The Bone Coven Chronicles, Tome 3: Witch's Blade

CHAPTER 1

The only good thing about being stuck in Blue Moon Tavern another night was the perfect sight before me. Dorian Kostas leaned closer, his elbows digging into the rough hardwood surface of the bar. He winked, and my stomach churned. After our night in bed—and when we were so rudely interrupted by a phone call before anything really juicy could happen—I hadn’t been able to stop staring into his dark and stormy eyes. And wanting to turn back the clock so it could relive the moment again.

It had been two long and agonizing weeks, and we hadn’t ended up in another tight embrace, much to my disappointment. It was all I could do not to jump his immortal bones right there in front of everyone.

Not that we had many customers tonight. The place was pretty dead, no pun intended.

“You having fun back there?” he asked in a low gravel that sent my pulse racing. “Slinging drinks like a pro?”

Dorian winked, but his question only reminded me of my new status in the Bone Coven (or the lack thereof), and even his presence couldn’t stop the scowl from creeping across my face. “No, this really sucks. I feel like I’ve been sidelined.”

“You haven’t been sidelined, Zoe.” He paused when my eyebrows shot up, and then he gave me one of his signature “you’re over-reacting, Zoe” looks. A look he’d perfected by now. Still, Dorian knew just as well as I did that the Magister’s intentions were exactly that. He wanted me out of the field after my rebellious moment two weeks ago. Needless to say, when I’d gone against his orders, he’d been just a teensy bit pissed off. Okay, he’d been a lot pissed off.

Enforcers were trained to do what they were told, no questions asked. And well, I’d pretty much blown that rule right out of the water.

“Okay, so, maybe he has benched you for now, but we both know it isn’t permanent. The council is just trying to do what’s right for the coven. You disobeyed orders, remember? The Blood Coven’s Magister was pretty upset about what happened to his witches and that you confronted them without their approval, even if those rogue members were acting against the main coven’s wishes.”

“If I hadn’t disobeyed orders, there’s no telling what would have happened. Not just to the veil. And not just to all the humans in this city who would have died if those demons had gotten loose. But to you, Dorian. You could have been stuck like that forever.”

My voice cracked on the last word. Because of Dorian’s special status as warlock-vampire hybrid, he’d been kidnapped by the Blood Hunter Coven—a rogue spinoff group of the main Blood Coven—so they could use his long lifespan as a way for them to control demons indefinitely. And so of course I’d blatantly gone against the orders of our Magister in order to save him. The Bone Coven had wanted for us to stay out of the conflict, too dependent on the ever weakening alliance with blood mages.

Ever since, my involvement in cases had been scaled way back.

Like, way back. To the point where I hadn’t even been allowed inside headquarters.