Yes, the gods made you have to pee. Logical.
“My answer is no and it won’t change,” a male voice I knew hissed. I couldn’t immediately place it, but I did cloak myself with a barrier out of instinct.
“It will change. Don’t be selfish. You will do as your—” another male voice argued quietly.
“That’s bloody rich coming from you,” Craftsman snapped. He was the man arguing with someone. “You don’t care about me or anything other than yourself. This is your being selfish. Again.”
“This is for our family.”
“No, it’s for your family. It’s for you now, and your oldest son. Your immediately family is all you care about. The rest of us are collections you boast of, like cars in your garage. Don’t treat me like I’m an idiot. I know exactly how you operate and I always have. Others might still be in the dark, but you did not watch your words around a child, assuming one would not understand. I did.”
That gave the man pause. “You can get something out of this too, Julian. You could become my aide and then your cousin’s. This doesn’t have to be you versus us. We are family.”
I turned the corner to see down the hallway they were in just in time to watch the doc smack the man’s hand away, sneering at someone who look sort of related, but not enough I would catch it. I mean, there were similar features, but their accents weren’t even both British.
“I wouldn’t agree to this, even if they offered me the spot. They are offering you the position of councilman, and taking out Ainsworth, if I betray my student and hand her over. I would lose everything for those corrupt gits. Not only won’t I do it because it’s wrong, it’s short sighted, and you should be smarter.”
“What do you mean?” the man asked, finally sounding like he might listen, frowning even.
“She’s taken out vampire elders. They have their shit together more than ours. She’s not backing down, and she’s gaining power and backing. That’s why our council keeps making these stupid moves and grabs. They can’t beat her. It’s stupid to make such a public move on their side when they can’t even best her. They’re not as powerful as they’ve told us. They’ve been lying.”
“Of course they have. But she’s the key to getting in and taking it all over. We could put everyone better in place. Our family could head the council.”
“No, you could, and I don’t see that as anything better. You’re not moral or anyone who should lead our people either, Uncle. I won’t betray her. I’m on her side of this.”
“Over your family?”
“Yes. Without question.”
“I’d be incredibly careful that’s your answer, Julian. The council won’t protect you from me anymore as they are on my side of this. Your mother—”
“Is where you cannot touch her, so don’t even try it.” Julian chuckled when the man frowned. “When I went in to help Vale, she offered to tuck Mum away somewhere safe. That’s who she is, instead of all you gits who would sell out your own family. You’re not talking about only taking her out, but me. I would lose my career. No school would hire me after betraying a student.
“My reputation would be dirt, and for you and your son. Don’t act like there will be a place next to you, because you will wash your hands of me the moment the shite hits the fan, as you always do. You knew nothing, but you will take the spoils, and I’m a disgrace of a Craftsman, and you’re shocked.”
“I wouldn’t. Not on this. I’d even do it all for this prize. I just need you to give me the in and look the other way. I will sign a magically binding contract saying it, Julian. Just give me the girl.”
“No.”
“Do it. Do as you’re told, boy, and take the gifts I offer.”
“No. I won’t ever hand her over to you, the council, or Hades himself. She is doing the good we need.”
“You will regret this.”
“I won’t. She’s fighting the fight I can’t, so I will help her and—”
“You sound like one of the ninnies clamoring around her,” the man—the head of the Craftsman family, if I was right—bit out. “She’s one damn witch. They’re here to give us the next generation of warlocks.”
“She is more than that and she’s undeclared.”
“Give her to me, Julian, or I’ll let the council tear into you to undo that tattoo. They’ll get the information they need to call her a witch and won’t care if they melt your brain. But you do. You value it—”
“My answer is still no.” Julian stood firm, but swallowed loudly. I saw the fear in his eyes. One of his greatest fears was his mind being taken from him. I knew that.
And so did this guy. Shit.
The man slapped him across the face, laying into the doc even more, and I couldn’t take anymore.
“Most would be proud that their family weren’t traitorous pieces of shit, but you’re just chock-full of dirty and evil, so I bet you get thirty pieces of silver all the time, huh?” I purred as I showed myself but kept the barrier up.
“Tamsin, get out of here,” Julian snapped, trying to shove the guy out of the way and move between us.
“No, let the little idiot come right to me,” the man chuckled. “You were still clearly the key to getting her.” He wrote a rune on his hand and launched it at me, frowning when it bounced off my barrier.
“Never leave home without your phone, keys, and a good barrier,” I mocked. His shock gave me the time I needed, and I got Julian in the barrier with me. “So they’re
