Through the Ether (Force of Nature Book 5) - Amber Lynn Natusch Page 0,37

for the exit. “We need an army and a sketchy witch to make us a couple of talismans. Chop chop, bitches. Time waits for no one.”

Dean looked at Jase and shook his head. “It’s your turn to pony up, man. That witch is too freaky even for me.”

The others turned slowly to look at him. I did what I could to contain my growing laughter, but the absurdity of his statement combined with the morbid timing was just too much. My shoulders jerked and I clapped my hand over my mouth, to no avail. Raucous laughter erupted from me, and it wasn’t long before the others joined in, the break in the tension a fleeting but much-needed release.

Reinhardt, however, just stared at all of us, clearly unaware of the joke—or of Sherry’s reputation for doing business.

But he was about to find out.

Chapter Fourteen

Unwilling to split up for fear the world might kick us in the ass again, we filed into separate vehicles and headed out to kill two birds with one stone. The coven queen had agreed to round up her remaining witches and prepare to return with us to Faerie. Though the details had been left intentionally sparse, Merc had made it clear that he would need a word with both Sherry and her when we arrived. And that discretion was needed.

I wondered why he’d bothered. We were all in so deep at that point that it seemed moot.

Thirty minutes later, we pulled up to the house where Beatrice, Kingston, and I had fought the golems. The coven queen stepped out onto the porch to greet us, though there was nothing welcoming about her expression. Her gaze was stern and her expression severe. She was clearly worried about what was to come, as she should have been.

“Your highness. Alpha,” she said with a graceful nod before turning to my father. “Warlock Lord.”

“We need something from Sherry,” I blurted out, not in the mood for formality.

The coven queen studied me for a moment, then nodded and gestured toward the humble home. I wondered if we’d all fit inside, but when she pushed the front door wide, I saw that, once again, magic was at play. What should have been a modest, Victorian-era home was in fact an open-concept picture of modernity. Sleek lines, high ceilings, and white as far as the eye could see came into view, complete with a coven full of witches clustered in the middle of the space.

“I’m afraid time is of the essence, so I will be brief. We need Sherry to make us something,” Merc added, scanning the women.

One in the front row cocked an eyebrow at the vampire king, then turned her attention to Knox and smiled. Her sleek auburn hair hung all the way to her waist, and her large eyes, nearly the same color, were filled with mischief and lust and a whole bunch of shit I didn’t want to unpack at the moment. In a word, Sherry was trouble.

I started to rethink the plan.

“How can I be of service to the vampire king?” she asked, bowing low, though her eyes never left Knox.

“Follow me,” the coven queen said, then led us to a small room off the kitchen. Merc, Knox, Reinhardt, and I followed the witches into the tight space, leaving the others in the living room. She closed the door behind her. “Sherry, the vampire king has a particular request for you.”

Her gaze flicked to him and she bit her lip. “What is it?”

“There is a being in Faerie that has requested something that seems quite impossible, but it is necessary for us to deliver it to secure his allegiance against the fey royals.”

“And you think I can help you do this?” she asked, eyes raking over Merc.

“I have been told that you are capable of strong magic. You provided Knox with a talisman that helped them remain undetected in Faerie once before, and you crafted one that glamoured Kingston enough to keep his identity hidden. We are in need of something similar again.”

“What is the impossible request you cannot fulfill?” she asked, edging toward Merc. “So few things are truly impossible if you are willing to try.”

“Sherry,” the coven queen called, her tone sharp.

Reinhardt stepped in front of the twenty-something witch, cutting her off from Merc. “Willing to try dark magic, yes. That much is true. But even you are not capable of this, I’m afraid, so perhaps you should just do as the vampire king has requested so