At least the day hadn’t been a total waste.
I strode through the enormous wrought-iron gates, breaking the flimsy wards easily. Even though I was invited, it amused me to force them to reset the wards every time I entered. I started up the long driveway towards the mansion, ignoring the pinch and ache of my wounds on my backside as I walked. Only the weak feel pain. I was now beyond such mundane things.
But I would still eviscerate that wretched duocorn and use his hide to upholster my throne.
New, foreign magic pulsed through me, and I welcomed the charge of it. But the somnolent power of the sand stone didn’t fully quench the outrage that burned in my chest.
Perhaps nothing ever would. But the new magic did take the edge off my fury at being thwarted by the one they called Susan, the Chosen One.
That woman was proving to be more of a pest than I originally anticipated. Considering how easily I had plucked women out from under Donovan’s nose in the past, I had assumed that a woman of her age and social stature would be easy to seduce. I gave her little thought and focused on finding spark stones and gathering my power—only to find that her bond to my brother had already started to form.
It surprised me more than I wanted to admit. My brother—useless, weak, maudlin, gullible—finally seemed to be growing a backbone.
It was a shame. I did not want to have to kill him. It was a good thing I didn’t have to.
I just had to send her to Hell and leave her there. Donovan and his bonded Chosen One would linger in madness forever, leaving the path of destiny clear for me to become what I was born to be.
A bright red sports car sat in the driveway, parked at an awkward angle across the path to the door, as if the driver did not care if they were blocking it. My guest was here. I pushed open the door and walked inside. Voices echoed down the hall.
The old man was talking, “... find it confusing, but I promise you, we’ve only just started to scratch the surface of what she’s involved in.”
A woman answered him breathlessly. “Wow. I mean… wow. So that’s why you disowned Vincent when he married Susan?”
“We’ve been trying to rescue him for years,” the old woman said sadly. “We found out early on that she was involved in drug trafficking. She must have been drugging him to keep him reliant on her the whole time. And two years ago, when we finally got him out, we had to fudge some testimony to have her put away.”
“Now she’s back,” the old man grumbled. “And she’s up to her old tricks. She’s got a fancy new lawyer who's making trouble for us.” He sighed roughly. “We just want to put her away once and for all. We’ve been working with someone from Interpol, and he’s almost cracked her whole criminal ring wide open, but we need your help.”
I turned into the dining room and walked in. They sat at the long table—the old man and woman at one end, with delicate teacups in front of each of them.
The younger woman—brunette, athletic, her hair pulled back tightly off her face—gasped as I walked in. “Prince Donovan!”
I smiled. “It’s Agent Stone, actually.”
“This is the Interpol agent we were talking about.” Delilah raised one thin brow. “I understand you have already met, but let me formally introduce you. Juliette, this is Agent Donovan Stone. Agent Stone, this is Juliette, a trusted friend of ours. She’s willing to help us.”
“Yes.” Juliette clenched her fist in triumph. “I knew it. I knew Susan couldn’t actually bag herself a prince.”
I walked over, picked up her hand, and held it to my lips, while keeping eye contact. “It is a pleasure to meet you properly, Juliette.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” She quivered like a mare in heat. “What do you need me to do, Agent Stone?” Her voice was breathless.
“Nothing too complicated.” I pulled the little bag—plain, soft brown leather with a simple yarn tie—out of my pocket. “I just need you to get close enough to her to slip this onto her person. In her bag, perhaps, or into her pocket, somewhere personal where she will find it later.”
Juliette took the bag tentatively. “What is it? Drugs?”
The contents of that little pouch took me hours to gather. The spark stone I devoured beforehand was just a bonus. “Oh, no.” I held her gaze. “It contains her worst nightmares.”
Juliette’s eyes went round, then she chuckled. “Oh. Oh, I get it. It’s a tracker or something, right?” She bounced it lightly on her palm. “No problem. I’ll call her up and ask her to have lunch with me and Jessica tomorrow so we can bury the hatchet. She’ll accept.” She curled her lip. “Susan is a sucker for a reconciliation story. Always wants everyone to like her. Hey,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “Did Susan actually have anything to do with Jessica’s daughter going missing? The cops said they found her earlier, slumming under a bridge. We were sure Susan had hidden her away somewhere.”
“Oh, I can’t comment on that. But tell your friend Jessica to watch her daughter closely.” Because I was going to wring her neck for ruining my plans, too. “She may still be in danger.”
Juliette nodded. “Okay.” She glanced at her watch, her expression reluctant. “I better get going. The kids will be getting up in about three hours, and the nanny can’t keep them quiet in the mornings. Uh, Agent Stone.” Her eyelashes fluttered. “Will I see you again soon?”
“Of course,” I said silkily. “I am very much looking forward to…” I lowered my voice. “Debriefing you after you have completed your task.”
Juliette’s eyes glazed, a slow smirk sliding over her face. “Understood. Goodnight, Gordon, Goodnight, Delilah. Thanks for letting me in on this.” She grinned. “I knew Susan was rotten to the core. I just knew it.”
They both nodded. “Goodnight, Juliette.”
She shimmied out of the room in her tight dress, shaking her hips as she walked. I watched her leave, then turned back to the old couple. “You two are dismissed.”
Gordon and Delilah stood up and bowed deeply. “As you wish, Your Highness.”
TO BE CONTINUED
The next installment of Susan’s adventures continue with book three of Welcome to Midlife Magic — Susan, Break The Curse!
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