For several seconds, there was no response. The figure behind the concealment didn’t move, and neither did I.
Then the threads of the concealment spell parted a fraction; a hand appeared and motioned toward the doorway. It was a male rather than a female hand.
It being my father remained a distinct possibility.
With my heart hammering, I walked over to the front door and unlocked it. Then I stepped right back into the middle of the café. The spells around this place would protect me from anything this witch could throw at me, and if it was my father, he’d be aware of that. If he was coming in here, then, for the moment, he meant me no harm.
But if it was my father, there was no guarantee it would remain that way.
The bell chimed as the door opened and the invisible figure stepped inside. He closed the door behind him.
At the very least, he had manners.
I curled my fingers, hiding the energy that sparked across my fingertips. “And now that you’re inside, are you going to reveal yourself? Or do you intend to keep your identity a big fat mystery?”
Again, there was no verbal response, but the concealment spell nevertheless disintegrated.
I’d been wrong in thinking it was my father but, in truth, it may well have been.
The man who stood in front of me was Julius Anthony Marlowe.
My fucking brother.
Chapter Nine
“How lovely to see you again, dear sister.” His mellow tone was an echo of my father’s and just as aristocratic sounding. “Especially after such a long time.”
I crossed my arms in a vague effort not to reach out and smack the condescending smugness from his features. He had the same height and build as our father, but the structure of his face lacked the same sharpness. He was also nowhere near as lean; in fact, there was a very definite paunch developing.
But then, Juli had always been rather fond of the good life, even from a very young age.
“If it was so damn lovely to see me,” I said mildly, “why the hell did you run the first time you came here?”
“Because I wasn’t initially sure I had the right place or person. It wasn’t until Father came back and mentioned that you had discovered a means of incorporating the wild magic into your spells that I realized—”
“The sister you’d declared useless and utterly unworthy of your attention, suddenly was?”
His silver eyes sparked, the fury I’d sensed earlier rising briefly to the surface. But then, Juli had never appreciated people calling him on his bullshit.
“I never considered you useless, Lizzie. Your psi talents were, after all, responsible for tracking down our sister’s killer when no one else could.”
“I note that you didn’t deny the whole ‘unworthy’ comment,” I said, in dry amusement. “And let’s not forget the fact that you and Father did hold me accountable for her death.”
“Ah yes,” he said, looking both uncomfortable and apologetic. Neither was real, of course. He was an accomplished actor, and well able to show whatever emotions were deemed appropriate for the occasion or situation. “We were perhaps a little hasty, but grief—”
“Had nothing to do with your reaction, Julius, and we both know it. You and Father were looking for someone to blame for her death, and I was, as usual, a handy scapegoat.”
Because I’d done what he and Father and all the other high-flying royal councilors had failed to do—I’d found and then confronted the dark sorcerer responsible for a string of brutal, high-profile murders. I just hadn’t done it in time to save Catherine’s life—and that’s what they couldn’t forgive.
That and the fact that I’d lived while she hadn’t.
“But hey,” I continued blithely, “her death did at least have one benefit—you became Father’s successor, something that would never have happened had she lived.”
“That is a fucking shitty comment to make,” he growled. “Aside from the fact I’m as worthy as she ever was, my place on the council had nothing to do with her dying.”
It was a fucking shitty comment, but it was also the damn truth. Juli might be a powerful royal witch in his own right, but he’d never, ever been in Cat’s class. Not in power, not in skill, and certainly not when it came to understanding the intricacies of spell development.
“I daresay you’ve said that often enough over the years to actually believe it.”
His expression darkened, and he stepped toward me. Magic stirred around his fingers, though I had no idea what it was or what he intended. The spells protecting the café and me flared to life, and a moon-bright pulse of energy lit the room. It was a warning the wise would not ignore; Juli was many things, but he wasn’t stupid.
He stopped abruptly, his silver gaze sweeping the room and the anger fading as swiftly as it had risen. “Father was right. Your use of the wild magic in the construction of your spells is quite impressive.”
“It’d be even more impressive if I could actually control it,” I said evenly. There was no way known I would ever confirm just how deep my connection and control over the wild magic was. Not to him, at any rate.
Of course, it probably wouldn’t make any difference in the long run, as I’d already agreed to undergo a full magic audit …
Would that agreement actually hold up in a court now, though? came Belle’s comment. Clayton did smash it when he came after me.
Actually, no. The agreement concerned the annulment and the audit. It never mentioned Clayton leaving us alone.
Which was rather stupid move on our part.
I doubt it would have made a difference anyway.
True that. You want me over there? Juli always was a little afraid of my physical magnificence.
Nah, I’m fine. He can’t hurt me physically or magically here in the café, and I’d rather keep you off his radar anyway.
I’ll not only be on his radar but in his face if he does try anything.
A grin twitched my lips. As much as I’d like to see that, if you wander over, Monty will, and he and Juli never did get along.
That’s because Monty has damn good judgment when it comes to people.
Of course. He chose you to be his wife, after all.
She did the mental equivalent of an eye roll. Fine. Juli is all yours to deal with.
“Of course you would have no idea on control,” my brother was saying. “You’re in a backwater town in the middle of goddamn nowhere. Who on earth would be able to teach you anything about the wild magic here?”
I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms. “Who on earth would be able to teach me anything about the wild magic up in Canberra?”
“Our mother—”
“Knew so little it almost killed her when she was sent to restrain and protect a wellspring,” I said. “I doubt she’s learned anything since, because there are few enough books written about the subject and absolutely no scholars.”
“Here in Australia, perhaps, but we’re a young nation—”
“Actually, no, we’re one of the oldest continuously inhabited nations in the world.”
“I meant when it came to the presence of witches, magic, and their combined knowledge.”