Ryder. I want a name. ”
His beady eyes glittered. “Remember, you asked for it. In fact, it was Singer.” He nodded at Emma.
She blanched. “I didn’t—”
“Didn’t you?” Ryder’s grin widened. “Then I’ll play along. She didn’t tell.”
“She didn’t.” Gabriel’s voice was utterly flat from ironing out his anger, but he knew his eyes were blazing. “Emma would never do such a thing.”
She turned a pale, serious face to him. The gratitude in her glossy eyes tugged at his heart.
And if Ryder all the emotions swirling in her gaze, she’d be in a cell faster than Sophia.
“But all that is beside the point.” He turned from her, slashing a hand for emphasis but also to distract Ryder. “What would it take? What would get Sophia released until the trial?”
“She’s not going to be released, prince. ”
All the air left Gabriel’s lungs. Ryder’s resentful emphasis on Gabriel’s title revealed his pinched soul. This was more than the swizzle-stick Enforcer throwing his weight around. Quietly, to keep the simmering rage out of his voice, Gabriel said, “What do you mean by that?”
“She’ll stay in my jail until the Council executes her.”
“Hopefully before the git are born,” the cricket added.
“Yes,” Ryder said. “End their miserable existences before they start.”
Gabriel sucked in a breath, horror invading his whole body. Did Ryder hate and envy Gabriel so much he wanted his sister dead? Her children?
Then the Enforcer flicked a nasty glance at Emma. “They say this sort of thing runs in families.”
This time Gabriel didn’t bother to hide his fisted hands. “What sort of thing, exactly?”
“This sick, sordid behavior. Rutting with animals.”
“You bastard.” Rationality and diplomacy went out Gabriel’s emotional window, thrown out by rage. He surged forward, too angry to let Emma’s gentle fingers stop him. One fist came up…
Where his wand, misreading his intentions, had materialized. He froze.
Bad bad bad. Any attack on an Enforcer could be legally met with deadly force.
Gabriel threw open his fingers, the wand dropping with a clatter. “I didn’t—”
“Attempted assault on an official Council representative? You’ll pay for that, Light.” Ryder’s eyes glittered as he swept his Council-enhanced wand from empty air with a showy gesture. “By the authority of the Witches’ Council, I strip thee of thy shields.”
“ No. ” Gabriel shunted Emma behind him with both hands. “It was a defensive reaction—”
“Neutralize!” Ryder roared.
A torrent of power, like superheated air, streamed from the deadly black wand, straight at Gabriel.
Magic struck him, a stream that, under normal circumstances, he’d have flicked away like a gnat.
But he was a lawful witch. He couldn’t legally defend himself against a duly appointed Council Enforcer.
Besides, Ryder was only stripping him of his shields. Better than death, right?
Wrong.
The magic hit, enhanced and boosted by the skill of a dozen Council witches nearly as powerful as Gabriel himself.
The neutralize was broad spectrum and stripped away all active spells—including the mask that hid the scent of his desire for Emma.
Testosterone billowed into the air, so heavy even he got a snort. He cursed, wishing he’d thought to anchor the spell with a talisman, but that would’ve been harder to refresh as often as he’d needed to.
Now, with Ryder watching, judging, he couldn’t refresh it at all.
“What is that…? ” Emma squeaked. “Oh God.”
He closed his eyes and tried every trick he had to keep calm, but Emma’s reaction goosed his heart double time. He wasn’t aroused now, but his clothes held the scent—to her nose, they must reek of it.
Even the shirt and undershirt he’d put on fresh on the boat.
Emma was quick. He’d only been around her since he’d changed. She’d know she was the cause of the smell.
But worse, Ryder chortled. “I knew it. The stink
His beady eyes glittered. “Remember, you asked for it. In fact, it was Singer.” He nodded at Emma.
She blanched. “I didn’t—”
“Didn’t you?” Ryder’s grin widened. “Then I’ll play along. She didn’t tell.”
“She didn’t.” Gabriel’s voice was utterly flat from ironing out his anger, but he knew his eyes were blazing. “Emma would never do such a thing.”
She turned a pale, serious face to him. The gratitude in her glossy eyes tugged at his heart.
And if Ryder all the emotions swirling in her gaze, she’d be in a cell faster than Sophia.
“But all that is beside the point.” He turned from her, slashing a hand for emphasis but also to distract Ryder. “What would it take? What would get Sophia released until the trial?”
“She’s not going to be released, prince. ”
All the air left Gabriel’s lungs. Ryder’s resentful emphasis on Gabriel’s title revealed his pinched soul. This was more than the swizzle-stick Enforcer throwing his weight around. Quietly, to keep the simmering rage out of his voice, Gabriel said, “What do you mean by that?”
“She’ll stay in my jail until the Council executes her.”
“Hopefully before the git are born,” the cricket added.
“Yes,” Ryder said. “End their miserable existences before they start.”
Gabriel sucked in a breath, horror invading his whole body. Did Ryder hate and envy Gabriel so much he wanted his sister dead? Her children?
Then the Enforcer flicked a nasty glance at Emma. “They say this sort of thing runs in families.”
This time Gabriel didn’t bother to hide his fisted hands. “What sort of thing, exactly?”
“This sick, sordid behavior. Rutting with animals.”
“You bastard.” Rationality and diplomacy went out Gabriel’s emotional window, thrown out by rage. He surged forward, too angry to let Emma’s gentle fingers stop him. One fist came up…
Where his wand, misreading his intentions, had materialized. He froze.
Bad bad bad. Any attack on an Enforcer could be legally met with deadly force.
Gabriel threw open his fingers, the wand dropping with a clatter. “I didn’t—”
“Attempted assault on an official Council representative? You’ll pay for that, Light.” Ryder’s eyes glittered as he swept his Council-enhanced wand from empty air with a showy gesture. “By the authority of the Witches’ Council, I strip thee of thy shields.”
“ No. ” Gabriel shunted Emma behind him with both hands. “It was a defensive reaction—”
“Neutralize!” Ryder roared.
A torrent of power, like superheated air, streamed from the deadly black wand, straight at Gabriel.
Magic struck him, a stream that, under normal circumstances, he’d have flicked away like a gnat.
But he was a lawful witch. He couldn’t legally defend himself against a duly appointed Council Enforcer.
Besides, Ryder was only stripping him of his shields. Better than death, right?
Wrong.
The magic hit, enhanced and boosted by the skill of a dozen Council witches nearly as powerful as Gabriel himself.
The neutralize was broad spectrum and stripped away all active spells—including the mask that hid the scent of his desire for Emma.
Testosterone billowed into the air, so heavy even he got a snort. He cursed, wishing he’d thought to anchor the spell with a talisman, but that would’ve been harder to refresh as often as he’d needed to.
Now, with Ryder watching, judging, he couldn’t refresh it at all.
“What is that…? ” Emma squeaked. “Oh God.”
He closed his eyes and tried every trick he had to keep calm, but Emma’s reaction goosed his heart double time. He wasn’t aroused now, but his clothes held the scent—to her nose, they must reek of it.
Even the shirt and undershirt he’d put on fresh on the boat.
Emma was quick. He’d only been around her since he’d changed. She’d know she was the cause of the smell.
But worse, Ryder chortled. “I knew it. The stink
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