Dangerous Diabolical: Book 1 (Iridescent) ✔️

8.4

A/n sorry all - this chapter was a little rushed edit-wise. Please point out if you see any weird typos! <3

I had never been so relieved to hear Grahame return than at the moment. The fresh aroma of mixed blood announced his arrival before he had the chance to knock on the door. As Leofstan had to open it, his arrival signified the end of the conversation. Yet again the kettle went on as the boxes were cleaned from the table.

"Coffee, please," Grahame asked, sitting.

"Me too!" I put my arm up in excitement. If there were edibles that could make a fire in my mouth then who knew what coffee was hiding?

"Milk, sugar?" Leo asked, setting another mug over.

"Sure." I watched as he tipped a couple of sachets in.

Grahame spoke to Leofstan, "There is an emergency meeting at ten to discuss the spell-caster situation." He glanced towards me. "And other problems."

I took that as a cue to interject. "Sounds like you have it all in hand. I can leave when you go."

"No!" They both shouted in unison.

My sigh was as long as it was dramatic.

"We must open discussions over the gem." Leofstan pointed out.

Grahame pivoted so fast that he almost gave me whiplash. "Care to explain?" He folded his arms as he interrogated Leofstan. "And you cannot tell me it's nothing. I may not be able to channel magic, but I know there was a hell of a lot of it in the alley from you two." And as an afterthought, he added, "And at Miss Doukas's house."

Without comment, Leofstan deposited a mug in front of me.

"I made a huge mistake," Leofstan admitted, pushing the hair back from his eyes, despair evident. "The amulet seems to have somehow opened a binding channel between us."

Grahame tapped his fingers on the table. "Like somehow an irregularity catapulted you into the Fae-realm? Or somehow Miss Doukas is always at the right place at the right time?" He shot me another side glare, "What sort of binding are you insinuating?"

"Celandine managed to destabilise one of my spells, and linked us in the process." He pointed at my hand, gesturing for me to flip it over. "We can both pull magic from each other." He dropped his head into his hands, paling. "Oh no."

"What?" Grahame snapped.

"And now the Unseelie court of Faerie knows."

Grahame hissed. "Say that again?" He watched the palm of my hand, nose curled. The tips of Leo's ears meanwhile, became red.

"It's how we managed to leave." Leo pointed his chin towards me. "Celandine claimed ownership."

All hell broke loose. I was flung over the chair before I could protest the claims, Leo was trying to pull Grahame off as some very large white canines were trying to lock onto my neck.

Pinned I could just about fit an arm between me and the vampire to keep him clear of the jugular.

"Ulsipir" Leofstan shouted, magic flooding out of him in a flash of bright light. Grahame dove away, and as quick as the attack had started, it was over.

"Why?" The vampire quizzed, he was crouched against the wall, small burns already scabbing. He warily looked between us both. I sat up, rubbing the growing bruise on the back of my head from the impact against the floor.

"You misunderstand. It was necessary. Besides, the binding cannot let one claim ownership of the other."

"Oh, my mistake." Grahame stood up, straightening out of his clothes. "So you're not enslaved, your thoughts are still your own." He nodded to himself. "For a moment there, I thought you had openly declared to a Fae court that daily threatens us with War, refuses to abide by our rules, and treats lives as a commodity, that one of our most powerful council members can be controlled by a civilian." The clock in the room was the only noise. "But I am mistaken?" Venom dripped from his last word.