The Council (Darkness #5)(3)

The spit got caught in my throat. “What was that?” I choked out.

His lips traced my ear lobe. His hot breath heated my skin as well as my body. “With you I would know it’s one of my own. I can be sure I’m the father. I’ve always wanted to be a father. To see what traits I passed over to my child.”

“Oh, you can be sure, can you? What if I’m waiting until you’re asleep and taking in the sights of the house, so to speak?”

The answering chuckle was deep and dark. “I would know. And someone would be dead.”

“Well, now is that fair?” I retorted in mock outrage. “What if I wanted to sow my wild oats?”

“Is there a point to this conversation?”

I threw him a glare.

He chuckled again. “What would you do if you heard I’d been with another woman? Tell me truly.”

My gut tightened and my fists curled of their own accord. Jealousy bubbling into rage would probably elicit something extreme.

“Exactly,” he whispered, trailing his lips down my neck. “We exist for each other, and are both too violent to suffer someone else touching what’s ours.”

“I don’t know that I’m violent,” I breathed, angling my head so he could kiss my collar bone. “I’m just a crazy bitch with a jealousy problem where you’re concerned.”

“However you define it.”

After another moment of quiet, I said, “Stefan.”

“Hmmm?”

“Is this council meeting going to be a shit show?”

With a small inhalation, Stefan leaned back against the seat and pulled me closer. “I’d be lying if I said no. You will be sought after. Someone will try to bend you to their will—and we have no idea who or how you will fit in their plans. Until we learn motives, it’ll be hard to know how the attack will come, or when. It’ll be harder to keep you protected.

“As for me, they’ll try to send me away, worried I’ll gain favor of one of the Council members. I have a high power level, I am excellent with a blade, smart and can be ruthless. Plus, I’m a good leader—I’ll draw notice. Some favorable, some not.”

“So, we’ll be in the fight of our lives.”

I got a squeeze. “Yes. From the first minute we step onto Council soil.”

The breath tumbled out of my mouth in a sigh. “Well, at least we have a few people we can trust.”

Stefan resumed stroking my hair. “And I hate to say it, but we have the shifters. They’re tied to you, and you to me. I don’t like your connection with them, but in this, I’ll take any help I can get.”

“Just say it—I was wrong. Three little words: I was wrong. Or go a step further—Tim and his crew stuck around and helped us defeat the demon instead of taking off like cowards. It’s not so hard…”

I got another squeeze. “Don’t push your luck.”

I snickered and settled in tight against him. “Well, whatever you say, I’m glad they’re coming. They’re different; I’m different…”

“There are other humans at this place.”

I scoffed. “They’re pets. They don’t hold any positions of power.”

“True, I suppose. Our way of sticking our tongue out at the majority of humans who keep us in the shadows. I wish it was different. It would make our situation easier.”

“Something in my life easy? Yeah right.”

“Careful, Toa’s Doom’s Day cloud is hovering over your head.”

I laughed and lightly elbowed him. “Well, we’ll just have to stick together, no matter what comes.”

“There isn’t any other way. Especially not with what will come.”

Chapter 2

After a long trip, only somewhat shortened by love-making, the motorhome rolled onto a dirt road leading up to a small, decrepit barn. Beyond this singular barn there was an empty field leading to forest. It was desolate.

“Pretty good concealment spell,” I drawled, hazy from the many hours of boredom. I opened up and let the elements rush into me, stuffing my body with power before Stefan’s presence through the blood link smoothed everything out. I reached forward with my magic, trying to feel out the spell so I could wipe away some of the charm. Obviously that wasn’t easy inside a motorhome.

Using another tactic, I focused on the mid-morning sun sprinkling the area I knew had a building of some sort within it. That barn was most likely squatting in front or part of the spell, which would be an awesome bit of magic. I could just barely see the monstrous sides of a box-shaped facility, easily three or four stories high.

“They must’ve had a huge group of magical people to get this spell into existence,” I intoned.

Stefan was up, strapping on his sword, his eyes having gone hard and body fluid—all signs he was readying himself for battle. “They did. Older, experienced, adept magical people working in teams and building spell upon spell.”

“So this isn’t necessarily a meeting, this is just where people hang out.” I followed his lead and strapped my dagger onto my belt.

“Exactly. They have many meetings, but never about much. They reside here, mostly. Ready for new placements or recruits.”

“I can’t believe we have to go through all this just so I can be a mage like I already am. There’s nothing they can do about giving us the green light to be mated, right?” I knew the answer, but I raised my eyebrows hopefully anyway.