The Enchanted: Council of Seven Shifter Romance Collection

by Juniper Hart

  But that did little to stem his impatience, particularly when he was growing restless being separated from the world. It was not enough that he was learning about change through Vaughan’s simple eyes. He needed to see the ways of the world himself.

  Every time I believe I am about to make a move, he thought, there is a new search enacted for my being. I wonder what has changed this time—or has the Council simply grown bored with their fragile peace?

  “Will you go back into hiding now?” Vaughan asked, and Helios realized there had been a long moment of silence between them. The demon scoffed angrily.

  “Where have I been for the last millennia if not in hiding?” he spat, but he knew what Vaughan was asking. He wanted to know if Helios would resort back to hiding in the sewers and abandoned subway systems, like he had before. It had been a pathetic existence, one that had only served to fuel his fury.

  “I just meant—” Vaughan began to say, but Helios held up a hand and glowered.

  “I know what you meant,” he snapped. “And the answer is no. I refuse to resort to living in the pits of the earth again.”

  “But sire, it is dangerous for you to be seen about, especially now.”

  “How much longer will I wait to avenge Carina’s unwarranted death?” he hissed. “I have remained in the shadows long enough. The time has come for my retribution, with or without that sword. I may not have the weapon, but I do have a list of those who are worthy of my wrath.”

  Vaughan was silent, his eyes trained on the ground at Helios’ feet, and the massive demon did not need to be told that the smaller being had serious reservations about his plan. To his credit, however, Vaughan kept his mouth shut, even though Helios could read his thoughts with stunning clarity.

  I am still as powerful as I ever was, the demon mused. How quickly the others forget that. I will not fade away to nothingness while they continue to exist around me.

  “No,” Helios continued, a plan formulating in his mind as he again rose to his feet and began to pace along the rotting wood of the pier. “If the Council wants a fight, then a fight I shall give them.”

  “The Council bear shifter, Theo, brought the motion forward,” Vaughan volunteered. “Would you have him dealt with?”

  “I will have them all dealt with,” Helios spat. “But he is not the first one to be found.”

  “No?” Vaughan replied, his eyes darting up curiously. “Who is then?”

  A cold, angry smile formed on Helios’ lips. How long had he bided his time? How many counts had he done of his ever-growing list of beings who were destined to pay, each generation adding a new name to the roster of enemies, whether they were aware or not?

  “Come back to the cottage,” Helios instructed. “I have a list for you.”

  “A list, sire?”

  “Of course. I will need supplies if I intend to oversee this, won’t I, Vaughan? Don’t be daft.”

  “Yes, yes, sire,” Vaughan mumbled, lowering his head again. “Anything you need.”

  Helios brushed past him and made his way up the dock toward the dilapidated cottage beyond. It had been his home for almost two hundred years, the crumbling structure disappearing among the thick of unexplored terrain in northeastern Iceland. Together, they sauntered back into the cabin, a gust of wind blowing the door closed in their wake. Vaughan inhaled sharply.

  “What?” Helios demanded, eyeing him through his peripheral vision.

  “N-nothing, sire. I just hadn’t realized how much your list had grown since I was last here.”

  A wry, proud grin formed over Helios’ mouth as he turned to look where Vaughan had feasted his gaze. The entire south wall was a chart of pictures and evidence, linked by colored yarn and interconnecting. What else could Helios do if not fixate on his plan to end those who had sent him away to rot? His chart was huge and meticulous, each detail of his enemies carefully plotted as the days, weeks, and years passed. There were dozens of beings posted, from every walk of life, but Helios had only one in mind on this particular night.

  “Where will you start, sire?” Vaughan demanded, seeming overwhelmed as his eyes raked over the chart, trying to make sense of the way his boss’ mind worked.

  “I’m glad you asked,” Helios said, striding toward the diagram and stabbing at a face not far from the center, where a hand-drawn picture of Alaric Aldwin sat. There were no actual photos of the hybrid demon in existence. He had passed well before modern photography had even begun to take its roots. Helios had drawn the picture from memory.

  “Who is that?” Vaughan asked, his eyebrows knitting, straining his myopic eyes toward the image.

  “This is the one who will first feel my wrath,” Helios chuckled. “After him, everyone else will fall into place.”

  “Who is he, sire?” Vaughan asked again.

  “He is the one who discovered aranium,” Helios replied, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone. “He is the one who forged the sword that killed my Carina.”

  “But… but sire, isn’t it dangerous to go after him? What if he continues to hold the sword? What if he has forged more swords or knows where there is more aranium?”

  Helios sneered at him, his wrath almost palpable. Vaughan was only reiterating a thought he’d had a million or more times over the last thousand years.

  “That is what I intend to find out,” Helios retorted shortly, spinning toward the scarred writing desk near the front door.

  “But sire, you are going in blind!” Vaughan insisted. “You can’t—”

  Helios whirled around, his crystalline eyes becoming an ethereal blend of reds, greens, and golds as he fixed his stare on the lower demon. Instantly, Vaughan withered, holding his arms up as if to ward Helios off. The intense stare caused him to burn, Helios was sure.

  “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” he hissed. “The time for waiting has passed. If the Council wants war, war they will get!” Once more, he turned and began to scrawl a list for Vaughan to undertake as the smaller being paced about nervously.

  “Sire…” he mumbled, but he wisely didn’t finish his thought, likely realizing the futility of voicing his concerns. He knew there was no reasoning with a demon hellbent on revenge.

  “There!” Helios declared a few moments later, producing a freshly printed piece of paper and thrusting it toward Vaughan, who took it with reluctant hands. The minion demon’s eyes grew wider and wider as he scanned the list, his mouth gaping.

  “Sire, I wouldn’t even know where to find half of this!” he protested. “Times are not what they were a thousand years ago!”

  Helios scowled, glowering. Must I walk this imbecile through everything? Ridiculous.

  “Then find something comparable for the times,” he snapped. “Must I hold your hand?”

  “No, of course not,” Vaughan answered quickly, noting that he had aroused his master’s anger. “I will see to this at once.” He hurried toward the door, likely regretting his decision to call upon his master that evening, but Helios called out to stop him in his tracks.

  “I want you back in one week’s time,” he said. “With everything on that list.”

  “I-I will do my best, sire.”

  “You will do as you are told,” Helios countered, his eyes narrowing. “And you will prepare a team.” Vaughan was aghast.

  “A team?” he echoed. “What kind of team?”

  “The kind that will not be afraid to die if necessary,” Helios snapped. “Will this be a problem?”

  “Yes,” Vaughan answered bluntly. The response surprised Helios, and he blinked.

  “Why is that?”

  “Sire… I mean this with the utmost respect, but…” Vaughan trailed off, seeking the words that wouldn’t entice Helios to metaphorically shoot the messenger.

  “Out with it, Vaughan!” Helios growled, sick of looking at the almost whimpering being.

  “Sire, no one knows who you are any longer. Once upon a time, you had followers, believers, but times have changed drastica
lly since you last showed yourself. There simply is no one to assemble.”

  The sentiment slapped Helios clearly in his face, a newfound rage boiling through his veins. First, my love is stolen from me, then my reputation? This will not go unpunished.

  “Then I suppose we will have to do something about this, won’t we?” Helios growled, casting a look back at the chart on his wall.

  “Yes, sire.” Vaughan stood uncomfortably, unsure of where to go until Helios waved him away.

  “Off you go now. We have much work to do to prepare.”

  “Yes, sire.” There was a grateful note in Vaughan’s voice, and he disappeared out of the cabin, leaving Helios alone with his thoughts.

  The infuriated demon rested his eyes on the object of his revenge, his eyes narrowing to slits. Slowly, he ambled toward the intricate chart on the wall, his tongue lolling out as if he tasted something sweet on his lips.

  And it is sweet. It’s the taste of revenge just inches away. Soon, it will be mine. Helios didn’t remind himself that he had sung the same song hundreds, if not thousands, of times over the years, but he wasn’t discouraged by the lack of action. Not yet.

  “I’m coming for you,” he murmured aloud. “I hope you’ve felt secure in the belief that I’m gone, because your life is about to be stolen from you the same way you stole mine from me.”

  A long finger stretched to touch a faded photo on the wall, outdated and taken from afar over a hundred years ago. He wondered how much different the werebear looked now. Probably not much. He hadn’t aged since he had turned twenty-seven. He was still the same handsome but smug immortal he was the day Carina had died. He may not have been there in the flesh, but he was the guiltiest of them all now that Alaric was gone.

  It wouldn’t be hard to find the bear shifter and end his life with a single bite, provided the bear didn’t carry the sword with him.

  After all these years, Helios thought, I doubt he is still looking over his shoulder. He doesn’t expect to be blindsided by a ghost of his past, which will make it all that much more delicious.

  He paused. Would that be enough? Would his death be enough to sate him?

  There was only one way to know.

  With a ruthless snatch, Helios yanked the photo from the wall, curling it savagely into his hands, and spat on it with contempt.

  “I’ll see you soon, Reyes,” he hissed. “I can’t wait to finish what you started.”

  1

  Sage looked around the cabin and reached up for the device hanging on the wall as Ricky nodded curtly, like he was giving his approval for her to go ahead.

  Thanks for your support, Sage thought with some sarcasm, but she cleared her throat before speaking into the intercom, returning Ricky’s gaze evenly.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing in Madrid in roughly fifteen minutes. At this time, we would ask you to please place your seats and tray tables in an upright position and fasten your seatbelts until the seatbelt light on the overhead display is no longer showing red. Thank you for flying with Northeastern Airlines. It has been our pleasure to serve you, and we bid you the most pleasant visit and hope you will join us again soon.”

  Sage replaced the microphone, bobbing her head at Ricky across the cabin. Instantly, the male attendant was on his feet, translating her message into Spanish.

  I really need to work on my language skills, Sage thought ruefully. One of these days, I’m going to get demoted.

  But she hadn’t been, not yet, and she knew why. She was one of the best flight attendants that Northeastern Airlines had ever seen, bilingualism aside. There were far more attributes she possessed that others did not.

  Shifting aside, she thought with mild amusement and some embarrassment. It defied reason that she’d lived as long as she had without picking up at least another tongue, especially in her line of work. And it didn’t help that her employers enabled her. One of these days, she was going to order Rosetta Stone and learn something, even if it was basic French.

  Unfortunately for her, language just wasn’t her thing. Thankfully, she was better at other things.

  It wasn’t just that Sage was stunningly beautiful, with her fiery red hair and blazing azure eyes, completed with a sensuous, curving figure. Her sunny personality and quick wit went far with even the surliest of passengers and made her in high demand on every flight.

  Living for over a hundred years, you learn a thing or two about human nature, Sage thought wryly, moving from the front of economy to make her rounds of the plane.

  She wandered through the aisles, gently instructing the passengers to right their tables and put their chairs in the proper position before claiming her own spot near the galley, fastening her own belt as the plane prepared to land. A moment later, Ricky and Tracy joined her, collapsing as if they had been shot.

  That’s not a bad assumption—some of these flights are near-death experiences.

  “This was one of the worst flights I’ve ever been on,” Tracy moaned softly, as if reading her mind. “Do you realize I had my ass grabbed three times? I thought working economy was better than business.”

  Depends on the flight, Sage thought rationally, knowing that there was really no escape for a flight attendant when it came to obnoxious clientele. She looked at Tracy sympathetically, but before she could even make a commiserating noise, Ricky interjected.

  “Can’t blame them,” he tittered in his usual chauvinistic way. “It’s a nice ass. I have to hold back myself.”

  Tracy scowled at him, and Sage added to her disapproving look. Tracy, though, had a retort prepared, like she had fully expected Ricky’s disgusting response.

  “There are other ways to express appreciation without touching,” she snapped. “Maybe tell that to your fellow countrymen while we’re here.”

  Ricky howled, unperturbed by Tracy’s annoyance, but Sage understood her pain. It had been a long flight. While she would never say it aloud, the European flights were always tough, and overseas flights were exhausting. There was, however, a light at the end of the grueling ten-hour-long tunnel: Madrid was amazing. And Sage was going to be there for four whole days.

  Below her feet, she felt the plane gracefully drop in altitude. She was looking forward to checking into the sweet Catalonia Hotel and taking a long bath before sleeping for twelve straight hours.

  It’s a bubble bath and champagne kinda night, Sage thought. Dayna will be here the day after tomorrow, and we’ll do some shopping or tour the city. It’s been a while since I’ve been here and even longer since I’ve spent any quality time with Dayna.

  Her time as a flight attendant had taught her how easy it was to lose touch with reality. Flying from place to place was a surreal experience, one that left her haunted and out of sorts on occasion. Seeing other shifters was the only thing that grounded her, reminding her where she came from. Plus, Dayna was like a sister to her and always a blast to be around.

  “What are you doing tonight, mi amor?” Ricky asked leeringly, leaning across to touch Sage’s exposed knee. Instinctively, she kicked him in the shin with a blue heeled shoe, and he yelped like a wounded puppy. Tracy snorted with laughter.

  Sage eyed Ricky with disgust. Not for the first time, she thought about what he would do if she shifted and showed him who she really was underneath the perfectly coiffed outer person she wore. The temptation was real and oftentimes overwhelming.

  “Ouch!” he whined, rubbing his knee with shock. “Why did you do that?”

  Tracy guffawed again and turned to look at the lights of Madrid as they appeared in the small windows of the exits. She knew that Sage didn’t need her help, with Ricky or anything else, but that didn’t stop her from offering her opinion on the matter.

  “Maybe because you’re a pig?” Tracy replied for Sage, who was pulling the black skirt of her uniform over her nyloned legs. She gave Tracy a grateful grin.

  Preach it, sister, she thought, ignoring Ricky’s plaintiveness. She turned to the brazen male attendan
t and sighed, rolling her eyes.

  “The next time you touch me, you’re going to be wearing your balls as anal beads,” she told him conversationally. Tracy choked with laughter, and several passengers craned their heads to see what the commotion was about. The redhead clamped a hand over her red lipstick and stared at her female counterpart, her blue eyes blazing with amusement. Ricky was not as impressed, and he folded his arms across his broad chest, scowling.

  “You bitches have no appreciation for a good man. How do you expect to find love if you reject it at every turn?” he snapped, as though he had their innermost desires all figured out. “Don’t you want someone to marry you one day? If you keep acting like feminist skanks, you’ll never land a good man.”

  Sage and Tracy chortled, tears of amusement filling their eyes. Ricky turned bright red when he realized they were mocking him.

  “No, he’s right, Trace. How can we turn away the pure and innocent love of a man who states his case with an endearment like, ‘bitches’? I think we are being too hasty. Please, Ricky, shower us with more of your amazing attributes,” Sage snickered, blinking with feigned adoration. “No, in fact, forget it, let me just drop to my knees and beg you for forgiveness right now. Can I make you a sandwich? Rub your feet?”

  “I’d rather date anal beads. They would give me more pleasure, and they don’t speak,” Tracy added. The women exchanged more genuine laughter, finally silencing Ricky once and for all.

  Sage Aubin had been a flight attendant for Northeastern Airlines for almost ten years. The employees were held to a much higher standard than any other airline in the world, enduring vigorous training and psychological assessment spanning three months prior to their first flight. Sage could not believe she had been selected from the more than thirty thousand applicants from all over the world. It had been a grueling application, but when she had landed the job, she knew she had finally found her calling.

  For over a century, Sage had found herself wandering about the earth, searching for her place in the world. It seemed to her that everyone in her pack had found their mates or settled into some career which best suited their personality, but until she’d been hired as a flight attendant, she had always felt like something was missing in her life.