Hell, all along, he’d assume it was her body wreaking havoc with her emotions when he’d been the problem. Maybe if he’d spent more time listening to his wife and less time asking everyone else about their experience, this could have been resolved months ago. Holding out his hand, Luke was thrilled when Brooklyn didn’t hesitate to move close enough to place her small hand in his much larger one.
“Are you ready to play, little sub?” When she nodded, he shook his head. “Talk to me, B. I need to hear the words.”
“Yes, I’d like to play, Master.” Luke thought his heart might explode at her breathy response.
“I’ll give you a few minutes to prepare, then I’ll meet you in the playroom. I want you to strip and kneel. Position yourself, so your bare pussy is the first thing I see when I step into the room.” Giving her a chance to get into the right mindset was critical for his brilliant sub. It would also give him the opportunity to encrypt the information from the tracking program and forward it to Israel. Let his brother-in-law worry about how to best approach Franklin Cordesi—right now, Luke had a much more interesting puzzle to solve.
Chapter Nine
Asia stared at the shimmering space across the room as the hair on the back of her neck stood up, electricity crackling all around her. As a child, she’d seen her mother make similar entrances, so she was intrigued rather than alarmed. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but the woman who emerged from what looked like sparkling confetti hadn’t made the long list of possibilities. Asia blinked several times, certain her eyes were playing tricks on her. There was no way the elderly woman standing nearby could possibly be wearing… that!
“You know… I get that look a lot. I always wonder if I should be offended or proud.” Her lilting voice held a note of Irish whimsy, but there was another accent layered beneath it, making Asia believe the woman had likely grown up in one location but lived many years in the other. “Franklin was right, your mind spins faster than those crazy superconductors scientists think they invented all on their own. I’m often baffled by the things nonmagicals believe they discovered. We should stop whispering in their ears and let them see how dim their little bulbs really are.”
Asia didn’t have a prayer of holding back her snort of laughter. She’d heard her mother say the same thing more times than she could count. Both her parents swore scientists had always been inspired by magicals, whether or not they knew it. The mischievous grin on the woman’s face proved the creases at the corners of her eyes had been well-earned by a lifetime of amusement. Somehow, she seemed perfectly suited for her eclectic fashion choices. Asia wasn’t sure she’d ever seen someone over the age of twenty wearing sequined high-top sneakers.
“I’m Celeste Mills, by the way.”
Asia recognized her name as one of the members of the Magic Council, but it wasn’t where she’d first heard about the other woman. Asia’s mom had spoken of Celeste with both awe and amusement. Since her parents hadn’t spoken about the existence of any other magicals, Asia always assumed Celeste was a shifter.
“Your mother was one of the most gifted witches I ever mentored. You and your brothers and sisters weren’t the only ones devastated when your parents died. Losing her nearly broke my heart.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you. My mother spoke so highly of you. She cherished your friendship.” Asia knew her voice sounded cold and detached—her reputation as an ice princess was well-earned, but this time it was off the mark. Forcing the words around the lump in her throat took every bit of self-control Asia possessed. Sensing her unease, Celeste moved forward to take Asia’s hands, holding them between her own.
“I’m sorry if meeting me has troubled you, sweet girl, but it was inevitable. I suspected it might be upsetting, so I made certain my grandson was otherwise occupied, so we could have a moment alone.” Grandson? “Oh yes, Franklin is my grandson—my pride and joy. His parents tried, but parenting simply wasn’t in their skillset—their words, not mine. It seemed they were far more interested in traveling the world, collecting experiences than they were inclined to settle down and raise their son.”
Hell. She’d wanted to know more about Franklin’s childhood, but she would much rather hear it from him. This conversation seemed like an invasion of his privacy, making her uncomfortable and sad.
“To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?” Asia smiled down at the other woman as she gently pulled her hands free.
“She’s snooping.” Asia jumped at the sound of Franklin’s voice behind her. I swear the man is part panther or ghost. “Magic, my sweet Cara. I recognized my lovely grandmother’s energy signature and came to find out what she’s up to.” There was no mistaking the frustration in his voice, but his expression reflected his love for the woman hurrying to where he stood.
“Frankie, your mate is perfect. She’s been unfailingly polite, despite her obvious discomfort. I swear I don’t know why I have that effect on people.”
“You know exactly what you are doing, grandmother. Pushing people to the edge of their control is how you measure them.” Franklin wrapped his arms around her, giving her a lingering hug before releasing her to cross his arms over his chest. “Be nice. Asia is the reason we found the vault. She deserves your respect. Save your energy for Phase I.”
“Phase I? What does that mean? Are you going to try to break the spell? Damn it all to hell, I said I wanted to watch. You tried to get me to go to town with the maid.” Asia wondered if steam was coming from her ears because she was a hot second away from knocking Franklin on his ass. Her brothers trained her well, and she excelled in the krav maga classes she’d been taking for the past couple of years.
“Cara, you have indeed been a wonderful krav maga student, but I assure you it’s no match for the type of magic we’ll be dealing with.” She raised her brow at his condescending tone, wondering whether or not he realized he was behaving like an ass. It didn’t matter. Everything he’d said was true… fucking hot wings in Hades, she was pissed. His attitude was a fucking insult in itself. Making her look pathetic in front of his grandmother was a dick move.
I’ll show you a dick move later, baby. I’ll also show you how red your ass looks after a few dozen swats.
When she saw his fingers flex, Asia knew his palm was itching with the need to punish her, but she refused to back down. She’d specifically told him she wanted to learn more about the dark magic below the house and resented his attempt to go behind her back to exclude her. In a brief flash of insight, Asia understood why Paris had always been so hurt when they’d left her out of their riskier escapades.
Guilt washed over her, and she didn’t like the feeling. It didn’t matter that they’d believed they were protecting their little sister, their actions would have hurt Paris just as Franklin’s hurt Asia. It was long past time to apologize to her youngest sibling. Giving a polite nod to Celeste, Asia turned to the desk to begin slowly stacking the papers she’d been studying a few minutes earlier.
“I’ve got plenty of work piling up at home, and my review of the inventory and pictures can easily be handled from my office in Austin. I’m sure Eden will be happy to work with you to prepare the final documents. Forward them to me electronically for final review—there is no reason for either of you to deliver them personally.” Franklin’s expression turned thunderous, but Asia didn’t care. She might be sexually submissive, but she wasn’t a porcelain doll who could be set aside any time a situation had the potential to be dangerous.