The Council (Darkness #5) Read online

  Using another tactic, I focused on the mid-morning sun sprinkling the area I knew had a building of some sort within it. That barn was most likely squatting in front or part of the spell, which would be an awesome bit of magic. I could just barely see the monstrous sides of a box-shaped facility, easily three or four stories high.

  “They must’ve had a huge group of magical people to get this spell into existence,” I intoned.

  Stefan was up, strapping on his sword, his eyes having gone hard and body fluid—all signs he was readying himself for battle. “They did. Older, experienced, adept magical people working in teams and building spell upon spell.”

  “So this isn’t necessarily a meeting, this is just where people hang out.” I followed his lead and strapped my dagger onto my belt.

  “Exactly. They have many meetings, but never about much. They reside here, mostly. Ready for new placements or recruits.”

  “I can’t believe we have to go through all this just so I can be a mage like I already am. There’s nothing they can do about giving us the green light to be mated, right?” I knew the answer, but I raised my eyebrows hopefully anyway.

  Stefan regarded me softly. “No. We only need permission from the rest of our clan. They must agree to follow you. I can force the issue, probably, but it would cause dissension. That would backfire on your leadership, and mine. No, we’re just here to proclaim you as a mage. It’s necessary for you to meet the Council and ensure you have the proper magical power level—they like to know all the big players.”

  “Yup, Toa has done nothing but lecture me on the magical part of things.” I had to meet the Council and try to keep from getting caught in their weird power games and webs of deception. We’d be here two weeks. That was it. Only two weeks, but apparently that was plenty of time for happy times to turn ugly.

  We’d passed through the outer confines of the concealment spell enabling everyone to finally see what we faced. Charles and Jonas wore equally grim expressions outside our motorhome, wearing their battle garb and ready for war. Dominicous and Toa stood near their motorhome, waiting on us to come to them. Dominicous stood firm and solid, his usually twinkling eyes or hinting smile absent. He was preparing for the worst.

  Beyond them stretched a massive compound. It could’ve been two Walmarts stacked on top of each other. Two large doors marked the entrance with windows dotting the sides. It was boxy, plain, and made to house a bunch of people.

  As a progression, we moved beyond Dominicous’ motorhome, Dominicous and Toa in the lead, Stefan beside me, and the rest behind. We moved in perfect order and synchronization, Stefan’s handling of his Watch—what he called his battle unit—thorough and expert.

  Chest tight, breathing laborious, I tried not to fidget. “Is it not going to look strange if we all show up ready for a war?”

  “We come with a black mage, a clan leader, and a Regional. We show that we are a united front, ready at arms,” Toa said quietly as we approached the doors.

  No one stood outside. No cameras pointed down at the entrance. It was a dark tan building with tinted windows, seemingly unguarded for anyone to walk on through. I had no idea how they monitored their front door, or if they did, and I didn’t plan to ask. I was human—that was already a strike against me. I didn’t need to add “clueless dumb-ass” to the list of accolades.

  Dominicous slowed as he neared the doors, but didn’t stop. Just as he was about to bump into the glass, the doors opened inwards, revealing a grim giant wearing a sword and gun. His dark eyes scanned the group, lingering on Stefan a fraction of a second longer than anyone else.

  “Welcome back, Regional,” the man said, nodding to Dominicous.

  Dominicous nodded back, continuing his straight-backed saunter. Toa glided at his side. Another huge guard stood to the other side, watching our progression silently, his gaze choosing Jonas to linger on for just a bit longer than the others. The two guards were sizing everyone up they didn’t know, and had picked out the two most dangerous. This meant they were experienced.

  I had asked Stefan why he hadn’t come here when he was named leader. The answer was simple—there were a great many leaders in the world, and the Council didn’t want to bother with all of them. Only those with the most potential were brought forth. Everything else could be left to the Regionals to handle.

  Since he now wanted to step up to Regional, it was time to come forth. Plus, his prowess had been noticed in whispers and stray words. And he had helped capture two huge pains in the ass. And he had discovered black level talent. And he wanted to mate a human. Pretty much, in their eyes, his visit was just as important as mine.

  I wished that was a good thing.

  The room opened up into a grand foyer with a long desk off to the right. Couches and chairs dotted the wide room in clusters. The layout was something I might’ve seen in a grand hotel lobby. Two men walked forward from beside the long desk. Large and lithe, they certainly did more than merely push paper and type on computers. These guys also doubled as a line of defense from intruders, I’d bet my life on it.

  Actually, scratch that. I didn’t want to bet my life on anything. Not when so many people would be trying to cash in.

  “Regional, hello,” said one of the men. He was suave with feathered blond hair. He bowed extravagantly to Dominicous. “I trust your journey went well?”

  Dominicous nodded, gaze scanning the mostly deserted room. “Fine.”

  “Splendid.” The man turned to Stefan next, his lips turned up in a welcoming style. “And Stefan, is that correct? One of our clan leaders?”

  Stefan nodded, eyes scanning like Dominicous. They were both trying to be self-important and ready for an assault at the same time.

  “Wonderful.” The man’s gaze flashed to me, his smile remaining plastered on his face. “And Sasha, our first human in a mage role. Spectacular. A great many will want to speak to you, I am sure. And you maintain the black power level, is that correct?”

  Before I could answer or even nod, Dominicous jumped in with, “That has not been decided by the Council yet. As of now, she is merely a guest awaiting an audience.”

  “Of course.” The man nodded, smile not even twitching. He was well used to strong, violent leader-types. Not good.

  “Fantastic. Regional, I will escort you to your rooms. You will be stationed in the same suites as usual. My associate will escort Stefan and his entourage, who will be staying in the Blue wing.”

  Dominicous’ gaze swung toward the speaker, hard and cutting. He stared for a moment, his posture tense and robust. The feather-haired attendant met the stare with his pleasant smile, something silent passing between them. Finally, Dominicous nodded and stared straight ahead. “Lead on.”

  The “associate,” an aging guy with salt and pepper hair and a neck as big as my thigh, stepped forward. “Follow me,” he barked, turning at once and marching away to the right. Dominicous was led left.

  There weren’t any connecting rooms with Toa and Dominicous. The Council attendants were separating us and judging by Dominicous’ severe bad mood, that was intended. Divide and conquer, starting now.

  Our progression of eight people in all, followed Mr. Happy through mostly empty hallways and elevators until we got to the back of the third floor, a distance that felt like a football field. He stopped in front of a deep blue door and glanced at Stefan for a brief moment. “This is your suite. I was told you wished to share with your mage…”

  “Correct,” Stefan acknowledged.

  The man nodded and took a step back, leaving Stefan to open the door and usher me in. He waited until the rest of his guys were ushered into their rooms down the hall before he closed the door.

  I wandered into the spacious room, a space plain and sparse compared to what Stefan and his people might’ve done with it. A few paintings of flowers or landscapes dotted the cream-colored walls, a couch and chair faced a tube TV with a desk in the corner, and through a small archway sat a large King-sized bed. I
assumed the bathroom was beyond.

  “Not real homey, is it?” I asked, plopping onto the couch.

  Stefan had a quick glance around before his eyes settled on me. His chest heaved with a deep exhale. “We won’t be together much these two weeks, I fear.”

  “Why is that?”

  He regarded me solemnly. “They’ll keep me busy. I’ll have challenges constantly, I assume. They want to see my power, how I handle myself, and above all, how much shit I’ll take. Or won’t take, as the case may be. You’ll be…”

  He took two slow steps and sank beside me on the couch. His muscular arm came around me and gathered me close. “You’ll be a science experiment. There are quite a few humans within these walls, and they have their agendas—don’t think they’re just ignorant pets—but none of them are mages. None have people at their back, supporting them. And none bear a mark of one of my kind. Not one.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because none bear a mark, human or otherwise, that is under two hundred years old. I probably shouldn’t have done it. I probably should’ve waited until you were firmly aware of the implications.”

  I thought back to that episode where he crashed through my door and made me his. I shivered with the exquisite memory of it. “Thankfully, I don’t think you were strategizing at the time.”

  “Hmm.” He leaned down to me. I shivered again as the heat from his breath warmed my skin. “I wasn’t, no.”

  I closed my eyes as his lips trailed down to my throat. His hand slipped in between my thighs, applying pressure as it worked its way up.

  “We have one night of no drama,” I said in a sigh. “Or day, I guess. Let’s make the most of it before the world goes to shit.”

  His hand reached my apex and started to massage. Hot waves of pleasure vibrated up my body. His mouth drifted lower, lingering over my pulse before inching down a little more. Deft fingers left my crotch to quickly strip me of my shirt and bra. His hot mouth surrounded a nipple, sucking gently until a moan escaped my throat, and then increasing the suction to the pleasing side of painful. My head dropped against the couch.

  “Sounds good,” he said quietly.

  With a quick movement he lifted me and carried me to the bed. After he set me down gently, he stripped my pants and knickers and spread my legs. His tongue worked up my inner thighs, making a hot trail leading directly to my throbbing sex. He expertly parted my folds and licked up my center before sucking.

  “Hmmm, Stefan,” I breathed, running my fingers through his hair.

  I spread my legs wider as he worked, sucking and licking, one finger entering my body. The heat coalesced, burning now. I arched into him, tingles working through me, followed by fire. My stomach tightened, and then my core, two fingers now plunging. Faster he worked, harder he sucked. My hips swung up to him, my breath tearing out of me in fast pants.

  “Almost…”

  I couldn’t complete the sentence with the waves of pleasure battering me. I held my breath, everything tightening. So intense.

  “Oh god!” I exalted. An explosion rocked my body. Tremors tore through me as he lazily circled my sex with his tongue, letting me come down.

  Breathless and languid, I relished in his kisses as he worked up my body. He flicked a nipple with his tongue and then suckled the other, his hands tracing my hot skin with his fingertips. He backed off a second so he could rip off his shirt and slip out of his pants. His large erection bobbed up, drawing my eyes.

  “I got lucky with you,” I whispered, closing my eyes as his hands roamed my body slowly.

  “What, because I’m well-endowed?” he laughed, nestling between my legs so he could pay more attention to my breasts.

  “Because I could never do all this without you. Any of this. Life. Even without magic, without you I’d still feel achingly alone. Just… left to the side, you know? An outcast. The way I’d felt my whole life before I met you. But with you I fit in somewhere. Even if it was just the two of us, with you everything makes sense. I’m happy in a way I didn’t know a person could be happy.”

  He climbed up my body, his lips brushing mine lightly. His eyes sparkled, deep and pure, filled with love and longing. “You were pushed to the side. We were both alone. We didn’t realize the other half of our being was out there somewhere, waiting to connect to the whole. Many people say they were meant to be. Most of them are lying. Fate designed us together, but more, we have accepted and cemented it.”

  I deepened the kiss, tasting him. Feeling his body on top of mine. Feeling his thick manhood slowly moving on the outside of my slick sex.

  “It’s a good thing we like each other, then,” I murmured against his lips. “Otherwise, this situation with Fate would be really awkward.”

  He huffed out a laugh, his sweet breath dusting my face. “I love you, Sasha.”

  “I love you, too.”

  His tongue entered my mouth softly, almost playfully. He lifted his body just enough to line himself up, and ever so slowly he pushed in until he was fully sheathed inside of me. I sighed into his mouth, the feel of him a heaven so pure it didn’t feel real. He started slowly, fully leaving my body before coming back in, working at my already swollen and sensitive sex.

  Before I knew it, I was rocking into that hard length, taking him all the way in. His body glistened over me, muscled and delicious. His fingers intertwined with mine, holding my hands above my head. Our lips locked, sensuous and needy.

  The intense burning consumed me again, zinging through my body and tightening my core. He moaned into my mouth, squeezed by my insides. He strove harder then, the bed creaking under his rhythm. His hard thrusts, his strength, his love—before I could help myself, my body jolted out an orgasm. He deepened the kiss, still going, wanting more. Wanting to take me higher.

  Immediately I started building again, wound so tight it was almost uncomfortable. Almost painful. So damn pleasurable. Harder he pushed, bearing down as my hips swung up. Our bodies slapped together. The bed groaned.

  Another crescendo was upon me. His thrusts got harder. Wilder. The whole world condensed into a white-hot point of pleasure…

  I screamed out the orgasm, flying apart. He shuddered over me, his hands gripping mine tight. Every point on my body was hyper-sensitive as shockwaves rolled through me. I let my muscles relax totally, now completely limp on the bed.

  He was completely limp over me.

  I would’ve said I loved him or maybe even good work. But I was too tired. Instead, I lay right where I was, closed my eyes, and hoped beyond hope that nothing in this world would tear us apart.

  Chapter 3

  The next evening I walked quietly up the hall next to Toa. Charles and Jonas walked closely behind. I’d only had four hours of sleep and was still travel-worn. My limbs ached and my head hurt. Regardless, I was being called on to face a test with a bunch of really old and highly experienced magical people. Toa wouldn’t comment on why they wanted to see me so quickly, but his clenched jaws and flaring nostrils indicated it was not only highly irregular, but also dangerously suspect.

  “You need to relax,” Toa instructed in an eerily calm voice. “When you expect a test, you freeze up and overthink. This cuts down your working memory and you have a harder time pulling the correct answers out of your brain’s storage space.”

  “You lecture like Toa, and you glide around like Toa, but this breezy thing is throwing me for a loop. Where’s the frustration? Or the panic?” I glanced at him sideways. “Am I speaking to your evil twin?”

  “While I don’t love your sense of humor in these instances, it is less troublesome than your spells stemming from fear. So for that, I am thankful.”

  “How do you listen to that guy?” Charles muttered.

  I couldn’t help the chuckle.

  Toa turned right at the end of the corridor into another long hallway. Charles’ hand on my back made sure I followed.

  “This is the beginning,” Toa continued. “They will ensure you are actua
lly a black level power. They need to check Dominicous’ and my findings.”

  He turned left suddenly, nearly jostling me, taking us through an empty room. It was then something occurred to me. “Where is everybody?”

  I thought back. From the second I stepped out of my room I hadn’t seen a soul. We’d gone through, what felt like, miles of hallway. We’d passed doorways leading to sitting rooms. One gave a quick glimpse of a piano and recreation area. They’d all been empty. What should’ve been high traffic time for this race of people was instead a ghost town.

  Then I felt it. A presence. Something lingered on the walls and loomed around us. I felt eyes on me, the feeling clawing between my shoulder blades. Watching from some unseen place. Speculating. Analyzing.

  I glanced up, almost certain I’d see bats on the ceiling. Maybe mice on the crown molding.

  “Toa?” I ventured, my voice uncertain. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

  “They are listening. Waiting. Watching. They are hoping to gain the upper hand. They are wasting their time.”

  We turned into a doorway and cut diagonally across a large room. Books lined the walls, and desks and couches loitered around the floor. Not one desk had a reading lamp, and the lights were so low the sharp edges of the desk were hazy in the darkness. Humans probably needed to walk with a flashlight if they wanted to read anything.

  After another couple of turns, we stopped in front of a closed door. A blur of movement down the hall caught my eye, dragging my gaze right. A small slice of black melted into the wall at the very end, someone having just walked out of sight. Goosebumps spread across my arms at the unseen watcher, but that feeling of eyes on me was still there.

  I glanced behind as Toa knocked, feeling people around me. Body heat, breath stirring the air, huge bodies still and silent… Somehow they were masking themselves from my sight. They were here, though. Watching. Creeping around like boogeymen in the night. I knew it.