“How long will you be gone?” The way he looks at me, a little forlorn, makes me wonder if he’ll miss me.
“It’s only until tomorrow night. It’s just some really quick business.”
“Business with your lawyer?” He says, raising an eyebrow. Okay, so technically that one is a lie. “And you are sure you don’t want me to take you to the airport?”
“Thanks, but I’m looking forward to trying this thing out.” I pat the roof of the car and paste on my best smile. He surprises me by lifting me off the ground and pulling me into a hug. His arms go around me and he holds me firmly, burying his nose in the top of my head. I’m touched by the gesture and also a little uncomfortable. I glance back at the peaked roof by my window and breathe a sigh of relief that Luca isn’t still standing there.
I wave goodbye as I climb into the car and as I’m pulling out of the drive I see Rowan standing there without moving, watching me as I go.
* *
I make it to Belfast airport in record time and land in London before lunch. I decide to check in first then give myself some time to find the meeting since I refused a driver and took the underground from the airport. The Council has booked me into a super luxurious hotel in West London that’s overlooking Hyde Park. There’s a doorman in a blue suit who greets me and he’s wearing an actual top hot. Everything in the lobby of the hotel is cream and beige and looks way too expensive to touch. At the room I swipe the key card and open the door to a huge space with a separate bedroom and living area all done in the same beige and cream tones, including the heavy silk drapes. There’s a massive bathtub in the bathroom and a chandelier suspended from the ceiling and it’s all just too much for me. I’m afraid to even sit on the sheets because I don’t want to wrinkle them, so I quickly unpack then head downstairs. I find my way to the river and walk along the murky Thames. Being here reminds me of my dad and his Dickens’ novels. The taverns, the rain dampened streets, the mix of modern and old, the sounds and smells of the city. I think of all the pictures I’ve seen before of Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey and I wish I had more time to explore. Part of me still can’t wrap my head around the fact that my parents own property in Britain - correction — that I own property in Britain. I guess it was their way of keeping me distanced from it all but a lot of good that did in the end. Niall was more than a little apprehensive about letting me come on my own to the ‘Big Smoke’ as he called it. “But you’re only sixteen!” He protested the night before I left. “Almost seventeen.” I countered lamely, knowing that my birthday was still months away. The reality is that we still don’t know what we are to each other. Niall is not my guardian, Ex Nihilo is, but I know that he feels a sense of moral obligation. I smile as I remember his caution to me. “Stay away from lads. And beer. And lads with beer.” Truth be told now that I’m here on my own I’m more anxious than I thought I would be. Even though I thought I’ve been alone since my parents died when I look back at the last few months there’s always been someone there with me. Niall and Rowan, Nissa and Cai, Lucinda… Luca. It’s barely been a day and I already miss him like crazy. I pass a row of second-hand boutiques and in the window of one store is a vintage Ramones concert t-shirt that immediately makes me think of Rowan. I know that he’d love it so I take out my newly minted credit card and duck into the shop.
* *
Later on the sky reflects back a burnt umber color as the sun dips under the Eye of London Ferris wheel. I’m on my way to the Council meeting that is taking place in a secret location near the tower bridge. I check my phone for the directions I’ve been sent as I head toward the tube station. The directions are strange - they only take me as far as the bridge but I have no idea where to go once I’m there. I exit at London Bridge station and walk toward my destination. On the way I find shops and cafes surrounding the famous landmark that are alight with music and conversation but no meeting place. When I reach the bridge I have the option of heading up the walkway to the tourist exhibition but my gut tells me that wouldn’t be an ideal meeting location for a covert group of supernaturals. The bridge deck is packed with cars and buses traveling back and forth. I walk in one direction then switch and head the other way helplessly. My phone pings with a new text and I glance down at the message on the screen.
It’s a shrouding spell. Try looking harder princess.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes to calm my frustration, flopping down on to the bench beside me. When I open my eyes again I see it - fuzzy at first then coming into focus like the viewfinder on a camera. Suspended directly under the bridge right smack in the middle is a modern, rectangular one-story building with a slate gray facade and floor to ceiling glass windows. I walk along the pedestrian path to the middle of the bridge and look around. There has to be an entry point somewhere. I focus my eyes again and take another deep breath and when I open them an elevator made entirely of glass appears before me. There is no button to push but the doors slide open so I step in and wait. Seconds later the doors close and the elevator drops down, taking my stomach with it. The doors re-open, revealing a long, white marble hall. I walk down the hall, conscious that my heels are clicking noisily on the floor. I smooth out the front of my pencil skirt and try to forget that the whole outfit makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know what possessed me but I bought a fitted charcoal suit and white camisole to wear with matching charcoal heels. I’ve pulled my hair back into a French twist that I thought looked sophisticated but now I just feel like a kid who’s raided her mothers’ closet. I sigh, stopping at the end of the hall in front of a sleek black door that doesn’t seem to have a handle. A robotic voice comes over the loudspeaker.
“Place your hand palm down on the console to your left.” I step forward and place my hand on the smooth console. “Lily Hughes. Fairy. Daughter of Alura and Ayfred Hughes. Deceased. Access granted.” The door glides open and I’m standing in a cavernous white marble hall. Theatre-style seating runs around the room in a circle and looks down upon a massive black granite podium. At the podium is a man with gelled back sandy blond hair and piercing green eyes.
“Miss Hughes, it’s so good of you to finally join us.” His voice drips with sarcasm as the room falls silent and I assume that this is Kennedy’s father. While I know that he’s been filling in for me as a Locum while I am in-training I’m not at all prepared for the open hostility I see in his eyes. And though he may be incredibly handsome there is an ugliness that lurks behind his eyes and in the forced tilt of his smile.
“I had some trouble finding the place.” I say lightly.
“It’s not surprising. Given your… limitations.” He says with mock-sadness and I bristle. “Enough.” A deep voice shouts, startling me. When he steps into my view I can tell immediately that he is a werewolf from his cool amber eyes that are rimmed with pale yellow. He has deliberately messy hair which is sticking up in every direction and he’s wearing a professor-style jacket complete with the elbow pads. He smiles at me, a warm and genuine smile revealing teeth that are blindingly white against his dark skin. He looks like he’s in his mid-twenties and he’s cute in a bookish and unassuming kind of way.
“Welcome, Lily. I am so pleased to finally meet you. My name is Mohan Sarai.” He shakes my hand formally and I detect an Indian accent. He leads me over to a seat and I try and shuffle into it as gracefully as possible which proves difficult in the tight skirt that I’m wearing. “I will make the introductions.” Mohan says with authority shooting a don’t-even-think-about-challenging-me look at Kennedy’s father. “You’ve already heard from Rossum Quinn, temporary leader of the Faye.” I notice the emphasis he puts on temporary and so must Rossum who frowns. “To your left we have Zander, leader of the witches.” Zander sits stoically in his seat. Only the whites of his eyes are visible and he has beautiful chocolate brown skin and closely cropped white hair. He nods his head at me ever-so-slightly. “Last name?” I whisper to Mohan who has remained by my side. “No last name. Like Cher. Or Pink.” He
whispers back, his eyes lighting up proudly at his pop culture association. “And across the room we have Alan Martinez, leader of the vampires.” “Alan.” I repeat, and even though I’ve heard his name before I have to stifle a giggle. It seems like such a boring name for a vampire leader. “Alan.” Mohan repeats, drawing out the second ‘A’ very deliberately and Alan nods like he’s pleased. So this is the man that is supposed to be my arch nemesis. Of course he has to be a Javier Bardem lookalike with a five o-clock shadow and silky dark hair; the only imperfection marring his beautiful face a long scar straight down his cheek.
“Encantada.” He purrs and his voice is both rough and seductive.
“And last but not least we have our troll leader, Zaros, who I believe you’ve already met.” Zaros gives me a sheepish wave but I’m too shocked to wave back. I can’t believe that he’s here. “While you may have run into Zaros before few know that he is also leader of his race. His leadership philosophy is integration and he spends a great deal of time at Ex Nihilo and its sister schools trying to better understand the needs of his people.” Mohan smiles widely.
“Let them eat cake I say.” Zander says dismissively, blinking his all-white eyes at me. I look around the room again thinking that it’s like the United Nations on hallucinogenic drugs.
“We don’t have a moderator or a speaker but we do have a Council Chairperson which your mother served as, and we have yet to replace. We make decisions as a group efficiently and unilaterally and we put everything to a vote.”
“Yes, and we have been waiting for some time for yours.” Alan says smoothly.
“Well I won’t make you wait any longer. I’m here to listen to what you have to say.” I say with as much confidence as I can muster and Alan continues.
“The time for hiding in the shadows as mythical night creatures and freaks is no more. This Council has been shortsighted. We are powerful, intelligent and organized and there is no reason to pander to humans any longer. The only question remaining is why we have done it for so long?”
“Do humans know about us?” I interrupt.
“Some do, like those in positions of power who built this meeting place for us.” Mohan clarifies.
“And what are you proposing exactly?” I urge Alan to continue, ignoring the dirty looks Rossum is shooting me. I’m not surprised to find that he’s so much like his daughter. I guess the apple really doesn’t fall that far from the tree. Alan’s lips curl into a grin that I can only describe as frightening.
“I propose that we take back what is ours. Reveal our true powers and take our place as rightful leaders. Feed freely, practice freely, live freely.”
“You want to come out of the closet?” I add and Zaros snorts.
“I don’t believe I understand the reference?” Alan scowls.
“Well, you would Alan if you took your head out of your ass and actually got to know the world you’re living in now. My vote remains unchanged. You will lose.” Zaros says passionately.
“Zaros is right, Alan. In doing what you seek to do we will lose the advantage of discretion. Right now we remain under the radar. We are free to feed and practice and live as we see fit without interference. I am with Zaros.” Mohan affirms.
“You side with him because you are both weak and because you are afraid of these bags of flesh who live and die by our watches.”
“I am not afraid. I am a realist.” Mohan counters. “There are billions of humans on the planet and while they may be fragile their weaponry and brute force are not. The world has changed Alan, and to them we will be nothing more than terrorists out to change their way of life. And while we may have some advantages our losses will be greater than the sum of our powers. Peaceful, unaware coexistence is the only way.” A heavy silence fills the air before all of the glasses on the tables in front of us start to shake. They implode and shatter simultaneously, flooding the tables with pools of water that drip on to the marble floor.
“Not necessary, Zander.” Mohan says with distaste.
“Living with humans is not necessary when dominating them seems like much more fun. I side with Alan.” He says without the slightest inflection of emotion.
“As you can see princess, we are at an impasse.” Zaros says dryly.
“Let me tip the vote then.” I put on my most authoritative voice. “I know I’m not what you expected and probably not who you want but I’m ready to take my rightful place on the Council and I do not take this responsibility lightly. I want this. I want to carry on the legacy and to represent my people fairly and honesty. I am committed and I have come a long way in a short time and I will continue my training and studies full force to develop my abilities.” Rossum snorts and Mohan shoots him a look. “My vote is no. From everything I have seen in my time at Ex Nihilo coexistence has served us well and will continue to do so.”
“But you are biased!” Rossum yells. “You have lived among humans for longer than you’ve known your true self which makes you unfit for service. Are we really going to listen to a child?” Rossum's face has turned bright red and his hands are balled into fists. “Be mindful of who you are speaking to Rossum. She is the heir of the fairy throne and what you are saying borders on blasphemy.” Mohan gives him another measured look and Rossum snaps his mouth shut.
“It is true that I may not know all of your customs and ways yet but I know my parents and I know what they would have wanted. My mother was a woman of integrity and she believed in doing what was right even if it meant putting that above yourself. My answer is still no and I will take my seat, unless all of you can tell give me some reason why I cannot?” I survey the room, the challenge in my voice clear. The Council has gone quiet. I have them on a technicality and they know it. Professor Winters made sure that there’s nothing in any of the doctrine preventing me from ascending to the throne as long as I can prove that I am of sound mind and judgment.
“I think that we’ve said everything that we came here to say and Alan, your motion is denied. Let’s reconvene next month and hopefully by then we will have moved on to more relevant matters, lest our people think that we have lost our edge.” Mohan steps to the podium to adjourn.
“We lost our edge a long time ago. This isn’t over.” Alan stands abruptly and heads toward the door.
“I now call the 10,095 Council meeting to a close.” I gape at the number he spouts off and Mohan shrugs apologetically. “That’s when we started documenting at least.” I wait until the last Council member leaves before getting up from my seat and making my way to the door. As the glass elevator deposits me back on to the famous bridge I think to myself that it went better than I expected. Now I have to spend the rest of the night in an unfamiliar city before my morning flight home. I lose the suit jacket, stuffing it in my shoulder bag, and switch my heels for flip flops. I take the tube back to the hotel and decide to stop in the lobby bar for something to eat before I head to the room. I don’t see a sign that says no minors so I take a table by the window. The bar is all red velvet couches and crystal chandeliers with a stone hearth dominating the centre of the room. I pluck the index card sized menu from its holder and survey the selection. Chicken wings, something called bangers and mash which does not even sound remotely appetizing, beef pot pie, a plowman’s plate. I’m frowning at the menu when a voice interrupts.
“Nothing vegetarian I take it?”
“What are you doing here?” I yelp as he slides into the chair across from me.
“I heard they had a fine late night menu.”
“I mean in London, Luca!”
“I’ve been here the entire time. Someone has to keep an eye on you.” He sounds so smug that I want to lean over and simultaneously slap him and kiss him.
“I don’t need a babysitter.” I say tersely.
“I know that, Lily, but someone or something is trying to kill you and I am going to make sure that doesn’t happen. Now get up because there’s nothing you can eat here.” He stands and holds out his hand which I stare at s
uspiciously. He’s right of course. I’m starving and there’s nothing on the menu I can stomach so I let the bossiness slide and take his hand.
* *
There are no seats in the Japanese restaurant we are at in Soho; only cushions on the floor. It’s small and cozy and off the beaten path and the agedashi tofu and avocado roll are to die for. We have a table for two at the back with its own privacy screen and I’m sitting on the floor cross-legged and shoeless, my flip flops piled on top of Luca’s expensive looking leather boots to the side. Prada. Of course, I roll my eyes.
“This place is amazing.” I say as I pop another piece of sushi into my mouth. “Sushi is my absolute favorite.”
“I know.” He says.
“How do you know?”
“Let’s just say I’m very good at finding things out about people.”
“What you mean is that you’d make a great stalker.” I tease.
“Would I now?” His mouth hitches up into a sensual smile that makes my stomach flip. He’s not eating of course and it’s a little weird having him watch me while he just sits there.
“Can you eat?” I ask.
“I can if I have to.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Can you eat dirt?” He asks me and I nod.
“Would you?”
“Point taken, but vampire or not you are missing out!” I wave the last piece of fried tofu in front of him and his face scrunches up.
“If I wanted to eat human food I imagine it wouldn’t be something like that. A steak perhaps.”
I shrug and drain the rest of my jasmine tea as he slides around the table to sit next to me. The next thing I know he is nibbling on my ear and trailing kisses along my jaw and I can feel my pulse throbbing in all of the places his mouth touches.
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