Darkness Unleashed

by McKenzie Hunter

  Within a half hour, others arrived. The second arrivals were Abigail and Gideon. Gideon ruled the elves with his sister at his side. Due to antiquated and misogynistic rules, she was forbidden from ever holding the superior position, but she wasn’t going to let a little thing like that get in her way. She’d colluded, manipulated, and even orchestrated an assassination attempt on her brother so she could be the power behind the throne. Gideon had said on more than one occasion that she was to be treated with the same authority and respect he received. Her decisions were his decisions. He’d essentially handed over the reins to her.

  Her arm was wrapped around his as he escorted her into the room. They didn’t look like fraternal twins at all, and the similarities between them were unsettling. Their platinum-colored hair and brilliant, expressive violet eyes gave them a wintry appearance. They had narrow faces, high cheekbones, and delicate mouths. They were handsomely pretty, prettily handsome, or simply androgynous.

  Once hailed as the master of mischief, Gideon had settled into his more serious role quite well. With Abigail, he’d orchestrated a takeover of the Makellos, the self-proclaimed elite of the elves, without inciting a civil war. Although the Makellos were powerful, they were few in number, which had made it possible for Gideon to bring all elves under one rule. He allowed the Makellos to maintain Elysian, their residence separate from the other elves. Their ruler, Liam, had stepped down and been given a lesser role as a delegate.

  The twins promptly went to Sebastian and greeted him with a nod of respect before making their way across the room to a sofa. Sebastian and Abigail always shared a look, a hidden understanding that their collusion had given her brother his position. Abigail was to provoke a war to weaken the Makellos so Sebastian’s debt to them could be forgiven when Gideon won, which Sebastian was sure of. Even if he was unsuccessful in the war, it would cause a split among the elves and render Liam insufficient as an ally. Marcia would never have aligned herself with a fractured and weak organization, which was something Sebastian wanted. Their alliance had proven to be problematic.

  At that moment, I recognized the depth of Sebastian’s stratagem. While everyone else was playing checkers, Sebastian was playing three-dimensional chess. Before anyone realized it, he’d won the game and knocked over the board.

  Claudia, representing the fae, came in shortly after the elves. Ariel and three other members of the Creed were the last to arrive. Ariel gave Sebastian a quick nod as she surveyed the room, paying close attention to Abigail and Claudia. Finally, her attention went to Demetrius.

  “It seems everyone is here. Shall we get started?” Gavin asked.

  “Not everyone.” Sebastian kept looking at the door, and within minutes, a tallish man, his haughty face twisted into a scowl, appeared. Liam. Sebastian’s eyes were cold as he looked at him, pinning him in place. Liam didn’t have the good sense to be bothered—he stared at Sebastian defiantly.

  “Sebastian,” he simply said as if more words were beneath him.

  Sebastian greeted him in the same manner and quickly dismissed him with a bitter smile before addressing the room. “As you all may know, we have a situation.”

  “That situation being that Steven was charged with the murder of other were-animals, and the act was caught on video and is now circulating among the humans,” Demetrius interjected.

  Sebastian fixed the vampire with a hard look. “I think we’re all aware. It’s been discussed extensively with you all in private.” He went back to business without pause. “We are not reckless and will handle this situation appropriately. Our priority is the secrecy of the supernaturals and the existence of the otherworld, and we will make every effort to maintain it,” he said with unwavering confidence.

  “‘Every effort,’” Abigail said pointedly. “I’m sorry, Sebastian, but ‘every effort’ isn’t enough. I’m sure you made ‘every effort’ not to be exposed, and yet here we are, on the cusp of it. So please accept my sincerest apologies if your ‘every effort’ means nothing to us.”

  Sebastian didn’t show any surprise at her reaction and instead gave her a small smile of acknowledgment.

  “Abigail, that is enough,” Gideon said his voice his voice crisp with authority that caught his sister by surprise. She looked shocked and affronted by the stern look he’d cast her way. In her mind, she was operating a puppet government and pulling the strings. Gideon was making a rare show of authority, and Abigail didn’t like it. Their eyes locked in contention.

  Sebastian’s face clearly showed he was working hard to tame his words. “Abigail, I’ve been in this position for nearly twenty years, having taken it over when I was barely out of my teens, and as you know, my efforts tend to work. I am being forthright with everyone because I don’t want anyone to be blindsided by anything—”

  “Or you’re being upfront because we already know?” Liam interrupted in a dark, frosty voice. “You have behaved like savages for so long it was bound to catch up with you. Packs, fights for dominance, restrictions on smaller packs that don’t want to join your savage gang.” He lifted an eyebrow scornfully. “Oh, you didn’t know I was aware of that. We all are.” His hand swept dramatically over the room. “As I said before, you are all savages—animals we failed to appropriately domesticate.”

  Several beats of silence passed as everyone waited for Sebastian’s response. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and he ushered a congenial smile onto his face. “You’re right. I have restricted who can live in this area. I didn’t do it for our protection, but for yours. We started to get an influx of were-animals who couldn’t be trusted and presented a threat to those I consider allies. Let me remind you that in animal form, we are immune to your magic. It takes me and many in my pack less than ten seconds to change. Enough time for me to run at you, change, and rip your throat out.” He pulled back his lips, baring his teeth in what should have been a smile. Since he looked more wolf than man as amber flooded into his eyes, there wasn’t any pleasantness on his face. He looked hard and vicious.

  While everyone else was focused on the exchange between Liam and Sebastian, I was navigating my way through Sebastian’s spin on things. The “no unaffiliated packs” rule had been instituted after a group of rogue were-animals had attacked me. Talk about getting people to see the reality in which you want them to believe.

  Shrugging off his wolf, Sebastian presented them with one of his disarming smiles. If they hadn’t seen the predator peek through the man, it probably would have worked better. He was the Alpha, and that was all they would see. “Understand if I can do that, there are others who can as well. My packs have protected you even without your knowledge. I have an alliance with Gideon; I consider him a friend.” Sebastian was taking liberties with the word friend. He didn’t hate Gideon but hadn’t completely forgiven the former Master of Mischief. “Which means I do what I can to ensure no harm comes to him and those he protects. If I’m not mistaken, you fall under his protection, which is why I was shocked to discover you’ve been gathering an army, consulting Hunters, and have even enlisted humans to ‘contain’ the situation.”

  Gideon’s eyes widened, and he gave Liam an incensed look. Abigail didn’t look shocked at all; she was most likely aware of Liam’s machinations. Abigail’s loyalties shifted based on who could serve her agenda. I was curious about what it was this time.

  “If we are indeed contained, it seems Gideon would be without allies and vulnerable. And that army of assassins and Hunters you’re building might serve more purposes than just dealing with the were-animal situation. I hope I’m quite wrong in my speculations.” Sebastian was good—he’d planted the seed of betrayal. Gideon wouldn’t have any other option but to address it and do something about the small army Liam was assembling. For good measure, Sebastian had made it seem as though his decision to limit were-animals who weren’t part of our pack was for the good of all magic wielders. He’d just finished his game of chess, but it wasn’t clear whose board he was about to knock over.

>   “Abigail, I appreciate you informing me of this and giving me the list of recruits so I could address it. Gideon is quite fortunate to have your counsel. It’s fortuitous that the rules have changed regarding women leading the elves; I believe you will make a great successor once your brother no longer wants the role for himself.” Sebastian’s grin widened, and Abigail returned a tight smile. Liam’s face was ruddy with anger at the thought that she’d betrayed him. Whatever her plans were, Sebastian had essentially ruined them.

  Look at that. There’s the board he was looking to knock over.

  I was shocked that in less than two days, he’d been able to do this with just the information Sable had given us. Instead of attributing it to her, which wouldn’t serve any purpose, he’d made it look as though Abigail had betrayed Liam. He’d never trust her enough to consider working with her again. Ethan had the same look of innocence on his face as Sebastian had, and there wasn’t any doubt in my mind he’d known this would happen.

  “I am asking you to trust me on this. Know that I don’t want us exposed any more than you do. But for the safety of my pack, I may have to.” He went on to tell them about the Red Blood.

  “Humans thinking we exist isn’t anything new,” Demetrius drawled from his position against the wall on the opposite end of the room.

  “True, but they are different. We aren’t talking about overzealous ghost hunters. Some of the people involved are respected leaders in the community. That makes the situation more difficult. We don’t intend to expose ourselves, but things are getting complicated, and we’re covering all avenues so it won’t be a surprise to anyone if we have to.”

  Abigail, still seething from Sebastian blindsiding her, responded, “Then you can’t really expect us to believe you can protect our anonymity. What was the purpose of this meeting, to remind us of what we already know—you have violated the implied agreement and expect no consequences?” She’d abandoned any attempts of diplomacy. She wanted immediate vengeance.

  Her brother shot her a sharp, warning look that she ignored.

  “If you cannot ensure with one hundred percent certainty that you can keep us a secret, then that implied agreement that you and your pack won’t suffer some form of penalty for violating our anonymity is void,” Demetrius said, pushing off the wall. His eyes challenged Sebastian, whose patience was noticeably on the brink of snapping.

  Void? What did that mean? Would they collectively agree to kill us off, leaving any who survived nothing more than an anomaly, freaks with no indication that more existed? The thought brought images of us being hunted by the underworld to the forefront of my mind. We couldn’t guarantee with 100 percent certainty that the others in the otherworld wouldn’t be discovered—we could only do our best.

  “I must agree with Demetrius,” Abigail said. “If you cannot keep our anonymity, then we have to forbid you from coming out and”—her gaze shot in Steven’s direction—“he must deal with the consequences of his abhorrent actions alone.”

  Ethan’s hand quickly grabbed mine, working through the clench it was in. Once his fingers were linked with mine, his grip tightened, and he gave me a sideways glance. His thumb stroked my skin soothingly. Apparently, I hadn’t responded well to Abigail’s response because Sebastian had moved slightly, preparing to intervene. I never liked Abigail, and her attacking Steven wasn’t helping the situation.

  Regardless of whether she’d deliberately provoked Sebastian or held delusions of grandeur about the role the elves had in the packs’ decisions, she’d ignited his rage. Amber blanketed his eyes, and he exposed his teeth like fangs. His tongue slid over his bottom lip as if he were about to devour his prey. Abigail wasn’t easily intimidated; she was just as dangerous as Sebastian, far crueler, and quite skilled at his game of three-dimensional chess.

  Sebastian turned to Ariel. “Do you have anything you’d like to say?”

  She shrugged. “We can protect ourselves, and I hope you use discretion and do everything possible to keep us hidden. However”—she sent a stern look around the room—“if I were presented with the difficult decision of saving my own and outing the witches, I wouldn’t even give you all the courtesy of this meeting. And I see this as just that—a courtesy. As leaders, we have an obligation to protect one another, but first and foremost, we must protect our own. If outing us as witches would save one of mine, I would do it in a heartbeat. I realize I’m new, but Sebastian’s reputation speaks for itself. I have no worries, and if any of you are even considering me joining you in remedying the situation without giving him a chance to fix it—don’t. I will not have any part of it, and to be honest, I would consider it a slight against me and mine because I would do the same in his situation.” She shrugged and added, “And if I were you, I wouldn’t want me as an enemy.” She looked at Abigail, then Liam, and finally at Demetrius. Her obvious disdain for the vampire seemed to provoke him. His dark eyes languidly fell on her as a smile settled on his face.

  Abigail fixed Ariel with a death stare, eyes so sharp they stabbed into the witch, who seemed unmoved by it. Ariel held her glare for far longer than most people could. Her lips curled ever so slightly as a wave of magic permeated the air, a less than subtle display of power. Abigail seemed unimpressed, and thunder sounded in loud, boisterous crackles that preceded a torrential rain.

  Nice, a magical street fight. That’s exactly what we needed to add to the tension. The stormy weather didn’t stop until Gideon had placed a hand on his sister and given her an imperious look. Her face relaxed, her intensity fading to something more amicable.

  Abigail started to speak, but Gideon intervened. “My apologies for this display. Sebastian, you and I understand each other. Although I’m not happy with the situation, I realize this isn’t a decision you’ve come to lightly. As long as you give your best effort, know the elves are here to do our part to help.” He glared at Liam and added, “All of us.”

  Sebastian nodded in appreciation.

  “And I believe I can speak for the fae and offer our assistance to do what we can to maintain the secrecy of our world. Without reluctance, we would aid in ensuring that exposure isn’t even an option for you. Do not hesitate to ask for our assistance as needed,” Claudia added as if anyone questioned where her loyalty lay.

  I didn’t see Claudia as a fae at all. She was a Messor, more like the dark elves who could kill with a simple touch. She was the reaper or some distorted variation. Once I’d found out what she was, I’d tried to research it behind Josh’s and Ethan’s backs. Anytime I brought up what she was, they simply told me she had magic strongly associated with death. I didn’t think calling someone a purveyor of death should be done so casually. But they had known her all their lives. She wasn’t a reaper, a death wielder—she was their godmother.

  The fae’s assistance was something that could work to our advantage, but I wasn’t sure how. They had the ability to manipulate minds, but could they do it on a grand scale, like to a jury? I felt that dark, suffocating feeling that I’d devolved. But I wanted to protect our pack and, more importantly, Steven.

  “Well, it seems as though there is no need for us to discuss this further,” Demetrius concluded with reproof. He looked at Sebastian, at me, and then back at Sebastian. “As usual, you do not feel as though you are held to the same covenant as the rest of us. You are so accustomed to behaving like animals, reduced to nothing more than your primal urges and wants, that you are capricious with your promises and deny your obligations.”

  It felt odd to be chastised by someone like Demetrius, who was a slave to his own primal urges and desires and felt that very few rules, norms, and expectations of civility didn’t apply to him and the other vampires. They were narcissistic and self-indulgent beyond belief. Sebastian’s stolid expression faltered, showing incredulity at Demetrius’s hypocrisy.

  Demetrius started for the door, dismissing us all with a wave of displeasure. “This is your mess. I expect you to clean it up without mine having to deal with the
consequences of your negligence and foolishness.” He slipped out, leaving Sebastian speechless. I could see the fight in him as he restrained himself from following the vampire. He weathered the storm and dealt with the insult.

  “You all know where I stand. And contrary to what Demetrius said, I will do my best to make sure this is handled with minimal, if any, exposure for you all. We will bear the burden of this.”

  No one lingered to chat. Cole watched with interest as Gideon and Abigail departed, but then again, he did the same to everyone in the room.

  Winter, who’d been observing everything quietly from a corner of the room, finally spoke. “He has every right to be upset. It’s more than just coming out, Sebastian. We have to deal with the aftermath of being discovered.” I hadn’t seen so much worry on her face since Sebastian had nearly died from a gunshot wound. She continued, voice laden with apprehension, “It’s easy to believe that humans will be intrigued by us—and curious. But it’s not curiosity I worry about, but whether it will lead to fear. People respond poorly to fear and to anomalies.” Winter was speaking from experience. Being a were-snake, she was an anomaly even among the supernaturals. They seemed to be okay with people changing to wolves, lions, jaguars, coyotes, and all variations of mammals, but changing to a cold-blooded reptile was where they drew the line. After Winter’s first pack had failed to rid her of what they’d perceived to be a curse, they’d decided the only alternative was to kill her. Her mother had notified Sebastian, who’d gone to Egypt to retrieve her. He’d had to challenge the entire pack, leaving several dead bodies in his wake. Winter was bound to Sebastian and blindly loyal to him. He’d saved her life.

  Sebastian studied her for a while. “I will never let anything like that happen. You understand that, right?”

  “I understand you’ll do everything in your power to keep it from happening. But that can’t guarantee it won’t,” she whispered in a strained voice.