Page 84 of Gray Dawn
While Luca had amassed an impressive trove of magical toys, the cuffs were standard Bureau issue.
“Hmm.” I leaned in, lowered my voice. “No.” I savored the drain of color from his cheeks. “You’re not.”
“But I don’t feel…” He swallowed hard. “Youdidn’t.” His breaths turned choppy. “Youcouldn’t.”
“Dad spent a long time down in the dark with nothing to occupy his mind but revenge.” I almost laughed at his utter shock. “Do you honestly think you weren’t the target of those fantasies? That he didn’t keep his heart pumping by imagining all the ways he would destroy you after he walked free?”
A bare whisper made it past his lips. “No.”
“You took what he loved from him, and he spent that time crafting a binding spell to take what you love from you: your magic. He could have bound your power well enough on his own, but we made it a family affair. I offered up my blood too. Now it’s a familial binding.”
The director made noises that never gained enough traction to form words.
“You’ll never cast another spell again. You’re going to Calixta’s court powerless. And when I wake Clay, he’s going to be a free man. You’ll have no control over him. Not unless we decide to give it back. And I think we all know that’s never happening.”
The director gaped at us then staggered back, bumping into Fergal.“No.”
“Yes.” I gripped one of his arms, and Asa took the other. “Allow us to escort you.”
Digging in his heels, the director fought to break free, but we didn’t give him an inch of wiggle room as we walked him into his future.
“Here you go, Grandmother.” I was careful to keep my shoes out of the water. “I hope you enjoy your new toy.”
“She tricked you,” he screamed at Calixta. “They’ve bound my power. I’m no use to you like this.”
“This is my second boon,” I told her, backing away from the surf.
“That’s no boon,” he snarled at me. “It’s…it’s…”
“No worse than you deserve.”
If possible, Calixta’s smile grew wider. “I accept this, your second gift, and square our debt.”
The squid shot out a tentacle, wrapping it around his torso, and yanked him under the water.
“I almost forgot.” I held up the key to the standard handcuffs. “You might need these.”
“What for?” Calixta’s smile glittered with malice. “He’ll grow used to the weight of chains soon enough.”
“Oh.” I slipped it back in my pocket. “Well then.”
“You will come with your mate,” she decreed with imperious certainty her word would be law. “You will attend me while he is fulfilling his duties among the people.”
About to tell her, in very colorful language, how that was never going to happen, she held up a hand.
“Do this, humor me, and I will allow you to see your cousin during those times.”
“Do you mean see him as he walks past me in the hall? Sits across a crowded room? I need specifics.”
“It would seem my graciousness knows no bounds.” She heaved a sigh. “You will be given six hours once per month. Not one second longer. If you fail to show, we will hunt you.” She lifted her hand, palm out. I couldn’t discern the mark of our original binding, but I knew a threat when I saw one. She was showing me she had the means to track me through that old link. “If you outstay your welcome, we will slit your throats and feed your corpses to the crabs.”
“Rats?” I offered, reminding her she was the monarch of Hael and not its seas.
“Rats,” she agreed with a wrinkle of her nose. “Land creatures are so hairy and inelegant.”
I didn’t see much difference between a crab picking flesh from my bones versus a rat gnawing it off, but I wasn’t going to antagonize her. Not when this was going so well. And certainly not when I was, apparently, going to see her once a month until she terminated Asa’s position.
Sand flew as Dad struck the beach in a crouch with the force of a punch. “I will accompany her.”