The man next to him was also strange. He was rail-thin and black as night. His flat black suit blended in perfectly with his skin. His features were hard to decipher, since he seemed to be a living shadow. I tried to catch his eyes and was startled to find they had no whites at all. They had that same strange empty blackness of an excited vampire. I had no idea what he was.
My mental catalog was interrupted when I heard Seth speaking again. The table settled down and the men were looking at him expectantly. Shaking his head, he reached over and grabbed my arm, pulling me roughly against the side of his chair.
“I will give you each a moment with her,” he said “but I must ask that you try not to frighten her. As I said, she is still new to our world.” He stood up and I found myself being led to a small couch along the wall when someone spoke.
“When you say you will allow us to meet her, what if it requires more than a moment? Will you deny us the opportunity of speaking to her? May I also ask if we are allowed to touch her? When we agreed to this meeting to discuss this new alliance, we were led to believe that we all would soon be sharing your power. However, to prove your sincerity, you must first invest your trust in us while we are around her.”
I didn’t know which man had spoken. His voice was a deep bass which resonated through the room. I looked up to see who it was.
The man stood. Wow and wow! He was amazing and ethereal, like some kind of elfin prince from a fairytale come to life. My eyes were frozen. I stood there all gaga, drinking him in. His long hair was yellow, the true yellow of a yarrow flower. It was plaited with silver beads and several thin braids. His skin was pale, but glowed in a golden hue. Not the golden bronzing you get from a great tan; he looked more like he was sprinkled with gold dust. His teeth looked even and bright white. He wore a silver tunic with a silver chain fastened around his waist that held what looked like a dagger.
I shifted, trying to see if his ears were pointed, but I couldn’t tell.
I looked at Seth, who was clearly not happy with my reaction to this man. I clamped my mouth shut. I hadn’t realized it was hanging open until I found it hard to swallow. Oh great, how embarrassing. All I needed was a little drool on my chin to really dazzle him.
The man cleared his throat, drawing Seth’s attention back to him. I decided to look at my shoes. Yes, my lovely, lovely shoes.
“I will put no such restrictions on this Council,” Seth said. “I am true to my word. I want this alliance. The binding of the species is essential to our plans. I will not jeopardize our negotiations before they begin. Gavyn, you may take more time if it is necessary. You may speak to her as well as touch her. But I must insist that all of you refrain from using any magic. No glamour and no compelling her. I give my trust; however, you will do well to keep it. I do not treat this lightly.”
I was getting sick of looking at my shoes. I glanced up at the assembled group of whatevers and tried to cool my jets. Just knowing that this group could pull a glamour, a charm or bespell me was not giving me the warm and fuzzies.
“Are there anymore questions before we proceed?” There was a sudden cacophony of conversation and then silence. Seth led me the rest of the way to the couch.
The creatures were all standing up as I settled onto the couch. I was trying to regulate my breathing as soon as Seth left my side. I guess it wouldn’t be revealing much trust if he hovered protectively over me.
I wasn’t sure what to do - stand or remain seated? I had no dang clue. My question was answered almost immediately as the creepy snake man first approached. He took my hand in his and I flinched at the cold touch of his flesh. He stared at me for a moment and then bowed over our joined hands. I tried to smile and nod, but I’m not sure my body even moved. He introduced himself as Silvestre Beaumont and told me of his excitement and joy at my discovery. I wanted to laugh. My discovery, huh? It felt more like I was hunted down and run to ground by dogs. But if he wanted to pretty it up, I wasn’t going to argue. I watched him return to his seat at the table. He slid when he walked. I shuddered. Where was I?
I turned back to the assembled Council members and beheld a new man who was fast approaching me. I was a little puzzled when he sat down beside me. He smelled like fresh earth. A woodsy smell, as if he had just come in from running through the forest. His eyes were brown, a true brown that suggested a little ethnic blood. He was very handsome, but being handsome was in no way a guarantee of kindness, as I had already become painfully aware. He was some kind of monster. He had to be in order to fit into this little group. He made me nervous.
His touch felt warm, almost hot. I fought the reflexive urge to pull my hand away. He looked into my eyes before he spoke. “I am Patrick Camden. I have long awaited this meeting. I am pleased to find Seth was able to persuade you to come to our side, and join our cause.”
“What cause would that be?” I inquired. “I’m afraid I haven’t been privy to any plans. Seth tends to keep me in the dark about everything.” I was looking into his eyes, trying to decipher what this man was. He looked human, but he felt wrong.
His face told me nothing and his grip tightened. “Ah yes, well, I guess I find myself forgetting how you came to be in our company. I do not normally condone kidnapping or…,” he paused, eyeing the bite marks on my neck, “any other means of persuasion to reach our ends. However, in this case, with your power, we cannot afford to be too lax. I do apologize that you are being held here against your will, but I feel it is for the best.” He rose. Obviously, he wasn’t going to enlighten me with their plans. He continued to skirt my question with more distracting blather. He was good, no doubt about it. As he walked away, I noticed the next creature sitting beside me. I bit my bottom lip as Gavyn, the golden man, actually dropped to his knees before me. He took my hand in his and I had to really work on my composure. Fear was not an issue with this one, just attraction, plain and simple.
From across the room, he was stunning, but from less than a foot away? Holy-cow! He was beyond belief. His body wasn’t as powerful as Seth’s or Lucian’s. His small movements appeared angelic and graceful. His yellow hair fell around his shoulders, while bits of his bangs were held back by tiny braids fastened with silver beads. The braids were also decoratively laced throughout his unusual hair.
The beads shone like tiny diamonds, reflecting the light. His eyes were deep lavender, surrounded by lush, dark lashes. His face was beyond handsome. Full lips, touched with just a bit of color and flawless skin, he seemed to glow with an internal shimmer.
He squeezed my hand, and his was warm and dry. I peered into his eyes. They were steady and appeared to be rife with wisdom.
“I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Perhaps you have heard I am called Gavyn, and I have traveled a great distance to see you. Long have my people told stories of the Madea. As a child, I grew up hearing of their majesty. No one believed the ring would ever appear, nor did we truly believe a real Madea would ever find it. I am so very pleased to discover that we were wrong.”
“Your people? What are your people? I mean, who are your people?” I bit my lip, I was not very good at this, “I only ask because I have never seen anything quite like you before.” Jeez, I was messing this up. I sounded like a total idiot.
He smiled. “We are an ancient race, some would say very wise as well, but despite our vast knowledge, we are dying out. Our women are few and our children tend to die young. Seth however, has promised to remedy that, with your help, of course.”
He turned to Seth. I had to practically rip my eyes from his luscious lips to follow his gaze. Clearly, he was not supposed to speak about any part of their grand plan because Seth looked ready to vault over the table and ring Gavyn’s neck.
Gavyn was unmoved by the veritable steam being emitted by my captor. He merely shrugged his shoulders. Turning back to me, he smiled. “Well, beautiful Grace, I hope you will join us again, as I would love to speak to you further. Right now, your Lord seems ready to crawl out of his skin.” Chuck
ling softly, he walked gracefully away.
I caught my breath. If I stayed around Gavyn for any length of time, things could get bad fast. He was sensually mesmerizing. I had quite a time trying to face the next Council member in line. I felt like this might well take forever.
An elderly looking man was next. He sort of floated toward me and I instinctively stood. His skin was pale, paler than Seth. He seemed bloodless.
“Madea, I am Voltaire,” he announced. His voice sounded like ten thousand nails on a chalkboard. I threw my hands up over my ears and bent forward. It was awful! He reached for me, lifting my chin in his freezing hands as he peered into my eyes. I felt suddenly sick. My stomach rolled and I was about to lose it all over my nice yuppie couture. In an instant, I knew what he was. A demon! He was a real freaking demon! My breath came out in gasps as I tried in vain to get him out of my head. Then, thankfully, Seth appeared. He grabbed me by the arm and jerked me away. I broke eye contact with the demonic life form and felt instantly better.
Seth turned my head, his nostrils flaring as he examined me closely. “Voltaire, you have abused my trust,” he said, as he ran his fingers along my jaw. “I specifically forbade any of you to use magic in any way. What did you do?”
“Merely a small test, I just wanted to see if, in fact, a Madea does actually reside in her body. Forgive me, but I never take anyone at their word, especially when they are as power hungry as you.”
The sound of so many words screeching from his mouth was absolute torture to my brain. I was holding my hands over my ears and squeezing my eyes tightly shut, trying to eradicate him from my senses just to make the sound go away.
“How dare you insult me.” Seth said in a low voice. “I have already proven that Grace is a true Madea. I called for this meeting merely to verify that what I say is true. Now, after all I have done, you try to jeopardize her health, her sanity, not to mention my even temper to satisfy your selfish curiosity?”
The other creatures were staring at Voltaire, their condemnation at his stunt becoming readily apparent.
“The Madea is through here,” he growled at the room, “We can continue these introductions at later date. For now, I think Grace has been put through enough.” He gently grasped my hand, and I was thankful for the contact. My head was still a little fuzzy. We approached the large doors. Opening them slowly, he led me to the outer room where Nadia sat.
TWENTY-FIVE
When Arian saw me, she sprang out of the chair and skipped over to my side.
“Grace, how happy I was to hear you would be spending time with me. We will have so much fun. I promise you will not get bored.”
Seth pulled me slightly away from her. Then, stepping close to the hyper woman, he leaned in and whispered into her ear. Her eyes locked onto mine, and every once in a while, she would nod her head. She winked at me and I stifled a sigh.
Releasing her, Seth pulled me close to his chest and held my chin in a gentle grip. His eyes scrutinized mine. “You will be alright with her,” he reassured. “She is aware of your restrictions and will not place you in any dangerous situations.” Then he leaned in, merely brushing his lips against mine. It was so tender. With a meaningful look at Arian, he strode back through the doors.
My feelings were so mixed up. I hated Seth, really hated him. He was the reason my friends were in danger. He was the reason for this entire mess! But the part of me that was attracted to him always seemed to be in control. I wanted to lash out at him. Tell him to keep his hands off of me. But I couldn’t; not only because he would punish my by hurting my friends, but because my body craved his touch. God, I wanted out of here. I had to get away from him. This was not a healthy situation.
Arian was watching me.
I shifted into my role and leaned into her. “What did he say to you?” I whispered.
“He said to keep his people away from you and to stay by your side every moment.”
“He was whispering for a lot longer than it would have taken to say just that,” I whispered back.
She held my hand and pulled me to the elevator doors.
“Good evening to you, Nadia,” Arian called out, as she pulled me along.
“Good evening, ladies,” Nadia said, a frown on her face as she watched us go.
Once the doors were closed and the elevator car was on its way, she began speaking again.
“Well,” she continued, “he said to make sure you do not participate in any of my usual activities.” She was practically buzzing with anticipation. “Oh, Grace! I can’t tell you how excited I have been since we last spoke. I have not been able to think about bedding anyone until I have tasted Thorak. It’s been driving me mad.” Her words were breathy; she was truly excited. Yech!
“Well, as I said, this has to be our secret. Seth can’t know about it or he’ll mop the floor with both of us. You haven’t mentioned it to anyone, have you?”
She looked offended. “No, of course not. I know what Seth would do if we were found out, especially if he discovered your involvement. Not only would he have my head, I am sure he would also remove that part of Thorak I am most interested in. No. I will not risk it. It is far too dangerous to risk telling anyone.”
“Er... Yeah. Now, you do realize you won’t be, ahem… mating with him tonight? We have to arrange everything first. Can we speak to him? See what he thinks?”
“Oh, he will be all too willing. He knows I want to bed him. He has never taken a willing woman. I will be his first. He also knows that I am physically able to take him. Not many women are, certainly not a human woman. It is truly a sad situation.” She shook her head, “Thorak needs someone who can last, not perish with his first thrust. I am she.”
I was having trouble controlling the physical repulsion on my face. As much as I needed Arian’s help, it was far from a pleasant experience being around her. She was so blasé in her discussion of death and twisted sex with disgusting monsters. Pretending to be her friend was not an easy task.
“You’re lucky, being able to accommodate such a large… creature.” I looked away. Yeah, that wasn’t phony or anything.
“Do not be envious. Perhaps I can find a way to allow you to participate. Seth said ‘no sex with another man’; he did not forbid you from being pleasured by a woman, or a troll for that matter.”
She smiled, pleased that she might have discovered a loophole.
“Um no, really, I told you what I wanted. I’m quite content watching; and besides, I am human. I wouldn’t be able to handle any appendage of Thorak’s.”
She gave my arm a gentle squeeze. Heaven help me!
“Arian, I really don’t want to pull down any of Seth’s wrath. He is a vampire. Don’t you think he would be able to smell another being on me?” I had no idea if it were true. I was relying on my love of monster movies to fuel my defense. I hoped it worked.
“Well, yes, I guess he would,” she looked puzzled. “Oh, I am so sorry, lovely Grace. Maybe later, once Seth has lost interest, you will be allowed to mate with whomever. We can only hope.”
“Ah, yeah, hope.” I smiled weakly. She seemed to take it as a different sadness. Okay by me.
The elevator stopped, the doors opened and I was immediately hit in the face with warm humid air and gardenias. We were in an underground terrarium! Trees and plants occupied the entire space. It was darker here, the tall trees and plants blocking out most of the light. The illusion of being outdoors was powerful! It was like a mini tropical rain forest without the bugs! I was in awe and my mouth hung open stupidly.
I turned in a circle, trying to take all of it in at once. It was really quite amazing. Even the sprinklers that hung from the canopy were disguised in such a way that you wouldn’t notice them, unless you really looked.
Arian sighed, grabbing my hand as if I were an annoying child. She led me through a narrow path, which ended at a pair of large iron gates.
“This is where we will find Thorak. Seth keeps him occupied almost all of the time.” She
stopped; I could see the wheels turning in her sick little mind. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at my face. “Are you aware of what Thorak is doing behind those doors?” she asked me, a hint of scorn lacing her voice.
I lowered my brows. “Why? Do you think Seth will be upset if I see what he is up to? Is it something awful? Should I hide?” Should I get an Oscar when all of this is over?
As she studied me more intently, I thought the jig was up. Then she smiled brilliantly. “No, of course not! That would be beyond foolish, and Seth is no fool. No Grace, you should not hide. We will go to speak to him together.”
She unbuttoned her shirt all the way. Her tiny red bra pushed her small breasts up. Then she unfastened her skirt and folded the flaps open to reveal her navel. She removed her stockings and placed her shoes on her bare feet.
I watched, puzzled by her actions. “What in the heck are you doing?”
“Remember what I said about him? He loves seeing a lot of flesh. It excites his hunger.”
“Oh, yeah, how could I forget?” I said. Exciting hunger in that malformed atrocity was the very last thing I ever wanted to do.
“Maybe you should take your top off too? Your breasts are quite alluring. He would have a hard time denying either of us anything, as well as interrogating you, if you appeared not to fear him. It would thrill him beyond belief”
“You know, Arian;” I began. “I think I should stay away. What if someone sees me in there? My top off and all, don’t you think they would run to Seth and report it?”
She smirked. “No. The only beings allowed down here are Ael, Eden and Chloe; and no way do they want to get on my bad side, which I would deny them my bed. And they really don’t want to get on Thorak’s bad side, not when they could be standing in the way of his first sex in years. That, sweet Grace, would be insanity.”
“Well, okay, if you’re sure.” I guess I was stuck. Damn it! If I were going to get a chance to get away from her, I had to come up with something more substantial! I knew my friends were near.
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