Embracing Magick: an Urban Fantasy Novel (The Witch Blood Chronicles Book 3)

by Debbie Cassidy

  “So, what do we do in the meantime?”

  Amon’s smile was wicked. “I can take you for a meal and we can talk, and then afterwards maybe we can—”

  “Not happening.” I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. He’d remembered our human courtship conversation.

  Alara’s smooth forehead crinkled and then she pressed her lips together. Amon watched her, his gaze hooded. Where had this tension come from?

  I laughed, but it sounded fake so I bit it back. “It’s just a joke. Something I said to him last time we met.”

  Amon’s attention was on Alara now, and all humor had left his features. “Humans have quaint courtship rituals, don’t you think, princess?” His tone was dry.

  A frisson of awareness shot through me, a pang of nostalgia and yearning. What the heck? My dragon shook itself, confused by these emotions that weren’t my own. Wait. Were they coming from the djinn princess?

  Alara cleared her throat. “Well...” She glanced over her shoulder out into the night. “I have to be somewhere, so why don’t you keep our guest company for a while. I’ll meet you back here once the council makes their decision.”

  She strode into the night without a backward glance. The fluttering in my belly shut down immediately. Yep, this was definitely something to do with the binding between us. Her emotions had infringed on mine and she’d been yearning. For Amon? What the fuck? But it would explain why her exit was almost like an escape.

  “Amon, what just happened?”

  Amon shrugged, nonchalant. “She had somewhere to be.” He offered me the crook of his arm. “And we should find some food. I’m starving.”

  The urge to press him for information warred with hunger. Food first and then I’d lay into him with the third degree. I slipped my arm through his and allowed him to lead me out of the doors into the cool night.

  19

  I sat back and patted my stomach. “That was delicious.”

  We were seated on a balcony attached to Amon’s personal suite of rooms. The air was chilly, but Amon had lit two sconces on either side of us, and the heat they threw off kept the cold at bay. We’d headed out to an eatery at first, through the gentle winding streets lined with trees carrying strange heady scented fruits. We’d ended up at a beautiful mini-domed structure by a shimmering lake. We’d walked in and immediately been the focus of attention. The serene sophisticated place had morphed into a hungry crowd of whisperers. Yeah, we’d backed out of there pretty quick.

  According to Amon there was so much to see in their world at night. The night was a different beast to the day, sinuous and full of delights. The manner in which he’d said it—tongue caught between his teeth—had sent a shiver down my spine. The guy had a certain sex appeal, no doubt about it, and if I’d been up for some fun, I may have taken him up on the offer of some horizontal acrobatics. But there was something hidden behind that tawny gaze, a dark yearning that had nothing to do with me or the delectable night, and everything to do with Alara and her swift exit earlier.

  So, we’d come back to his chambers and had his head chef bring us up a variety of dishes. My taste buds were still partying.

  Amon sipped from his goblet. “These are my favorite dishes. I’m surprised you were able to enjoy the spices. The lamb dish is very hot.”

  “I don’t mind spicy food.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “What’s up with you and Alara?”

  He blinked in surprise. “Why would you think something was up between us?”

  I gave him an are-you-kidding-me look. “I’m bound to her remember. It affords me some emotional insight.”

  His eyes narrowed a fraction, and he sat forward, his arms resting on the table between us. “Emotions? Alara had an emotional reaction to me? Pray, do tell.”

  Shit. Now I’d gone and done it. “She reacted, yes. Enough for me to know there’s a story here. So, spill it.”

  “You assume I wish to share my emotions with you?”

  “So, you have emotions for Alara?”

  He blew out a breath. “You with your wily words.”

  “Not really. I figure you want to talk to someone about it. And since I’m merely a visitor and will be gone in a few hours, I’m a safe ear.”

  He took another gulp from his goblet and leaned back in his seat. “It has been driving me insane not being able to speak to someone.”

  “And here I am—a cure for your insanity.” I grinned. And didn’t we all love a good juicy story?

  Urvashi had been my outlet for the last few years, but with the IEPEU cases piling up we’d barely had any time together. I missed her, and when this was over we’d be spending a whole lot of time together.

  Amon fingered his napkin by the side of his empty plate. “There was a time, a long time ago, when Alara and I were close. Not lovers but more than that, we were friends. My father was a regular visitor at the night djinn court. My aunt, an efreet like me, had married into the night court amidst much controversy, and my father, worried for her welfare, had visited often and slowly built a friendship with the king.”

  “Night court? I don’t understand how your world operates? You have kingdoms and kings but you have a council?”

  “This part of our world is ruled by elemental djinn, djinn who command air, fire, water and earth. We abolished the monarchy a long time ago and we are governed by a high council. We have lords who rule various lands and sentinels who guard them. Then you have the night court and the court of dawn across the ocean. The djinn there are of a different breed, some say the djinn of the night court can harness lunar power and draw energy from the distant stars, while the dawn djinn have the power of the sun running through their veins. They stand by their monarchy and over the years there have been intermittent squabbles between us.”

  “A squabble hardly seems like a reason to form an alliance through marriage.”

  “It isn’t. Five years ago, we got word that the dawn court had retreated. Built a wall around its borders and locked the world out. The night court has always enjoyed good relations with its sister court, but suddenly they were as clueless as us as to what was going on. Every emissary sent never returned. Every spy sent vanished.”

  I leaned forward across the table. “And? Have you learned anything at all?”

  “Last year, the night court approached our council. They asked for aid and we sent a team of our most accomplished scouts—djinn able to move as fast as the wind, to slip in and out of the most secure locations.”

  “And? What did they find? They came back, right?”

  “Only one returned. And when he did, he was close to death. He was able to utter only one word before he died.” He licked his lips. “War.”

  “War? You think Dawn is preparing for war? Against you and the night court?”

  “No, we believe that Dawn has been taken over by invaders from across the seas. An alliance is imperative if we are to defeat these unknown invaders when they attack.”

  “So you wait for them to make the first move? Shouldn’t you be going on the offensive? Find out what you’re up against?”

  “Oh, believe me we are working on it. In the meantime, we must solidify our positions and an alliance through marriage. That is the best way. Paimon is a lord, and he owns the majority of the land in our realm. He is our figurehead. And Alara is the princess of the night court.”

  Was that bitterness in his tone? “But you knew her first?”

  He blinked at me, as if coming out of a trance. “Yes. I would visit with my father. Paimon would stay behind, lord in our father’s absence. I got to know Alara and we became friends, and then later...well, it doesn’t matter.”

  “You fell in love?”

  He snorted. “I thought we had. But I’m no longer sure what she felt, if anything. She’s betrothed to my brother—the older sibling, the lord of our lands. Whatever may have been will now never be.”

  Yep, definitely bitter. My heart went out to him.

  “Sometimes, I wish I was the older
twin, but then it would have been Paimon who’d have gone to the night court with father, and I’d have been left behind to play lord. I’d never have met her and she would have fallen in love with Paimon.” He scrunched up the napkin, his knuckles white. “Now she will be tied into a loveless marriage while my brother’s heart lies broken elsewhere.” He locked gazes with me.

  “Um, he told you?”

  “Of course, he told me. He tells me most everything.”

  “But you haven’t told him how you feel about Alara, have you?”

  He averted his gaze. “No.” He sighed through his nose. “Have you really given him up?”

  “He was never mine to hold on to.”

  And yeah, it still hurt, the what-could-have-been and what-should-have-been. But it was the right thing to do. To let him go. To move on.

  He nodded. “You’re an honorable woman Carmella. But my brother won’t give up on you so easily. He’s always been single minded when it comes to the pursuit of his pleasures. And in this case, you have his heart, battered as it may be. He has not claimed it back and until he does, Alara will always be in your shadow.”

  “You want her to be happy...even if it’s with him.” Wow, he really loved her. Fuck fate for being a bitch.

  A yawn threatened, and I bit it back. A full belly of food, coupled with the fresh breeze drifting onto the balcony, was a recipe for nap time.

  “How much longer will they deliberate, do you think?”

  “It’s impossible to say.” He looked me over. “You’re tired?”

  “Yeah. The food has made me lethargic.”

  He pushed back his chair and held out his hand. “Come.”

  I slipped my hand into his and allowed him to lead me back into his chambers. Unlike Paimon’s, his bed wasn’t the centerpiece of the room. In fact, there was no bed in this room, just cushy sofas and luxurious rugs. There was another room leading off from this one, probably his bedchamber. He’d lit several lamps and it was bright enough to make out the vibrant colors he’d used to decorate his private quarters.

  Amon led me to the largest sofa. “I would offer you my bed, but I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong impression.” His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Sleep a while, and I will wake you when a decision has been made.”

  Another yawn bloomed and this time I couldn’t help myself.

  Amon laughed and brushed a tendril of my hair off my face. Our gazes locked and his pupils dilated. “You are the perfect remedy for a broken heart.”

  The door to his chambers flew open and a blast of cold air flew in, circling us. Amon’s lips tightened and an emotion I couldn’t decipher flitted across his handsome face and then he was kissing me. His lips pressed against mine, and his body enveloping me, spinning me away from the exit so his body blocked me from Paimon. There was no finesse in the action, just sheer desperation. I froze.

  He pulled back and mouthed sorry.

  I was so confused.

  And then Amon stepped away from me and I caught sight of Paimon’s tortured expression. He covered it quickly, spun on his heel and strode out the room slamming the door behind him.

  “What the fuck, Amon?”

  He fell into the nearest seat. “I’m sorry. It was impulsive. I just thought if he saw you with me...”

  Oh, man. “Then it would kill all remaining hope and push him into Alara’s arms.”

  “Yes.”

  Anger flared in my chest. “Yeah, well that’s all very well, but you made me look like the whore I told him I’d never be. Jumping from his arms into his brother’s at the drop of a hat.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He sounded so dejected, so forlorn, and, yeah, this must have been hard for him. Paving a path for Paimon into Alara’s heart couldn’t be easy, but he was doing it because he loved her and wanted her to be loved by her betrothed. This alliance was essential to his people’s survival. So, he’d made me look like a hussy, so what? It was over between Paimon and me. It had to be. It was better this way.

  I lowered myself onto the sofa. “You know what. I think I will have that nap after all.”

  20

  “We regret that at this time we must reject your proposal for a long-term alliance,” one of the djinn councilmen said.

  Had I heard right? Had he said reject? Jarud’s smug expression and Amon’s shocked face told me I had.

  No way was I going back empty handed. “Please. I beg you to reconsider. If you don’t help us, we’re doomed.”

  The robed djinn held up his hand. “Let me finish. Although we are not comfortable with entering into a long-term alliance with you, we are also not interested in sitting back and watching your world be terrorized by an outside force. We wish your people no ill will. And, so, we will be sending you the aid you require to liberate your people from the cosmic god’s grasp. We will loan you forces to eliminate this threat, and we will remain open to further negotiations on a treaty in the future, when your race has something more to offer us.”

  Well, that was something. They were giving us what we needed right now. Maybe in time, we could form a permanent alliance.

  “Thank you, councilmen.” I inclined my head.

  Gamund spoke. “Lord Paimon is organizing the forces now. You may return to your world and aid will follow shortly. Good luck.” He smiled warmly.

  There was an ally here, and if he’d had his way, we’d have had the treaty, but this was better than nothing.

  Taking Amon’s lead, I inclined my head and backed out of the room, heart pounding at my partial victory. We had the manpower we needed to get in and out of the underground facility. The djinn could transport our people in and then transport the unwitting prisoners out. If we worked with stealth, we could be in and out without the cosmic god ever having a clue.

  The doors to the chamber closed as we exited.

  “Well, that’s something, right?” Amon said as we hovered in the foyer. “I supposed knowing that we too could be in a similar position to you at any moment has made them sympathetic to your plight. But I would have expected them to agree to the treaty. Allies are important during a war.”

  Alara strode in through the entrance. “Paimon is recruiting djinn to aid you. I’ll get you home so you can prepare your plan of action. We will be with you shortly.” She kept her gaze trained on me, ignoring Amon completely.

  “Thanks. That would be great.”

  She held out her hands, but before I could step into her embrace Amon wound his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. His mouth descended toward mine, but there was no way I was being a prop twice in one day. I pressed my hand to his chest and turned my head away.

  “No. Not again. This isn’t the way.”

  His lips turned down. He nodded and released me.

  What he was trying to do was noble, but it wasn’t fair to play with people’s emotions like that. Honesty was always the best policy. At least with honesty, you got real closure.

  Alara was looking from me to him, her eyes glittering in the gloomy foyer.

  Amon swallowed. “Maybe when you return we could talk?” he asked her.

  She blinked in surprise and then nodded jerkily.

  “Okay, take me home.” I wrapped my arms around her and closed my eyes.

  ◆◆◆

  We materialized in Melody’s empty office. Alara released me as soon as we touched down.

  “You and Amon?” Her tone was deliberately light.

  She was hiding it well, but the tension in her shoulders, and the tightness around her eyes gave her away.

  “No. He just wanted you to think we were.”

  “You know?” She walked over to the window and looked out at the night city.

  “Some of it. Just talk to him. Trust me, if you’re going to begin a new life with Paimon, you need to put the past behind you. Say the stuff you’ve wanted to say, and just get it out of your system and move on.”

  She smiled. “It’s not that easy. I’m afraid if I say the thing
s I want to, then moving on will be impossible.”

  Yeah, it was always easier said than done. If Paimon hadn’t asked me to be his whore, then this, pulling away from him, would be so much harder. Counseling Alara in finding her way to loving Paimon would be impossible.

  I sighed. “Paimon once told me that in order to move on, I needed to claim back my heart. If Amon has your heart, you need to claim it back and offer it to Paimon.”

  She looked up sharply. “And have it crushed? He is in love with you, Carmella, and you may be angry with him right now, but deep down you still love him, and I wager you always will. What he asked of you may seem horrific to you, but in our world, it is the highest honor. Sharmuta are revered and prized and some even take higher status than the lords’ wives in some cases. And when a lord is engaged elsewhere, his wife is free to liaise with whom she pleases, as long as she is discreet.”

  Wait a second. Was she implying that my being Paimon’s whore would solve all our problems? Part of me whispered that it was just a stupid label. If he loved me and I loved him, did the label matter? But a bigger part of me screamed that, yes, it mattered a lot. Because eventually the whole arrangement would wear me down. Resentment would build up toward the man who couldn’t offer me his whole self. And the purity of what we had would be tainted and die.

  “It isn’t enough.”

  Her shoulders rose and fell in a heartfelt sigh. She took my hand and squeezed gently. “I know.” She peered into my eyes, probing my mind, teasing open the box where my confusion and turmoil were stored. “There is someone else.” She stepped back. “Someone rooted deep within you. You don’t even see it, do you?”

  I saw it all right. I saw Vritra on top of the beautiful asura, her hand in his hair and his lips on hers. Pain lanced through me. “No. There is no one else.”

  “And someone else you worry for. A dear friend.”