The Sorceress Screams by Anya Breton

commander-in-chief, but he
was always in a suit. He’s even better in workout clothes. Aye chihuahua !”
    Yeah, he was.
And he’d be thrilled I was leaving a drop dead gorgeous, blonde Water witch
with fabulous fashion sense on his doorstep. Maybe I could claim that was my
favor to him and leave it at that.
    Kaila let out
a grating giggle. “Will I get to see Viho Hiamovi jogging around here, too?”
    I ignored the
question because it was hypothetical and I wasn’t in the mood for it. Five and
a half hours in the car with these six had been aggravating. And I still had to
hold a party for Nell’s friends in a few hours. I only wanted to sleep for half
a day and avoid all contact with sentient beings.
    I managed to
find the driveway to Desmond’s place using Water sensing. Unsurprisingly
Marino’s house had the largest water concentration in the area. I’d unlocked
the trailer for the women when he jogged up the driveway. He sported a new
coating of sweat but was only partially out of breath. I pretended not to
notice him until he tugged at my arm, pulling me away from the ladies.
    “What is going
on, Ms. Walsh?”
    His eyes
hooded while he rested his palms atop his knees, catching his breath. His scent
should have been rank, but instead he smelled more like a crisp mountain stream
than ever. Was it typical of Water witches to have nice smelling sweat?
    “I can’t
explain it,” I whispered.
    Desmond lifted
his gaze to my face. A frown turned down his pretty lips. “You are incapable of
it or unwilling?”
    “A little of both.” I maneuvered us
on to a more productive topic. “One of these women is a Water witch. You’re her
high priest. She’s going to look to you for protection.”
    He glanced
over my shoulder in the direction of Veronika’s high-pitched complaint that Gemma had scuffed her luggage’s trim.
    “I can’t do
anything for them because I’m just a human with a crystal shop,” I said. “But I
can tell you Water manipulation worked on him.”
    Desmond got to
his feet. He ducked his head a little closer to mine. “It worked on Nadir
Khan?”
    I nodded,
ignoring the way his scent rose in my nose in a strangely pleasant way. “Yes.
Otherwise I’d be enthralled in some Vegas hotel with Were dosing me with drugs to keep me docile.”
    His hooded
eyes narrowed. “He’s going to come looking for them. And you.”
    Fear spiked
through me. He was right. “But you didn’t recognize me.”
    “I don’t have
a vampire’s sense of smell.”
    “Crap!”
    Nadir would recognize me by my scent. There
might be a moment where he’d think he was mistaken, but he’d soon realize what
had happened, especially if he heard me speak.
    I took two
steps back because he’d lifted himself to his full height and was just a little
too close for my comfort. “What do I need to do for the other five? I don’t
know how to contact anyone but Alina and that’s through Nell.”
    “I’ve already
taken care of it,” he said with a soothing tone. “We’re meeting here at noon.
They’d like you to be present.”
    My jaw set
because I suspected he was the one
who wanted me to be present. “I don’t have any answers for them. The ladies can
explain what happened better than I can. You don’t need me.”
    He leaned in
my direction. Frustration poured off him, brushing my consciousness with a
light clenching sensation. “You can’t steal a vampire’s thralls and then wash
your hands of them, Ms. Walsh!”
    I lifted my
chin. “What is a high priest’s job if not to see to the protection of his
people?”
    An angry vein
twitched in Desmond’s forehead as his face reddened. His voice began low,
growing harsher with each word he spoke. “Do you suppose I ought to kill this
vampire to free these women and thus begin an international war with the
undead? Because I can’t fathom how else I can help them.”
    I knew little
of the undead, but I did know enough to answer his question. “He needs to be
within