“The council must be about to convene,” Locke muttered. “We’d better go.”
CHAPTER 20
~ Locke ~
Wecan’tbreakthecurse.I was going to remain a fucking vampire forever. No pureblood fae would ever sacrifice themselves for us monsters. I wanted to destroy something to release my rage, but I couldn’t lose control now.
“Did Lyr say where the council would be meeting?” Raine asked me as we made our way further up the winding tunnels and away from the portal. She had been mostly silent after our discussion about the curse, but I knew she could sense my anger.
I forced myself to let out a long breath. “They have a history of meeting in one of the higher rooms, formed from part of the old castle,” I answered. “If they follow tradition, as I suspect they will, I can take us where we may be able to listen in on some of the meeting without being detected.”
She nodded, and no one said anything else as I led them through the mountain. Every so often I would stop, carefully listening for the tell-tale sound of a heartbeat or claws scratching stone, but aside from two detours, the mountain appeared to be relatively empty.
When we made it to the tunnel I was after, I led everyone into a small cavern and closed the door behind us. Then I went straight to the opposite wall and pressed my hands against the stone, tapping into the magic of the mountain. I shaped the wall until the rock turned the color of steel, shimmered, and then became clear like glass, allowing us to see what was happening in the adjoining room.
“Holy goddess, can they see us?” Raine said, jumping back as the Taratun council came into view. The members all sat around a large table conversing with one another, and a line of guards stood in a ring against the walls, the golden bands on their biceps contrasting against the blue light from the torches on the walls.
“No,” Darian said with a smile. “But we would be wise not to make any loud noises in case they pick up on our close proximity. They are monsters, after all.”
I stood staring at the spineless bastards who had turned their backs on their own kind, and Raine and my brothers all took up positions near me, observing the council.
“Wait,” Raine said looking thoughtful. “Have you four ever spied on me like this?”
Asher chuckled and draped an arm across her shoulders. “Would you be offended if we hadn’t?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Is that a ‘yes’?”
Darian waved a hand dismissively. “Not since the beginning. We had to watch all the newbloods undertake the trials.”
“Unbelievable,” she muttered, but despite her unimpressed expression, she looked like she was trying to restrain a smile. Staring back at the wall, she stretched out her fingers in front of her. “Hold on. Now that I’ve turned into a monster, does that mean I should be able to do this too?”
Asher shrugged. “Don’t see why not.”
“Huh.”
We all abruptly fell silent as Warrick entered the room, sweeping in like he was a damn king or something. I tensed, my back going ram rod straight as he glided to the head of the table. Two demon dogs trailed after him, and they sat on either side of his chair, their bodies so still they would have looked like statues if it wasn’t for their glowing red eyes carefully watching the other members around the table.
I recognized everyone who was there. All members of the Taratun council were in attendance, including my mother Perene. Sitting in the position on Warrick’s right, she inspected her painted red nails and leaned back. I wasn’t surprised the council members were all so weak they agreed to support Warrick even though by now it must have been painfully clear he had no interest in being an equal member of the council.
“Wait, none of you have actually told me who the council members are,” Raine whispered then. “Are they alphas?”
“Many could have been,” Kade responded. “In the early days when the monarchy was destroyed and the council was formed, some of Katakin’s strongest fought to become members even though it meant they wouldn’t be alphas to their own houses. They craved power and believed being a member was an even more desirable position.”
“And others found more creative ways to become part of the council,” Darian added.
“Ri-ght,” Raine said slowly, looking back at the monsters in the next room.
Warrick cleared his throat and took Perene’s hand, placing a kiss on her pale skin. “You look stunning as always, my dear.”
She smiled as he dropped her hand but didn’t reply.
As Warrick turned his attention to the other members around the table, his lips twisted into a dark smile. Some of the monsters blanched and shifted in their seats when he glanced their way.
“Thank you all for coming,” Warrick said smoothly, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on the table. “I know your time is valuable, so I won’t keep you long. You all know of my intentions to rid ourselves of the vermin who call themselves the fae, but I have called this meeting as I have great news to deliver. It seems we won’t have to trouble ourselves by finding a way to enter the fae realm because our enemies are coming to us. Just hours ago, one of my beasts took down a fae scout in the heart of our city.”
“Fuck,” Asher commented under his breath.
There were quiet gasps and whispered curses around the room, and more than one monster gazed at Perene as if they wanted to speak, but they believed she was the only one who could do so without drawing Warrick’s unwanted attention. Perene’s throat bobbed. In the past, my mother had been the one leading the discussions during the Taratun council meetings, but now she looked uncertain, like even she didn’t want to speak. She wet her lips nervously before peering at Warrick. “We have not seen the fae for quite some time. Is it possible this was an imposter?”
