Magical Midlife Meeting (Leveling Up #5)(23)

“Nathanial knows there is no higher honor than to protect you from danger. The more intense the danger, the higher the status he’ll gain within the gargoyle community. All of us will. The others answered your summons when they could have resisted, and they were immediately confronted by Austin Steele’s incredible power and your ever-growing strength. They aren’t fools; they see the vast potential in this outfit and want to be on the winning team. Of course they are eager to join, miss. You are not seeing your worth clearly, which is why your decision not to play the field, as it were, concerns me. Have you even considered anyone with wings?”

“Oh my God, what is your malfunction?” I said on a release of breath, and turned toward the shower. He’d always been weird about my sex life, trying to get me to bang everyone in town, it seemed like. I had a man. I wasn’t like the gargoyle guys—I didn’t need more than one, especially not at the same time. I’d tried that in college once. More than one dong just got tedious after a while.

Clean and dressed, I hurried down and found everyone in the front sitting room, the basajaun among them, sipping their champagne and talking quietly. They fell silent as I appeared in the doorway, Mr. Tom approaching with a glass immediately.

“Welcome everyone,” I said, because I didn’t really know what else to say. Other than the basajaun and Austin, they all lived here, so why was I welcoming them to their own sitting room?

“Do you want to follow me back?”

“Me first.” Cyra shoved Hollace, who rolled his eyes at her toddler antics. To be fair, she was only a week old in her current iteration. The dolls, scattered around the room, ran forward with their glasses or cups of water, liquid sloshing down their fronts. Cyra wasn’t even shedding fire at the moment.

“It’s not first come, first served,” Hollace drawled as he followed her. A doll ran across his path, and he kicked in its direction. It swerved just before his foot could connect. They were getting smart to his antics. Too bad.

They followed me down the hall, the others behind them. At the door to the council room, I stopped for a second and took a deep breath.

“Here we go,” I said quietly.

I’d already explained what kind of magic they’d get: a sort of fountain of youth in every way but one. They’d feel younger, with more energy, stamina, and ease of movement, but they’d retain their current appearance. They’d become immortal unless killed, if they weren’t already. I’d also explained the link that would develop between us, and between them and Ivy House. I’d laid all this out before asking if they’d like to join the team.

They hadn’t hesitated then, and they didn’t hesitate now, filing into the room behind me and spreading out, sipping their champagne. Their sparkling eyes and smiles indicated that Mr. Tom hadn’t been feeding me a line. They were definitely eager to become part of the Ivy House crew, as weird as we were.

I walked around the large, ornate chairs, positioned in a circle, and entered near the little flag marking the first chair. Once in the middle, I felt the pull of Ivy House magic, directing those in the room to their rightful seats, one at a time. I chose my crew; she chose where they sat in the circle based on their importance to the group as a whole.

Austin walked forward, taking his seat in the first chair, my most important asset. No one needed an explanation as to why. Niamh would usually step forward next, Ivy House having placed her in the number three spot before I was even chosen as heir. But she didn’t move. I frowned as Ulric walked toward the little flag, his face screwed up in confusion. He nodded to me as he passed, then took a seat in the number six spot. Jasper came next, in the number seven chair, and Mr. Tom claimed the number nine spot, which only proved that the order was based on fighting prowess and not the council members’ relative importance to my life and wellbeing.

Edgar came last, offering me a smile before sitting on the chair on the other side of the flag, number twelve.

“There has been a change, ” Ivy House said to me in our magical language.

Cyra stepped forward with a big smile and her lensless glasses. Fire dripped from her fingers, and I was starting to wonder if she leaked when she couldn’t totally control her emotions. The dolls thudded after her, water sloshing out, little streams of smoke rising from the snuffed-out flames. I’d need to constantly replace the rugs in this place until I had a handle on the elemental magic.

She passed by Austin, smiling down at him as she did so. She stopped in front of me and offered me a bow.

“I pledge to you my allegiance, and in so doing, place with you the honor of the phoenix. You are a friend to my kind. When in great need, call to us and we will answer.”

I widened my eyes as she about-faced. She hadn’t mentioned that part of it.

“She is strong for her species, power incarnate, ” Ivy House said. “She does your circle proud. ”

“The house is controlling me, Hollace. This is neat.” Cyra laughed as she started forward, aiming for the number two spot. She lowered next to Austin and then beamed at him.

The basajaun’s hair puffed out and he tensed.

“Don’t try to force him, ” I told Ivy House quickly. “This is not the time for a battle of wills.

Remember when Austin pushed back? You’ll probably get the same thing from the basajaun, only a lot more violent. ”

She was quiet for a long moment. The basajaun tensed further, proving she hadn’t backed down.