Kiss of Frost (The Dragon Stone Saga Book 1)(20)

"Can't blame her there."

Beck walks up behind me, placing a hand on my hip, his presence behind me like a solid barrier of love and protection.

"No, I can't blame her. But I hope she accepts it so we can get Kay and Zoey trained up. Kay seems to be okay with it now. But Emma told me that Zoey has been made fun of a lot in school for having a stutter…" Ann trails off.

I nod. "Yeah, I asked Kay about it. She said she'll warm up."

"Hopefully she does. I offered to help Emma homeschool her and Kay so they can learn magic as well as earn their high school diplomas. I think under the circumstances it's the best option. She's thinking about it." Ann waves a hand over her shoulder. "Jem's still looking for the photos and invoices for the ring and bracelet, but her piles are getting smaller and smaller, so she's close. I think now would be a good time to visit our friend downstairs."

I look up at Beck over my shoulder. "You up for that?"

Beck's eyes change from crystal blue to a light grey and he draws in a deep breath. "I'm ready. I remembered who he was and how I know him."





Chapter 8





"You did?" I turn to face him, shock rolling through me.

"Just this afternoon when I lay down. His name is Desmond. He's the second-in-command to Dayphis, the head mage of their coven. He also helped Dayphis cast us into the stones and torture us."

"Sounds like a real piece of work." Ann frowns.

"Sounds like a total jackass." I growl the words, my instincts riled at the thought of someone hurting my mate.

"You must stay calm when you talk to him. He's a master manipulator. He will use it against us and we'll get nothing from him," Beck cautions.

I sigh. "I know. Doesn't mean I like it, but I know." I bump my hip into his. "Remember, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to make him talk."

"Are you thinking about giving him something?" Ann asks, tilting her head.

"Nah, I don't think he'd accept anything without one of us drinking it first. I'm going to bring a copal candle down there with me." I head toward the wall of cabinets in the kitchen. It's full of pretty much any oil, herb, candle, crystal, or anything else we could need for a spell or potion.

"Aah. Good choice. He won't suspect it."

Beck scratches his cheek. "I'm unsure what copal is…"

"It's a resin from trees in either East Africa or Indonesia. It's popular in incense." I rummage through the candles, looking for the right package. "For our purposes, in its pure form, we'll put it in a bowl and light it."

"And this resin will make him tell the truth?" Beck's tone drips with doubt.

"Yes. But I'm also going to add a bit of dried althea to aid with persuasion."

"Althea I have heard of, but not for truth."

"Easy, big guy. I'm not combining it with rose hips. It won't serve as an aphrodisiac." I check the final place the resin could be, on the top shelf of the cabinets. I look behind me for a stool but don't see one. "Beck, can you grab this for me?" I bat my eyelashes at him, overdoing it and pulling a smile out of him.

"Which one? This one?" He holds up a purple candle in one hand, the amber-colored copal in the other.

"That one." I grab the jar of althea in one hand and snatch the copal from Beck with the other. I scrape the copal into a copper bowl and sprinkle the herb on top of it. "Too bad you're not a fire dragon. I'd ask you to light it." I slap my knee, cracking myself up, as I search the drawers for a lighter.

"Ha-ha."

I find the lighter, light the copal and althea, and lead the way to the door to the basement. "You ready for this?"

Beck turns the handle on the door and pushes it open. "As I'll ever be."



Whispered cursing greets us as we descend the steps. Tricky little fucker must be trying to break the wards. I hope he singes his fingers with his attempts. Petty, and probably bad for my personal karma, but I can only be so nice for so long and this guy is pure evil.

I scuffle my feet so he knows we're here and the whispers cease. I hold the bowl in front of me, pretending to use it to light my way. I place the candle on the table across from the cell and take a seat in one of the empty chairs. Beck stands next to me, his arms crossed over his chest, and we both stare at the mage, patiently waiting for him to speak first.

"I never thought I'd see you alive again…" Desmond trails off, stepping closer to the bars separating us from him.

"Surprise." Beck's tone is flat, his face blank. I so badly want to reach out to him but I don't want to show any softness in front of this monster.

"How did you get out?" Desmond cocks his head to the side, eyeing Beck up and down. "You couldn't have done it without help."

"Don't worry about how he did it," I chime in. "Worry about how you're going to convince us to let you go after what you've done."

Desmond laughs, the sound ugly. "You're not going to let me live. I know how this game works."

God, I wish he was right, but he's not. I raise a brow. "That's where you're wrong. We don't take lives. Tell us what we need to know and we'll let you go without dropping you on the doorstep of the police."