Chapter 29

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

Zahir felt like he’d been wrapped inside a carpet and run over by a stampede of horses. He wanted nothing more than to sink into a hot bath with Ezra perched on his lap. His duties and sorting out the traitors had to come first.

"What did you do to him?" Arkon asked, poking the mage on the floor with the toe of his boot.

"I used the golem to shatter his arm and leg. I think he’s passed out," Ezra replied. She was rubbing her hands together like she was trying to warm them. Her poor beautiful hands. Zahir didn’t know how she had the strength to use magic without them. He needed to know everything, but he didn’t dare ask with Arkon there. He was too curious, and the last thing he wanted was the sorcerer trying to recruit her for his Ravens.

"Alright, Ezra, please remove your golem. I have a lovely cell waiting for this man," Arkon instructed.

"Don’t tell her what to do," Zahir grumbled.

Ezra’s power flashed like a hot touch, sizzling the air as she approached the golem. She placed a hand on the clay man’s shoulder. "Release him and move back, please."

The creature obeyed, and Arkon raised a brow at Zahir. He knew what the sorcerer was thinking. Clay soldiers could be useful. Zahir shook his head, and Arkon threw up his hands in a huff.

Ezra saw the exchange and knew without asking what was going on. She touched the golem’s lips and pulled the shem free.

"I’m sorry, but none of these golems will leave here," she said to Arkon. She removed the scrolls one at a time before placing them in Zahir’s hands. "Burn them for me."

"With pleasure, my sparrow," Zahir replied and turned them to ash. "Arkon, make yourself useful and get the slave bonds off Ezra."

"I thought you knew how to remove them! That’s why I made the bargain with you," Ezra demanded, eyes narrowing.

Arkon chuckled. "He was going to kill Zachariah. When a mage dies, his spells do too."

"Guilty as charged. I still want to kill him, but I’m unwilling to let you be bound to him a second longer," Zahir replied, crossing his arms.

Ezra sighed and held out her arms to Arkon. "Is he always like this?"

"Only when it comes to you," Arkon replied with a sly wink. "Now, why don’t you tell me why you were glowing like a sun when I walked in?"

Ezra’s skin tingled as Arkon placed his hands over her wrists. "I danced out a sigil to take control of the golems, and it pulled out a lot more magic out of me than I thought."

"Magic out of you? That’s not what I felt," Arkon mused, and the slave bonds rose to the surface of her skin.

Zahir kicked Arkon in the back of the heel. "Focus on the task at hand, sorcerer. You can talk about magic later."

He didn’t want Arkon scaring Ezra when she’d already had the night from hell. He would get her fed, rested, and well sexed before broaching the subject that she was his consort and had somehow channeled part of his power. He didn’t want to lose her over it. He almost had that night due to his own stupidity, and he hated it.

"Zahir? Are you okay?" Ezra asked, her brow furrowing. She had felt his turmoil. Fuck.

"No, but I will be," he replied. They both would be. He’d make sure of it.

Ezra looked about to press the matter when a blonde head appeared through the workshop door with a group of Inquisitors.

"There you three are! Oh, four," Stella said, spotting Vladek on the ground. Arkon had placed magical nulling cuffs on his wrists in case he woke up and decided to be brave.

"What took you so long?" Zahir demanded. He looked at the Inquisitors. "I need you to guard this place until all the other Cabal members are arrested."

Arkon looked up from Ezra’s wrists. "I got the names out of Giuseppe the Talker. I’ve already sent men to take care of it," he replied before Stella could.

Stella wrapped an arm around Ezra. "Are you okay? Arkon, stay focused. We need to take Ezra home."

"No, Ezra is coming with me," Zahir replied stubbornly.

"Am I?" she asked. Her lips twitching in amusement. How she could be amused after such a horrible night was beyond him.

A roar shook the street outside, and Zahir smirked at Stella. "You’re in trouble now."

Domenico Aladoro came through the back entrance of the old house and into the workroom. His eyes were glowing, ready for a fight and finding it all over. Ezra let out a small squeak as she took him in with wide eyes.

"Oh, don’t let him bother you. Dom’s a pussycat," Arkon told her.

Dom let out a warning growl. "You and I are going to have a serious conversation about the danger you keep putting my wife in, sorcerer."

"Really?" Arkon said with an amused glint in his eyes. "Because this debacle was her idea, Domenico. It went to shit because she didn’t tell me what was happening."

"I tried to, but you didn’t read your messages!" Stella retorted, hands on her hips.

"I never read my messages! You know this about me!"

"Enough, the pair of you," Dom snarled. He touched Stella’s cheek lightly. "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine. I was late too," she said. She stood up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Ezra saved the day."

"Hi," Ezra greeted. Her voice was a little too breathy for Zahir’s liking.

"It’s nice to meet you. I wish it was under different circumstances," Dom replied, turning on a charming smile that had Ezra’s cheeks flaring red.

"Now, now, none of that Dom. Don’t distract Arkon from his work," Zahir said, stepping in between them. "You should have a look at that over there. You know, before I kill him."

Dom kneeled beside the unconscious mage. "How in God’s name did a Varangian get smuggled into the city? Nico is going to be so pissed off."

"We don’t know yet, but if anyone can figure out how to do it, Nico will. I’ll schedule him in to chat to the mage after we get him in Gio’s dungeon," Arkon said, not looking up from whatever he was doing on Ezra’s arms.

"You had better. Although, I don’t envy the mage. Nico is wound up so tight, he’ll probably beat the shit out of him if you don’t watch him," Dom replied, standing once more.

Zahir laughed. "I might pull up a chair and let him loose for my entertainment."

"That’s a pretty ring you have. Where did you get it?" Stella asked Ezra, drawing Zahir’s attention back to them.

"Just something I found amongst my father’s things. I wanted to wear it because I missed him," Ezra replied.

She was smart, his consort. Zahir could feel the invisible manacles chaining him to the trinket. That was one more thing they would have to deal with.

"Your family sounds like interesting people,” Arkon said, and his magic sizzled in the air. Ezra gasped as the manacles fell off her arms and vanished into nothing. She rubbed at her wrists before a gorgeous smile broke over her face, and she launched herself at Arkon.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she said, hugging him around his neck and kissing both of his cheeks. Because he couldn’t help being a prick, Arkon cuddled her back and winked at Zahir over the top of her head.

"You’re most welcome, Ezra," he said, giving her his most charming smile. "You know, I’m very fascinated by your magical abilities, perhaps after—"

Zahir couldn’t take it a second longer. "One more word, sorcerer, and I swear to the Creator, I will teleport you straight to the ass end of Varangia."

"Zahir! You can’t talk to the Grand Sorcerer like that," Ezra gasped.

"The fuck I can’t," he grumbled. "I know him, and if you’re not careful, you’ll be recruited into his little web of intrigue in no time."

"I can’t believe you think I would do such a thing," Arkon said, aghast.

"You would," Stella, Dom, and Zahir replied at the same time.

Ezra laughed at them all, and something eased a little in Zahir’s chest. He held out a hand to her, and she took it, letting him draw her close.

"Have you got this under control, Arkon?" Zahir asked him.

The sorcerer was wise enough to nod. "Go on. I’ll message you to let you know when the rest of the Cabal is secure. Ezra? I’m going to need you to come in for some questioning and a statement about everything."

"Whatever you need to keep them locked up," she replied with a vicious smile.

"After she has time to rest, Arkon," Zahir added.

Arkon put his hands on his hips. "Justice doesn’t sleep, Zahir."

"But we do." Zahir pointed at the still unconscious Vladek. "Don’t you have a new Varangian mage to question about your girlfriend?"

"Kindly fuck off," Arkon replied half-heartedly, though none of them missed the way his eyes glowed in anticipation. If he could prove his theory about Varangia having other mages… Zahir didn’t want to think about it.

Ezra wrapped her arms around him. "Take us home?" she whispered.

"Of course, my sparrow," he replied, and they disappeared in a cloud of bronze.