Free Ripper (The Morphid Chronicles Book 2) by Ingrid Seymour

open-mouthed, whatever sharp retort she’d intended to offer frozen on her lips.
    Veridan and Danata sat in the silence that ensued after Ashby’s departure. The urge to issue a transport spell made his fingers itch for the talisman around his neck. He wanted no more part in Danata’s narrow-minded schemes. He had his own goals and—even though they relied on the Regent’s abilities, not to mention her poor judgment—his patience was wearing thin.
    “So about Boris Volkov,” Veridan said, in an attempt to get Danata back on the right track. He felt it was hopeless. Danata had a one track mind and hated to lose. No one had bested her in a long time—or so she believed. But he had to try. “What do you need me to—”
    “Forget about Boris.” She poured herself another drink and sat, back straight, features twisted in her trademark stubbornness. “That girl has become a problem again. I thought we might be able to ignore her for a while, but it seems we’ll need to act now.”
    “What a sad bit of déjà vu.”
    “One we wouldn’t be confronting at the moment if you hadn’t failed. Repeatedly. Come now, I know you must be dying to settle that score.”
    She finished her drink in one gulp and took a deep breath. Her pupils dilated, then her eyes fluttered closed. An expression of near ecstasy took over her, signaling the effects of the potion.
    “I never grow tired of that.” She licked her lips and inhaled, but her pleasure was short lived and her face went slack with disappointment. “Such a pity, though, all that is good vanishes too quickly. At any rate, now that I know Ashby is safe without her, you can have another go at killing the girl.”
    “Easier said than done,” Veridan put in, remembering how close to death’s doorstep the Keeper had left him. “You do realize that you’ve just removed whatever element of surprise we might have had? Your statement has just alerted the Keeper. You know well his instincts deliver a warning as soon as a threat arises.”
    “An order is an order, Veridan. It must be carried out. How to do so is for you to figure out. I hope I haven’t been too indulgent by giving you the freedom to operate alone, as you see fit. They bested you in the past. I hope, by now, you have a few more trick up your sleeve.” She straightened and fixed him with her violet gaze. “Easy or not, I want her dead. And get the Keeper while you’re at it, will you?”
    Veridan stood and straightened his jacket. Yes, taking revenge on the Keeper was an enticing prospect, but rash actions were Danata’s specialty, not his. Samantha’s mongrel was a variable Veridan had yet to puzzle out. The boy was impervious to magic and could wield his own deftly enough, even without an amulet. A plan to neutralize him was needed, something that required some thought.
    In the meantime, Danata didn’t need to know how lightly he had taken her order.
    “An order,” he repeated, locking eyes with the Regent. He wanted to laugh in her face. “Very well, my Regent. ”
    A wave of tense animosity passed between them. The time to break paths was near. He wondered if she sensed it.

Chapter 9 - Greg
    Greg couldn’t believe this was happening.
    Tired of holding back, he’d thrown all sense out the window and told Sam he loved her. The fear of her reaction had kept him silent for so long that he never imagined this could be the outcome. He’d held back saying the words out loud, thinking the admission would go against her Morphid instincts and incite a total freak out and outright rejection.
    Instead, this . . . because of three simple—even if difficult—words.
    It had been all she’d needed to break the barrier that had stood between them. If only he’d known, the heartache it would have saved them both!
    Music and excited shouts came from downstairs, reaching him with a muffled quality, almost reminding him that there was a world outside these four walls, outside this bed. His vision, his sense of