Fierce Enchantment

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Not even for a Conclave that thought they owned his soul.

  “What do you need me to do?” Faith asked, her face pale.

  He didn’t blame her, considering the Conclave had not only started her new course in life with the lightning strike but were also the ones who had tried to kill her friends on the battlefield. It might not have been everyone on the Conclave, and it sure hadn’t been him, but he still represented the group who had irrevocably altered her life.

  “I’ll take you home on my way to the Conclave,” Levi said. “I’m sorry our day ended the way it did.”

  She gave him a small smile then shook her head. “It’s okay. But you’ll be safe, won’t you?” Faith asked. Faith She looked down at Arya and winced.

  “Arya, honey, will you go and sit with Juliana?” he asked. She lifted her arms, and he picked her up, kissing her cheek. “I’ll be back home. I promise, Arya darling. I promise.” His little girl sniffed then hugged him tighter before allowing him to set her down.

  Then, she did the most astonishing thing. She turned to Faith and hugged her legs before running off toward the stairs.

  He blinked at Faith, who stood staring wide-eyed at him. “I…I don’t think I’ve ever seen her hug a stranger,” he said dumbstruck.

  “That…I…well…has she spoken?” Faith asked, apparently ignoring what had happened. He didn’t blame her since he didn’t understand it himself.

  He shook his head. “Not since I left.” The roaring came back, and he staggered toward Faith. She caught him then cupped his face.

  “Call your parents and get me home. You need to take care of whatever you need to with the Conclave.” She took a deep breath. “I know you’re not one of the members who are going batshit crazy, but it’s still hard to think you’re one of them.”

  He nodded then winced, his head aching. “We can talk about it when I get back.”

  “We have a lot to talk about when you get back it seems,” she said, her hands on his arms, not holding him up anymore but still keeping him steady.

  Odd that her touch would do that when part of him wanted to push her against the wall and take her as his. He shoved that part down though, knowing it wasn’t the time. He also had a feeling she didn’t think him capable of doing that. He might act the calm and cool wizard, but inside, his veins flowed with the fire of a man who wanted the woman in front of him. He had a feeling he’d surprise her when he took her to bed, or on the floor, or a nearby table.

  He cleared his throat then took a step back, pointedly ignoring the lead pipe in his pants.

  “This isn’t over,” he said, his voice more of a growl.

  She raised a brow. “I figured. But one step at a time. Okay?”

  “Of course.” One step at a time. That’s the only way they could move forward. But where they were going? That he didn’t know.

  Yet.

  By the time his parents arrived to watch their grandchildren, Levi felt as if his head was going to explode. To expedite matters, Faith stood on the back porch and waited for him to open a portal to her home from there. Neither of them had wanted to deal with the meeting of the parents right then. Of course, he knew Juliana would mention Faith to them as soon as he was gone, so he was going to have to explain at some point. He just hoped they understood that he wasn’t going to be doing what he’d always done and follow the path of the wizards.

  That was one more hurdle he’d have to eventually jump over as soon as he could.

  For the moment, though, he had the Conclave to worry about. Faith was correct in thinking that some of the Conclave members were batshit crazy.

  The Conclave was old. Older than most civilizations. When they had demanded that Dante leave his mates and join them or risk his life and the lives of those he loved, the Conclave had fractured in two. People took sides, and a battle had been fought. Most of the crazies had died, the battle having taken its toll on those who wanted to revert to the old ways. The old ways being that only the pure and mighty would rule and live while those with mixed blood were to be eradicated or studied. The Conclave as a whole ruled with an iron fist behind the curtain. Those in charge forced the other members to leave their families and lives behind to train in the ways of the most powerful. Levi himself had learned more magic in a year than he had in all the centuries he’d been alive. Yet he’d been forced into taking the position, so the resentment, he feared, would always be there.

  Now, after a year of peace because the Conclave had been so silent, he knew they, as a whole, would have to rebuild what they had been before the battle where they’d broken up into two factions—those who wanted peace and a future that wasn’t governed by fear and those who wanted to continue absolute control. Or the Conclave would have to move on and find a way to help their people without utterly controlling them from within the shadows.

  He wasn’t sure what they, as a people, would ultimately decide. Not everyone who had favored the death of those who went against them had perished in the battle. Not everyone had even fought or taken sides, now that he thought about it. Some had been silent, waiting to see who remained on top once the ashes settled. Now would be the time to see the truth in the men before him, rather than the lies that had been told in order to protect themselves.

  He stepped into the Conclave realm, his head finally feeling as though he could think again. The Conclave was comprised of two of each type of paranormal in existence. They met as often as needed and ruled on matters that would change the face of the earth. Levi always found it odd that the humans never had a representative there since they were the ones who were usually the most affected by the decisions made here. However, because their life spans were so short and most of them didn’t know about the existence of others beyond what they could see, humans would never be part of the Conclave.

  Levi strode through the large doors into the opulent meeting area where the members were gathering. In the past year, each of the different species had been charged with finding replacements for those who had perished. However, it would be the decision of the Conclave as a whole whether or not those replacements would be accepted. Then, if things went by tradition, that new member would be plucked out of their life and forced to train for decades or centuries, depending on the type of supernatural they were. If things went the way Levi wanted them, then there might be a change in that.

  When he looked up at the dragon area, he had to force himself not to smile.

  It seemed that there would be a change.

  Dante, the dragon who had helped save and alter the world, stood in his dragon form, his black and blue scales glittering under the lights. He had been picked before the battle to take over for the deceased former dragon member. In the past, Dante would have been forced to leave Nadie and Jace. From the way Dante stood here now, it seemed that this policy would be changing.

  At least that’s what Dante probably understood. Levi would do everything in his power to make that happen. Not only for Dante, but also for himself. He refused to leave his girls and now Faith.

  Things were changing, and Levi would be right there, ensuring it happened for the good of their people.

  “It’s about time you showed up,” Tristan, his best friend and fae, said as Levi came forward.

  “I’m not the last to show up. I had a few things to do,” Levi said. He nodded at Dante, who nodded back.

  “Like a certain lightning-struck female?”

  Levi punched his friend hard in the shoulder. “Watch your mouth.”

  Tristan grinned, his eyes sparking. Literally. “You don’t look too happy, so you must not have completed the mating.”

  Levi shook his head. “She just woke up, Tristan. You know that. And I don’t want to talk about that here. Okay?”

  Tristan nodded, his smile fading. “Understood. So, you think the Conclave is going to reform? Or are they going to do what they always do?”

  Levi closed his eyes and prayed for his friend. The man was standing in the middle of the Concla
ve meeting room, talking in a normal tone. It was as though he wanted to die tonight.

  “Tristan,” he sighed.

  “Levi,” Tristan mocked, though his eyes were on the people around them. Levi followed his friend’s gaze, taking in those who were new and hadn’t been formally accepted yet.

  Things were changing, and Levi knew he needed to help them change the right way. Or, rather, the way that would lead to less death and pain. He didn’t want to be one of the leaders. He wanted to be able to live his life, and he had a feeling he might need to leave in order for that to happen.

  “Are we all here?” an angel asked from his perch.

  “It seems so,” a mermaid replied from her pool of water.

  “Let us begin then,” Levi said, his voice low.

  “We will need to vet the new members before we truly begin,” Tristan put in, his eyes narrowed.

  Dante raised his head. “Before we do that, we must discuss the rule of seclusion.”

  “I move we abolish that,” Levi said, surprising himself. He hadn’t meant to blurt that out, but it seemed he couldn’t help himself. He was normally more collected than that.

  “Seconded,” the mermaid said.

  He would have thought Tristan would be the one to second the motion, but Levi was glad it was someone else. That way, no one could think Levi was the one pulling all the strings. He wasn’t—far from it—but he needed to make sure others saw that as well. “It’s time we ruled and remain who we were before we joined.”

  “Agreed,” the brownie said, her voice soft. “We’ve spent so many years working toward absolute seclusion and power that we’ve lost sight of our true purpose.”

  “And what purpose is that?” a demon spat. “I thought we were here to rule.”

  “We are here to guide and care for our brethren,” the angel said, the contempt in his voice for the demon clear.

  “By allowing the Rule of Seclusion to remain in place for so long, we’ve lost those who would have bettered us,” Levi said, holding back the anger in his voice. “We’ve spent so many years wasting our time on controlling those who join us, rather than working on how to better serve our people. We need to focus on what we were made to be, not who we have become.”

  “All those for ending the rule of seclusion, say aye,” the angel said.

  A large number of them said aye, their voices mingling into a voice of change.

  “All opposed.”

  Only a few said nay, surprising Levi.

  “The ayes have it,” Levi said, trying not to sound too thrilled at the change. “The rule of seclusion is abolished. Those who join us will not be forced to leave their families to train for the Conclave.”

  With that, the wheels of change were set in motion. Levi only prayed that the change would help their people, rather than bury them. Thousands upon thousands of years of working one way would not alter overnight, but Levi saw the way some of the others had embraced the youth of those who were new members of the Conclave, Levi being one of those youth. He was far younger than most of the members here.

  He’d keep his eye on those who had been against the motion, knowing things were far from over. This was only one step of the plan, and there were things coming up that would be deadly for those he loved and cared about.

  He only prayed that they, as a people, would be strong enough to fight against it.

  If they weren’t, then the battle where Faith had almost lost her life, and had changed his at the same time, would be a small fire compared to the blaze of hatred and agony to come.

  Chapter Seven

  There were times for tequila, but sadly, now was not one of them. Instead, Faith sipped her coffee, wishing it was something just a tad stronger. Levi had dropped her off at her home, brushing her cheek with his knuckles before leaving her alone. She’d felt an odd pang when he left but did her best to ignore it. It wasn’t as if she was in her right mind at the moment. In fact, she’d never felt more out of her right mind, and that was saying something, considering most people thought she was just a tad off her rocker most days as it was.

  Levi had mentioned that he’d be back to add wards to her home but couldn’t right then since he was in pain from ignoring the Conclave’s call for as long as he had. It wasn’t as if there was anyone out to hurt her anymore, but she knew the value of caution when it came to the safety of those she cared for. She wasn’t an idiot. She lived in a world of magic and power now and needed to find a way to protect herself since she couldn’t do it the same way any longer.

  She’d learned to protect herself in the only way she knew how when the world went to shit long before she found out the world was much bigger than she thought. Now, though, she’d need to use other methods to take care of things herself if she wanted to be able to be as independent as possible. Her knives only worked on some things, and she wasn’t fast enough or strong enough to defend against those who might be out to kill her because of the blood in her veins.

  She could barely remember thinking differently—as in thinking like a human—or at least thinking like a human in a human-only world. She almost wished for that time again but knew it would make her want tequila only that much more. Instead, she sipped more coffee and waited for Amara to arrive. It was dinnertime, but Faith wasn’t hungry. She only wanted booze or coffee and the chance to process what had happened. She’d called Amara over so she could talk to her friend, rather than talk to her reflection in the mirror like the crazy person people thought she was. She could have called over any one of her friends, but Amara had been the one who took care of her the most when she was in her coma. Most of the other women had their own lives with their new mates and babies. Faith didn’t want to pull them away from that, nor did she really want to look at their happiness directly and start to feel that odd kernel of jealousy she had no right feeling. She also didn’t call Eliana over because, like Faith, Eliana’s temper got the best of her, and she didn’t want to have to try to explain why Levi hadn’t mentioned his daughters and his ex-wife. Faith needed to talk it out rationally, and Eliana would only yell and want to kick his ass—one of the reactions Faith experienced at first. Instead, Amara would be a softer sounding board since she was the opposite of Faith—calm, rational, and sweet.

  And didn’t that make Faith the perfect catch for a man like Levi?

  Not that she wanted Levi.

  She threw back the rest of her lukewarm coffee and considered the tequila once more. Drinking could help the situation, right? The little devil on her shoulder nodded in agreement, dancing around and wiggling its little ass. The angel on her other shoulder was too busy polishing its rusty halo to even acknowledge her.

  Bitch.

  This was why she needed Amara.

  She closed her eyes, her head aching—another reason for no tequila. Her body had been hurting off and on since Levi left her, and she didn’t understand it. A stray memory of what had happened to her friends flittered through her mind, and she pushed it away. It couldn’t be that. She was in a different situation entirely. She let out a breath, and the headache went away as quickly as it had come.

  Faith’s phone beeped, and she looked at the incoming text.

  I’m here.

  She crossed her eyes then went to open the door for her friend. “Really? You had to text that?”

  Amara shrugged then smiled, tossing her auburn hair over her shoulder. “I didn’t know if Levi was here or not, and I didn’t want to interrupt…things.”

  Faith growled and grabbed the takeout from Amara’s hands. “Shut up. He’s not here. He had Conclave business. Which you knew.”

  Amara just smiled and followed Faith into the living room. “I didn’t know when he was leaving. For all I knew, he said fuck it and decided to fuck you instead.”

  Faith choked on the pork dumpling she’d stolen and tried to breathe. “Holy hell, Amara.”

  Her friend just winked then walked into the kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers as though she lived there
. Considering all of Faith’s friends pretty much felt that way when it came to each other’s homes, she didn’t blame her.

  “First, use a plate or a napkin for God’s sake, Faith. You’re not a heathen.” She came back with two bottles of water, plates, and Faith’s special metal chopsticks and wide-mouth spoons. Faith loved all forms of Asian food, hence the necessities. “Second, it’s okay if you want to sleep with him, honey. He’s hot. And he risked his life for you.”

  Faith narrowed her eyes and began dumping honey-garlic chicken and Mongolian beef onto her plate. “I’m not going to sleep with Levi because he risked his life for me. If that was the case, I’d have to sleep with Shade, Ambrose, Balin, Dante, and many other men who fought with me.”

  Amara nibbled on shrimp lo mien and shrugged. “Okay, so I see the dilemma there, and what I said came out wrong, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sleep with him. He’s your mate after all. Your true half.” Something like sadness passed over Amara’s eyes, but her friend blinked it away.

  Faith wanted to ask what the matter was, but she had a feeling now wasn’t the time. She’d file it for later and make sure Amara was okay. The woman had been through hell in the past year with her work but wouldn’t talk to Faith about it.

  Soon though. There were only so many ways to avoid a subject. Much like Faith was trying to avoid the subject she’d asked Amara over to discuss in the first place.

  “That’s the problem, Amara,” Faith finally said, her voice much softer than she’d given herself credit for. “I’m not into this whole destiny and soul mate thing. I’m sure it works for the other girls, but it won’t work for me. Before Nadie found Dante and Jace, I’d told everyone I was giving up men, and that’s how it should be. I suck at relationships.”

  Amara shook her head. “You don’t suck at relationships. You just suck at picking a man out.”

  Faith snorted then munched on a crab rangoon. Amara had brought over enough food to feed eight people. Or Dante and Jace. At least she’d have leftovers for when she didn’t want to cook. Which was most days.