Married (7 page)

She paused just on the other side of the spell, taking a precious moment to draw breath and calm her heart. As the ringing in her ears faded, her superior cat senses picked up on a whispered hiss of words rolling from beneath the door she’d stopped in front of.

She laid down and pressed her eye to the crack of light oozing beneath the barrier. She couldn’t see a damn thing. She curled her paws in front of her and rested her chin on them, her ear twitching until it settled into a position that made the most of the quiet, angry conversation.

“He’ll be here today, stop worrying.”

“How can I not worry, Constance? Everything rests on your ability to hold him.”

The first female voice was familiar, but Tulah had a hard time placing it. Constance Gage-Levy, Graves’ betrothed, was easier to identify. Tulah had been in her company a lot over the past week, which suited Tulah just fine, as Graves seemed to have a genuine soft spot for his bride. Constance had a talent for calming him down, and therefore taking some of the heat off Tulah.

Constance’s voice edged into shrill on the best of days, threaded with more than a hint of a whine. Today it was sharper than usual. The other voice was more cultured and assured. The conversation continued and Tulah finally understood.

“And I will hold him, Mother.”

“He’s notoriously fickle in his relationships.”

“I had him in Poland, his undivided attention. It’s just a matter of reconnecting with him. Easy.”

“Hardly easy.” There was a soft snort. “He was only in Poland for a long weekend and there were few other options for him there. You must do everything in your power to regain his attention and work it to your best advantage.”

“
That
won’t be a problem.”

“Don’t underestimate him, Constance.” Anne Gage-Levy’s tone turned hard, cold. “This is much too important.”

“I know that, Mother. Why do you think I demanded his presence? No matter who that old bat Madeleine chooses, Adam will have power in the Davenold Family.”

“Power
you
could wield.”

“And I fully intend to. I have to, if I’m going to come through this crazy scheme alive.” There was a sigh, and the tenor of the conversation changed. Constance’s voice softened, turning wistful as it gained a new level of whininess. “It would have all been so much easier if I didn’t have to marry Graves.”

“You must, if our plans for Adam Davenold fall through. Graves is the best option.”

“I know, but it would have been nice to not have to marry a man fucking—”

“That’s the beauty of the whole thing, Warner will keep him busy.”

“It never fails to amaze me that Warner can wrap Graves up like that, Mother. He must be an excellent lover.”

“Don’t look at me like that. How the hell should I know? I don’t care what the two of them do, our focus is Adam Davenold and making him fall in love with you. Constance, it’s not enough to sleep with him.”

“I know. Don’t worry on that score. He’ll be eating out of the palm of my hand before the wedding commences, trust me.”

“Don’t use magic on him.”

“As if that would be a possibility.” Constance’s sharp tone softened. “His is terribly strong.”

“I noticed.”

“And I won’t be receiving any enhancements in that arena.” Bitterness crept into Constance’s whine. “Whatever, I don’t need anything more than my body to gain his devotion.”

Anne didn’t sound convinced. “Again, I warn you not to underestimate him. Every witch has heard of his sexual exploits, the sheer number of women fighting to get into his bed.”

Constance gave a low chuckle. “Which is why my plan will work. I won’t fall at his feet, I’ll challenge. I’ll walk a fine line of surrender and supremacy and wrap him up tight. He’s a matriarchal man, used to being dominated by women, but he’s still a man. He’ll want control.”

“Hmm, yes, I see. A little bit different from your Poland campaign.”

“In Poland, I surrendered. Now it’s his turn. The challenge, the mystery, will drive him crazy.”

“You’ll be busy with the wedding plans, leaving little time for games.”

There was a slight pause before Constance’s words drifted from beneath the door. “The lack of attention will only draw him in faster. Look, this what I do, Mother. Discovering what makes people tick is my own brand of talent and, to date, I’ve never read a man wrong.”

Ten minutes later, the ladies’ conversation drifted onto the more mundane topic of wedding plans. Tulah blinked and shook herself, rising to her feet before backing down the hall. As much as she’d love to continue on to explore the Family’s quarters, her head whirled too much to be useful in the investigation. She needed to process what she’d just heard and obtain her mother’s opinion.

Getting out of the Family wing proved to be much easier than gaining entrance, and Tulah wasted no time returning to her room. She pushed past the door and paused to watch her mother pace with agitated steps. Chelsea wrung her human hands in the folds of a lightweight dress.

The older woman spun, her eyes narrowing as she took in Tulah’s feline form. “Where have you been? I was worried.” She charged toward the door but managed to close it quietly, rather than slamming it shut as she clearly wished to do.

Tulah gathered her magic close, pushing it back behind the iron walls of her control as her bones chilled and shifted. Indigo swirled as her body lengthened, but the magical light died as her human shape emerged from the glow. She rolled her shoulders and waited while her mother mumbled a silencing spell, not trusting the hallway to remain deserted after having eavesdropped on another conversation.

“You’ve been gone a long time, Tulah.”

“Not quite an hour, calm down.”

“You weren’t here when I came back and I have news.”

“So do I.” Tulah raised her brows at her mother and tugged on her clothes. “What did you find?”

“Graves and Daniel Levy were in the office, downstairs. Daniel was…scolding Graves, for lack of a better word, about his behavior.”

“Like that’ll do any good.” Tulah buttoned her jeans, not bothering to hold back her disbelieving snort. “Graves will do as he pleases, and there’s not a lot anyone else will be able to do about that.”

“Graves sounded contrite, even as he assured Daniel he knew what behavior was expected of him.” Chelsea propped her fists on her hips, her brows pulling together in concentration. “Daniel said for Graves to be careful until
after
the wedding.”

“What happens after the wedding?”

“I don’t know.” Chelsea lifted a shoulder. “Madeleine Davenold, as well as her granddaughter, Georgeanne, have also been invited. Maybe Daniel wants to appease her while she’s here.”

“I wonder why.” Tulah’s thoughts spun. She didn’t even realize she’d spoken out loud until her mother answered.

“Because Madeleine is not only the most powerful Mother on that side of the Schism, but also the reigning Council High Seat. Daniel mentioned the Sovereign Bestowal. In fact, Graves seemed very amused by it, but their conversation was too vague for me to make much sense of.”

“No, Mama, I meant, why was her granddaughter invited?”

“Isn’t she the Davenold heir?”

“I don’t think so.” But Tulah couldn’t be sure, having access to only the vaguest of rumors from the witching world. She forced her brain to focus on one thing at a time. Chelsea’s face was pale, her eyes too dark and her lips too thin for the sense of calm she’d been forcing into her tone. “What else did you overhear, Mama?”

“Not enough to understand, and too much for me to feel confident in what I know,” she admitted. She sank down on the bed with a sigh and reached for her daughter’s hand. “It was all very cryptic. Graves insinuated that he would challenge Muso, and Daniel reprimanded him sharply.”

“He said that?” Tulah couldn’t stop her fingers from strangling her mother’s. “He said he was going to challenge Muso?”

“Not in so many words. Daniel asked if Muso would be a problem and Graves told him not to worry, that he had plans for Muso that would take care of everything and put Graves in charge of the Family. On top of that, the marriage was apparently set up without Muso ever being consulted.”

Tulah struggled to comprehend, but there was very little understanding to be had where Graves was concerned. He was a loose cannon, a rogue witch more thug-like than his Family could afford for him to be. He did things on a whim, without thought to the consequences, trusting in his own brand of crazy to see him through.

“The former Levy Father made the match a few years before he died.” Chelsea’s face scrunched up. “Maybe eight or nine? Daniel’s been acting like the Father for about seven years, but he only claimed true power last month. He’s allowed the match to stand, but—”

“Muso and Graves haven’t spoken to each other in twelve years,” Tulah finished for her. “Not since Jerin died. And when Graves took this branch, Muso decreed that no man in it would be allowed to marry or have children without his permission.”

“I have no way of predicting how our Father will react to the wedding.”

Tulah rubbed her eyes. “I overheard Constance talking to her mother.” Quickly, Tulah told Chelsea of the Levy women’s plans.

“She’s going to seduce the Davenold man?”

“She’s already seduced him.” Tulah grimaced. “Now she’s going to strengthen her hold over him.”

“I don’t know anything about Adam Davenold.”

“Neither do I,” Tulah murmured. “Only what Constance said. He’s strong and will have power in his Family no matter who becomes the next Mother.”

Chelsea hummed. “Matriarchal men join their wives’ Families.”

“If Constance can be believed, even if he marries, Adam will still have influence over the Davenolds.”

Chelsea shook her head. “What would she gain?”

“Constance is hoping Adam will swoop in with a last-minute offer to marry her himself, though her mother said even being his mistress may be enough. Apparently, he’s a ladies’ man. Constance said Adam was her only chance for leverage.”

“Leverage?” Laser-like, Chelsea’s eyes focused on Tulah’s face.

Tulah raised her chin. “She said she wants a backup plan against Daniel, Graves and Warner, but she didn’t say why.”

“Hmm. A powerful man used to being ruled by women. A patriarchal woman who’s used to submitting to men might very well be exactly the thing to capture his attention. Add to that a challenge…”

Chelsea stood to face her daughter. Tulah met her examination head-on, keeping her face as impassive as possible. She tried to ignore the roiling in her belly, the tingling anxiety that spun up her spine. She clenched her fists until her nails embedded themselves into her palms.

“You are more beautiful than Constance.” Chelsea smiled and the soft hair at Tulah’s nape lifted. “My love, I have a plan.”

Chapter Six

Adam

“Dear God. This place is atrocious.”

Hearing his grandmother’s words, Adam let a grin flash across his mouth as his eyes met Christiana’s. Having won her argument and been allowed to travel with them to the Ngozi residence, her expression was smug. Adam wondered how long her attitude would last, considering the eyesore they were faced with.

Looking beyond her, he let his gaze sweep the overwhelming décor and the miniature jungle by the wall. As if the Victorian furniture wasn’t enough to create a sense of oppression, the dark color scheme and the dim lighting pitched in to suck the life out of all who entered.

Shadows shifted and Silviu Lovasz stepped forth, causing Adam a moment of shock he quickly hid. He hadn’t even seen the man. Silviu strode across the lobby purposefully, his silver eyes scanning the group of Davenolds gathered on the threshold and gleaming as they locked briefly on Georgie. Adam heard his cousin’s quickly drawn breath, then Silviu turned his attention on Madeleine.

“Mother Davenold, it’s been too long since we last met.” Silviu’s faint accent was nearly undetectable, the tutors Madeleine had sent to him over the years teaching him more than just the politics and history of the matriarchal side of the Schism.

“Silviu,” Madeleine’s voice remained calm and unruffled, giving nothing away, “I don’t believe you’ve been introduced to my sister, Margaret.”

Silviu nodded at the other woman. “Madam.”

Madeleine didn’t let her sister reply. “While we’re both here, you will enlighten me on the very interesting events that took place in Poland.” Madeleine narrowed her eyes. “And why are you here? I wasn’t aware that you’d received an invitation.”

“I’m crashing the wedding.” Adam’s brows rose as Silviu let all pretense of diplomacy drop, shuffling closer to the Davenolds and lowering his voice. “I don’t trust Graves, or his hospitality. Not with Georgie or my sister under his roof.”

Madeleine’s spine stiffened. “Duly noted.”

“Did I hear my name?” A new voice rolled over them, carrying a dark undertone of barely suppressed hostility.

Silviu immediately pasted a smile on his face and turned from them. Even as he moved next to Georgie, nearly throwing Adam to the side, he spoke to the newcomer. Adam’s entire body crawled with a hot sizzle of warning.

“The Davenolds have arrived, Graves,” Silviu said. “I was just telling them that I was sure you’d be out to offer your hospitality momentarily.”

“Here I am.”

A man with the greatest
presence
Adam had ever seen stepped from the deepest shadows beyond the long desk at the far end of the room. He moved forward awkwardly, his left arm hidden by a swinging door and obviously tugging something with weight. The bright white of his sleeve rippled and bulged over his biceps, his lime green vest wrinkled. The man added force and a woman popped through the door with a small, stifled cry.

Adam was utterly captivated. The woman was beyond beautiful, striking and unique, her face a perfect blend of delicate features and lush sensuality. An intriguing mix of Asian and African traits. Adam’s lungs locked and a surge of warmth swept over the back of his skull. He took in the extreme slenderness of the woman’s figure and felt a need to protect her surprise his soul. In spite of her height, she looked fragile.