by Mary Martel
No way would we ever be on the same damn team.
"Which room is hers?" Raven demanded to know.
"Fifth door down on the upper level. Door’s unlocked."
"We can take it from here," Raven assured Annabell in a voice that told her to keep her mouth shut and not to argue with him. "I think you've done enough."
Annabell ignored him completely and her eyes never left mine. "You better do right by the rest of us," she said in a snotty voice.
I sighed but managed to refrain from telling her off. Normally, I would care about all these women out there, but this wasn't about that. I was a girl on a mission and finding what I came here for was the only thing that mattered to me.
I didn't care if this made me a terrible person. Later, after, I could care then.
The door shut softly with a click and I felt myself relaxing, falsely believing I was alone.
"Don't you dare take that shit on your shoulders," Raven murmured in that gentle voice of his, and I whipped around to face him, my heart beating erratically.
I placed my hand over my chest in an attempt to settle my poor heart down. "What are you doing in here? I thought you went to your own room with Liam."
He crossed his arms over his broad chest and gave me a rather stern look I'd seen aimed in my direction before by a different man who was a whole lot better at it.
"That shit she laid on you down there," he said, "do not take that weight on your shoulders. She is a nasty bitch, this we both know, so you'll believe me when I tell you she had no business laying that on you. You take care of what you came here to do, then you get yourself safe. You don't do it thinking you need to save every last female witch out there simply because you're here. That is not your responsibility and I don't want you to think about anything that came out of that bitch’s mouth."
I stared at him in surprise before asking, "Why do you even care?"
"Don't play dumb with me," he replied. Then he turned his back on me and opened the door. "Lock up after me. Not that it'll do you any good in this horrid place."
The door closed quietly behind him and I immediately moved to lock it up. I feared he was right, though, and locking the flimsy lock on the knob wouldn't mean crap. Even I could kick this door in, not to mention anyone with a credit card or an ID could easily pop the lock. Whatever happened to the original deadbolt and chain that would usually come with a motel room? Nothing about this place was normal.
I picked up my duffel, dragged it through the sitting room I had zero use for, and into the bedroom. I plopped it down onto the queen-sized bed and dug around inside of it. I found my cell phone and pulled it out. I powered it on and waited.
Zero phone calls, which was completely understandable given the circumstances, but it still hurt my heart to see. Thankfully there were text messages so I didn't feel so alone.
Rain: Is this a joke? There better be a damn good explanation for this.
Quinton: North. We'll be waiting.
Rain: If you don't come back, I'm going to be forced to do something drastic to one of your boyfriends.
Immediately I replied.
Ariel to Quinton: North, got it. Something going down at midnight. Some ceremony I'm supposed to participate in. After that I'll slip away and start searching.
Ariel to Rain: Be nice, old man.
Ariel to Rain: And no joke. It's something I have to do. Quinton is on board, that should be enough for you.
Quinton: Be safe. Love you.
Ariel to Quinton: I'll do my best. Love you too.
I pulled up Julian's name and sent out a quick text to him.
Ariel: At midnight I'm going to need you to wipe my phone. I'm not sure what's going to happen but I don't want to risk it.
Jules: No problem. I'll have a new one waiting for you at home. You better be safe and come home to us.
I smiled down at my home. There it was again, the command to be safe and come home.
Ariel: Thanks, slugger. xo
Rain: They're all going to die.
I sighed and powered off my phone. I stuffed it back into the duffel bag and plopped down onto the bed. I flopped back on the bed and spread my arms out wide. My hand made contact with something that crackled, sounding a lot like plastic rustling.
I pushed my elbows into the bed and pushed myself back up into a sitting position. A white garment bag lay across the bed beside me. How I missed it when I plopped down, I'd never know but it was certainly there now. There was something written across the top front of the bag in pinkish red cursive. The words were in a language I did not know how to read, so I had no clue what it said. I could have pulled out my phone, powered it back on, and googled that shit, but I didn't want to see any more texts and I sure as heck didn't want to see the lack of phone calls from the rest of them.
I unzipped the bag, curiosity made it so I couldn't not unzip the bag.
White. Not see-through or skanky like the other two dresses I'd seen here so far. It was long enough that it would almost go down to my knees. Thin spaghetti straps and a low neckline that would show some cleavage, but not the nipple baring kind. It looked as though it would fit snug at my waist and hug my hips tightly. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had been fearing an outfit picked out by Adrian would look. I plucked at the material and rubbed it between my thumb and forefinger. Soft. So incredibly soft. It would feel incredible against my skin.
I didn't even want to know how much the stupid thing cost, but it felt expensive. It looked expensive. And I knew I would never wear the damn thing again after tonight. As soft as the thing felt, I didn't even want to wear it. I was traveling into uncharted territory and I knew I'd be far more comfortable in my own clothes.
I got up to hang the garment bag in the closet and almost tripped over a shoe box on the floor beside the bed. I did not even care what was in there, I'd endure it and wear it because it was a means to an end.
I hung up the garment bag and kicked the shoe box, sending it sailing across the floor toward the closet.
I did not unpack the duffle bag. Everything in there was completely expendable, and if I found Romero then I would likely be leaving it all behind.
I did not familiarize myself with the rooms or even snoop around like I normally would have.
I laid back down on the bed without pulling back the comforter and crawling underneath its warmth. I lay flat on my back with my arms straight out at my sides, palms flat against the comforter. I closed my eyes but I did not sleep. My mind wandered free to every possible thing that could go wrong, and I immediately shut that shit down and turned it off.
Several hours later, Annabell knocked on the door. She held out a tray of food and a black hooded robe. I took both without exchanging words with her, and for once she let it be with blessed silence.
Her face no longer looked dead and disconnected. Instead she looked resigned, determined even. A better person might have wondered why and worried about the woman.
I was not a better person. As soon as I closed that door on her she left my mind entirely.
Later I knew she'd never be very far from my mind again. Always lurking. Always haunting. My penance would be her never truly leaving me.
I sat down at the small round table in the sitting room with the tray on the table in front of me.
Steak, bloodier than I normally would have enjoyed. I ate the whole thing. Baked potato, slit open down the middle, and filled with sour cream, bacon bits, shredded cheese, and topped with chives. I scraped off all the extras seeing as I only enjoyed butter with salt and pepper on top of my baked potato. I ate the potato and left the toppings in a small pile on the side of the plate. I forced myself to choke down the steamed broccoli, hating every bite. I enjoyed broccoli when it was raw or cooked with cheese or anything really that wasn't just plain old boring steamed broccoli. It tasted wet and weird.
I ate it all save for the potato toppings. I had no idea what the night would hold in store for me, but I wanted to save my strength and m
agic came at a price. I would need all the energy I could save up.
I did not drink the bottle of wine. I needed to keep my wits about me, and an entire bottle of wine would have really sauced me up.
I left the tray outside the door, and when I went back in ten minutes to check on it the entire thing had disappeared. I wondered if Annabell had gone from whore to hostess / kitchen wench. Then I promptly tossed that idea aside into the garbage bin where it belonged because that witch would never be anything more than a whore no matter what extracurriculars she picked up along the way.
I went back to the bedroom and took off all of my clothes. I stood beside the bed and before my duffel completely and utterly naked, and had never felt more alone in my entire life. I wanted to curl up in a tiny, tight ball with my arms wrapped all the way around my body holding myself together.
I had no time to cry right now.
I could not allow myself to break down.
I would not curl up into a little ball and hold myself tight so I didn't break apart into a thousand tiny pieces that wouldn't ever be able to be put back together again.
There would come a time for all of that and that time would come later.
Sorting my head out would not serve to help me right now. Now was the time for me to bury everything and hope like hell it didn't suffocate me when I dug it all back out later. Much, much later.
I dug a matching white lace bra and panties set out of my duffel. I probably should have taken a shower, but I did not want to be naked in any of these rooms longer than necessary. There would be cameras and pervy peepholes all over the place.
I put the bra and underwear on. Then I put the dress on. Then I sat down on the bed and slipped the shoes on my feet.
I didn't put the hooded robe on, but I did lay it out on the bed. I dug around in the duffel and pulled out what Julian had handed me on the sly and I tucked it into one of the large pockets in the robe. Whatever happened, it was important I kept that robe with me tonight because I would need what was inside that pocket.
I did not put on any makeup or attempt to make myself look any better than what I did naturally. I left my hair down and hanging around me. No makeup. No primping. Just the stupid dress and me.
I sat down on the bed and waited.
Mind blank, eyes aimed straight forward, hands clasped and seated in my lap, I waited.
They did not come for me until midnight, just like Annabell had said they would.
Chapter Sixteen
Give Me Cooties
Their faces were painted black and white, like skeletons. They wore robes the same as the one that had been delivered to me, the same robe I had on now. The hoods were pulled up over their heads and there were so many of them I could not tell who was who.
And I wanted to fucking puke up my steak dinner.
I kept it down. Barely.
I was led by a small group of men that I hadn't been able to recognize out of my room, across the balcony, and down the stairs. I had been hustled into a room and there had been so many people packed into the space, wearing their black robes, that I had no idea even where I was. Everyone had been packed in like sardines in a tin can.
Claustrophobia reigned supreme and I found it hard to breathe. They gave me space enough to walk through them without touching me, but I still felt their heat closing in, threatening to suffocate me.
It was too much.
I wanted to run.
I did no such thing.
I forced my feet to move forward even though they felt like they'd been filled with lead. I stopped at the open circle just like the rest of them. Only my hood wasn't up like the theirs, my blonde head exposed to them all. Not to mention my non-painted face exposed to them all.
I would not be embarrassed or hide because of this.
I stepped forward, out of the ring of people, and into the open space.
Belatedly, I noticed the claw-footed bathtub in the middle of the room. It was empty, looked pristine, and in a circle around it sat an unlit ring of black candles on the floor. There was always white paint on the floor, a large pentagram had been drawn in it, big enough to hold the tub, the ring of candles, and me who was inside of it.
I did not catch good vibes from this.
Instead, I felt unease and terror slither through me. This did not matter. I stood strong.
Figures moved around, stepping into the circle, joining me. There were seven of them in total and they surrounded me. The shortest one with the protruding belly I knew instantly to be Adrian. I also, unfortunately, noticed for the first time that they were naked underneath those robes. Way too much information for me. Way, way too much.
The only cocks I ever needed to see belonged to my boyfriends, thank you very much. And I never wanted to see Adrian's stubby little pecker again.
I hoped for his sake it got a whole lot bigger when it was hard, otherwise that was just plain ole sad.
No wonder he was such an asshole.
I turned around in a circle, searching their faces, seeking out Marcus. He'd be here amongst these men closest to me, the men I figured belonged to the Council, the Council I was now joining. I spotted him behind me and to the left. His eyes were everywhere but on me, avoiding my gaze.
What the hell?
Adrian pulled back his hood and stepped up in front of me. Even his shiny, bald head had been painted black. He no longer looked like a genie come to life after his bottle had a little rub down.
Adrian raised his hands, and immediately the quiet murmuring around the room silenced. I knew without looking that all eyes were focused solely on the man in front of me with rapt attention.
"I know you're all here because you are excited about this new turn of events," Adrian spoke in a theatrical voice, which boomed around the room.
I wasn't so sure if he was right and all these people were here because they were excited. I thought a lot of them would be pissed about a female joining the all boys’ club, and a lot of them were probably here just to watch the freak show that was all things me.
Adrian kept talking.
"I appreciate this show of support, the whole Council does. You will all be allowed to participate and join in the festivities after the ceremony, and we will encourage you all to do so. It will allow you to get to know Ariel better, and you'll get to watch her perform some magic of her own."
I blinked in surprise at this news. News that was about me and should have been shared with me beforehand. Like, say, during the hours I'd been alone in my room before coming down here. I wasn't going to perform anything in front of these people, which is something Adrian probably knew and is probably why he kept it from me in the first place.
Again, he was a serious asshole.
I didn't even bother to hide my glare I leveled on him.
"That will take place out back, everything is all set up for it. At this time, I'm going to ask you to make your way out there. Mingle, eat our food we have set out for you, drink the wine, and enjoy each other's company."
There was grumbling amongst the crowd and even some loud protests. They did not like this and what they knew was coming. They were here for a show and they were getting pissed because they were about to be evicted.
Adrian didn't give a shit about this. Then again, I didn't think Adrian gave a shit about a lot of things outside of himself.
"We, the Council, and myself, would like to keep this tradition private between us. Like you were all told before you decided to travel here. We have never before made this a public spectacle and we won't be starting today. Ariel does not deserve that, and you need to respect our decisions. Normally, as you are all aware, we would not even have a big celebration, but we have decided to do this for all of you since you've shown such great support by being here. Please, I must ask at this time for all of you to exit and wait outside. Enjoy our generosity and leave us to the privacy we require to complete our ceremony. When it's done, we will join you in celebration and we will do it stronger than we've eve
r been before. This I promise you."
Unhappiness filled the room and I fidgeted nervously, wishing with all my heart and soul that I knew what all this ceremony that kept being talked about entailed, so that maybe I wouldn't feel so much like I'd walked straight to my own death, and what's worse is that I'd signed up for it my own damn self.
I couldn't actually be too upset with Adrian, because he was telling them to leave and that actually worked for me in a really big way. I did not want a room full of people to witness whatever the hell this was.
They were angry and the mood in the room was suffocating with the anger they were all giving off, but they began filling out of the room anyway. Adrian spoke and everybody listened. I wondered how the rest of the Council members felt about Adrian being not only the leader, but the mouthpiece as well. And I wondered if either of those positions were self-appointed.
Could Adrian be fired?
Christ, I hoped so. Wouldn't that solve all of my problems.
Unfortunately, my life was never quite that easy.
Once the room had emptied out of all the onlookers, Adrian turned to the man beside him and ordered, "Go and get the girl. Make sure she's sedated and calm as I earlier instructed her to be."
I refused to allow myself to worry about this.
He turned to me and calmly waved his hand around the circle. "Please light the candles for us, my dear."
I closed my eyes and swept the clutter from my mind. Not completely blank, but close enough to do the job.
My eyes snapped open, and I could see the flame in the back of my mind. Mine, and there for me to play with. All mine.
My hand twitched at my side, and every single candle around the circle burst to life. Flames shot up, way up high, almost all the way to the ceiling before calming down to gentle, calm, flickering torches of light.
The people inside the circle twitched uncomfortably when the flames shot up, and some of them outright flinched. Not Adrian though. He looked around the circle with unmistakable glee as he chuckled delightfully while clapping his hands like a happy child.