by Mary Martel
I found a cute black purse on one of the shelves. I had never seen it before in my life and certainly hadn't bought it for myself, but it's something I would have picked out for myself if I could have afforded it. Now that I had money I never actually needed to spend it on anything except for gas and sometimes food if I was alone when I stopped to get it.
I stuffed my things in the small purse and flung the strap over my shoulder.
I turned the light out in the closet as I walked out, doing the same when I left my bedroom behind.
I weaved my way through the maze of hallways until I hit the stairs and walked down them. I expected to find everyone at the foot of the stairs waiting for me, but the foyer was empty and devoid of human life.
Binx sat at the foot of the steps, watching my descent with wide, green eyes and a swishing tail.
"Hey, fur ball," I greeted as I stepped off the stairs. I bent over and gave him a little scratch on the head. I half expected him to hiss at me because he'd been absent lately and I assumed he was still mad at me for locking him up in my Rover, and was pleasantly surprised when he leaned into my touch. "Miss you too, kitty kitty."
I gave him one last pat on the head before standing up and moving in the direction of the kitchen, in the direction of masculine voices.
Binx followed along beside me, trying to trip me up as he kept rubbing his little head against my ankle.
I found them all in the kitchen, huddled around the island. Some of them were standing and others were seated on the stools. None of them noticed me approaching, their focus firmly fixed on something in the center of the island.
I moved up beside Tyson who stood at the end of the island. I trailed my fingers lightly down his spine and he jumped, whipping around to face me.
"Girl, shit," he said breathlessly. "You scared me."
I grinned at him. They could usually always feel me coming, so it was good to get one up on him for once.
"What are you all doing in here?" I asked.
"Julian brought something for us," Tyson answered as he lifted his hand to reach out to me. His hand paused in the air and a look of pain crossed his face.
Tyson clearly was still upset about what the conversation we'd had the other day while the hunters were running amok.
I, however, had no such qualms.
I swatted his hand out of the air and moved right into him, pressing my front up tightly to his side and wrapping my arms around his middle. I didn't look at him, but I could feel his beautiful brown eyes aimed down on me. I hoped this set things straight between the two of us.
I squeezed his middle and melted into him when his arms came up, circling my shoulders. He pressed his lips into the top of my head in a kiss and I knew it was his way of letting me know we were okay and everything was going to be just fine between the two of us.
I was thankful for it, because he was my best friend in the whole world and it would hurt my heart in ways it had never hurt before if he was truly upset with me.
"Love you, Ty," I murmured quietly, as I rubbed my cheek against the front of his shirt.
Tyson's arms held me even tighter, almost to the point of pain. I didn't complain, though, because I knew it was done out of what he was feeling at hearing my words.
The noise around the room stopped and I looked around the island, taking everyone in. They were all staring at me in Tyson's arms. Some of them had soft looks on their faces. Quinton, oddly enough, being one of them. Others had blank faces. That being Damien and Rain. The rest of them looked at me with heat and tenderness in their eyes.
This is what it felt like to be loved, even those blank faces weren't fooling me.
"What's going on here?" I asked in a timid voice.
"Apparently you and Julian here have been busy behind the rest of our backs," Quinton said. There was no anger or upset in his voice, it had been stated as fact.
My eyes moved to him as a small smile tugged at my lips.
"I want a tattoo," I told him. "A magic infused tattoo. Julian has been helping me and by helping me I mean he's been doing all the work."
I turned to Julian and smiled brightly at him. "Isn't that right, slugger?"
Julian smirked at me. "You know I prefer it when you call me Jules as opposed to slugger, right?"
I did, but slugger had a nice ring to it, and only I knew why I called him that. I had my own private nickname and I wasn't sure I was willing to give it up.
I shrugged noncommittally because I had no intention of stopping calling him that. He smirked at me, not seeming to be bothered in the least.
"You want a tattoo?" Rain inquired quietly.
I jerked my head in his direction and his face was no longer carefully blank. There was pain and hurt in there now and I didn't understand why.
"Yeah," I said before asking, "Why does that seem like a problem for you?"
"Because," he ground out in that guttural voice of his, "if you wanted a tattoo infused with magic you should have come to me and I would have given it to you."
My mouth popped open as I stared at my father. I couldn't believe that he'd be so upset about this when it wasn't something we'd ever really talked about before. Up until the other day, he'd been completely closed off from me when it came to his tattoos. Heck, I hadn't even seen the ones on his arms until the other day and he'd been in my life for months now.
"How was I supposed to know this, Rain?" I challenged in an accusatory voice. "You're so tight lipped when it comes to these things that I never would have even thought to go to you about it. You give me so much, but you've held back on that."
"What do you want to know?" he asked quietly, and I shook my head. It didn't work like that. I didn't want him to tell me these things because I had to force it out of him.
"Just forget about it," I grumbled angrily. "We can argue about it later if you want, but right now we have more important things to discuss."
"If you're getting a tattoo then I'm going to be the one to give it to you," Rain remarked stubbornly.
"Okay," I agreed easily, and his eyes widened in surprise. Really, now, I wasn't that difficult to deal with. "But we're not doing that right now so I don't want to talk about it anymore."
I gestured rudely toward the small vials on the island. There was some pretty colored purple concoction swirling around in them. I'd seen this before.
"Tell them what this is," I ordered Julian.
He smirked at me. "I think it's hot when you're bossy. You can boss me around any time."
"You can say that now," Damien muttered irately, "but you didn't have her doing it to you in a house that was on fire. That shit was not hot then, I can assure you of that."
Geez, was he going to hold that against me forever? It was one time.
"Both of you shut the fuck up," Rain snarled.
I sighed. Boys were so overrated sometimes.
"Once you consume the purple stuff," I told them, "it makes it so that people can't tell whether or not you're lying."
"Purple stuff," Julian muttered. There was a smile in his voice and I could tell he found me amusing. "You're adorable."
"How do you know this for sure?" Quinton asked.
"Because she drank some of it and tried it out on me," Julian answered him happily. "I've also been drinking the stuff every day and I can assure you it works. I've been lying to lots of people and nobody has noticed yet."
I snickered. I could only imagine the things he'd been saying to people, the lies he'd been spreading. And no one was the wiser.
"I'm guessing it's here because you want us to take it before we go to the dinner tonight?" I asked.
Julian nodded. "I've also been giving it to Marcus as well. I figured he could use it."
Rain went to snatch a vial off the counter but Julian shoved his hand away.
"I don't think you need anything to help you lie better than you already do," Julian commented in a dark voice.
I couldn't agree with him more.
I plucked a vial up off the
counter and pulled the tiny cork free. Before anyone could stop me, I put the vial to my lips and drank it dry. I put the empty vial back on the counter and looked around at all the wide eyes staring back at me.
"Well," I said, "hurry up so we can go and get this over with already."
Everyone except for Rain picked up a vial and drank.
"Don't forget to text me," he barked at me, before skulking out of the kitchen.
"And you think I'm bossy," Quinton grumbled.
They were two of a kind, that's for sure.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I rode in Quinton's sedan with him and Tyson. Dash rode with Julian and Damien, with Julian driving. And the twins rode together in their truck, always separate, but together with each other. This time was different, though, because they’d taken my guards with them. Guards, I might add, who were extremely upset that I had made them ride in a different car than the one I was in.
I didn’t care and couldn’t get away from them fast enough.
The ride over was so quiet that I imagined if we rolled the windows down we'd hear the distinct sound of crickets chirping and not much else. I almost asked if it was okay to turn the radio on, but the pissed off vibe Quinton was throwing off made me too afraid to ask. I didn't want to talk to him because I knew if he opened his mouth a serious lecture about what I had been doing with Julian would come pouring out and I really didn't need to be verbally sparring with him at the moment. Not when we were walking into would be enemy territory, again.
The motel loomed up ahead, the torches burning bright and falsely giving off a warm welcome. I'd been here twice before and neither time had been pleasant, but the last time I'd witnessed extreme sex with the Council and a psycho falling to his death.
I seriously hoped no one died tonight, because I didn't think I could handle anymore death in my life, even if it was the people I didn't like who were doing the dying.
A woman I had never seen before stood outside at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for us.
"Do you know who this chick is?" I asked my silent companions.
"No," Quinton grunted. Tyson said nothing and I assumed that meant no too.
"Hmm," I murmured.
From a distance she was pretty, and I knew when I got up close to her she'd be a knockout. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white and it hung down in heavy sheets to her wide hips. She was short with voluptuous curves in all the right places. She was dressed in a long, white dress that clung to every curve of her body, hugging her tight. She turned to the side and the light caught her dress just right, making parts of it transparent.
"I can see her nipples from here," I shared with them. "Am I the only one seeing this? That dress is sooo see through. Don't you think you should wear underwear with something that you can see right through? Or a bra or something. Geez. What kind of dinner party is this?"
"Jesus," Tyson muttered under his breath.
"It's the Council, baby," Quinton reminded me. "You never know what to expect from them or what you're gonna get. I'm more concerned with not knowing who this woman is as opposed to the fact I can see how dark her nipples are from here."
He parked the car in front of the motel. The rest of the guys pulled in beside us and parked their vehicles.
"Remember when I told you that we've all met all of the female witches that we're aware of existing?" Quinton asked in a soft voice. I think he worried his voice would somehow travel outside the car and she would hear. "Well, that goes for all the covens, and I've never seen this woman before in my life. But if she's here with the Council then she's a witch. Where did she come from and why is she here with them?"
All good questions that no one had the answers to.
"Let's get this over with," I said, as I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for my door handle.
"More like, let the games begin," Tyson corrected from the backseat, and I heard his door open.
I laughed humorlessly as I climbed out of the sedan behind him. Let the games begin, indeed. Things were bound to be infinitely interesting with the Council being our hosts tonight. I had to give it to my coven, my life had certainly been interesting since they'd come into my life, that's for sure.
"Don't wander off without one of us by your side," Quinton barked at me, as I got out of the car and slammed the door shut behind me.
Please, like I was stupid enough to wander off on my own or with one of the Council members. That was never going to happen.
Tyson moved up to my side and took my hand in his. The rest of the guys came up beside us.
My eyes moved to the spot on the ground where I'd last seen Chuck lying broken and bleeding as the light faded from his eyes. I couldn't seem to drag my eyes away. He'd pretty much died because of his obsession with me. I wanted to blame Quinton for it, but couldn't when Adrian had told me the Council had gone through his mind, his memories, and he'd been obsessed with me before the love potion, and it hadn't been a pretty, want to love you forever kind of obsession, but one where he'd wanted to do terrible things to me and would have gotten off on it.
I tried to never think of him because those memories only brought on pain and not just because he was dead, but because of what happened to Dash due to Chuck's obsession with me. I would carry the guilt of that with me for the rest of my life.
But standing here, looking at the place where Chuck had died, it did absolutely nothing to me, made me feel absolutely nothing except for sorry Dash had been hurt because of me. But I wasn't sorry Chuck was dead and that worried me, because wasn't I supposed to care? And, what kind of person did it make me because I didn't?
Tyson pulled on my hand as his lips came to my ear. He whispered, "Stop looking. You're not supposed to know someone died there and your staring is going to make it very obvious that's not the case. We don't need the Council asking questions we don't want to answer."
My lips quirked up as I was finally able to look away. I looked up at Tyson with a cruel smile on my face. "Tonight's the perfect night to answer questions we wouldn't normally want to. Jules is my hero."
His eyes widened before he smiled down at me, his white teeth flashing so bright they were almost blinding to look at.
"Greetings," a high, feminine voice called out. "We've been waiting for you."
She made it sound like she'd been standing out here for hours waiting and not only were we late, but we'd inconvenienced her in the extreme. All that accusation and censure wrapped up in a super sweet voice after flashing us all her nipples.
I think I hated her.
"You couldn't have been waiting out here for too long since we're here exactly when Adrian told us to be," Quinton said in a smooth voice.
My smile stretched even wider. Looked like Quinton wasn't too fond of her either. Good to know.
"Of course," she murmured submissively, as she cast her eyes down to the ground.
Her look wasn't fooling me in the slightest. We'd need to take extra care to keep an eye on this one.
I pulled my phone out of my purse and shot off a quick text to Rain, letting him know we were here and giving him a brief description of the woman. I left out some details, like about how she wore a see through dress and the color of her nipples. My father needed to know that even less than my coven did.
I slipped the phone back into my purse and made my way toward her.
Her eyes came up when she met mine, a brilliant blue as pure as the sky on a bright, summer's day. I'd been right, she was definitely a knockout up close. Too bad her eyes took on a malicious glint the longer I stood before her. It kind of dulled the pretty, if you asked me.
I tilted my head to the side as I studied her features, memorizing them.
"And who might you be?" I asked in a falsely sweet voice. Kill them with kindness, it was always the way to go.
Her lip curled in a half smile/half snarl that looked a lot like disgust to me. For whatever reason this woman hated me and she was not doing a good job of hiding it.
"My name is Rachel," she answered in a voice just as falsely sweet as mine. "I've been with the Council now for roughly two months. My home was attacked by hunters and I was the only one to survive. It's a miracle they found me at all. I guess I'm just lucky that way."
If her entire family, or whoever it was that lived with her at the time, were now dead then I didn't think there was any way I would consider her lucky. More like sad and alone.
Quinton stepped up beside me and took hold of my free hand, the one Tyson wasn't already holding on to.
"How is it that we've never seen you before today?" Quinton asked in an empty voice. "We all get to meet the females at one time or another and I've never seen you before in my life. What coven are you from?"
Smart of him to ask.
But I didn't think she was from a coven. Maybe that's what he was trying to force her to say. With Quinton, there was always a motive.
She looked up at Quinton through thick, white eyelashes. "I've never had a coven before. I just lived with my family. We didn't know anything about the Council or anything like that."
The way she looked at him was really starting to bother me and I thought maybe I was just being the jealous, crazy girlfriend when she did something I had not expected. She reached out and ran her finger down the flames that licked their way up his forearms. I watched that finger trail down his arm with a growing sense of unease.
"I'm looking to find a coven to join," she murmured as she continued to watch him through half lowered lids and those stupidly thick lashes.
I swallowed thickly, and went to take a step back so I didn't reach out and snatch that hand away from him when the hand Quinton had ahold of squeezed mine almost to the point of pain. I looked up at him, shocked, and almost took a step away from him at what I saw on his face. There was so much rage and hatred in that one look that if it were aimed my way, I would have fled his presence immediately and ran screaming in the opposite direction.
Miss Rachel seemed to be made of thicker stock than me, because she just kept right on trailing her fingertips along his tattoos while she watched him like she wanted to eat him. And he looked back at her like he wanted to rip her throat out and spill her blood right here across the cracked pavement of the sidewalk.