a hand on my bare arm, drawing my attention away from Demetrius. It also succeeded in capturing my wolf’s attention. He was soothed by her touch and no longer focusing on Demetrius.
When we reached the room, Demetrius turned to us. His eyes landed briefly on Julia’s hand on my arm before his lips curled into a slight smile. “You should put your robe on, Julia,” he reminded her.
She looked down at her robe and nodded. “I hate this thing,” she muttered as she put it on.
Demetrius chuckled. “It looks like your wolf has been rolling around on it.”
“Had I rolled around on the robe, it would probably have fewer wrinkles,” I pointed out.
Demetrius nodded his agreement. “Julia, like many young witches, isn’t in favor of the robes.”
“They’re ridiculous,” she ranted. “I’ll bet my robe color is why Gryph was treated so poorly. Those guards figured this was their chance to push around someone from a higher rank. Goddess! Warlocks are idiots.”
My witch was definitely still pissed. This meeting wouldn’t go well if she didn’t get her temper under control.
Chapter 40
Julia
I was still annoyed with the way the guards had treated Gryph. I didn’t believe they’d acted that way for any reason other than being assholes.
“Calm down, Sass,” Gryph said quietly. “Don’t let those guys get to you. Now also isn’t the time to worry about the flaws in the witch cast system.”
“The wolf is right,” Demetrius added. “You’ll have to get used to dealing with these kinds of reactions regarding your involvement with the wolf. I assume he’ll be by you constantly until you’re no longer in danger.”
“That’s my job,” Gryph agreed.
Demetrius’ lips twitched. “I meant you’ll be by her side less after the danger passes. I’m not an idiot. It’s obvious there’s something between you.”
He didn’t wait for a response before leading us into the room.
We were subjected to angry glares from the council members when we entered. It made me a little sad to see how small the gathering was, and even sadder that Tatiana’s rank among the witches was the only reason I’d expected a bigger gathering. Had there been a controversial affinity test, the turnout would have been much larger.
We quietly took our seats as the questioning of Beatrice LaCroix continued. I’d met Beatrice a few times when we were in school, and she hadn’t changed much. Her straight black hair was still pulled back from her elfin face, and her unnaturally green eyes practically glowed. Her eyes were both beautiful and disturbing. Beatrice wore no makeup and her pale blue robe had seen better days. Her full lips were pressed together in an angry line as she glared at the council.
“I find it hard to believe you never met Tatiana,” a warlock from the audience shouted.
“Why would I have met her?” Beatrice asked in a cold voice. “I’ve already told you I haven’t seen Desmond in years. He’s always considered himself better than the rest of the family. We aren’t close. We were never close.”
There was no missing the cold bite in her voice.
“This whole thing is just a show for the witch’s parents,” Gryph muttered.
Since the council continued questioning Beatrice for another twenty minutes, despite her lack of information, I concluded Gryph was right.
“Enough!” Isadora Hunt finally shouted. “The poor girl has no information on her brother’s whereabouts. We’ve asked the same questions a dozen different ways.”
“Our daughter is missing, and this lying shapeshifter is helping her brother hide her from us!” Tatiana’s father shouted.
“Darius,” Isadora began patiently. “While I understand you are upset, there is no reason to insult Beatrice. She came here willingly, and she has been very patient.”
“Shapeshifters?” Gryph asked me quietly. “I didn’t read anything about shapeshifting witches when I studied for my security clearance.”
“It’s a rare witch ability—one that’s looked down upon, if you can believe that,” I whispered back.
I hadn’t realized Desmond was a shapeshifter. It explained why Tatiana had been so convinced her parents wouldn’t approve of her relationship with him. The Ashcrofts were one of the more elitist witch families.
“I’m glad you finally made it, Julia,” Isadora Hunt said with obvious censure.
“She was delayed by the guards,” Demetrius interjected. “Had I not arrived to assist her, she might still be there.”
“I see,” another warlock on the panel remarked irritably before shifting his gaze from me to Gryph. “I apologize to both of you for the problem our guards gave you.” His apology reminded me that not all warlocks were assholes.
Gryph shrugged. “I’m used to dealing with this sort of thing. Miss Dupree was really upset by the whole matter.”
“Why don’t you come up to the front, Julia?” Isadora asked. It was a polite way of giving an order.
Nodding, I walked forward and took the seat recently vacated by Beatrice.
“When was the last time you spoke to Tatiana Ashcroft?” a warlock asked.
“It was a few weeks ago,” I replied. “I’m not sure of the exact day. Since she didn’t have an appointment, it’s not on my calendar.”
“Can you tell us about the conversation?” Isadora asked.
I told them about Tatiana stopping by to ask me my thoughts on whether she and Desmond could pass an affinity test. Then I explained the email she’d sent to cancel their fantasy weekend. As I’d expected, the council had a lot of questions about my conversation with Tatiana. It wasn’t that they thought my answers would help them locate Tatiana so much as they wanted to make sure I hadn’t broken any rules. I was not allowed to perform affinity tests or guess the outcome of tests.
“How would you describe their relationship?” Isadora asked. “In par
ticular, how did Desmond behave around Tatiana?”
“Do you think he would hurt her?” another witch added.
“Desmond always seemed very doting and loving when he was with her,” I replied. “I suppose it’s hard to tell for sure, but I got the impression he’d never hurt her.”
“Desmond is a very good liar.” Beatrice had spoken quietly, but her words carried through the room. Up to that point, she hadn’t offered anything that could be considered useful.
“Why didn’t you mention this fact earlier?” one of the warlocks on the panel asked incredulously.
Beatrice glared at him with glowing eyes. “Every time I tried to add any details, one of you cut me off and told me to answer the question I was asked.”
Isadora laughed. “You are correct, dear girl.”
Beatrice visibly bristled at the term of endearment but said nothing.
“Is there anything else you’d like to add?” Isadora asked. “I think you’ve proven we need to listen to you.”
Beatrice shrugged. “I really haven’t seen Des in a long time. He always wanted to move up on the council, and he hated that I just wanted to avoid being around any of you. I couldn’t possibly care less about elevating my status. The whole thing is ridiculous, but Des wanted more than anything to be important to you.”
I suddenly wished I’d gotten to know Beatrice better. Her attitude with the council reminded me a little of Mel.
“While you were growing up, was he ever violent?” Isadora asked, and I was surprised no one had asked that before.
“Not normally,” she hedged. “He could be violent, but Desmond has this strange sense of justice he thinks applies to every situation.”
“Could you elaborate?” Isadora asked.
“I can’t really explain how he makes his decisions, but Desmond won’t hurt anyone unless he thinks they’ve wronged him,” she began. “Even then, he’ll spend hours considering every detail before he decides on a punishment. It’s always a punishment in his mind, never revenge. One time, I told my parents about Desmond stealing something. They took away his video game system as punishment. It wasn’t until a week later that my familiar was killed.” There was a catch in her voice, and I was certain the other witches in the room felt the same sympathy I did. I couldn’t imagine losing Oliver.
Seductively Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 3) Page 17
