Chapter 8
Madden
MEET AT THE manor when you’re done.
The command is seared in my mind, making anger rise in my chest. If Gavin is requesting my presence, I can’t deny him.
Plus, I have been waiting for this message; I’m just pissed off that it finally happened.
Everyone felt that blast, and everyone has been talking about the possible implications of what it could mean.
A slight wave in the atmosphere appears behind me, and I tilt my head back, exhaling. “You’re late.”
Heath appears out of thin air, his cocky smile in place and his hair mussed. His shirt collar is stretched, and there’s a faint red mark on his neck. “Some of us have a life, brother.”
I roll my eyes at his theatrics. I see enough of them on campus; the last thing I need is his extracurriculars affecting his ability to do our job. “The Gate’s been quiet.”
“Expecting the hounds to bring anyone tonight?” he asks before joining me, leaning against the hood of my car.
“Not tonight.” I glance at him before looking one more time around the cemetery, my eyes fixing on the tall, iron opening. “Did Gavin tell you what the meeting is about?”
He shakes his head. “No. I’m sure it’s just about the new school year. You know he likes to be involved in as much of our business as he can. Doesn’t matter that we’re adults, in college.” He makes a scoffing noise in the back of his throat.
My hand touches his shoulder in solidarity. “Not for much longer. Once we reach maturity, he won’t rule over us any longer.”
“Thank fuck for that.” Heath exhales with a chuckle. “Why do you think he wants to talk?”
Her. I keep my eyes trained off in the distance, so I don’t say the word out loud. Because even almost two years later, Skully is still buried in my thoughts. Like a damn parasite. My lips curl just thinking about her.
“I’m sure it’s just about school, like you said. I was hoping it was answers to what that blast was the other night.”
He hums under his breath and shifts on his feet. “Let me know what he says. Gavin won’t tell me anything if he thinks it will upset my delicate mind. Swear he thinks I’m a child. No wonder she was the way she was.”
Heath casually mentions her, Skully, our dear little, soon-to-be-stepsister, and it makes my hackles rise.
Nothing he said was mean or untrue, but he talked about her.
Once again, I’m pleased with myself that she’s had to stay away.
The chaos she created during her time here has died down, and life has returned to normal.
“I’m leaving,” I tell him, shifting off the car and rounding the side to get in. Heath’s brow rises while his eyes trail enviously over the sleek, metallic gray, 1967 Chevy Impala.
“Why drive when you can just move where you want to go?”
I fire up the engine and let the slight rumble move through my body. “Then I have an excuse for why it takes me longer to get home.”
With a flick of my wrist, I say bye to my brother and start the drive back into town.
It’s the end of summer, and already the air is turning less damp, and that fall chill is settling in.
A slight fog rises on more dense land and lightly skims the water off the shore.
I race down the coast roads, watching the clouds roll in, covering the stars and blanketing the area with darkness.
My foot presses on the gas, accelerating faster down the incline toward the sleepy town I live in.
I cruise through our gated community and along the long stretch of mansions similar to ours.
To the outside world, or humans, this neighborhood looks secluded for the rich and famous.
What they don’t know is that the community is full of the rich, but that they’re paranormals.
The twelve mansions make up for the twelve spots on the Dark Protectors Council.
A spot that each family at the table holds, where we make all the decisions on how best to serve and protect our sanction.
Gavin Owens is currently the head of the council, appointed for his leadership and also his wealth.
My mother, his fiancée, holds another position for our family, but only until I graduate and am able to hold it on my own.
Until then, Gavin likes to think he’s lording over us, making all the decisions in our name.
For now, I’ll let him think he has all the power.
My car swings right and drives down the smoothly paved road, both sides bordered by immaculately landscaped lawn.
The house comes into view past the trees, the roof is sharp, gothic, a shadow against the night sky.
The windows are lit from within, letting me know my mother must be home as well.
This meeting is turning into a family affair and not just a one-on-one with Gavin.
I park my car in one of the garages and close it before sauntering up to the front door.
Ever since moving out last year for college, the house is feeling less like home, and I’m feeling more like a guest every time I arrive.
“You’re late, Mr. Danvers. The others have already arrived,” Simon, the butler who has been with my family for over fifty years, announces as soon as I step inside the entryway. A great chandelier lights up the room, giving it a false feeling of warmth with its golden glow.
My brow rises, catching his words. “Others?”
Simon rolls his eyes with a sly side grin while he walks away again. “Others.”
My boots thud against the marble floors as I make my way into the dining room. The area is dark with no signs of life.
“They’re in the formal dining room, sir,” Simon calls, as if he expected my error.
A scowl tugs at my lips, and I turn to head farther down the hall to the larger, more elegant dining room.
A hum fills the air as I get closer, a distinct protective force that was placed around the room to keep unwanted ears from hearing what they shouldn’t.
Gavin sits at the head of the table with my mother on his left.
On his right is his oldest friend and confidant, and a member of the council, Shemar.
Aero, my closest friend, and his father are next to them.
Aero’s brow rises when he catches my eye, and there’s a hint of mirth in there aimed across the table at Killian.
We used to be best friends, almost as close as brothers, until the year the witch rolled in, and he thought he could take her from me.
He may have succeeded, and it was the most important lesson I learned that year.
Witches with pretty faces will spread their legs for anyone with more magic than they have.
What really sets my jaw on edge is that he’s seated right next to Lily, another of our closest friends since elementary school.
My protective instincts rise, and it takes effort not to snap at her to move away from him.
The second I sit, the chair scrapes across the ground, drawing everyone’s attention, their eyes on me. Killian smirks and raises his glass when Gavin speaks.
“About time you joined us.”
My shoulders lift in a shrug, and I keep my face passive. “Last I checked, we weren’t allowed to leave the post. Especially not with all the rumors going around.”
Lily’s blue-green gaze jumps to mine, shyly looking up at me behind the curtain of her hair. “I hope you had a jacket. It’s getting colder out.”
My lips twitch in almost a smile, something I never fully give in to, even as her words irritate me. “I like the cold, Lil. Shouldn’t you be on campus?”
Our new semester starts tomorrow, and I was under the impression everyone was heading back to campus today. I had planned to after my rotation at the graveyard until this little meeting was called.
“Only athletes are needed back this week, Madd,” Killian scoffs before taking a bite of the steak in front of him. Lily goes rigid, and a light blush floods her cheeks.
“I want everyone back on campus tomorrow, Killian. That was my call, given the situation that’s happening in our world.
” I glare at him across the table. I want to berate him for embarrassing Lily, knowing she hates unwanted attention.
Lily and Aero have been my friends since elementary, and we always head back to campus together.
Killian used to join us until I surpassed him in power.
Then his father lost a seat on the council for trying to destroy the council with dark magic, and it formed the first crack in our friendship.
Gavin sighs and tosses his cloth napkin on top of his plate. “This right here is what I’m talking about when I say discourse.”
Shemar chuckles. “I think they sound like us when we were younger, Gav. Besides, with very little information to go on, everyone in the paranormal community is on edge.”
Gavin takes a sip of his wine, and I see my mom reach under the table, likely patting his knee.
I tear my stare away as fast as I can. I tolerate their relationship for the most part, knowing it was helpful for my mom after my dad passed in order to secure her spot on the council.
Most members are men and tend to be stuck in their old ways and not at all forward-thinking enough to want a woman in their ranks.
Being with Gavin allows my mom to have power, power she will eventually pass down to my brother and me.
“That’s because we still don’t know anything. The best thing to do would be to act normal and put on a united front,” Gavin argues back with his friend.
“You’re saying you know absolutely nothing?” I ask Gavin, my tone bordering on sarcastic.
Gavin glances at me, and the usual iciness in his eyes is there. Even while he tries to look calm and cool in his seat, all I see is the rigid way he holds himself. “We all heard the blast. It’s being hypothesized mostly by a few covens and angels that the Nexa is here.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” My mom laughs lightly and shakes her head, which earns a chuckle from Shemar as well.