The Council (Darkness #5)(19)

I didn’t fare so well. I was going up against better magic workers with lots more experience. News had spread of me, too. People were in awe of my tricks and fluctuations in magic. To them I was largely unpredictable with spells created by a master—I’d had no idea how revered Toa was. The mages started working in teams, coming at me with everything they had. This meant that Charles and Jonas could fight as well, but they weren’t on par with their magic. Our strategy then became me covering my two bodyguards while they barreled through and physically assaulted the challengers. Since Charles was starting to be just as savage as Jonas, and I was great at distraction, we kept winning.

The battles kept getting harder.

Jonas thought I was being tested. Pushing my limits. And I probably was, but there was nothing I could do about it. They were cataloguing all my weaknesses while I wouldn’t even know who I was fighting the next day.

The start of the fifth day had Stefan standing by the door, a bruise on the side of his handsome face, staring down at me as I put on my runners. “I need to take Jonas today. Dominicous thinks it’s going to get fierce.”

I glanced up, trying to hide the worry. “Whatever you need.”

“He’s the best fighter in my clan besides myself and Jameson. And he’s exactly what this place craves—unleashed brutality. Together we can cover more ground than the other guys I brought. They’re good, but they’re not Jonas good.”

I stood and ran my hands up his hard chest. “Of course, Stefan. I’ll be fine. Plus, the last challenge was only one person. I think the mages want to stick to magic and they know Jonas and Charles won’t.”

“I’ve talked to Tim. He’s going to keep guys with you. And you’ll still get Charles, and I’ll send Jessie.”

I nodded and kissed him, savoring his taste. He clung onto me for a second, trying to steal my warmth, before he backed off. “Stay safe, you hear me? If you have to run, fine. If someone comes to tie you up, or secure you, kill them. Don’t hesitate.”

A burst of fear blossomed inside me. “Why would they tie me up?”

“Because something they do here is tether mages via a blood link. Toa had it happen when he was here the first time. They pinned him down for three days, out of sight of Dominicous, and forced a blood link on him.”

My fingers clutched onto Stefan’s arms. “How is that possible? There aren’t rules against that? That sounds an awful lot like rape.”

“It is like rape. It’s the same thing—forcing control of a very intimate situation. It’s banned, of course, but laws are only as strong as the enforcers. They thought they could control Toa—lure him away from Dominicous. He didn’t take it well, as you can imagine…”

I rested my head against Stefan’s chest. I closed my eyes as I listened to his steady heartbeat. “He’s worried it’ll happen to me.”

“We all are.”

“What happened to the guy that held the link?”

“Dominicous beheaded him and tossed his head onto the table in front of the Council. Dominicous had a backer the next day.”

I shivered. Stefan caught my chin in his fingers, tilting my face up to him. “Say you’ll watch yourself. You will always check your surroundings, and you’ll always have someone with you. And say you’ll run like a coward if the odds aren’t in your favor.”

I scoffed. “Run where? Outside?”

“Run to me, Sasha,” Stefan said quietly. His deep black eyes reached all the way to my soul. “Run directly to me.”

I nodded slowly, terrified of the gravity of this situation. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t want any part of this. If push came to shove, and it meant something happening to either of us, I’d be happy to toss away my magic and never look back.

Stefan felt all that through the link, of course. A sad smile drifted across his lips. “We’ll make it through this, baby. We both have a lot of supporters. A lot of people have given each of us nods of welcome. Dominicous and Toa are working hard to source out all the political angles. Stay safe. I’ll see you as soon as I can.”

I blew out a breath. “Think they’d be mad if I grew a plant through a wall of this establishment? Bet they haven’t seen that before. Maybe the repairs would slow them down.”

Stefan stopped with his hand on the door. He turned back to me, contemplative. “Remember those purple insects that work their way back to you and bite like a bitch?”

I smiled. The ol’ spells trying to kill me trick. “Shoot them behind my attacker and just wait.”

He winked. “Keep ’em guessing. And don’t forget about the dinosaur one. That’ll freak a few people out. Just memorize the room before you set it off. Using Toa’s arsenal is excellent, but the more experienced mages won’t be thrown off-kilter with those. You need to go back to some strictly Sasha spells.”

My brain whirled with all the failed spells I’d created before Toa came on scene. I could definitely use more than one. It was time to take a trip down memory lane.

***

“Why’d we get stuck with that guy?” Charles flipped a thumb over his shoulder at Jessie, following behind us with a stern expression and darting eyes. “He’s got no sense of humor.”

“And Jonas does?” I led the way to breakfast. I’d stayed in my room for five minutes after Stefan left, really not wanting to step out the door. Charles and Jessie waited patiently, not asking why I needed the extra time. It was pretty much commonsense.