Namely Dante’s thoughts.
“We wouldn’t want that. Now you gonna tell me what you’ve been hiding from me? You’re up way too early for a man who just spent the night prior wrapped around the sweetest and sexiest woman either of us has ever had—not to mention the fact you left me there too. You wouldn’t have done that if something wasn’t on your mind. Something that was heavy enough to leave a woman alone, one who just happened to have turned into a succubus of all things.”
Dante let out a breath, knowing a small tendril of smoke escaped his nostrils. He knew that wouldn’t surprise Jace. The man had seen him as a dragon before when they’d first met and were discovering each other and finding out if they could last as a couple before they found their third, but it didn’t make him feel any better that he was worried enough to blow smoke.
Literally.
“I’ve been summoned.”
“By who? Your council?” Gone was the lazy bear; the Mediator stood in his place. Jace had been through his own forms of war since he’d been born and had been god-touched as a Meditator.
It was also because of that role that Jace would know what the Conclave was and how they differed from the council that each realm held—another reason Dante wanted to hold back.
He couldn’t though. “No, not by my council.”
Jace frowned. “By another council? Can they really summon you? You’re a dragon of the Azure House.”
Dante held back an eye roll at the mention of his Royal House. Yes, he was a prince of the dragons. Technically. No one, however, had used that title in centuries around him since he didn’t like it. Dragon society had tiers, named for the color of their scales. Most dragons were settled into their family Houses. In Dante’s family, since they were all black dragons, they were from the Obsidian House. Dante was special in that he had been born with partially blue scales, hence why he was of a different house than his blood family.
One reason he didn’t speak of them much.
Or ever.
The Azure House was one of two actual Royal Houses, and it was not based on blood, but by being god-touched. They ruled alongside the council within the realm.
At least that was what they said they did. Dante had never been part of it. He’d stayed away or at least far enough away that he didn’t have to become responsible for a realm that didn’t understand him or care about what he wanted or desired.
Dante tended to stay away from that, and again, he wasn’t summoned by the dragons.
No, this was far worse.
“Jace, it wasn’t a council that summoned me. It was the Conclave.”
Jace’s eyes went wide, and he paled, his body visibly shaking. “Oh shit. Oh shit, Dante.”
Dante went straight to his mate and cupped his face, lowering him down so they were eye-to-eye. “Breathe. It’ll be okay. It’s just a summons.” There was no such thing as just a summons, and both of them knew that. The lie, though, would calm them both down. “Not an execution order. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Technically.
He’d helped each of his friends through their own battles with the other realms, something that was not forbidden, but it was frowned upon for a dragon. Dragons were supposed to be the supernaturals that stayed out of the business of others, as it was their way.
The Conclave, however, was something far worse than any council.
They were the council above all other councils, one that not even all supernaturals knew existed. Some would call them the gods that created the realms themselves since the masses didn’t know the true breadth of the Conclave’s powers, but Dante knew differently.
The Conclave was made up of two of each realm and only the councils, Mediators, and a select few, like him, were even privy to its existence. Its role, or so it claimed, was to provide a balance between the realms and ensure the species councils acted within their realms accordingly.
Considering what Dante had seen within some of the realms like the leprechauns, djinn, and even the hell realm with Lucifer himself, he wasn’t quite sure what accordingly meant. Those who held a Conclave seat were far older than Dante and worked slow. They took each measure into consideration and decided something after each outcome was investigated and thought of to the point of death in most cases.
Dante had never cared for the Conclave—though he would never say that out loud. Each member gained new power as they rose into the ranks. The power was not only political within the realm’s council, but something that was within their blood and would be an actual power. They’d become stronger, faster, and learned a new skill that Dante still couldn’t figure out. It was something that happened within the Conclave once they were magically tied in.
He had no recourse for that.
He also had no idea why they would summon him. It might have been because he’d helped his friends, but he wasn’t sure.
“Dante,” Jace finally said, his voice ragged, the fear in the air so thick Dante could taste it. “Why would they summon you? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know. That’s why I hope it’s for something small.” Or maybe just to say hello. A dragon could dream.
“You don’t think it’s about your parents, do you? Or your brother and sister?”
Dante gave a quick shake of his head then grimaced. “I haven’t seen them in over a hundred years, and even then, it was by pure accident. I don’t think they’d do anything to warrant the Conclave’s attention.”
Jace merely raised a brow, and Dante conceded the point.
“Fine. Knowing my mother, she might do something so idiotic and barbaric it could warrant their attention, but I don’t know why they’d summon me for it.”
“You are the reasonable one of the family. And a royal. They might want your help.”
They were reaching at straws, and they both knew it. “The only way we’re going to find out is for me to go. Which I need to do now since I’ve held back long enough. I wanted to wait for you to get back to the human realm from your mission first.”
Jace’s eyes widened. “How long have you been sitting on that summons?”
“Not long,” he lied.
“Dante.”
“Three weeks.”
Four, but who was counting?
“Dante. I can smell your lie and feel it in our bond. Stop protecting me.”
Dante ran a hand through his hair then leaned into Jace’s hold. “Fine. A month. Today actually. So it’s good timing. I need to go now, and I’d rather not wake up Nadie.”
Jace narrowed his eyes. “What did you just promise her?”
Dante growled, another tendril of smoke escaping his nostril. “I tried waking her to tell her and you an hour ago, but she’s out cold. She expelled a lot of energy, and I don’t want to tell her without her being at full strength. I’m not keeping it from her. I just need to go. Now.”
“I’m going to tell her where you are then,” Jace warned, and Dante relaxed. “Which is what you wanted all along.”
Dante opened his mouth to speak then shook his head. “No, that wasn’t what I wanted. I’m strong enough to fight my own battles, but I don’t want to worry her. I also promised her I wouldn’t keep things from her.”
Jace kissed him hard, leaving him breathless and surprising him. “Be safe. You got that? You need to come back here and be our third because we just found this, and I’m not about to let you go. I will tell her. We can at least use this as something positive.” He gave a shaky smile. “This way we can talk about things and find a path that is just us.”
“You both need that. Nadie and I need it as well. You and I too.”
Jace grinned. “We will get all of that. We have time. Damn it. We better have time because the Conclave can’t have you.”
Dante closed his eyes. “I’ll come back to you, Jace.”
“And I’m telling Nadie exactly where you are and what the Conclave is. It’s her right to know since I’m a Mediator.”
Dante let out a breath then wrapped his ar
ms around Jace. “Good. Be safe, my bear, and keep our mate safe as well.”
Jace gripped the back of his head and brought him in for a kiss. “Come back to us.”
Chapter Seven
The sun beat down on Dante’s face, and the wind brushed through his hair as he walked to the clearing he’d told Nadie and Jace about the day before. Had it really been only a day since he’d shown his mates his house and welcomed them into his life and home.
He paused. No, he hadn’t shown Nadie his house.
Well, shit.
They’d made love, and then, their bodies spent, all three had passed out in a pile on his bed. Dante pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing he needed to be a better suitor if he was going to deserve Nadie’s love and bond.
Yes, he might have the bond, and he thought he might have her love, though it was still too early to tell, but he surely didn’t deserve it right now. Nadie was human, or at least had been raised as such. She deserved something more than what she was getting. He would just have to make sure she got it.
Hopefully, Jace would show her around or at least find his own way around the house. Dante had left the bear in the kitchen, declining his offer to accompany him to at least the clearing. Dante had wanted to ensure Nadie’s safety and peace of mind by having Jace there. Though there might not be an actual reason for the safety concerns, Dante was old enough to have made enemies that might want to hurt his newly bonded mates, and he wasn’t taking chances with their lives.
Jace would be able to take care of her, even though he didn’t know what he would be protecting her from.
When he got back, he would see to courting the woman he should have been courting all along. He knew now Nadie was stronger than he’d given her credit for. The blood running through her veins was a testament to that. He should have told her why he was staying away instead of hurting her.
The dragon would have to grovel.
First, he’d have to meet with the Conclave. He and Jace hadn’t said it, but they both knew that this meeting could take time that neither of them wanted to lose. The Conclave worked slow and could take him away from Nadie and Jace far longer than he wanted.
He should have woken Nadie or at least tried harder to when he could have. Yes, she had been drained and had passed out from her change, but he should have said goodbye.
He’d been too afraid of the words, and now it was too late.
For all the strength within his body, he still wasn’t strong enough to do what was good for him and his life.
He ran a hand through his hair that he’d left flowing down his back. There was no use putting it up when he was about to shift to his dragon. The Conclave met as their respective species, meaning since he was a dragon he came as a dragon. Those that were dual natured and didn’t have a dominant paranormal—like the children of two different paranormals—would come as the one the Conclave desired.
Though most of those who shifted had to take off their clothes in order to turn into their other form, dragons were different. They could bring their clothes with them during their shift because it was part of their magic. Anything that the dragon considered its personal realm would shift and disappear along with the human. Though they couldn’t hide sentient beings so even if his dragon though of his mates as its own, it couldn’t hide them away. Once the dragon shifted back to human, they would magically bring back the clothes.
Elders still weren’t exactly sure where the clothes went, other than it was a magic older than the idea of dragons themselves, so it was a common acceptance that it just…did. Also, unlike with some shifters, it didn’t hurt Dante to shift.
Dante closed his eyes and thought of his dragon. Warmth and a sweet sensation danced over his skin. He knew if he opened his eyes he’d see a bright flash of light and others would see the human no more.
In its place stood a black and blue dragon larger than most houses. There were many variations of dragons, just like there were many variations of people. Some looked like the Far East versions depicted in human writings while he and his family looked more like the dragons in Western lore. He might have different color scales than his family, but the overall shape was similar. His scales glistened under the light, and he stretched out his talons, getting ready for the flight that was to come.
He swished his tail and bowed his head. He loved his dragon form, though his family thought differently. He just happened to love his human form with equal measure. That was not to be tolerated within his blood line.
Hence, why Dante, like always, was a little different.
He lowered his snout to the envelope he’d placed in the center of the clearing and blew a small tendril of smoke over it. The writing on the front swirled, and he let out a stream of fire, igniting the words. His name on the front burned, and then, in the blink of an eye, he found himself in the foyer of an immense building he’d never entered in all his life.
He had heard of the Conclave and knew what to do with the summons, but he’d never been there before.
He prayed he would be allowed to leave.
He prayed he’d never have to come again.
The building was a large ornate structure with intricate carvings that depicted various paranormals. If he were to look around the entire thing, he guessed that every paranormal in existence would be represented. The ceiling was a gold-painted dome that, oddly enough, didn’t look ostentatious. It merely suited the grandness of the building.
Dante took a deep breath through his nose, trying to scent where he was but came up empty. He’d been to every realm there was and knew their scents. Even if the overall layers would change, the basic principles of each realm would remain the same, meaning Dante would be able to recognize it no matter what.
Since he couldn’t distinguish the scent, that meant he was in a realm he’d never been in before.
Astonishing.
Not that he wanted to spend any more time here than necessary. Oh no, he wanted to go back to Nadie and Jace as soon as he could.
Preferably now.
He inhaled again and caught the barest of scents of the others in the building. He had a feeling once he was let through the large doors—large enough to let him and his entire wingspan through—he’d be able to scent the entirety of the Conclave. There must have been a type of dampening spell on the actual room where they met.
Dante wasn’t even sure if the Conclave was made up of supernaturals who never left this realm or if they were actually supernaturals who lived within their own realms with their own hidden identities.
For all he thought he knew, he really didn’t know much.
“Dante Bell, do enter.” A disembodied voice echoed through the foyer, and Dante steeled himself. He would not act like a new shifter and show any form of fear or even awe at what he saw.
After all, he was old enough that not much surprised him.
The large doors opened of their own accord, and Dante stepped through them with his head held high. They might have summoned him, but he’d be damned if he’d let them know he had something to lose.
That was the first step in protecting those you cared about—not letting others know they were your weakness.
“I see you’ve finally answered the summons,” a djinn said from his chair.
The room was so immense that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to see everyone without his keen eyesight. From what he knew, there were around five hundred different paranormals. At least. That meant there were over a thousand leaders in this room, sitting two by two, their chairs and seating areas looking more like opera boxes than anything else. The boxes, for lack of a better word, rose up to the ceiling where the others could look down at Dante standing in the center of the room.
As a dragon, he was the largest of paranormal creatures, yet right then, he’d never felt so insignificant. So small.
“I’ve come as requested,” he said, his voice low, bland. He didn’t want to show them any inkling of where his thoughts might lie. He knew they were po
werful, but he didn’t know how powerful they were.
He’d like to be able to live to see Nadie and Jace again.
“You could have been quicker,” a merman said from his small pool within his box, his fin carelessly swishing water on the floor in front of Dante.
From the look on the merman’s face, maybe it wasn’t so careless as much as it was deliberate. He hated politics and mind games, and he’d just wandered into the Olympic version of lies and blind truths.
“I arrived as directed,” Dante said, his tone as bland as he could make it. He could swallow that merman in one gulp and use his fin to pick the bones from his teeth, but he’d hold back.
For now.
“Do you know why you’ve been summoned?” One of the two dragon Conclave members asked him.
This one was older than the other if the slight dullness of his scales were any indication. Dragons were practically immortal they were so long-lived, but even the eldest of dragons changed over time. If this dragon had been spending most of its time indoors within the Conclave, it made sense the dragon would begin to fade, to dull.
Dragons needed the air on their scales and under their wings as much as angels like Shade and Ambrose.
Dante faced the older dragon, Alexander—yes, that was his name. It had been a millennium since he’d seen the old one, but he’d never forget the power that radiated from the dragon.
“I don’t know the reason you’ve sent for me, only that I was to come. One doesn’t ignore the Conclave.”
Murmurs of agreement filled the room, but Dante ignored most of them, trying to at least get a sense of who was there and if he needed to find a way to flee. There would be no fighting for him, not when he was this outnumbered. He would fight until his last breath, but he wouldn’t win. Not here. Not now.
He still didn’t know if the Conclave was friend or foe; however, Dante wasn’t sure it mattered. They were far more powerful than he was, and even a friend in that position wouldn’t sit comfortable with him.
Dante had been correct in assuming they had more power than he, but he’d been wrong in one clear sense. At least two of the members of the conclave were far, far younger than he. One of the wizards and a fae were less than a thousand years old. No, they weren’t young men or as young as Jace even, but they weren’t as old as the others in the Conclave. If he had to guess, he figured that some of the Conclave’s ranks were beginning to shift.
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