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“The Summer Court has offered the use of their club as a neutral third-party location.”
I snort. “In order to collect favors from both parties in exchange, I wager.”
The Summer Court is made up of all the fae in the southern United States. They have meeting spots in every major city in the South, but their main seat is in New Orleans. There are many ley lines in the city, and it is easier for them to cross between the Mortal World and Faerie here. They tend to keep out of external games of power between factions of Others, but they are not above being self-serving and profiting from the conflict.
Gaspard nods gravely. “The Summer Queen requests access to Sacrilege for her inner court so that they may feed from the energy there.”
Fae are interesting Others. Much like vampires, they need to feed on other creatures, but they feed on emotions and dreams. They can pull them from the atmosphere of gatherings or directly from individuals. It is possible for them to feed on just about anything, but their favorites are the emotions of mortals. I can see why they would want access to my club. It is a den of iniquity, the most popular club in the city. A magnet for humans, so that my Fraternity and the vampires under my protection may feed. Their own club is fading in popularity, no longer the hub of the city like it was in the 80’s. Faes are not good at changing with the times. Their self-importance is their greatest hindrance. I’m sure it galls the Summer Queen that she must ask me for access to a vampire stronghold to feed her inner court.
“Is it a safe meeting place?” I ask, tilting my head thoughtfully.
Gaspard nods again. “I sent a team to investigate it ahead of time. Their wards are stronger than even the ones you have on your own house. The only magic that can be cast there is glamours, which the Circle can’t use to hurt us. Though the wards hinder our strength and speed as well. We will be like normal humans in the space.”
“The Circle won’t be able to affect the room around us at all? I don’t want to have to deal with magical shrapnel if things get dicey.”
My second shakes his head. “There’s no way for them to be able to use their magic like that. And the Summer Court has offered some of their guards to check for weapons upon entrance. It should be a peaceful meeting.”
“Contact the Summer Queen,” I command. “Find out what she wants in order to tailor the space to our favor.”
“Commandant?”
“I want this conflict to be over, Gaspard,” I say. “In one swift move. We will leave this summit with Hayne’s head. We will hunt down the Circle and put them down like dogs, so that no one dares to disrespect us again and cement our position of power in the South. It is the only way to ensure Andi’s and my safety. Ask the Summer Queen what it would take to change their wards so that we keep our vampire strength. I give you permission to negotiate on my behalf. As long as she doesn’t want the whole Fraternity, you may grant it to her.”
“What if she wants Sacrilege itself?” queries my second.
That gives me pause. Sacrilege is my favorite front, my passion project, my fuck you to church and divinity, and it launders almost as much money as our bodyguarding business. Getting it to be the hottest spot in the city was not easy. The Summer Court, with their old fashioned ideals, would run it into the ground. But my pause only lasts a moment. “It’s on the table,” I tell Gaspard, who looks mildly shocked, a big reaction for him. “Though don’t offer that upfront. I can build other clubs, I cannot replace my own life, and Andi’s is tied to mine. That must be the priority.”
Gaspard stands. “It will be done, Commandant. I will not fail you.”
“See that you don’t,” I drawl. “And remember, taking down the Circle will be revenge for what happened to Jade as well. She is not safe either, while she is friends with Andi, and there are those who hunt the siren.”
Gaspard’s posture stiffens at the reminder, as I knew it would. I am not above using a person’s personal vendettas for my own ends. His feelings for the witch and his loyalty to me will make failure not an option for him.
“It will be done,” he repeats, this time more firmly, and I know that he will do whatever is necessary to secure our victory.
“Good. You are dismissed.”
Gaspard leaves my office, and I am alone. With nothing else to occupy me, I pull out the seer’s potion she left me. Do I trust it? She says that it will remove my bond with Andi and reset my feelings to what they would be naturally. As long as I, I assume, don’t feed from Andi again. But there’s no way for me to know if this potion is what she says it is. It could be poison for all I know. Vampires are immune to most poisons, magic or otherwise, hawthorne being the only exception. This could be distilled hawthorne or some other poison that I don’t know about from ages past. There’s no knowing when dealing with a three-thousand-year-old witch.
I shake my head. It’s a possibility, but unlikely. The crone has no reason to kill me. She wants me to protect her foster daughter, after all. So, it’s more likely that this potion does the opposite of what she says, that it will make me more obsessed and desperate for the siren. A more perfect thrall.
My lips twist. That’s dubious as well. Is it even possible to feel more strongly for Andi than I already do? I already feel uneasy about displeasing her, find myself thinking more of her safety than my own, wild at the thought of her being taken from me. Peaceful at the thought of her feeling the same way about me. If that is not already love, I do not know what it is. Though I am loath to admit it, I was feeling shadows of these feelings before I even fed on the siren. What if I drink the potion and nothing happens? What if these feelings truly are my own, the way the witch intimated they are? I will have no more excuses. I will know that I truly am enamored with Andi. That I am hers, to do with as she pleases.
A coward would throw the potion away. A coward wouldn’t want to know the answers. I am Commandant of the Fraternity, a former Templar, one who has met every challenge in his life and bested it. I am no coward.
Popping off the cork, I raise the bottle to the air, giving a silent but defiant salud, and drink.
Chapter 24
Andi
I wake, feeling relaxed and warm. But my face hurts. For a moment, I don’t remember what has happened, then it all comes rushing back to me. The airbag. The crash. The almost-kidnapping. Jade being hurt. Julian saving me. Coming back to the mansion. Julian's head between my legs, his fangs digging into my thigh as I orgasmed without end. I squirm a little at the memory, my pussy getting wet. Did all that truly happen in just one night?
I open my eyes, which is hard to do, as they feel swollen, and start with a yelp. Julian is just sitting at the foot of my bed, staring at me with an inscrutable look on his face.
“Fuck!” I shout. Modulating my volume, I continue, “Julian, what are you doing, just staring at me like a creep? What are you doing in my room? Haven’t you ever heard of personal space?”
He doesn’t answer me, still just looking at me intently. The silence stretches, and my anxiety rises. “Julian?” I ask hesitantly, pushing up to a sitting position, “What’s wrong?”
