Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

"We have commenced negotiations with your father," Theo announced over breakfast. He shoveled in another mouthful of omelet as if admitting to negotiating with a shifter was beyond the pale.

Everest gave the bacon a poke with his fork. Breakfast was as terrible as dinner; the bacon wasn't crispy, and his fried egg was hard all the way through and more like rubber than food. It was easier to cook for himself.

He helped himself to a slice of bread. He held it between his fingers and let flames form, turning it into toast. Hot toast instead of the cold stuff sitting on the table. With the flames licking his fingers, he touched the bacon until it sizzled and popped and crisped up. He was aware of the witches at the table watching.

Were they jealous?

He stacked the bacon and egg on his toast, then grabbed another piece of bread and toasted that too, creating the saddest breakfast sandwich that had ever existed. He glanced around the table. "Is there no hollandaise sauce or tomato chutney? Something to make this abomination you are calling breakfast more palatable?"

Goodbourne shook his head. "You act like a fire witch."

Everest stared at him as though incredulous. It was time to bring out the old belief about phoenixes to make the Board doubt the ground they stood on. "Of course I bloody do. I am a witch with the ability to become nothing but fire. I know you see me as a shifter, but that is incorrect. Because I have yet to see any shifter who has any witch magic."

He didn't consider himself a witch, but he wasn't sure phoenixes were truly shifters either. They were like the missing link between witches and shifters, not really either, but related to both.

Theo considered him for several seconds. "Is it true a phoenix is what you get when a fire witch fucks a dragon shifter?"

"I've never met a dragon shifter to ask…but it would take a brave witch to try." He picked up his breakfast sandwich, and as much as he wanted to protest the quality of the food by not eating, shifting burned energy as did magic, as did holding onto his mind. So he concentrated on getting it down and then making another.

"Could you stop re-cooking the bacon?" Theo snapped.

"No. I like my bacon crispy." Everest held up his hand, flames dancing over his skin. "And I have the ability to make it so. Does my magic make you uncomfortable?" He hoped it did. The more they saw him as a fire witch, the more questions they'd ask themselves.

Theo's face contorted. He was the kind of man who became uncomfortable around anyone who wasn't straight, white, and rich. Had he been informed about what Cadel and Everest had been getting up to this morning?

"What did my father have to say? No doubt he was unimpressed I allowed myself to be kidnapped." They needed to remember that he wanted to talk with them and that he agreed with their cause instead of viewing him as a hostage.

"He wants to speak with you to prove you are being looked after," Theo said.

"Great." He smiled at Theo. "Perhaps he can send me a food parcel from home? Or arrange for my private chef to come and sort out the kitchen." Everest glanced at the other witches. "You must agree this is pretty terrible. Is this a two-star hotel? Why aren't you staying somewhere nicer?"

"I'm sorry our safe house is not up to your standards."

"It's not, and you should be sorry. I could be staying in my own place while negotiations are carried out in a civilized fashion. But no, you had to bring me here because you thought you'd have better leverage over my father." Because that is what he wanted them to believe. He had instigated his capture when he'd begun dealing with the Board. He picked up his tea and took a sip. "Ugh, cold."

With all eyes on him, he cradled the cup until the tea was hot again, which didn't take very long. The cognitive dissonance on their faces caused by his performance was a delight. The consternation that he wasn't behaving like a victim or a shifter was in their slack mouths and furrowed brows. Soon, their thoughts would turn to Olier, their pet phoenix.

Theo didn't bother to hide his disgust. "You will speak with him. And you will tell him about the phoenix we have, which we will return upon our safe arrival."

"I will need to see your phoenix shift; otherwise, you might trick me with a fire witch." Everest took another sip of tea and watched Theo over the rim of his cup.

The lights in the dining room went out. They flickered four times before coming back on. Not a coincidence given that Jacob was an electricity witch, and the flicker was in the pattern of a J. Jacob was here.

Things were about to get interesting.

"Terrible food, dodgy electrical wiring…I suppose I should be grateful we've got hot water."

Goodbourne laughed. "That wouldn't bother you. You'd just heat it."

"If I must heat my own water, I'd rather take a bath than a shower. Alas, there is no bath in my room." He glanced over his shoulder at Cadel. "I am assuming you want your bacon crispy too?"

"Thank you, sir."

Thank fuck Cadel didn't use that growly voice, or his dick would've sprung to attention despite this morning's fun.

Theo curled his lip. "You're soft with your staff."

"While it's his job to protect my life, I'll give him as much crispy bacon as he wants. I prefer to have people wanting to work for me than fearing me. I find it creates a more positive experience for everyone." The shifter who had entered their room this morning blushed. Everest gave him a smile. "Happy staff keep me happy. And pissing off a fire witch is a bad idea. I believe it took quite a while for London to recover last time."

He took three slices of bacon and put them on his plate, holding his hand over to cook them.

The Great Fire hadn't been him. Kaine had caused it. Everest didn't know the details, only that once the wooden buildings had caught alight, there wasn't much that could be done. Every time he blinked, he saw the flames, witnessed the destruction. Someone was holding his hand and pulling him away as though he was a child...

A hand landed on his shoulder. "Perfect. Thank you, sir."

Everest blinked up at him. Fuck, he'd slipped in public. He smiled. "No trouble. Would you like some toast? "

"He can wait like the others," Theo said with an unsubtle note of warning in his voice.

Everest chose to ignore the warning. "He's my bodyguard, not a bound shifter. Did we not have this conversation?"

He picked up three slices of bread and toasted them one after the other, then handed his entire plate to Cadel.

Several of the witches had the grace to look concerned as they watched him. Had they never dealt with a fire witch? All elemental witches were rather rare, so perhaps not. In which case, he could make things more interesting for them.

"Is it not be safer to bind him?" The woman next to him asked.

"I am not threatened by him. Why would I be when I can turn him to ash with a touch?" It took longer than a touch, and depending on how much energy he expended, it could take anywhere between thirty seconds and a full minute to incinerate someone entirely. It only took ten seconds to kill them, but it left a horrible mess, and he didn't like leaving burned-up corpses around because humans asked questions.

The Shadow Board witches were now staring at him with a healthy dose of shock and fear. Even Theo seemed to have lost his appetite. Excellent. Hopefully, they were thinking about their pet phoenix and if he was a pet or a wild animal that was about to burn their face off.

"On that note, what time is my father expecting me to call? And you're going to have to fill me in on your negotiations so far so that I know what to say." He didn't care what they wanted him to say. All he wanted was to see Olier.

He was so close.

Behind him, Cadel crunched through his bacon and toast under the watchful gaze of the other shifters. Were they envious or horrified that he wasn't bound?

Some of the shifter families honestly believed it was the only way for shifters and witches to work together and for there to be peace, which was why they sacrificed one of their own. It was meant to be a choice, but Everest doubted every shifter who was bound wanted to be selected.

He was damn sure that Olier hadn't volunteered.

But if the shifters have been told their entire lives that their purpose was to serve witches and that the Coven was evil and corrupt and trying to destroy their way of life…perhaps they did think it was their duty.

And with no witches to serve or be bound to, what would those families in England do now? The witches who had favored them had been stripped of their magic. That didn't mean the younger generation wouldn't try to resurrect their family's power. Everest hoped Dalmon was showing the shifter families the truth, though nothing could make up for the loss of money and prestige and power.

If someone wanted to be bound to a witch, then there was nothing they could do. It was the trafficking they had needed to stop. The unwilling binding and subsequent draining and killing of the shifters. If shifters had been doing it to witches, the Coven would have also stepped in. But shifters binding witches was much rarer.

"I have prepared a document for you," Theo said.

"Excellent. Shall we do this? Because I want to leave this substandard hellhole." Everest stood.

Theo remained seated. "You don't make the orders here."

"I rank above lord, and my magic is far more powerful than yours, and I'm not using a shifter as a battery." Everest straightened the cuffs of his shirt. "What is your magic again? Something to do with plants?" He glanced up, well aware that there were flames in his irises. He smiled as flames then danced around his head in a fiery crown, pulling his hair up into two horns. It was a party trick he used to do at school and a trick he'd been doing for centuries. An echo of a time when it hadn't been a trick.

Cadel sucked in a breath.

Everest hadn't been joking about being the devil. "Remember who you are dealing with and that my father is more powerful as he has a shifter. One I believe you sent…a snow leopard. Such a fluffy kitty."

Several of the witches looked as though they'd shat themselves. Mouths hung open and eyes were wide, and there was no masking the sudden scent of fear in the room. Despite that, Everest didn't trust anyone sitting at the table—or anyone standing around it either.

"Since you are in no rush to make a deal, I will ensure my bodyguard gets something to eat." Everest turned on his heel.

"Why do you need a bodyguard if you are so powerful?" Goodbourne asked.

Finally, a smart question.

"Because the humans see a human prince, and they expect me to have one. And I find it useful to have one. He can be very entertaining." Everest smiled and gave the shifter, who'd interrupted them this morning, a wink.

Was he playing this up too much? He didn't think so. The Shadow Board was all about power. It was the only thing they respected. It was why they wanted Mont de Leucoy so badly.

Cadel opened the dining room door and escorted Everest out. When the door closed, he calmed the flames, including the one which had been stopping his nose from dripping everywhere. He sniffed, and before he wiped the blood away with his finger, Cadel handed him a cloth. A napkin.

They walked away from the dining room as Everest dabbed his nose, but he kept his voice low. "When did you steal it?"

"When you gave me the bacon, I figured throwing around magic was going to require it." Cadel gave him a grim smile, and Everest was sure that if they were in private, Cadel wouldn't have hesitated to tell him off. "That was a terrifying demonstration, by the way."

"Thank you. I feel it has the right amount of flare and control." There was no point in being magically powerful if it was uncontrolled. Some of the Coven witches weren't very powerful, but their control was so precise they could do a lot with very little. Some of the Coven witches were far more terrifying than him, but he knew how to put on a good show.

They walked into the room where the shifters ate, and both proceeded to eat as if it had been a long time between meals. He didn't bother about crisping the bacon or any of that rubbish. He needed the calories in case he had to put on another show.

The light flickered, and Everest turned as Jacob walked into the room carrying a tray of sausages.

"Fresh out of the pan," Jacob said in Norwegian.

It was one of the languages they both spoke and was far less common than German and French. The last time they worked together, Everest had incinerated Hastings, and Jacob had been shot and almost died. The job had messed up his bond with Orion. Everest had seen him a couple of times since, mostly because Jacob and Orion had been figuring out how to use Lucian's finder magic. So far, all they had to show for it was a dragon egg.

And while it was an important find, it wasn't what they were supposed to be looking for. It was also inconvenient having an ex-Coven agent around the castle, as the last thing Everest wanted was for Jacob to figure out there was something going on. He was too good at his job…not that he worked for the Coven anymore. He and his mate worked for the phoenixes.

"Thank you," Everest replied in Norwegian as he walked over. He barely felt Jacob slip the note into his pocket .

"You should check out the stars tonight."

"I'm hoping to. Is there a particularly good viewing time?"

"Any time after dark. Will you require assistance?" Jacob fussed with the table as if it wasn't neat enough.

"Not sure."

Jacob gave a small bow. "I'll bring your hot chocolate, sir."

"Load up your plate; we will sit by the window. The waiter is bringing us some hot chocolates." Everest picked up a sausage and ate it as he walked over to the table. He sat and waited for Cadel to join him.

"You shouldn't be sitting with me."

Yesterday, Cadel had loaded up a plate and then rejoined Everest in the other room, much to the consternation of the witches. "I know…that's why he's bringing the hot chocolate. I can't wander off without you, and you shouldn't come all the way to Switzerland without having a proper hot chocolate. Although, given the state of the food in this place, I won't hold my breath that it's going to be any good."

He wanted to pull the note out of his pocket and read it but had to wait until they were in their room. Instead, he stared out the window. There was still too much that needed done. He couldn't let seeing the finish line make him complacent.

Cadel sat opposite him. "This is a weird setup."

"How so?"

"That door opens onto the street, but it's locked. There's a cash register, almost like this place was open as a cafe until recently."

Everest nodded. He had been trying to work out where they were and if this was a Shadow Board building or something they had acquired to hide out in. He didn't know the city well enough to place them. And while the buildings on the other side of the road had a historic look, they weren't easily identifiable .

The door opened, and the other shifters walked in. When they saw Everest, they were a little more cautious.

He ignored them as if they weren't worth his time.

Cadel ate in silence, putting away the pile of food quickly and efficiently. What shifter wasn't used to stocking up on calories?

In that respect, he was far more like a shifter than a witch.

Jacob returned with two mugs of hot chocolate.

"Merci," Everest said. "I will take this upstairs. It's become rather crowded here." He gave Cadel a pointed look, expecting to be obeyed, then picked up his mug and stood.

"Of course, sir." Cadel put the last half sausage in his mouth, grabbed his mug, and followed.

Jacob opened the door for Everest, and Everest swept past. It was expected that he ignore the waiter. They made it as far as the stairwell before being stopped.

"Lord Baxter-Finley wants to speak with you," the woman who'd sat next to him for both meals said. She was a niece or a cousin of some lord who wasn't in attendance; her side of the family had made their money through their law firm. He should know her name and her magic, but he didn't remember. That was knowledge from this life, something he shouldn't be losing. Were his memories of this life becoming buried under the deluge of the past?

Everest kept walking. She knew how to address him. He wiped his nose and was not surprised to find more blood.

She signed and shifted her weight. "Your highness."

"Yes? I didn't realize you were addressing me."

"No one else bothers with titles."

He turned slightly. "Yet you just said Lord Baxter-Finley wants to see me. He clearly uses his title."

"Because he's running the Shadow Board. "

Everest smiled, his irises burning. "And I'm the Crown Prince and will run a country. Choose your friends carefully."

She licked her lip and swallowed. "Our safety has not been guaranteed."

"I wonder why that is?" He took a step forward. "Could it be because you're still holding one of mine captive?" Then another. And Cadel was at his side ready to step in. "Could it be because I am being held captive? I'm not a fool. I have always dealt with the Board in good faith. The same cannot be said of you." He rocked back and killed the flames. "Now, I am going to enjoy my hot chocolate. You may wait outside my room until I am done, and then I will speak with Theo."

He didn't bother waiting for her reply or to see if she followed. He reached the landing before she made up her mind and trailed after him.

Good. He smiled. Her obedience to Theo wasn't complete.