“Fine, no being Superwoman, got it,” I joked as I kissed him again and glamoured on leather pants with a white camisole that said, ‘Witches do it better,’ across the chest. “I promise to not save any stray animals either; lesson learned with that one.”
“Wait, did you just admit to learning something?” he laughed as I glowered at him.
“Watch it,” I warned as I pulled away. “I’m off to find my bodyguards, O’ Ancient One,” I laughed.
“That age gives me the ability to know things, like how to make you scream my name all night long, so don’t knock it, little girl.”
“Ooh, he’s got skills,” I winked as I sifted, getting the last word in since he couldn’t speak in my mind. I entered the library and peered over Ristan’s shoulder as he thumbed through a paperback of Parenting for Dummies. I laughed, and silver and black eyes turned on me. “That’s not going to help. You know what to do—plus I heard that book has some pretty impractical advice in it.”
“I was only curious, and some of the tips in here seem pretty good. Not that there is very much that a human with a doctorate can give tips about that will apply too much to a child that will have a mix of parentage that mine will. Demon and Fae children have their own quirks that are different from human, then we have to factor in Olivia’s unique parentage, and no, I am not about to hunt down Elijah for a little chit-chat about the tendencies of angelic children,” he said as he shook his head.
“Look at me, Demon,” I demanded softly as I clasped his face between my hands once he’d turned. “You got this, and you know you do. You held my babies; you helped me with my babies. You are going to do just fine.”
“I can’t believe she can walk and talk,” he huffed as his forehead wrinkled slightly, as if he was more upset that he missed out on her baby time. “Kahleena wasn’t supposed to grow; I wanted her to stay little for, well, forever,” he chuckled.
“Agreed,” I mumbled. “My kids are pretty badass, but it terrifies me that they can do so much magic already. What scares me, though, is, if they can already do as much as they can, what happens when they’re older?”
“They’ll have us,” he answered, and I frowned.
“Actually, I need your help on a few things. Secret things,” I teased with a mischievous smile. “I need the wedding news to hit every corner of this world and mine. I want it screamed from the rooftops.”
“Flower, if you scream it from the rooftops, everyone will know when it is happening.”
“Pretty much everyone already knows,” I grumbled. “There is a certain person I need to hear it. I need him here; I can’t wait for him any longer.”
“And by him you mean…?” He hesitated, eyes narrowing as he watched me.
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want to hear the answer to,” I mumbled as I turned and watched Adam enter the room.
“Is there a reason Dristan just told me that I’ll look great in a dress?” he asked, green eyes probing mine.
“I need you to be my maid of honor,” I whispered so low that I knew he hadn’t heard me. I had to do a test run, because it sounded ridiculous sliding off my tongue.
“Excuse me?” he stammered, stopping dead in his tracks as he stared at me.
“I don’t have anyone to be my maid of honor, or bridesmaids, for that matter,” I replied meaningfully. “Larissa was supposed to be my maid of honor, but she can’t be. Ciara is missing, and if I ask Darynda, a whole bunch of handmaidens will get pissy—plus if I ask them, Madisyn will get upset because of this whole shitty Caste hierarchy. Outside of those two, I don’t know the women here well enough for them to be my maid of honor, so it has to be you, Adam. You’re my best friend. There will be no dresses for you, though,” I laughed nervously.
“Synthia,” he grumbled as he watched me. “Fine, but I’m not holding anyone’s hand as I walk down the aisle, and I will be addressed as the man of honor. I’ll punch the first asshole that tries to call me the maid of honor.”
“Deal,” I laughed.
“You haven’t heard the rest,” he warned.
“No?” That couldn’t be good.
“No; Keir wants me to marry the Light Heir when we find her, so I’ll need a best man. You’re it.” He winked as he made his way to the table and looked at the book Ristan was reading. “Damn, do you even know which breed it will be?”
“No idea, and no idea what we will call it,” I admitted.
“It won’t be called a Dangel,” Ristan grumbled.
“That just sounds wrong.” I smiled, watching as he shrugged. “I wonder if it will have wings and a tail, and prove us all wrong by being perfectly flawed, just like his daddy.”
“Pray to the Gods she doesn’t,” he grated. “Demon bits and pieces have a tendency to kill easily.”
“She?” I smirked.
“Kahleena needs help; she’s outnumbered,” he replied as he stood up. “Shall we? We’re wasting daylight.” My eyes skimmed the other books he was reading. Dragon Rites by Fire, Dragon’s Territory Maps, and The Art of Kama Sutra During Pregnancy.
“Kama Sutra During Pregnancy, hmm?” I grinned and he smirked as he pushed the books into a neat pile on the thick wood table.
“Women are hornier when pregnant, and I never stop looking for ways to enhance the sexual experience of my partner.”
“Wow, look at you, honing those skills,” I giggled as he held his hand out. “Let us go invade a sex club, because there’s nothing like a little reading material before going to a pay-to-play sex club, am I right?” I snorted as he laughed.
“I have all the sex I need now, thanks.”
Ristan opened a portal for us, which opened only a few steps from the doors of the club. We made our way past the portal and it closed with a weird chuff of air behind Ristan. I smiled at the bouncer as his eyes read the words printed across my breasts.
“Do they really?” he pondered as he raised his eyes to mine.
“Of course, they do everything better,” I smirked as he nodded towards the club.
“It’s a fuck-fest in there. Might want to put this on,” he said, extending his arm to hand me a necklace.
I smirked as I remembered the fit I’d thrown when Ryder had tried to put a collar on me. “Bane, are you trying to collar me, boy?” I laughed.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Witch,” he answered softly. “Lucian is inside; he had a feeling you would be stopping by. He already sent a car for Alden. He should arrive shortly.”
“He’s intuitive, isn’t he?” I asked, smirking as I followed Ristan through the door as I examined the necklace with my powers. Once I determined that there was nothing magical about it, I went ahead and fastened it around my neck. Lucian ran a sex club, one where mostly otherworld type creatures and some humans came to find release from the everyday boring charade they lived.
“Lucian tries to anticipate and know what might be needed before it is needed,” he smirked, nodding his head towards the door. “Enter, but I must warn you, it’s anything goes tonight.”
“Just the way we like it,” I replied wickedly as I wiggled my brows at him.
Chapter Fourteen
We made our way through the packed nightclub, knowing that the moment we’d entered, all eyes had turned in our direction. Once I reached the bar, I took a seat and scanned the rowdy crowd. Humans watched the creatures, some with fear while others looked for a release that only the immortals could offer. I took in the different castes of Fae, dancing and necking with humans in the open. Lena—or should I say Kendra—was also out there, dancing to a sultry beat with a few familiar Witches from her coven. No men dared get close to her, but it could have also had something to do with Lucian watching her closely.
My eyes slowly looked over the outfit she was wearing, taking in the short skirt and fuck-me h
eels. Each move she made was calculated; each curve swayed to the sultry song as her hands slowly trailed over her hips. She stared at something in the corner—or someone. Every beat of the song increased the frenzy on the dance floor. My ear picked up the subtle compulsion in the tone, and I smirked.
“What can I get you?” a bartender from behind the bar shouted, forcing me to move my attention to him. He was younger than I’d expected, not a day over twenty-one, judging by the barely-there fuzz he was trying to grow. Glyphs pulsed beneath the skin on his arms, and looked a lot like the ones the Fae had. He wasn’t Fae, though, and I’d bet my soul that those were created from magic to imitate the Fae’s. Blue eyes held mine as I narrowed my gaze on his. He wasn’t human, but he wasn’t something I could put my finger on either. I smirked as his eyes widened as my brands appeared, pulsing beneath the surface.
“Gin and tonic,” I said, watching as his eyes remained on the brands, as if he was entranced. “Like them?” I heard Adam and Ristan’s snickers as they watched this wannabe take in real Fae royalty. Adam’s brands slithered to life; his hand touched the bar and the kid was enthralled, but the moment Adam’s eyes began to glow, the kid lost color as he figured out exactly what he was looking at.
“You’re so beautiful,” he swallowed hard and his hands shook slightly. “Take me with you.”
“Excuse me?” I sputtered.
“That escalated rather quickly,” Ristan snickered. “And what exactly would she take you with her to do?”
“I don’t care what she does. Fuck me, use me, or kill me. Make me unable to feel this pain anymore. I can’t watch her anymore. I know I deserve it, but I can’t do it anymore. She doesn’t even remember me,” he cried, wiping away a tear as we tried to figure out what his damage was.
“That’s enough, Brandon. They’re not here to save your sorry soul,” Lucian’s deep timbre pulled my gaze to where he stood behind us.
“I can’t do this for eternity!” Brandon shouted, moving away from where Lucian took a seat at the bar. “Not a moment longer,” he sobbed, and I watched as Lucian nodded and his men moved, pulling the young bartender out from behind the bar as the silver fox took his place.
“Sorry about that.” Lucian nodded to the new bartender as he poured the gin and tonic I’d asked for. “Brandon owes me his soul, so until I decide otherwise, he has to watch his former fiancée every night. She, however, doesn’t even know who he is.”
“And why does he owe you his soul?”
“Brandon sold his soul to become Fae.” Lucian’s eyes held mine as his lips curved into a smile. “Of course, I did explain that no one can become Fae unless they are born as such, but he cared little about the details, as long as he appeared to be what he wanted. High Fae—to land the girl. His girlfriend, on the other hand, sold hers to forget the pain she’d endured as a child at the hands of her father. Neither specified any details. So, here they are, in my debt. Brandon, however, broke the rules and tried to find a loophole in the deal, so he will now spend eternity watching the love of his life as she waits tables without a fucking clue as to who he is.”
“Well, okay then.” I turned and took a deep drink. “I see Kendra is here, watching you,” I smirked as I dropped the matter of the soul and glanced back at Lucian. My eyes flickered to the dance floor and then back to him. “She also doesn’t like that you’re sitting close to me.”
Midnight eyes watched me with cold detachment. This creature was dark, and yet I knew he wasn’t frozen to his core. There was something about him that made me want to hug him, and yet I knew it wouldn’t be welcomed.
“You look like heaven tonight.” His eyes moved from me to the dance floor.
“You look like hell, on the other hand,” I replied, watching as those eyes turned on me. “I’m not your friend. I won’t lie to you just to kick it,” I offered when he raised a brow to me.
“Blunt,” he laughed, drinking the aged Scotch without a thought. “American slang from a soon-to-be-Fae-Queen?”
I rolled my eyes and brought the conversation back to him. “It can’t be easy, watching her dance,” I murmured, knowing he’d hear it. “She’s watching you back, though, that’s a good sign.
“You know that how?” he smirked.
“I have tits.” I grinned. “It makes me a better judge of those who also have tits. I think she’s actually pissed that you’re so close to me.”
“You can’t know that,” he dismissed my comment with a slight flick of his hand as he turned and peered over his shoulder.
“Want to bet?” I challenged, and at his nod, I smiled. “Want to know how I know she’s watching you? That she’s not happy with my being this close to you? I’ll show you. Don’t kiss or touch me at all. Just watch her reaction as I get a little too close to you.” I slid from the chair and stood in front of him. “Spread your legs,” I whispered, watching as his piercing blue eyes observed me as if I was a snake, ready to strike. “There’s no trick here, Lucian. Nothing but showing you she’s interested in you,” I assured him. Once he’d opened his legs, I slid between them, placing my hands on his thighs as I smiled and tilted my head. He smelled divine, freshly showered, with a touch of something pure uniquely male. My lips tipped upward to a smile as I bit my lip and stared into his eyes. My hand lifted to brush his soft hair away from his ear as I placed my lips close to it. “Touch my shoulder, and watch her eyes. They’ll narrow ever so slightly as her pupils dilate with anger. Right now, her heart is racing with anger that I’m bold and that you’re allowing me to be so. Next, she’ll signal to the girls she came with to leave the dance floor so you won’t notice that she’s stopped moving.” I backed up and grinned. “She’s here to seduce and conquer; those heels are all fuck-me. That skirt is short on purpose. You may know women, but you don’t know what it’s like to love someone and not know why. Lena’s in there, and she probably doesn’t even know why it’s pissing her off.”
“She’s been here three nights in a row,” he grumbled as he turned back to the bar.
“Three nights in row…in a similar outfit?” I took another sip of my drink.
“Fuck-me heels, skirt short enough that a stiff wind would show me that perfect ass of hers,” he saluted me with his glass to emphasize his point.
“Witches do it better,” I mused and when he turned and looked at me, I frowned. “Are you sure she hasn’t set you as a target? Three nights in fuck-me heels is serious business, Lucian.” I laughed. “She’s being trained by Alden, so if I were you, I’d expect the unexpected.” I considered what Alden may be up to here.
“She comes in with her coven and tries to blend in with the others. Well, she tries to, but I don’t let the males get too close to her. You think she is here because of your uncle’s meddling in their coven?” His eyes narrowed as he watched Kendra sway to the slow song that filtered through the club.
“I think she has the same teacher I had, and I think she’s marked you. You, or someone else inside this club,” I shrugged. “I’d be careful of her, at least. Alden was the best teacher at the Guild; he would feel compelled to help her, considering everything that’s happened here.”
“You’re not what I expected you to be.” His lips tightened with a hint of a frown and he shook his head slightly. “None of you assholes are.”
“Sorry to shatter your illusion that everyone is an asshole and wants something from you,” I laughed. My eyes moved to the door as Alden entered. I exhaled and stood. “I need a quiet place to talk with my uncle, please.”
“Take my table,” he offered, and made a gesture towards a booth in the back. “It’s warded, and no one will bother you there.”
“Thank you.” I stood up and sensed Ristan and Adam moving in closer to follow me to the booth Lucian had directed me to. Once I was close to the table, I paused, turning to look at Ristan, who nodded and pulled Adam with
him to stand guard as I slid into the booth.
Once Alden approached and slid into the booth beside me, I turned and looked at him closely. He was happy here, and he looked younger, if that was possible. No frown lines marred his face, and the smile on his face was genuine.
“We need to talk, old man,” I stated bluntly. “About what lies in a warded and sealed chamber in the deepest part of the Guild,” I informed him. His head jerked up and his expression blanched almost as white as the table cloth on the table. He swallowed hard as one of the waitresses approached the table and placed Scotch in front of Alden, and a fresh gin and tonic in front of me before moving on.
“You saw the souls?” He lifted the drink up and didn’t bother sniffing it first. He downed the glass’s contents and shook his head.
“Quite a few of them,” I confirmed as I leaned towards him and lowered my voice. “And something else, something that scared the shit out of me, Alden. Tell me she isn’t who I think she is.”
“You saw her?” He winced as pain flashed across his face.
“Who is she?” There was no way he was going to deflect or get away from this conversation. “No skipping around the subject; I need to know before we start bringing kids into that Guild again.”
He tipped his head up to the ceiling, as if he was warring with how much to tell me. “She’s everything. You have no idea what you’ve done by taking control of this Guild, do you?” He dropped his head in his hands.
“No, which is why you’re going to explain to me exactly who she is,” I growled softly. “And then you’re going to explain why girls have been sacrificed to keep her in stasis. I now know why the Seattle Guild is willing to fight to obtain control of the Spokane Guild. Whatever she is, she’s powerful.”
“When I was a child at the Guild, we were taught about the Original Witches. It was a small coven that was born of Hecate’s direct line. Even now, it’s believed that their few descendants are among the most powerful Witches alive. The Original Witches, however, were dangerous alone, but together they could destroy towns, or even entire cities if they wanted to. No one bothered them, and they were among the most powerful creatures of this world that chose to live in the shadows. They were content to remain there, until news of the Witch trials made it to their ears. At first it was a whisper, and then as time moved on, they got louder. As the torture and killings became worse, the Original Witches came out of the shadows and slaughtered entire villages and towns as they made their way to Salem to find the people responsible for putting their children to death. They drove the Witch Hunters to commit suicide and created plagues that swept across the lands, killing thousands.
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