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Josie’s emotions twist as her heart breaks for them. “How could Mother Gaia let this happen? This can’t be her will. Why would she stand by while so many witches suffer?”
It doesn’t take long before the anguish within her turns to anger. Anger at Mother Gaia? Anger for Sarah and the rest of the witches of New Orleans—Sun and Moon?
My poor, sweet witch. “What do you want from us?” I ask. “We’re not bound to keep the secret like your rogue coven.”
Lilian scowls at me. “No, but we share a common enemy, and I hope we can put aside our history and be allies to defeat that enemy.”
Sebastian steps behind Josie’s chair and she stiffens as he traps her between him and Lilian’s cold death stare. “What makes you think we need your help?”
The chill in the room cranks up a notch, and I fight not to pull Josie out of the path of hostility arcing between Sebastian and the witch. “If Egan tips the scales of power, the French Quarter will be his first stop on his path of conquest,” Lilian says. “It wouldn’t hurt to have a friend in your back pocket.”
“You can’t possibly know Egan’s plans,” Sebastian scoffs.
“We do. Sarah is our ace in the hole.”
Sebastian looks Sarah up and down with obvious disdain. “She isn’t up to wage your war against the Alpha of the Algiers Pack.”
“Screw you, vampire,” Sarah snaps.
I raise a hand and interrupt the rush of angry murmurs from all around us. “What Sebastian means is that a single witch can’t bear the weight of such an important matter.”
I send Sebastian a warning glare, and he widens his gaze in challenge. Then, after a moment, he pulls himself together and I see his strategical mind kick into gear.
Good. We need a king here, not a hothead.
“What I meant was that it’s strategically illogical for you to believe Egan trusts her. For all you know, Egan smells her deceit and drips little bits of false information to lead you ladies astray. That’s what I would do.”
Lilian’s gaze narrows. “No doubt you would, but despite what you think, Sarah is Egan’s go-to Moon Witch. She is our most valuable asset in taking him down.”
“And he’s not dripping false information,” Sarah adds, pegging Sebastian with a glare. “He forgets about the frail, frightened witch standing in the corner. I’m invisible to him. I’ve overheard more than a few important, private conversations.”
Rune sits back in his chair and shakes his head. “If you wanted to work together, why attack us at Josie’s family’s place? You weren’t pulling any punches there.”
“I wanted to save Josephine from the three of you before she was trapped in a Unity bond and forced to further the vampire bid for dominion over the city.”
Rune pops another cookie into his mouth. How many has he eaten? The platter in the center of the table is almost empty. “Josie doesn’t need saving, sweetheart. At least, not from us.”
There are a lot of skeptical faces around the table and the room as a whole.
I take issue with their disbelief. “We vampires aren’t like the werewolves. We don’t treat our women like animals.”
“That’s a bald-faced lie if I’ve ever heard one,” Sarah challenges. “You keep your witches on hand like dogs to obey your commands.”
I bristle at her tone, but I’m immediately distracted by Josie’s emotions bursting inside her. Her instincts are pushing her to jump to my defense.
She doesn’t, but she wants to.
I can take anything the witches want to throw at us if it brings my witch closer to us. And I understand Sarah’s bitterness. She grew up dealing with the after-effects of the unity ritual while our beautiful Josephine lived a peaceful and oblivious life in another country.
And even if I don’t need it, how cute is it that Josie is getting fired up to defend her mate? I rest a hand on her thigh under the table and squeeze gently.
The gesture is meant to calm her, but it also calms me. “The vampires’ partnership with Sun Witches isn’t without flaw, but I assure you we treat our witches and our unity partners with dignity. Unlike the werewolves, vampires are not controlled by our baser impulses. We are civilized.”
Sarah rolls her eyes and Rune leans forward. “You don’t believe him?” His tone is playful despite the dangerous look in his hazel eyes.
Josie sends him a warning look and I know she doesn’t want us to amp up the tension. Still, there are things that need to be said.
Lilian scowls. “You have been treating us as lesser than for far longer than these last twenty-five years. Vampires and werewolves see witches as an ornament to collect and display your own power.”
