Dead and Dusted by Lily Webb (most recommended books .TXT) 📗

kitchens to get some welcome refreshments, but I’m sure you’ll meet her soon enough,” Blair continued and paused for a moment to smile at them. “Anyway, where are my manners? Selena, this is Mayor Nash, as I’m sure you know, accompanied by Zadie Chamberlain, the CEO of Ethereal Energy, and Kade Aura, a reporter for the Valley Gazette.”

Wait, there were going to be multiple CEOs staying with us this weekend? That was unwelcome news to me. “Nice to meet you all.”

“Yes, I’m positively charmed,” Zadie said with a sardonic smile. Maybe Mr. Marth wouldn’t be our most troublesome guest, after all.

“Ignore her. Zadie has a dry sense of humor,” Mayor Nash said.

“Better a dry sense of humor than a dry sense of fashion, wouldn’t you say?” Zadie shot back, looking Mayor Nash up and down.

The mayor fiddled with his blue-striped tie. “See what I mean? Anyway, since I haven’t gotten patted down by security yet, I assume that means the evil genius of Starfall has yet to grace us with his presence?”

Kade chuckled and pointed at the elevator as Brady and his goons poured out of it. “Don’t count your spells before they’re cast, mayor.”

Brady and Mayor Nash locked eyes. “Mayor,” Brady grunted with one of his trademark curt nods.

“Ah, Brady. You’re looking cheery, as usual,” the mayor said, and Kade snorted. “Everything okay up there? Find any bombs? Or maybe a wiretap this time?”

“Hilarious, as usual,” Brady said and rolled his eyes, but I thought it was pretty funny.

“I’ll take that as a no. So, when can we expect our Highness to join us?”

“I certainly hope you aren’t referring to me, Mr. Mayor,” a deep, velvety voice answered from behind the mayor, and everyone turned to find its source. A polished looking man in his early fifties wearing a very expensive-looking suit stood in the doorway with a briefcase in hand, accompanied by a nervous but beautiful young witch with a blonde ponytail and strikingly blue eyes.

“Ah, there’s the man of the weekend! Everyone, allow me to introduce you to your future evil overlord, Leland Marth!” Mayor Nash said sarcastically with an overdramatic wave of his arm in Leland’s direction.

Leland wrinkled his nose at the mayor and exchanged a prolonged, pointed look with Zadie, who didn’t seem at all pleased to see him. “I’m nothing of the sort,” Leland said.

Zadie shrugged and turned her back on him. “That’s debatable.”

Smirking, Leland turned to the witch who followed his every move like a shadow. He handed her his briefcase, which she handled as if it were made of gold. “Evie, be a dear and run this up to my room, would you?”

“Of course, sir,” the witch said and strutted up the stairs, unaware we had an elevator.

“Welcome, Mr. Marth,” Blair said, trying to smooth things over. “We were just about to head into the reception room for some tea and conversation.”

Leland glanced at Mayor Nash and Zadie both, then linked his fingers together to crack them. “That sounds fantastic. Lilith knows we all have a lot to talk about.”

Chapter 3

I stayed as close to Blair as possible as we led the small group down the east wing of the inn toward the reception room. I’d already made enough of a fool of myself, so I didn’t dare give any of the guests the chance to get me alone. Then again, since Leland’s dramatic entrance, suddenly none of them seemed all that interested in talking anymore.

“Here we are!” Blair said as she stopped outside the door. “After you all. Please, make yourselves comfortable,” she continued, waving the guests inside, but I stood rooted beside her, still not making eye contact with anyone as they filed past us — not even with Leland’s phalanx of security, spearheaded by Brady.

“Wow, this is stunning,” Kade whispered as he entered, staring up at the ceiling that Blair had enchanted to show a scene of deep space. A flame-red nebula, wispy and majestic, sprawled across the ceiling’s surface, and the bright yellow center of it seemed to stare down at us like an all-seeing eye. Kade raised his camera to snap a picture, but Blair stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Don’t bother, dear. In this lighting it won’t turn out,” she said, and Kade frowned. “Besides, it’s best if people see it in person.”

Unamused, Kade stalked off toward the round table that Blair and Kiki had set up in the center of the room. Mayor Nash and Zadie had already taken seats next to each other — and conspicuously across the table from where Leland sat flanked by his guards. Did he ever go anywhere without them? Could he, if he even wanted to?

I don’t know what I expected of our meeting of the minds, but it definitely wasn’t this level of antagonism among the guests. Then again, now that I thought about it, why was Zadie even here? Or Kade? If Mayor Nash and Leland had gotten together to strike some sort of deal, what use would the other two be? Regardless, judging from everyone’s icy attitudes toward each other, the rest of the staff and I were in for an action-packed weekend.

After everyone had gotten settled, Blair leaned over to whisper to Thorn and me. “Jadis should be back any second with Emile and some confections, but until they get here, I need your help with the drinks. Let’s make everyone comfortable without getting in their way. There’s some rather, well, charged energy among the guests that we don’t need to add to.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” I mumbled, and Blair eyed me. “Don’t worry, I’m not looking for any more trouble.”

“Good. Now, let’s do this the Kindred Spirits way,” Blair said and pulled the doors shut behind her, leaving Thorn and me to make our way to the tea table that ran the length of the right wall. Four metal carts sat at its nearest end, one for each of us to push around the room as necessary.

Thorn sidled