11. All Good Plans
Chapter 11
All Good Plans
I looked around the room, happy it was large enough to accommodate everyone, because shortly after my own men joined us, it was time for Dom’s council to do the same. As well as the other Kings, everyone was still here after the New Year’s celebrations.
I had to say, it was comforting to see, for I knew without a doubt that getting Ella back safely was everyone’s main priority, especially for her family. The look of worry seemed permanently etched on the women, especially Keira who had her daughter tucked close to her side. Of course, Lucius was right there on Amelia’s other side, never wanting to be too far from her. A sentiment I could easily relate to and I was unable to prevent the bitterness that followed. Because as I scanned the room, seeing all those standing next to their Chosen Ones was a gut punch knowing that I had lost mine…
Again.
As soon as the doors closed after the last man walked in, all eyes first turned to me and then to Marcus. Because news traveled fast and those that hadn’t been there to witness my outburst had, no doubt, already heard of it.
Marcus being Marcus was always one to address the elephant in the room the moment it was seen. “Yeah so, not dead, nor am I banished.”
At this Keira looked at me in an approving way, as she had already tried a few times to get me to see reason back in Dom’s office. But my anger hadn’t relented at that time, and it was only the fear of him doing something stupid that pulled me out of it.
Besides, I think he had proven the point that I would do far better with him than without. Especially considering what he knew. And despite not having the freedom to tell me, there was still a way for him to at least lead me down the right track.
“You mentioned having a plan?” Dom prompted, making me stand straight from where I was leaning against a slim, mahogany writing desk.
The whole room was mostly covered in books, with higher levels that would need the rolling ladders to aid you. This, or the ornate carved spiral staircases that were positioned either side of the large fireplace at the end of the room, giving access to the higher levels. And well, there were also the aid of wings, as some were only accessible to those who had them.
Among the many books, there was a mixture of antique furniture, plush seating, and scattered Persian rugs in rich colors. It was most definitely a room stuck in the past, like most of Afterlife was, but then for one as old as Dominic Draven, it wasn’t really surprising. Because for an immortal, there were usually two camps when it came to the past, those who clung onto it and those that were happy to let go of it.
I was the latter of the two.
“I think I talk for everyone in this room when I say we all know that knowledge is power, and if we are to prevent that fuck, Garmr, from achieving whatever fucked up plan he has, we first need to know why he wants Ella. Which means we still need answers.”
There were nods from around the room, with a ‘fuck yeah’ from Pip, who then whispered to her husband when he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“What… too much?” This sentence coming from someone who I might add was wearing a red T-shirt that said,
‘Todays Violent Mood is Sponsored by Scenting the Blood of my Enemies.’
Now if Garmr had been in the room, then I couldn’t have agreed more with that statement. However, my own T-shirt would have said, ‘I am killing mad and want to rip apart any fucker in Hell that dare touch my girl.’
Thankfully, my hard facial expression was enough, and it wasn’t left to the grey Harley T-shirt and jeans I was wearing to say this.
“So, the plan is what exactly?” Seth was the one to ask this, who, as usual, was dressed like some emo art student that also went to the gym in his spare time between classes. He, as always, was standing next to his best friend and King without a care in the world, Sigurd.
“We will need to come at this from all angles. I want everyone in place and ready to move should this not go our way. We know what the arsehole wants…” I told the room, giving Adam cause to ask,
“Which is?”
“I have not had time to inform the others of what we learned from Carrick.” Dom added, looking to the other Kings out of respect.
“Garmr is the son of Loki and was given to Hel to use as a guardian of her Underworld’s gates.”
“What the fuck?!” This curse came from the largest man in the room, our resident Viking, and for once it wasn’t Ragnar, his father, because he wasn’t in attendance.
“I mean, I’ve heard the stories of Loki being the father of monsters, every one of my kin had, but no one knew of why the Beast at the gates was anointed such an honor, nor why that honor was shattered and the beast cast out of Helheim,” Sigurd said, which wasn’t surprising, as he and his father would know Norse history better than anyone, given their origins.
“Then you would have heard about Ragnarok?”
“Ja, every Viking worth his axe has, why?” Sigurd asked, slipping into old Norse for the word ‘yes’.
“Because this is what he wants to achieve,” I told him, and naturally Sigurd reacted to this and his darkness started to snake out from behind him, as if he was unaware of it even happening.
“Calm yourself, my friend,” Seth said, placing his hand on Sigurd’s shoulder and being the only one in the room brave enough to make contact. He knew that he would not get attacked by the dark smokey serpents, as they recognized the same power within him as his friend.
Sigurd nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating enough to rein that side of him back and containing it enough for them to disappear. This left me thankful for Seth’s assistance, as the last thing I needed was one of the Kings losing his shit and making this worse. If there was anyone that was going to lose their shit, it was me, but not at the expense of losing my girl.
Hence why I said,
“Right now, we have to focus on getting my Chosen One back as we all believe his plan cannot start without Ella. Then once she is safe, we will move in from all sides, crushing him and any defense he may have already amassed.”
“So, this plan is what? Rescue and reconnaissance?” Zagan asked, as he too stood next to his Fated, Sophia, who as usual looked as if she had just walked straight off the plane back from some big city’s fashion week.
It always amused me to see the three girls together, you could not get any more different if you tried, yet at the same time they were loyal to each other to a fault. What with Keira in her casual sweater dress and boots, Sophia in her designer red suit, and Pip in her funny Tee and knitted patchwork flares and bright orange platforms.
“That is exactly what it is. We each have our resources in Hell, so let’s put them to good use. We all have our armies and those that would follow us into battle, so I also suggest we warn them that war is coming and to be at the ready for the fight,” I said, and each of them nodded in acknowledgment.
“Do we have any idea where he is?” Lucius asked, speaking for the first time.
“No, but I don’t think it will be long until we do, as with our combined efforts, someone, somewhere will have information on him. Until then, we will all go our separate ways, each doing what is needed,” I told him, already seeing the silent cogs turning as he was no doubt making his own plan of action.
“And you, where will you go?” Dom asked next, and I didn’t need any time to think about it.
“Home,” I stated, making Amelia ask,
“What? You mean Devils’?” I shook my head and corrected,
“The Underworld.” But the moment I did, Marcus finally pushed from the wall and said,
“No, you’re not.”
I turned to look at him, raising a pretty pissed off brow and feeling my hands curl into fists. A threat he didn’t miss as his shoulders relaxed and he took on a more sympathetic expression.
“You have to trust me on this, if you go there, it will change everything, J.” I narrowed my gaze at him before allowing his words to fully sink in. Because he couldn’t tell me why, even if I asked, and I saw this for what it was… he was bending the rules.
Which was why I didn’t push him on it and nor did I argue, instead telling the room,
“Fine. Then I will send a fucking team to go and…”
“No, it can’t be a team, it can only be one,” Marcus interrupted again, making me frown before snapping,
“Why the fuck not!?”
Marcus released a frustrated sigh and snapped back,
“You can’t fucking ask me, you know that… look, I know there is shit I haven’t told you, but you have to trust me on this, if there is a way I can see this right, then it’s to at least bring a compass into the room and put it in the hand of the person who needs it.”
At this point he nodded to the library door a single second before Asher walked in the room. Then as if he had been listening to the conversation from down the hallway, the first thing out of his mouth was,
“I will go.”
“No fucking way, every man in this room knows her better and would go in a fucking heartbeat,” Chase said, making Czar slap a hand to the shortest man on my council and add,
“Da, what my little friend here be saying is truth.” A comment that made Chase groan and roll his eyes before shrugging Czar’s hand off him.
“Yeah, why you?” Chase’s husband, Otto added, looking to Asher as a man he didn’t know, and therefore he didn’t yet believe in his loyalty toward Ella or myself. I could understand their mistrust, as well as their apprehension. That was until Asher told them,
“Because I owe her a life debt, and that means I would give my own life in return to save hers.” Then he turned to look at me and said, “Let me do this, I’ve found people before.”
“You a bounty hunter?” Sigurd asked, getting there before I did.
“I am, but besides what my skills can offer, I am also not someone they will be expecting. No one in Hell will associate me as being on your council. Therefore, this Garmr will not be expecting me to be looking, giving me an advantage.” He ended this by looking back to me and I, in turn, looked to Marcus to see him nod ever so slightly, making me take the hint. But before I could say a word, it was my brother who thought to point out,
“You were there fighting with us in that Arena, you think he won’t know?”
Asher looked to him and said, “I doubt he took much notice of those he believed to be lesser than the foe he was there to confront, but just to be sure, I will keep my mortal form, for no one will recognize me that way.”
I nodded, knowing after one more look to Marcus that this was the only way and, this time, I wasn’t chancing Fate.
“Then Asher will go,” I declared, and despite my men’s obvious unease, they respected my word enough to back down and not argue against it.
“And he won’t be alone,” Clay said, but before I could ask, he told us, “I can get word to a friend of mine; he can help you in the Underworld.”
I glanced at Marcus and again he nodded to tell me this too was meant to be.
“Oh, and they just let you stroll on in these days, do they?” Sigurd asked, making Pip pipe up,
“Well Hades is missing a guard dog, or so I hear.” At this she then winked at me, making me grin in return.
“Yeah, he is, but let’s just say I left him with something else, so you will need this…” I paused so I could yank my T-shirt over my head, enticing a wolf whistle from Pip. Which in turn made Keira and Sophia giggle. As for Adam, he wasn’t so amused, quickly covering her mouth with his arm around her head before pulling her in close so he could softly issue her a warning to behave.
As for me, I bit into my hand and did so deep enough so I could soak the material with my blood. Then I tossed it to Asher and said,
“There, that should be enough to get you in.”
“And your friend, how will he know who Asher is?” Lucius asked the head of his security.
“He will find you,” Clay assured us both.
“And then what? What stops him from just believing me to be the enemy?” Asher asked, giving Clay food for thought. He looked around for a moment until he found a note pad and pen on one of the small tables dotted around the large room. He wrote something down and handed it to Asher.
“Give him this, he will know what it means.” Asher nodded at Clay before putting the note in his pocket.
It was still strange to see him in his mortal form, having become so used to seeing him as the Demon I had spent many hours sitting in a cell next to. Gone were the pierced horns and pointed ears. His rigged nose, blackened lips, and lines of white dotted, tribal tattoos. Now all of it was replaced by a strong jawline, piercing dark green eyes, and long dark hair he currently had pulled back from his face in a bun. Oh, and not forgetting a face that most of the female population would definitely look twice at, no doubt considering it as being handsome. He was also wearing jeans and a black biker T-shirt, no doubt loaned by one of my men tall enough to fit his large frame, one that was close to matching that of Sigurd.
“Aww man, I hate it when there’s secret shit,” Pip complained about not knowing what Clay had written in this secret message, making Adam ruffle her curly, twisted mohawk, telling her,
“I have a secret for you to discover when this is all over, my love.”
She giggled before walking her fingers up his chest, whispering something in return that no one could hear but whatever it was, it made the poor bastard blush.
As for the rest of us that tried not to guess what the hot craziness was this time, we continued to make plans, with each pulling in all the resources we could. This before, one by one, we left to go our separate ways, some of which making their way into the Janus Temple, as many of the doors there led into different parts of Hell.
Which then left Marcus, Orth, and me. I was still waiting for some clue as to what Fate had in store for me, and I made it clear during our conversation,
“…’Cause if you think that I am just sitting this out and doing nothing…” Marcus quickly interrupted me once more and told me,
“Oh, don’t worry, you and I are going to see an old friend.”
“And when you say friend, you mean enemy, right?” Orth said, coming to stand by my side and making it clear he wasn’t about to let Marcus and I go alone.
Marcus winked at him, making a shooting signal with his hand, and said,
“Fucking Bingo.”
“And do we get a name before we torture this arsehole for information about Red?” my brother asked.
Marcus grabbed his jacket, one he had removed earlier, before spinning himself back into it, doing so in that dramatic way of his.
Then he tugged up the collar and said,
“We are going to see Koro…”
“The Gypsy King.”