Everything slowly droned out, and they continued to put the cuffs on me and tell me that I was being arrested for Clive’s and Daniel’s murders.
He guided me out the door, his partner still standing in front of Kalen, who wore a look of anger and confusion. The moment I was out the door, the officer grabbed the chain of the cuffs and pulled me into him, his voice deep and thunderous.
“You may have killed our founder, but you will not destroy Humans First.”
It was early, and with the exception of our neighbor, a witch, who opened several hours after us, the bookstore, and the small café just a few doors down, the rest of the area was all residential and no other activity was going on in the neighborhood. Most people had left for work, which was a good thing so the neighbors didn’t see this. Humans—I could get away from them. My mind cycled through all the spells I’d memorized from the book Blu had loaned me, and there wasn’t one that could remove cuffs. Obviously they weren’t privy to the same information as Clive, because they’d put me in regular steel handcuffs without sigils or iridium—I still had access to magic. But did I want them to know what I was and that I possessed magic? That would make it worse, and they still had guns. The other officer had his trained on me, just waiting for a reason.
Fuck.
They shoved me into the backseat. I expected them to call someone to tell them they’d apprehended me or something of the sort, as they had done when I was arrested before. But they didn’t. They started to pull off when an SG sedan darted out in front of them, blocking them; a blue SUV boxed them in from the rear. As soon as the SUV drove up, the door opened and Gareth got out, walked to the driver’s side of the car, and tapped on the window.
When the officer let down the car window, Gareth had a forced smile on his face, as if he was trying not to expose fangs. As he looked at them with a stern gaze, his voice was low and brusque. “Hello, Officers, I suppose you didn’t get the memo.”
“We got the memo. But this is in our jurisdiction. We handle human laws, and although our captain seems to ask how high whenever you say jump, that is not how things are going to go here. You all may have let her get away with murder before; we will not.”
Gareth’s smile quickly turned into a frown as he realized diplomacy wasn’t going to work with these officers. “She was released because she wasn’t guilty. I do think it’s a conflict of interest for you to deal with this case as a member of Humans First, don’t you, Nick? And since I gave your commanding officer enough evidence to prove she didn’t do it, this is an unlawful arrest and I want her released.”
“And what is that evidence? I would like to see it.”
“And you are welcome to. I strongly advise you go to your commanding officer and ask him to let you review it. That’s more than appropriate. Release her.”
They were slow to move.
“I only plan to ask you once before this becomes a problem. You don’t want to be one of my problems.” And this time, Gareth did bare his teeth and gave them a glimpse of the predator that lurked behind the shifter ring. The blond still hadn’t moved, but his partner jumped out of the car and opened the door for me. He was more gentle as he removed the cuffs with Gareth standing over him.
When he got back in the car, the blond said, “I hope you are right about this preponderance of evidence you have that exonerates her. Because I’d hate to be you if you’re wrong.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Once the officers had left, I asked, “What evidence do you have to prove that I didn’t do it?”
His lips kinked into a half-smile and then he chuckled. “Not a goddamn thing. I don’t think I have any favors left; I’ve used them all on this request. I think we need to meet with the Council sooner rather than later.”
I looked at the door where Kalen was standing watching us. “Okay. But give me a few minutes.” And I jogged up to the house and guided Kalen into it.
“We need to talk,” I said in a low, grave voice.
He nodded slowly and took a seat in the sitting room, dropping into a chair and relaxing back as he waited for me to talk. This conversation wasn’t happening anywhere near the way I had anticipated and practiced. And it wasn’t something you just blurted out.
“You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” he asked.
“More than you can imagine.” I started to pace, which only made him more nervous. “Remember when we came to you to find out more information about the Legacy and Vertu?”
His expression immediately changed. He tensed and sat up taller. “Yes. Why, have you found one?”
I nodded. Leaning forward, he rested his arms on his elbows, genuine concern marking his face. Perhaps assuming that they existed and having eyewitness accounts of their existence were two different things. He was content to know that the boogeyman existed but didn’t want to know that there was the potential of it being up close and personal. The spark of anger that flittered along his mouth and eyes wasn’t going to make this less painful. Legacy made him uneasy, and rightfully so—we made everyone uneasy.
“When we retrieved the Necro-spear, there was one involved. He was trying to do the Cleanse again.”
The anger quickly devolved into fear and it was getting harder and harder to tell him about me. “I witnessed him kill two members of Humans First—the founder and an associate.”
His eyes narrowed. “How did you do that?”
Bits and pieces of the story weren’t going to suffice, so I told him everything. At first I started slow, but then the more nervous I became, the faster I spoke and Kalen had to stop and ask questions. But the biggest one that I had to prepare myself for was, “How did you get involved? Why does Conner want you?”
My admission was barely audible, and he looked as though he wished he’d heard me wrong. His complexion went pallid, and for a long time there was a tense silence—something that never existed between us. I waited for something that was normal and comfortable. Long stretches of time passed as I waited for him to make a joke or say something inappropriate or colorful, make light of it the way that Savannah had.
He looked out the window at Gareth, who was leaning against the SUV, waiting for me.
“I know I should have told you long ago. I really thought I could—”
“You don’t want to keep Gareth waiting much longer. He seems to be getting impatient.”
I glanced out the door and surprisingly, he didn’t look impatient. He was assessing the area, scanning cars that drove by and people, and his emotions tightly wound. I assumed that he didn’t enjoy the level of diplomacy that he’d had to extend to the officers.
Kalen kept his attention outdoors on Gareth, dismissing me.
“With everything that’s going on, I can’t continue to stay hidden, so Gareth thinks it’s a good idea to let the Council know so that he can openly use the SG to assist.”
“Mm-hmm.”
He still hadn’t bothered to shift his eyes in my direction. I was talking to the side of his face, focusing on how sharp his jawline was when he clenched his teeth.
“Okay, well, we will talk later,” I said softly. Again, nothing. He barely moved his head into the nod.
I thought the fresh air would be a little sobering, but it wasn’t. The world looked different, scarier, more dangerous, and I felt like I wasn’t going to be dealing with just Trackers anymore but also with people who might feel like Kalen, happy to suspect I existed but okay with me staying hidden and being just folklore.
It was déjà vu, except this time I wasn’t on trial for my life—or was I? The same people who had been present to judge me before were there to hear my story. The only exception was a new mage who had taken Jonathan’s place, and I assumed that included him looking down his nose at anyone who stood before them, the same way Jonathan had done. The same sigils were on the wall, which I speculated weren’t activated because they too would have had to be really strong to stop me. But I was sure they owned a pair if not sev
eral pairs of the shackles that Gareth had placed on me. I wondered if they had the iridium-laced dart that he’d threatened to shoot me with. The two guards at the front door and six behind me looked like they could handle themselves in a fight. I sensed strong magic, but there was so much of it in the room, I didn’t know who it was coming from.
Lucas didn’t look any more interested in being there than he had before. He did offer me a small smile, and if he was curious at all about my presence, he didn’t show it. Could he already know? How? I knew Savannah would never betray my trust, but had he influenced her? It was rumored that vampires could read a person’s mind while feeding from them. If it was true, it probably wasn’t information the donor willingly provided. I was sure they didn’t tell their meal for the night, “Hey, I can read your thoughts, so keep it interesting so I don’t get bored while I’m chomping on your neck.”
Gareth was the first to speak, probably because he’d called the meeting. “I thank you all for attending this meeting on such short notice on something that most of you may think isn’t any concern of the Council, but I can assure you that it is. Ms. Michaels, please, speak.”
I hadn’t prepared a speech or anything, and the one that I hadn’t gotten to use on Kalen was probably a little too familiar and riddled with silly inside jokes that would only make me seem weird. But maybe it was better for them to consider me weird than dangerous.
“There’s a man by the name of Conner, a Vertu who is trying to do another Cleanse.”
With the exception of Harrah, who seemed unfazed by the information, which was why she was so good at her job, they all seemed shocked and fearful. She remained calm and collected at all times. Even if she was telling you that we were on the edge of an apocalypse, her gentle, demure countenance made it seem that things weren’t so bad. World coming to an end? Big deal, look at those doe eyes—she doesn’t look worried, why should we? Lucas looked like he had second thoughts about the nap he appeared to be ready to take. He leaned into the desk, interested for the first time since I’d started talking.
“Vertu are like Legacy but stronger.”
The revelation was punctuated by silence. Strain and concern covered their faces as they waited for me to continue. I informed them about how Conner had convinced Jonathan to betray the mages and the Council and help him by using the Necro-spear that possessed our magic. And that he now had the four that had originally been in the possession of Humans First. I recapped everything, leaving out the part about me telling Conner that HF shouldn’t have the spears. The guilt of my culpability lingered. I was having a hard time shrugging it off.
“If we have others who are willing to betray us, then we could be facing another Cleanse,” Harrah speculated, and for the first time her face demonstrated something other than just passive nonchalance. It was stricken with worry. She was most likely considering how she was going to spin the story. She steepled her fingers, her cool eyes on me. It was the first time I’d ever considered how strong she had to be in order to be on the Council and given the role that she had. To what extent had she manipulated the world, people’s minds, and emotions to maintain the alliance between the supernaturals and humans?
“Ms. Michaels, one question remains—how have you become privy to such information?” She asked the very question that, based on their faces, they had all been thinking.
Memories of Kalen’s reaction resurfaced. I could have very well made up something and walked away and stayed behind my wards, impervious to magic—let this be their problem. But it wasn’t their problem. It was our problem because it affected me as well as other people. I would have forever been the person who let this happen, and then there were Kalen and Savannah. Even Gareth, Blu, and my neighbors were people I worried about. And the people whose faces I knew, and although they were just associates, I didn’t want them dead. Who I wanted dead was Conner and all the dumb-asses who fell for the charismatic “only the purist magic should exist” BS.
“Because he tried to recruit me.”
“You’re a Vertu or Legacy?” Harrah asked.
“Legacy.”
She directed her attention to Gareth. “You said that she didn’t possess magic. We released her based on the fact that she didn’t possess magic. Were you incorrect, or compromised by your libido? Your outside relationship with Ms. Michaels hasn’t gone unnoticed, nor has the position you’ve put the Magic Council and the Supernatural Guild in by your association.”
Gareth chewed his words and then held them before he spoke. Based on the way he looked at her, I had a feeling he needed to tame and smooth off the rough edges before he said them.
“Neither. I decided to withhold that information because you all seemed to care only about someone, anyone, paying for three murders, not about finding the person who actually committed them. That is my decision and I stand behind it. My libido has nothing to do with it. The reason she is here is because she wants to stop him as much as we do. I’ll be more than happy to continue to address any concerns you may have about my relationship with Ms. Michaels later, but as far as this meeting is concerned it is irrelevant.”
I wasn’t sure why he needed to discuss it later. There isn’t one. See, I did it in two seconds. No muss, no fuss. Easy-peasy.
“What happens now? Do we warn people?” the new mage asked, taking a moment from looking down his hooked nose at me. At first it had been the casual disdain that most people were probably treated with. Now it was disgust. I had limited experience with mages, but their brand of superiority complex seemed to be uniquely theirs. No wonder Conner had been able to get Jonathan to betray his kind for the chance for more power. I wondered how many of them realized that the Cleanse was meant for them mostly, to rid anyone of magic that rivaled the Legacy even on a smaller scale.
“We will do no such thing!” Harrah snapped. “This needs to be contained quietly and as quickly as possible.” Once again, her attention landed on Gareth. “What are your plans?”
Gareth directed his attention to the new mage. “You will need to discuss this with the Mage Council, and I need a list of who you consider the strongest mages. Conner may approach them—to make them either allies or victims who cannot use their magic against him. They need to know that we are aware of this and are watching them to prevent this from happening.”
Don’t forget to add an asterisk by the ones with questionable ethics.
I looked at Harrah: she felt the need not to warn people, but they needed to be told. “Discretion isn’t going to help, and when people start dying, what will the optics look like then?” Harrah always seemed to care about how situations “looked.” I understood why she cared about the peaceful coexistence between supernaturals and humans, but the lengths she went to in order to maintain it made it hard to like and trust her.
She inhaled a deep breath and held it before speaking, and then she cut her eyes at me before addressing anyone. “Discretion is always important, but there is a need to warn others to be careful.”
Gareth came to his feet. “I will keep you all posted on what else is needed. We have to find the Maxwells, who are destroying the city, and at this rate, Humans First will have more members despite their loss. And that’s Conner’s point. The chaos is a distraction and the best way to recruit others. The humans will hate us and eventually turn.” He looked up at the mage. “Especially some of the mages.”
Moments later, Gareth was at my side, guiding me out the door. I questioned whether we were going to be allowed to leave since it took a long time before the guards stepped aside.
Gareth remained quiet for most of the drive and seemed content to do so. “That was painless,” I admitted. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected.
His response was simply a frown.
“Are you upset that they didn’t form a mob and try to attack?”
“I never expected such a thing, nor would I have allowed that to happen, but they were more accepting than I expected.”
“Do you think they suspect
ed it?” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. All these years, I’d lived in fear of being found out when it seemed like I probably could have just come out and said, “Hey, I’m a Legacy, but I don’t have any plans to try to destroy the supernaturals. I’m Legacy-light, no plans for world domination. Cool.”
Gareth inhaled a long, ragged breath before washing his hands over his face. His cool, controlled demeanor dropped for just a moment before it reasserted itself.
“We need to get Conner, today.”
If only it were that simple. He now had twelve other Legacy, and I was positive that the two of us weren’t enough.
“How many high-level mages do you have at the SG?” I asked.
“Thirteen.”
That definitely wasn’t enough. “Conner isn’t likely to do a global Cleanse anytime soon, he needs more people.” I sounded more confident than I felt. A small one wouldn’t work for him. He wanted to make sure he succeeded where our ancestors had failed, so he would be recruiting more. And we needed to get to the others before he did. But were there enough to do it? Conner now had the Necro-spears, and he could use the magic from them to make his attempt stronger—unlike HF, who didn’t have magical resources to do anything other than a small one. It would be bad, but not as devastating as the global Cleanse that Conner wanted. I needed to make sure his numbers didn’t increase.
I thought back to the dossier that Gareth had shown me. If Conner was missing from it, how many more were? Were there other Vertu using their magical ability to stay under the radar of the Trackers?
Gareth’s phone rang. “What do you need, Avery?” When the person spoke, Gareth frowned. “Sam? Where’s Avery?”
I couldn’t make out what the person was saying but the moment he hung up, Gareth turned the car around. “Sam said Avery’s freaking out in a store and has three people cornered and will not let them leave. And there’s a bunch of fighting. The witches are involved, too.”
He took the next exit and minutes later we were driving down Coven Row, where most of the witches had shops and other businesses.
Obsidian Magic (Legacy Series Book 2) Page 14