The Witching Hour: 11 Enchanting Novels Featuring Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Ghosts, Fae, and More!, page 182
Dante turned his full attention on me, his mouth pinched a little and a small line formed by the corner of each eye.
“Is she as beautiful as you?” he asked with a smirk spreading across his mouth, although his eyes remained hard and unrelenting.
I shrugged and smiled back. “He’s pretty, but I wouldn’t say beautiful.”
The smirk was replaced by a thin flat line. His bloodsong became deeper, felt territorial and almost warlike.
“Do you normally bring him on assignments with you?” His curious tone didn’t cover the intensity of his gaze.
I didn’t normally get assignments where I was sent out of country, and I hadn’t risked my life and my secret by working with someone as dangerous as Dante before. Of course, I couldn’t say any of that, so I gave him a coy smile and a shrug.
“Did you manage to book the flights?”
“Yes, we need to be at the airport tomorrow at 4pm. That means we have plenty of time to get you a suitable wardrobe,” he said, his eyes dropping to linger on the hole in my jeans.
“If you give me the expense account card, I can buy my own clothes, thanks,” I said, holding my hand out.
“Sorry, but you already signed the paperwork that said I’d control the expenses. And besides, you need clothes that you can represent the Council with.”
“And I assume you know where to source these clothes,” I said sweetly despite wanting to punch him.
I was not a child. I could get my own clothes. Yes, having Kane there was a little awkward, but he was there on witch business not to hold my hand.
“Of course. I’ll book the accommodations, and then we can go,” he said with a smile.
I got up and looked around the room, finding that I needed some room to breathe. Everything about him was so intense, and it would have been so easy to surrender to him and his damn bloodsong. I needed to get a grip and focus. This could mean fantastic things for my future. I couldn’t fuck it up just because I had to work with Dante. I was better than that.
I wandered over to the fireplace and began looking at the silver figurines that perched on the mantel. I had to stretch up onto my tiptoes to see them clearly. I was 5’4, which caused problems now and again. The figurines looked to represent the various forms of supernals, or at least the main classes that held onto power. I recognised the lycan and the wolf shifter. The pixie had been pushed back behind the elf. There were so many different types of fae that I wasn’t sure I knew all of them. Pixies, sidhe, puka, and elves ran the show, though.
Something about the figurines was bothering me. They were all depicting people of the various races standing proudly with their chins raised and their eyes hard. The silver caught the light oddly. When I leaned in a little closer, I saw that there was a blue hue there. Then I realised what was bugging me. I could hear the faintest whispers of a bloodsong coming from each of the figurines.
12
Dante had put his hand on my lower back to guide me out into the hallway once he’d arranged the accommodations.
“We’ll be staying in a private apartment in the heart of the old town. It will give us the safety and breathing room we’ll need,” he said as we returned to the entryway.
I had to admit, that did sound really good. I’d never been to Dubrovnik, and the idea of staying in a nice apartment, even if Dante was there, really appealed.
“It has two bedrooms, I assume,” I said as we stepped out into the heavy rain.
Great, I was going to be cold and look like a drowned rat when we walked into the expensive shops Dante was taking me to.
Suddenly, the rain stopped. I looked around and realised that it hadn’t stopped entirely, Dante had just formed a bubble around us to keep us dry.
“Now you’re just showing off,” I muttered.
“You’re welcome,” he said with a grin.
He led me to a very expensive black sportscar, because what else would a man like him drive? I didn’t want to know how much the damn thing cost. The parking space alone must have been more than my rent.
He held the door open for me, leaving me to squeeze past his hard body and half-fall into the low leather seat. Everything was chrome and mahogany, and I felt like I was almost sitting down on the road. When Dante turned the engine over, I couldn’t keep myself from grinning as the engine purred. It had that wonderful growly edge that vibrated through my entire body. Dante pulled out into traffic, and I watched the world go by as I tried to avoid small talk. I hated small talk.
The peace of watching the river helped me tamp down my magic and get away from his bloodsong.
“We’ll get you a full wardrobe. I don’t want to risk losing you because you’re wearing cheap jeans,” he said, his fingers brushing my knee as he changed gear.
I’d have killed to be spend the Council’s money on a whole new wardrobe, but Dante put me on edge. I was struggling to enjoy the experience, and the struggle only got harder when he parked on the most expensive street in Prague. The shops were all top-end fashion shops that wouldn’t even let me inside. I couldn’t afford to look in the windows, let alone purchase something.
“We’ll begin with Silk and Thread and go from there,” Dante said before he got out.
I’d never heard of Silk and Thread, but that was hardly a surprise. I shopped in the bottom-end shops. I followed him down the road with the classic black and white mosaic path that a lot of Prague had. The buildings were a uniform pale cream, with archway windows and large faux pillars complete with intricate detailing at the top and bottom. The clothes stores had simple elegant displays with beautiful murals painted behind them to show the garments off to their best. There were no over-stuffed sales racks within, either, only a few hand-selected pieces that I didn’t want to know the price of. The jewellery shops weren’t any better. They displayed hundreds of thousands of crowns worth of diamonds in their displays, with security guards standing near by making sure you didn’t try and steal something.
Silk and Threads was located in the back of one of the top end clothing stores - the supernals’ shops were hidden behind the non-magical shops. I kept my eyes down and my hands in my pockets as I tried to ignore the look of deep disdain on the shop assistants’ faces. Dante, on the other hand, walked with his head held high as though he owned the shop, and, for all I knew, he did. The Caspari brothers were very rich. Dante was said to own many large supernal businesses. He didn’t need to work, and yet here he was.
He led the way past the form-fitting dresses and hand-made stilettos through the blood-red door into a shop that was far more my thing. Gone were the small dresses and high heels. This new shop was full of beautifully tailored jeans, the most stunning leather jackets, and knee-high boots that could have come straight out of my dreams.
I walked around Dante, who was standing with his hands in his pockets surveying his domain, and went straight to the boots. There was a pair of oxblood boots with sturdy soles and delicate stitching that made them both practical and beautiful. I didn’t dare touch them in case one of the assistants leapt on me for dirtying their products.
“They’re a good starting point,” Dante said, a smirk back on his face.
I looked between him and the boots.
“What’s the catch?” I asked.
He laughed.
“Everything in this shop has been designed for people like us. It is all alchemically or magically enhanced to protect us. The boots will make you stealthy thanks to air magic, and the leather has been alchemically reinforced to better protect your calves and feet. You’ll require some jeans, shirts, and a jacket.” He gestured to the rest of the shop.
I didn’t know where to start. I felt like I’d died and gone to Heaven.
I started with jeans, as they were closest to hand. They had every fit, type, and colour neatly arranged on racks. Each pair of jeans had a little white label describing the type of magic they had been imbued with,and they had everything from partial invisibility to fire proof and knife proof. As the Council was paying, I wanted jeans that looked fantastic and kept me safe from everything anyone could throw at me. The shirts and others were all in their own neat section of the store, nothing overlapped or touched. There was even a section of lingerie - for those who fought in their underwear, perhaps. I didn’t dare go and look.
By the end, I carried the beautiful boots, three pairs of jeans, three shirts, and the most gorgeous black leather jacket I’d ever seen to the front counter to pay. Every item of clothing fit like a second skin, and it was all effectively light-weight armour. It had all been enhanced to protect against the popular forms of offensive magic as well as claws, teeth, and blades. I’d be screwed if someone shot at me, but nothing was perfect.
Dante gave the woman behind the counter a stunning smile that made her breath catch as she lost herself in his eyes. I crossed my arms and waited for her to come back to her senses. Dante only encouraged her, and I struggled to remain still and not roll my eyes as he gave the woman a seductive smile. She totalled up the clothing, and I almost had a heart attack when I saw how much it all came to. Dante handed over the expense card as though it was nothing, and I realised that it likely was nothing to him. We lived in such different worlds it was surreal.
13
Dante had insisted on taking me to Cafe Savoy for lunch.
“We need to eat, and it can go on the expense account,” he said with finality.
Cafe Savoy was another of those places I’d seen from the outside but not dared step foot inside for fear of them bodily throwing me out. Dante strolled up to the maître d’.
“Petra, it’s been too long,” he purred.
She blushed. “Your usual table is free.”
Dante’s smile broadened and once again he placed his hand on my lower back. I was going to have to talk to him about keeping his hands to himself. His bloodsong washed over me the moment his hand touched me. I shook my head to focus and push the feeling away. It was almost impossible to fight, but I wasn’t going to give in and lose myself to him and his damn blood. Maybe Kane would know something about demon blood that would help me keep my wits about me.
Petra led us between the small elegant tables where people were laughing and smiling. Many of them gave me filthy looks, as I clearly didn’t belong there. I scooted into the seat with my back against the wall and the beautiful golden mosaic-style ceiling caught my eye. I looked up and drank in the details. The broad design was a simple one, but there were so many smaller pieces within that. The chandeliers were made from very expensive crystal that caught the light without being gaudy. The entire place was designed for people in a much higher wage bracket than I was. The wall filled with top-end champagne bottles to my left only reinforced the point that I didn’t belong.
“She’ll have the chicken schnitzel, and I’ll have the tartare,” Dante said before I’d even had a chance to get a proper look at the menu.
I glared at him but didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to kick up a fuss in the nice restaurant.
He gave me a cocky smile. “Was I wrong?”
I had kept my menu and looked down it only to find that no, he wasn’t. I would have ordered the damn schnitzel had I have been given the chance.
“You’ll love it. Now, tell me a bit about yourself.”
His ice blue eyes were dancing with amusement again. He was the most infuriating man I’d ever had the displeasure of meeting.
“I’d much rather hear about you. It’s not every day you meet the son of, well, your father,” I said, remembering that there were going to be many non-magical people listening in.
There were very strong laws around the tenet that magic must be hidden from the non-magical. Anyone caught using magic around the non-magical, be that a spell, shifting, or something else, would suffer dire consequences. At best, they would have their magic stripped; at worst, they’d be thrown in some deep dark pit and wish for death. The Council did not screw around when it came to that. I might be working for them, but that didn’t mean I was exempt from those strict laws.
“I was raised by my mother with my older brother and my mother’s family. It was a privileged childhood with a varied education. I was released from their bindings aged eighteen when they could no longer claim I was a minor. After that, I went out and enjoyed the world and all it had to offer.”
I’d heard about the wild parties he’d thrown and the multitudes of women he’d taken to bed. There were rumours of more dangerous exploits, and if they were to be believed, then he’d snuck into the fae plane and stolen something of theirs. The fae as a whole were very protective. No one would dare steal something from their plane, or so I thought until I saw the pure confidence and absolute faith Dante had in himself. If anyone was going to do something as reckless as that and come out of it unscathed, it was him.
“What’s your brother like?” I asked as the waitress placed down a glass of lemonade.
Dante shrugged and stretched, his foot brushing up against my ankle.
“Boring. I enjoy life, adventure in all of its forms. Nathaniel prefers to play little games and read books.”
I hadn’t heard much said about Nathaniel. He was the quiet brother that dabbled in politics.
“Now, your turn,” Dante said with the edge of a command.
I bristled at that. I wasn’t some good little girl who was going to jump when he said so.
“I’m nothing special. You know what I do. I watch detective shows on Netflix when I’m not working.”
He pursed his lips. “Don’t dismiss your accomplishments so quickly.”
I laughed.
“My only accomplishment is managing to stay alive this long.”
His smile became sharp and his eyes hardened. I got the distinct impression he knew something. Fuck.
“You must have to dye your hair regularly. It seems like quite an extravagance for a girl like you,” he said before he took a sip of his ice water.
My hair was naturally blood red. It had turned that way when I came into my full magic at thirteen. It was one of the markers of my being a blood witch, a great big neon sign for all to see if they knew what they were looking for. I’d tried dying it, but the red came back through within twenty-four hours. In the end, I’d given up and just told people I dyed it that colour.
“Everyone has that one thing they do to make themselves happy,” I said with a smile.
The corner of his mouth quirked up. He was toying with me.
“It’s just an interesting choice, given your line of work.”
I shrugged. There was nothing I could really say to that without incriminating myself in some way.
“I would have thought you’d prefer something which wasn’t quite so clearly connected to blood. Unless, of course, you enjoy that side of your job…”
I rolled my eyes.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to get at, but I look awful as a blonde and dark hair washes my skin out. The red makes my eyes pop, and I love the fun of it.”
He smiled, a feline expression that made me all too aware I was going to be stuck with a predator for the foreseeable future.
14
The schnitzel was absolutely wonderful and hands down the best meal I’d had since I’d been in Inverness with Kane. Dante had remained quiet and watched me a little too closely for my tastes. Surely, if he knew what I was, he would have dragged me back to the Council already. He was clearly on good terms with them. I made an excuse and headed home at the first possible opportunity while texting Kane that I was heading back. I needed to unwind and relax after being so uptight from being around Dante. How was I supposed to survive the gods only knew how long in close proximity with him?
Kane was comfortable on my bean bag in just his jeans when I walked in. He was sketching something. I paused in the doorway and watched him with the crease of concentration on his brow and the way the tip of his tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth. After a minute, it was starting to feel like I was being stalker-y, so I walked into the room.
“What’re you drawing?”
He looked up at me, surprise in his beautiful sea-green eyes. The sunlight streaming through the large windows caught him just so and made him look almost angelic. He held up the sketchpad to show a stunning sketch of a lycan standing proud on a rock before a grand castle.
“You could make a good living as an artist,” I said.
He stood up and stretched, showing the tight tone of his abs as he did so.
“Then it would be work instead of fun. I don’t want to lose the fun of it. Tell me about Dante Caspari,” he said as he walked over to the kitchen area and pulled a glass out of the cupboard.
“He’s infuriating! He can’t keep his hands to himself.”
Kane looked at me with a darkness in his eyes.
“Did he hurt you?” he almost growled.
I waved him off and slumped into my beanbag, which was wonderfully warm from the sunlight.
“No, he just insisted on putting his hand on my lower back. He got a bit weird about my hair colour, but I told him it was dyed, and he dropped it.”
Kane sat next to me and handed me a glass of water.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked gently as he stroked a lock of my hair away from my face.
“No, but I really need the money. Oh, and his bloodsong is unlike anything else. It’s so overpowering and almost addictive. I was hoping you might be able to help with that…” I gave him a hopeful look.
He smiled at me and gave a little shake of his head which made some hair fall into his eyes, giving him a softness that I wanted to embrace.
“What would you do without me?” he teased.
I grinned. “I never plan on finding out.”
He laughed and padded out of the room, leaving me to wonder if I’d made a really stupid decision. The bags from Silk and Thread said that it couldn’t have been that awful a decision. Those clothes would last me a couple of years, if I was careful. That alone was worth spending the morning with Dante.
