Free Black Magic Woman by Christine Warren Page A

one to ask,” Corinne said, “because I’m on the outside looking in myself. But Reggie and Missy would be happy to help you out, and anything they don’t know, their hubbies will. Dmitri and Graham and their friends practically run the Others in Manhattan.”
    “I actually got a head start on that last night. Getting things explained, I mean. That’s where Asher comes in.”
    “Oh, goodie. I was hoping we’d get to that part of the story.”
    “I went to a club called Lurk. I met someone at the reception. An Other. And while we were talking, he said that Vircolac is kind of like an Others country club—only the rich and famous hang out there. He said the real Others would be more likely to be at Lurk.”
    “‘He’?” Corinne’s eyes narrowed. “ ‘He’ told you that? Who the hell is ‘he,’ Daphanie?”
    “His name is Quigley. He was at the reception trying to scam from the dinner and avoid being seen by my sister. He said he knew her, but she might be mad at him at the moment. I think he called himself some kind of imp—”
    “An imp of Satan!” The woman jumped to her feet and set her coffee aside with a thump. “Daph, Quigley isn’t just any imp. He’s the imp who led your sister and Mac into Faerie and then abandoned them to be taken captive by the King’s Guard. He nearly got them killed.”
    The fist in her stomach began aiming heavy punches at her sternum. “What are you talking about? Niecie never said anything about almost being killed, or about being taken captive by anyone. What the hell didn’t she tell me?”
    “Apparently a whole bunch of things, but that’s something we can deal with later. Right now, I think you need to tell me what happened last night. Everything that happened last night.”
    And here she had really hoped to forget it. All of it.
    “Da-aph…”
    With a sigh, Daphanie launched into the story, beginning with her first spotting the chubby red hand on top of the table next to hers and ending with waking up to find Corinne at the door and the distinctly grumpy guy with wings still lurking in her sister’s apartment. As she spoke, the angry, guarded expression on the other woman’s face gradually melted, settling into one of mingled disbelief and grudging respect.
    She nodded at Asher. “I guess this means I should apologize for threatening you with the cops. You had plenty of time to hurt Daph if that was what you were after, and the TV is still here, so…”
    Asher acknowledged the graceless apology with a nod and ignored the rest. “No one owes me thanks. I am a Guardian; Daphanie is human. Protecting humans in danger is my job.”
    In the bright light of day, Daphanie couldn’t decide how she felt about being referred to as this man’s “job,” but it didn’t feel a whole lot better than it had felt the night before.
    “Feel free to give notice anytime,” she grumbled. “I didn’t ask for your ‘protection’ and since I don’t see the jerk from last night hiding behind the drapes, I think we can assume that I’m safe now.”
    Asher set down his teacup with great deliberation and leveled those silver-gold eyes on her with serious displeasure. “I was afraid after listening to your version of last night’s incident that you weren’t taking this seriously enough, and now I’m certain of it. Just because you’ve been removed from D’Abo’s presence doesn’t mean you’re any safer than you were inside that nightclub.”
    “How do you figure? Unless you’re planning to curse me this time.”
    Corinne made a strangled sound, but Daphanie was too busy watching Asher’s jaw clench to see what might be the matter with her friend.
    “I am stronger than temptation, Ms. Carter. I am also a Guardian, and therefore the only thing at the moment standing between you and a serious magical threat.”
    “Um, I’d like to get back to the serious magical threat thing in a minute,” Corinne said, raising her hand tentatively even as she interrupted