Free Breaker (Ondine Quartet Book 4) by Emma Raveling Page A

noted, has nothing to do with the purpose of today’s event.” Nanette stood. “We’re here to confirm Original Magic’s selection for the Governorship. Now if Augustin could —“
    “Wait.”
    Surprised, Nanette returned to her seat. I’d have to apologize to her later for springing this on her. There’d been no time to prepare; only a last minute improvisation I hoped would work.
    Beneath the table, I felt a reassuring stroke against my hand. Tristan.  
    I straightened. “Confirmation cannot take place until everyone is represented. There is a seat missing.”
    Julian leaned back in his chair. No hint of our earlier argument reflected in his expression, but his eyes watched me with a brighter intensity than usual.
    One spot remained empty beside him.  
    “Well, yes,” Patrice’s expression sharpened. “Since you’re accepting the Governorship and have no relatives or heirs, Jourdain will select a new family to take over the Irisavie seat.”
    My Virtue reached into her, unsurprised to find both eagerness and apprehension. She’d had something planned. If Jeeves hadn’t anticipated her move, we would’ve been blindsided.
    “I don’t have successors, but I also haven’t signed the confirmation papers for the Governorship yet.” I paused. “Which means I have the right, as Irisavie representative, to select my own substitute.”
    Shock struck the chamber. The Council sat frozen.
    Gotcha.
    “But…” Marquisa Rossay blinked and shook her head. “But you have no family.”
    Augustin approached the table and stood beside Tristan. “The law states that if, for whatever reason, a Council member cannot continue with her duties, she has the right to select a substitute not related by blood. By accepting, the substitute acknowledges she represents a seat outside her blood domain. Therefore, she must act according to the family’s wishes and not necessarily her own.”
    “Who is it?” Patrice asked, stunned.
    I gestured. “My successor.”
    The doors opened and Catrin Bessette sauntered in.
    Wow.
    Her bold beauty and supreme poise commanded the attention of every person in the chamber. She crossed the floor, her hips swinging slightly, moving with perfect grace and leggy confidence as if the world were her stage and we were simply lucky enough to share it with her.
    Marquisa Rossay slapped her mate’s arm. He snapped his mouth shut.
    Catrin elegantly pulled out the seat beside Julian and settled in.
    “I present Catrin Bessette, head ondine of Rivelleu, and the new Irisavie representative.”
    “You can’t do this,” Patrice said.  
    I smiled. “I just did.”
    “I’m so pleased to be here.” Catrin’s sultry voice resonated with unadulterated charisma. “I look forward to working with all of you.”
    Several male Council members swallowed hard.  
    “Marquisa Bessette, this is terribly irresponsible of you.” Marquisa Genevieve narrowed her eyes. “You have a community in New York who rely upon your leadership.”
    “I am more than confident I can serve on the Council while still managing Rivelleu,” Catrin answered calmly. “Previous Council members have done exactly that and suffered no negative consequences.”
    A harsh rush of magic blazed through the air. The hairs on the back of my neck rose.
    This is unacceptable.
    The alien voice, neither male nor female, vibrated through the room. So she finally came out to play.
    I turned and faced the creature floating in the glass tank.
    Fluorescent aura tinted the water to a pale yellow, providing a ghostly backdrop for the thick hair drifting around her androgynous body like tangled kelp.
    Translucent skin matched the webbing stretched between her fingers and toes, a pale canvas for the glossy, onyx eyes taking up the entire socket.
    Those unblinking, inhuman orbs now observed me as magic intruded, scraping beneath my skin.
    You cannot do this.
    I felt a distinct satisfaction at her inability to control this.
    “It is the law.”
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