The Wizard King (18 page)

Zach grabbed a mug and began making himself some coffee, and his next words proved Gareth right. “Gen and I are in your workroom, plotting how to track down Hugh without doing another vision quest.”

Gareth sagged in relief. “I hate what that did to her.”

“That’s why I talked her out of doing another one. She needs more rest before she channels that much energy.”

“Fuck.”

“I hear you, but…I think it’s necessary for her.” Zach held up his hand to stall Gareth’s immediate protest. “Listen to me for a sec. Her power doesn’t work the same way ours does. The capacity for spell casting is within all warlocks, but unlike you or me, the power a warlock calls on comes from without, not within.” Zach leaned against the counter, his expression pensive. “I think the filtering process keeps her from burning out on the power or becoming crazed by it since it’s not inherently hers. It’s like a blood transfusion, you have to scrub the blood clean before running it into the body of the recipient, otherwise you risk rejection.”

“Scrub the blood?” Why did he try talking to Zach before coffee? The guy was smarter than he gave himself credit for, but sometimes he made no sense whatsoever.

Zach grinned. “You’d be surprised what you learn by watching TV.”

Gareth rolled his eyes and turned toward the counter, picking up one of the blueberry muffins Mac had started having delivered with Gen’s morning coffee. “You should know better than to get your medical advice from
CSI: Miami
.”

Zach laughed. “More like
Dr. G: Medicine Woman
.”

Oh, lord. “Don’t you mean
Medical Examiner
?”

Zach snapped his fingers. “That’s the one.”

“You’re getting medical advice from a coroner?”

Zach sipped his coffee. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Gareth almost snorted coffee out his nose as he started to laugh. “Asshole.”

“Butt munch.”

“Where’s Jo?”

The humor left Zach’s face. “Sleeping. She got in contact with her coven to make sure they were all right. She was on the phone for a while after we got home.” Jo was next in line to head her coven. The Yashodars were powerful witches in Cleveland, the equivalent of the Evans family in Philadelphia. If Hugh somehow got hold of her parents, she’d do everything in her power to save them. Which meant
Zach
would do everything in his power to keep his mate safe, taking the Own out of New York. It would weaken them, something Hugh might be willing to attempt in order to whittle away at the support the Becketts had gotten from the witch prince.

“She also says Roland and Ari will come visit soon, and that he has our backs.”

Gareth smiled. Prince Roland and Princess Arianna held the same rank Gareth did in the wizard world, except among witches. They were also close, personal friends with Jo, and considered Zach family by default because of it.

“That’s good to hear.” An alliance with the witch court was unheard of, but Gareth intended to pull it off, even if he had to drag the rest of the court into it kicking and screaming. “Anything else going on I should know about?”

“There’s rumbles about the court that Vivian Godwin and her cronies are going to petition the council to have Queen Genevieve removed from her position to make way for a more suitable candidate.” Mac entered the kitchen wearily. The steward had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess. It was obvious he’d gotten very little sleep, if any. “Also, Lady Kerry is awake, sire.”

Gareth dashed from the kitchen, breakfast forgotten in his eagerness to see Kerry.

Daniel was already arguing with her, pacing back and forth in front of the gurney while she lay there, a mutinous expression on her face. “I think I know what I’m doing, Daniel.”

“And I’m listening to the doctor, Kerry. Your ass stays put.”

Gareth opened his mouth to jump in the fray, only to have Zach cover it with his hand. “You have to let them work it out, bro. This is
their
mating, not mine, not yours. If Kerry and Daniel truly can’t get along, then maybe it isn’t meant to be.”

Damn it. Zach was right. When did his kid brother get so wise?

“Besides, you have bigger issues to deal with, sire, like Lillian Fletcher.”

“What does Lillian Fletcher have to do with this?” Could she be siding with Vivian Godwin?

“She’s agreed to hear the petition of the ladies of the court.”

Fuck. The head of the council, the one who’d actually crowned both him and Gen, was willing to try and pull him away from his mate?

Fuck. That.

Gareth was out the door, Zach and Mac following behind him. “Zach, stay here and work with Gen on the Hugh problem.”

“Got it.” Zach spun on his heel and headed back into the workroom.

“Daniel, get your ass out here.”

Daniel came racing, his eyes wide. “What?”

Gareth filled him in as they waited for the elevator. “And as the chancellor I want you backing me up. Chris and Lana can sit on Kerry and keep her still.”

“Got it.” Daniel crossed his arms over his chest, following Gareth into the elevator as soon as it arrived.

He didn’t need this bullshit. His mate was exhausted, a rogue warlock was threatening everything he held dear, and Gareth would be damned if those stuck-up bitches caused Gen one moment of grief. He’d kick their asses so far out of New York they’d land in Mongolia.

The elevator stopped, and this time Mac led the way. “Follow me, sire.” The steward quickly ran his hands through his hair, straightening the worst of the mess, but nothing he did short of a shower and a nap could make him look like he hadn’t spent the last twenty-four hours on his feet.

He led the way to a conference room on the lower level of the hotel, where conventions were occasionally booked and where the court did most of its business. “Lillian Fletcher is inside, sire, along with some of the women of the court.”

“Thanks.” Gareth didn’t bother knocking. Whatever the previous king had been like, they were dealing with King Gareth now, and he wasn’t going to pull his punches. Not on this one.

“Your majesty.” Lillian Fletcher stood halfway out of her seat, her expression startled. The ladies around her appeared to be various degrees of horrified, terrified or arrogantly triumphant, as if Gareth was the one who needed to be disciplined.

Gareth didn’t bother acknowledging her greeting. He took his seat at the head of the table and clasped his hands. Behind him, Daniel and Mac flanked him, throwing in their support. “I understand you ladies have a problem with my mate.”

Lillian’s eyes began to sparkle, and he wondered whether or not she’d actually been planning on allowing these women to influence her decision regarding Gen. “The ladies of the council have brought forth some concerns about having a warlock be the reigning queen-consort, sire.”

Gareth leaned back and smiled. His wolf wasn’t happy, and Gareth had no trouble allowing the women to see that. He was pretty sure his eyes had turned wolf gold. “Did they?”

Vivian Godwin, the obvious leader of the group, smiled at him. He’d seen that same expression on a barracuda the last time he visited the aquarium. “Sire, you must see that having a warlock as our queen will not only be disruptive to the court, but erode the confidence those who live outside the court have in not only your office, but the monarchy itself. They could claim the warlock unduly influences you every time you make a decision that they disapprove of.”

One of the ladies nodded. “Yes, and there’s no way to be certain how influential her demon is.”

“Gen is an
Own
. She’s not tied to any demonic entities, but the Goddess Hecate Herself.” Gareth wasn’t sure how much clearer he could make it without having his mate come down and show her power to these idiots. She’d fucking glowed with the Goddess’s power when she’d been crowned, for fuck’s sake!

“Prove it.”

Gareth blinked at the cool demand Vivian Godwin leveled at him. “Excuse me?”

“Prove that the warlock isn’t tied to a demon. Otherwise, we have no choice but to demand her removal and expulsion from court.”

Gareth grinned. “She’s my mate. You expel her, you expel me.”

“That can be arranged. Sire.”

Oh, bitch. It is on.
Vivian had just laid down the gauntlet, her bid for power out in the open. “Let me guess. I leave, you put a Godwin on the throne.”

Vivian’s only response was a small smile.

Lillian Fletcher cleared her throat. “As much as Lady Godwin might want to do that, it isn’t possible. You’re the king until your death.”

“Then Gen is queen until my death, because she’s my mate. End of discussion.”

“No.” Vivian’s hands slammed down on the table, her smarmy smile turning into a deep scowl. “Not the end. I will
not
have a warlock on the throne.”

“A warlock, or a Godwin warlock?” Gareth stood, looming over the woman who was trying to tear his mate from him. “Do you understand the nature of my unique bond with my wolf?”

Vivian sniffed disdainfully. “That is neither here nor there. Genevieve—”

“Responded to the call, as all Beckett mates do.” One of his biggest allies sauntered into the room. Annabelle seemed completely recovered from her ordeal, a coffee cup in one hand and a bear claw in the other. “Good morning, your majesty.”

He gave her a careful hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning, Grammy.”

She grinned up at him, her cheeks flushed with pleasure as he held out a chair for her. “Having problems this morning, dear?”

“This is none of your concern, witch.”

Gareth blinked at the viciousness dripping from Vivian’s tone.

“Uh-oh,” Daniel hummed as Annabelle turned a harsh glare on Vivian Godwin.

Mac coughed. “We should have sold tickets.”

“This is the brother of my granddaughter’s mate. That makes him family. That makes this my business.” She crossed her legs and sipped from her cup. “What seems to be the problem?”

“They want to remove Gen as queen-consort.” Gareth scowled at Vivian Godwin. “Needless to say, that ain’t fuckin’ happening.”

The women gasped. One actually put her hand over her throat, as if he’d go for it any second.

“Your own auguries declared me king. Gen is my mate, that makes her queen. I’m king for life, that makes her queen for life. Deal with it, because if I get told one more time that you are trying to take her away from me I’ll disband the council entirely and put something else in its place.”

One of the women leapt to her feet in outrage. “You can’t do that!”

“Watch me. By going against Gen, you go against me.”

“And me.” Annabelle was giving the ladies some serious stink-eye. “I’m also certain Zachary Beckett will have something to say about how his partner is being treated by this council, and his voice is quite powerful in the court of the witch prince.”

“The witch prince,” Vivian scoffed. “As if those second-rate magicians have any say in how our court is run.”

Daniel took a cautious step back. Mac flinched.

Gareth almost laughed.
Oh, bitch. Them’s fightin’ words.

Gareth watched with glee as Annabelle’s eyes narrowed. “Do you have something to say about witches, Godwin? After everything your family has done, you have the nerve to sit there and pass judgment on people who are only trying to make things right?”

“My mate included.” Gareth felt he had to say something. For all the Godwins had done, Genevieve was one of them. He couldn’t paint them all with the same shitty brush. “Gen has done her best to bring her immediate family to justice, and we need to give her credit for that. She was instrumental in saving my life when her father cast a hex on me, and she’s been working with Zach to hunt down Hugh and Arthur and end their evil as well.” He cast a harsh glance around the room. Some of the women had the grace to look at least a little ashamed of themselves, but the majority seemed firmly in Vivian’s camp. “You know what? It doesn’t matter anyway.” He turned his attention to Mac. “What do I have to do to form a new council?”

Lillian paled, but said nothing.

Vivian, on the other hand, still seemed think she was running the show. She pounded her flat hand against the table angrily. “You can’t—”

“Didn’t we cover this already? I can, and I will. You’ve proven you don’t have my back, and when the court itself is being threatened by evil, I can’t have people who are actively working against me. Consider yourselves gone.”

“You don’t have the power to do this.” Vivian’s expression was filled with hate as she glared at Gareth.

He shrugged. “It’s good to be the king.” He turned back to Mac. “So? How do I do it?”

“I thought you might choose this path, so I looked up the relevant bylaws. A declaration is all it takes, sire, but there will be some repercussions, and a period of time where there will be no council to assist in running the court.”

“I can live with that.”

Lillian Fletcher sighed. “As you wish, sire.”

“Oh, don’t worry,
you
haven’t given me grief. Yet.” Lillian gave that minute flinch again. “You’ll probably be reinstated, but the rest of them? Gone, as of today. Mac, print out that declaration for me to sign and get ready to mail it to all relevant parties.” Gareth strode for the door. “Oh, and ladies? If you go after my mate one more time, I’ll hunt you down for treason and see you dead. I’m not fucking around on this one, so don’t test me.”