Better Than Revenge

better than revenge

L ucas is eating, which thrills me. It’s slow, but the delicious treats Slade and Iggy brought perked him up a lot, so I can’t help flashing them grateful looks as we all chow down. I have to admit this Southern cuisine is to die for and they assure me I must visit the restaurant in person with them when things settle down. Slade even invited Lucas, giving him a small smile that made his heart rate speed up under my hand.

We should definitely investigate that later.

“What’s the significance of the magic originating in the greenhouse?” I ask curiously. “Since Zuzanne told you there’s an organic poison and magic, it seems like that would make sense. A greenhouse would give the person access to herbs, oils, and leaves that could be used in creating poison—like belladonna or nightshade—and the ingredients for spells.”

Ignatius clears his throat, looking sheepish for a moment. “That building is under the purview of Professor Kimiko Nakamura and I, uh… might have issues gaining access to it.”

Arching a brow, I look at him in the way only a woman can when she knows a man has fucked up big time. Slade covers his mouth, trying to hide his amusement, and Lucas lets out a sigh of understanding. Since Iggy seems unwilling to expound on his own, I tap my nails on the arm of the couch for a moment before I force him. “While I’m sure she’s justified in her anger towards you for whatever transgression you committed, I’m not sending an official order out until I know you’ve attempted to make peace on your own. We’re all adults and I haven’t been alive three hundred years to play secondary school games with Lucas’s survival. Fix it by end of day tomorrow.”

I know my eyes are glowing with irritation, and Des is moving underneath my raven locks. She needs to stay out of sight because I prefer to find out if Ignatius is only interested in me as a specimen to study or something else. Gorgon venom fetches a handy price on the black market, specifically because it can only be obtained with our explicit and conscious consent.

None of us gives it up to just anyone, and it’s almost as rare as dragon scales or demon hearts.

The handsome professor pales a little as he watches me calm my inner beasts within seconds of their appearance without more than a flicker. “Your control is impressive, Morgana.”

“I’ve had time to settle into my forms, Ignatius. We work together—mostly—and you didn’t answer me.”

Running a hand through his hair, he nods before looking at his hands. “I’ll go talk to Kimiko. You’re correct in assuming I haven’t truly made amends for my idiotic behavior. I didn’t mean to harm her, but I took advantage of her kindness in a way that wasn’t befitting of my family's name or position. I’ll let you know when it’s done and if I’m successful.”

“Holy shit,” Slade mutters. Lucas and I look at him quizzically, and he shrugs. “I’ve been trying to get this asshole to apologize for defiling her greenhouse for years. You have no idea how inconvenient it is to make deals with students to obtain ingredients from there with the ban on everything ‘Briarton’ in effect.”

My gaze narrows as I turn back to Iggy. “You really are an idiot. Stop making Slade do your dirty work when you piss people off. Grow up and handle your shit.”

A sly grin comes over the magic professor’s face, and he tilts his head. “Is that an order?”

“Fuck, yes, it is. You’re at the top of my shit list right now and you aren’t even involved in all the nonsense I have to deal with for the Society. I can’t have someone who’s pissed off half the campus joining me in any capacity; I have enough enemies to cover us all. Lock it down or I’m kicking you off the island and keeping Slade.”

That will hit his pride button hard, and I did it on purpose. I am interested in Iggy—see my tragic taste in men, usually—but I won’t stand for bullshit after Magnus. The mage can shoot his shot if he gets his house in order and if not, I’ll consider the lovely Slade on his own. Lucas presses a kiss to the inside of my wrist, letting me know he agrees with my assessment, and I smile to myself.

My accidental mate is a hulking, dominant predator, but he has no problem with me being in charge of our bedroom guests—score.

“What the lady said, gentlemen,” Lucas rumbles as he reaches for another piece of cornbread.

Batting his hand away, I lean forward and bring the plate to my lap. Carbs are good for quick energy and though his sports star physique might not thank me, I want him to keep his protein and sugar levels up until we figure out what’s going on with him. My father’s nutrition training prep from Swallowtail days will be immensely helpful in making sure he’s eating enough for his size.

“You seem better than earlier, man. The way Iggy told the story, you were damn near death’s door in Zuzanne’s office,” Slade says as he watches me feed the polar bear a piece of bread absently.

Iggy snorts. “Yeah, he’s settling in really well.”

Once he chews the bite, Lucas gives the professor a knowing smirk. “I’m feeling less like I’m going to keel over since Morgana’s made me rest and take care of myself. In the office, I’d come from a three-hour team practice and once my adrenaline was used up, my body sort of gave out. Whatever this shit is, it keeps me about as weak as a baby. Ask her how long it took me to do the front steps, man.”

“Luckily, I’m strong as an ox or we wouldn’t have made it. Gargoyle for the win,” I say with a shrug. “He’s been pale all afternoon and we’ve taken it easy to keep him from trying to help me do shit. Since I didn’t have my laptop and forgot to ask Channing to bring it, I mostly tidied up the downstairs when he fell asleep a couple of times. This entire house needs a major overhaul and I want to be ready for the team Lucas is sending to help me ditch all Magnus’ crap.”

“They… they made you live here and didn’t clean his stuff out?” Iggy blanches, looking horrified, and Slade shudders next to him. “They didn’t remove… anything?”

I frown at him and shake my head. “No, they didn’t. That’s why I’ve been bunking in the living room in a nest on the couch. Why?”

His expression is sad as he looks at me. “You’re in for some very unfortunate discoveries, I fear. Magnus was not shy about describing his debauchery and his penchant for keeping trophies and prizes—from all his encounters, not just sexual conquests. There may be some particularly awful relics and shit in there tucked away like normal bric-à-brac.”

My eyes widen and again, I have to soothe my snakes and prevent my wings from popping out. Magnus is the one major trigger I struggle with and his death at my hands didn’t change that. Lucas must sense my unease because he threads his fingers with mine, squeezing my hand reassuringly. I let him because I need to ground myself right now; I thought this was all junk from his travels or gifts. Never once did I consider my ex filled his house with dangerous objects and sexual trophies; it’s appalling, even for him.

“What a dick,” Slade says softly. “I never had to deal with him, but I’ve heard stories amongst the students—both grad and undergrad. I’m sorry, Morgana. No one deserves that as punishment.”

I give him a sad smile and a shrug. “Par for the course since I found out, babe. I had very good reasons for what I did and though I’m not up to sharing them yet, I promise it wasn’t undeserved.”

“Yes, but they punished you by sending you here to clean up his admin mess at the college. Leaving this house like that was unnecessarily vengeful and extremely hazardous,” Ignatius cuts in. “Whoever made that decision wasn’t part of the trial—they’re an in-house sympathizer. Likely, it’s someone who knows exactly what pitfalls live in this dungeon.”

Great. Now Lucas and I both have people trying to kill us.

“I guess that means I need someone versed in magic and cursed objects or whatever around while we clean it out?” I ask, knowing exactly what the response will be. Ignatius isn’t lying, but he’s also self-serving and this benefits him more than he’s saying.

“Wonder where we could find one of those?” Lucas mutters as he rolls his eyes. “Be a little more obvious, dude, seriously.”

Slade’s eyes dance as he looks over at his friend. “It seems as if we're needed this weekend. Do we have plans that would interfere?”

“Absolutely not. Whatever is on the board can be rescheduled,” Iggy replies quickly, his expression warring between serious and almost giddy.

I don’t know if it’s because they’d be coming to see me or the possibility of finding rare shit in the house, though.

“Fine. Tomorrow you’ll fix your mess with Professor Nakamura and if it works, then you and Slade can come over Saturday to help me work through some of that garbage inside.” I sigh, leaning my head back on the cushion.

My brows furrow as I consider what I have to do between then and now. Since we can’t get into the greenhouse until my magical fuck-up finesses the head of the Botany department, Lucas won’t be able to go to class tomorrow for certain and maybe not Friday, either. I don’t want to leave him in the house of horrors alone, so I’ll need to work from home.

“I should call Channing, so I have my computer and files here. Not finding a solution tonight means Lucas needs to be monitored in case this gets worse. I don’t want him left alone until he’s on the mend,” I say as I pull my phone out of my pocket.

“Already taken care of,” Slade says softly. “I had Iggy call her on the way here. She probably had to finish things before she left the office, but I’ll text her and see if she’s on her way.”

“In fact, I did, Slade.” The no-nonsense voice of my assistant startles all of us as she steps around the side of the house with my bag and a small box in tow. “Unlike some people, I have a great deal of appointments and responsibilities to manage for Morgana.”

Chuckling at the pointed look she gave Iggy, I gesture to the open spots in my patio set. “As always, Channing, your timing is perfect. Thank you for fielding all the office traffic for me and especially for bringing my work. How did you know I’d need all that?”

The slight ice elemental sits the box and my bag in front of the couch, then plops in one of the overstuffed chairs with a sigh. “Ignatius was kind enough to let me know Lucas wouldn’t be magically cured tonight. Of course, then I required an explanation why a student of his stature needed to be cured and was holed up at your house, but eventually, he brought me up to speed.”

That makes my face turn bright red. I’d let Channing know I wasn’t coming back from my outing, but not why, because I was so confused about what happened with Lucas. Her gentle reprimand is deserved and I owe her an apology for not keeping her updated. She’s proving to be a valuable asset and I need to treat her as such.

“I’m sorry, Channing. I should have told you what happened at the Science building. There was a lot of confusion and uncertainty, plus I’m not accustomed to having anyone on my side. I’ll do better in the future.” I give her a sheepish look, hoping to convey that I didn’t purposely exclude her.

She scoots forward on her chair, heaping food onto her plate as she smiles. “I can protect you more efficiently if I have a clue what’s going on. The excuses I gave today when I moved appointments around were vague, but that won’t always work. Some people will require much more detail and I’d prefer enough information to keep you out of anyone’s cross-hairs.”

“In that case, you should probably know that Morgana and I had a small SNAFU the other night. It’s going to be a thing when it comes out for sure,” Lucas says as he sits up. “And by small, I mean, really fucking big, and it will be a nightmare when it gets out.”

My eyes widen, and I look at him in shock. Is he going to tell all these people we mated accidentally?

Channing purses her lips, looking at the bulky athlete, then at me, and then back to him again. She adjusts her glasses, blinks, and finally sighs. “What, pray tell, was this small SNAFU if not you getting poisoned, Mr. Wolfberg?”

“We’re mates,” he says with a proud, beaming smile that overshadows the pallor of his face. His arm drops over my shoulders and I feel like a deer caught in the headlights of a Mac truck. “Nana’s going to flip her wig and just imagine what a shitstorm the media will stir up. So I figured you might need time.”

When he admits it out loud, Slade and Ignatius stare at him with their mouths hanging open like they’re inviting birds to roost. I squeeze my eyes closed and rub a hand over my face, finally unable to compartmentalize what a circus this news is going to be when it becomes public. People can’t call me anything worse than they already do, but fuck if they won’t try. I’m infamous on my own and Lucas’s family is feared and loved in equal measure. The online trolls will have so many versions of ‘whore’ queued up that it’ll strain the limits of the English language.

“Mated?” Slade finally parrots. “But…”

Lucas winks at him. “Don’t worry, bro. I’m learning to share. Look how good I’ve been so far. Totally chill while you guys hit on my girl, right?”

The horror just won’t stop. I can’t… Why is he still talking?!

“Lucas,” Channing interrupts with a fond smile. “You’re doing well, I’m sure, but perhaps you should give Morgana a few moments to absorb the bombs you dropped? She’s so red faced that I’m worried she might explode.”

He looks over at me as I crack open an eye and his brows shoot up. “Oh, shit, M. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I just thought…”

Lifting my hand off my face, I slowly place it on his cheek. “It’s okay. I’m not used to this kind of shit—mates, friends, sharing emotions, whatever. I was pretty solitary when I lived in Europe and then after the trial, I hid to keep all the nastiness away. Gargoyles typically stay within their clutch and gorgons are very solitary, so it didn’t bother me. I’ll get used to having you all around; I promise.”

“You will?” Ignatius looks at me, his eyes asking a much more serious question than his tone implies.

The corner of my lips lifts as I shrug. “Perhaps. Though I’d prefer not to spill anymore of my secrets this evening if possible. The blood rushing to my head seems to affect my decision making.”

That’s the understatement of the year, for sure.