Chapter 13

Austin

I gazed at Anna, the morning sunlight glinted off her soft blonde hair and highlighted the flecks of gold in her pretty green eyes. She smiled up at me, and I couldn’t help but brush a stray tendril of hair off her face.

Arminius cleared his throat, and I reluctantly shifted my attention back to him. As much as I might like to pretend that I had whisked Anna away for a romantic weekend, we were here for business. She shifted closer to me on the cushion we were sharing at the table, and I tried to be subtle about inhaling her alluring scent. I shouldn’t be so desperate for it, considering I had spent the entire night covered in her scent, but I had held myself back from her for so long that being this close to her was making me lose my mind. I just wanted to lose myself in her completely.

Anna set down her fork and leaned back happily after finishing her breakfast. She was obviously enjoying the fine food and wine that Arminius had been plying us with since we stepped foot in his territory. I knew that this was just a ploy and a game to him, but I was still irritated. I wanted to be the one supplying my future mate with things that made her smile and gave her pleasure. I didn’t like the fact that Arminius had somehow known that fresh strawberries were one of her favorite foods or that she liked pink champagne.

I swung my arm over the top of Anna’s cushion so that my arm just barely brushed the top of her shoulders. I knew I was being territorial right now, staking my claim, but I just couldn’t help it. Anna scooted closer and curled towards me, so that our bodies were just touching. Her response made me relax a little and focus on what we needed to get done today.

Arminius watched us over a steaming cup of tea, amusement flickering in his eyes. I’d known him for years, and the two of us had been the ones to hammer out an agreement between our two races. I wasn’t naïve enough to call him a true friend, but we were allies. I had never been this on edge around him before and his casual attitude regarding women had never bothered me in the past. But now that I had Anna, everything had changed.

Arminius had always had a friendly attitude toward me, but his own kind whispered about him in the shadows. He was not someone you wanted to fuck with. He hadn’t survived the fall of the Roman Empire by being a nice guy. I wanted to keep our alliance with him, but also make it clear that Anna was completely off limits.

“Have you thought about what you are willing to offer the witches?” Arminius asked. He flicked his glance between Anna and myself, making it clear that the question was for both of us. That was good. He respected the fact that we were making the decision together.

Anna frowned. “They asked for a month with me, which we plan to deny. They performed two minor spells for us, so it would be fair to offer them the same.”

Arminius chuckled. “They’ll try to get everything they can out of you, which is why I volunteered to help. They aren’t above using blackmail and other tactics to get what they want.”

I sighed and rubbed my thumb against Anna’s shoulder. We wouldn’t be here right now if I hadn’t been so arrogant as to enlist the witches help. I had no idea that Anna was a magical powerhouse that would catch the attention of some of the most powerful people on earth. If I had known, I would have kept her as far away from them as I could. I realized that Arminius was most likely helping us because he wanted to use Anna’s power for himself somehow, but that would have to be a struggle for another day. One problem at a time.

“Do they have any skills in healing?” Anna asked curiously. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head; she was hoping to be able to use this as an opportunity to learn more about magic.

Arminius cocked his head slightly to the left. “They don’t use magic the way that you do. Magic is a part of you - you can use it the same way you would use one of your limbs. For witches, they need to obtain power from an outside source and then use spells to manipulate it to accomplish a purpose.”

Anna visibly wilted. “So what do they want to do with my magic?”

Arminius shrugged but I saw a glint in his eye. “We’ll find out in an hour or so.” He took another sip of his tea. “What do you intend to do with your magic?”

I tried to stay relaxed, but tension thrummed through me. Was this the reason he had asked us here? To feel Anna out for how she intended to use her power?

Anna brightened. “I want to make a clinic, where all shifters will be welcome.” She blushed. “I want to help with our procreation issues.”

Arminius smiled indulgently. “That sounds wonderful, Anna.” My ire rose - he was patronizing her. “I hear you have an alliance with the fae?”

And there it was. He had told us last night that the lamia and the fae were bitter enemies, setting the stage for the discussion today. He wanted to know which side Anna was on.

Anna frowned. “Not really, I mean, my father is a Winter fae.” She glanced up at him. “But you already knew that.” Anna looked at me, obviously unsure of how much to tell Arminius. Informing him that Anna had killed the king of the Winter Court might endear her to him for now, but it would also put a target on her back. If she could take down one of the most power beings alive, what was to stop her from turning on him one day? He would be smart to take her out when she was still young and untrained.

Icy fear trickled down my spine. Had I just brought Anna into danger again?

“Anna has limited contact with her father,” I said smoothly. “He tends to only appear when he needs something from her.”

Anna let out a sad sigh that Arminius didn’t miss. He watched her thoughtfully and tapped his finger on his cup before setting it down. “I think you’ll find that fae don’t have the same affection for their offspring as the rest of us do.”

“Yeah,” Anna said quietly. “I’ve noticed.” She laid her hand on my knee and gave it a squeeze. “Luckily, I don’t need a father figure. I have a pack.”

I took her hand in mine and raised it to my mouth to give her a light kiss. “And we love you.” She blushed but gave me a warm smile.

Arminius leaned forward. “Have you considered closing the gate to their world? You could keep the entire world safe from them.”

I blinked in surprise but Anna laughed. “I’m nowhere near being able to do something like that. My father said it took him centuries to even be able to use portals.”

Arminius shrugged. “You have plenty of time to learn.”

I relaxed. If Arminius wanted Anna to be able to close the gates and prevent any fae from using a portal to get to our world, then he intended on keeping her alive and on his side for quite some time.

Anna looked thoughtful. “I guess I haven’t really thought about that.” She looked up at me. “We might be safer without them.”

We would definitely be safer without them. It was only a matter of time before the fae sorted out who was going to take the throne. Would the new king let Anna be? Or would he come after her for revenge? If there was going to be another battle with the fae, we were definitely going to need the lamia on our side.

Arminius looked pleased with her answer. “I hope the journals will be helpful in developing your skills.”

Anna nodded, and I could see that she had a question on the tip of her tongue, but she was hesitating to ask.

“What is it?” I asked with our bond.

“The journals are in a language I can’t read.” Anna admitted. “But I’m afraid to ask him to help translate. My mother kept them hidden for a reason.”

“We’ll take them back to Caleb,” I told her. “He has an entire world of knowledge at his fingertips.”

Anna brightened. “That’s true.”

A sudden gust of wind blew Anna’s blonde hair into my face. I brushed it aside and looked out to the horizon where dark storm clouds were gathering. Arminius followed my gaze. “We should head in, storms move quickly over the ocean.”

I nodded in agreement and held out my hand for Anna to stand. She blushed but took my hand as we followed Arminius inside. I hoped the storm wasn’t a portent of how our meeting with the witches would go.