Chapter 3 Drecken
drecken
. . .
“I feel like I’ve failed her, and that makes no sense to me,” I rambled to the photo of my parents, smiling at the camera.
Oberon and Elowen Grimsworn were my parents, and I owed them everything.
I inherited my green hair from him, but while Dad had brown eyes, Mom had blue, like mine.
Mom had long blonde hair. They died together of old age, as fated mates were supposed to.
Mom was four-hundred fifty-five, and Dad was five-hundred three.
Their lifespans were much longer than the average witch and warlock because of their magical reserves being so deep, like mine. Even now, I missed them dearly.
“I’m not anything to her, though we shared a kiss.” My face heated with embarrassment before anger replaced it. Bursts of magic popped from my fingertips. “But she was hurt under my watch in that simulator by a human.”
I waved my hand, and a seer bubble formed in front of me, a magic portal to allow me to see what I desired.
Rune lay in her bed, naked.
Her hands were under the covers, but I knew by the ecstasy on her face and moans slipping out of her that she was pleasuring herself.
“Fates.” I waved my hand again, and the bubble dissipated.
I slammed my eyes shut, trying to stop the erection from forming, but I was too late.
“Drecken,” Sabine snapped, her voice coming through the crystal in my lab.
She effectively made me go soft. “Aurelia mentioned that a split-off human faction is rumored to be the one taking supernaturals from our territories. I have my agents on it, but they’re rumored to be injecting supernatural DNA into humans. ”
“Who’s Aurelia?” I frowned. “And good luck to them on that. It’ll just kill them.”
“Our communication specialist and the siren rep on the council,” she answered flatly. “And evidently, they’ve found a way not to die. We’re holding a meeting at HQ now.”
“Be there in a minute,” I muttered, setting Rune’s vial of blood down that I’d been investigating.
I teleported to HQ as the last few supernatural reps arrived via wayfaer crystals.
The Supernatural Council’s headquarters gleamed with gold. I walked across the marble floors veined with glittering gold and sat in my seat at the long obsidian table that stretched across the meeting chamber.
Rowan sat at the top, his red hair blazing with fire. Literal fire. “Thanks for coming on such short notice. We have a problem arising with the humans.”
“Again?” Norman, the icedrake representative and scientific research head, grunted. “What are they doing now?”
“What do you think?” I chuckled. “They’re trying to inject themselves with our DNA again.”
“Impossible.” He rolled his icy eyes.
“That’s what I said.” I glanced at Sabine. “But apparently, we’re wrong.”
“Yes, you are,” Aurelia murmured. “From my human contacts, I’ve been told that at least one human successfully had a supernatural DNA injection.”
Norman and I shared a disbelieving expression.
“Not confirmed, right?” Norman asked.
“Well, no, but—”
“Then we should go by facts,” I said. “Not rumors.”
“That’s true,” Rowan agreed. “However, we need to prepare for the possibility that it is true.”
“I already have my agents on it,” Sabine said, her dull green eyes flicking to me with a slight glint.
A chill ran down my spine, and I felt only a little guilty that I had accidentally seen her daughter pleasuring herself. There was no way she knew.
“The investigations so far have shown that the missing supernatural leads are toward the human territory,” Sabine said.
“Then we must consult the humans,” Kaelith, the dragon rep and cultural liaison, told us. “The treaty is clear, and if they are taking supernaturals, they’ve broken it.”
“We have a meeting set up with them in…” Rowan glanced at his tablet, pressing a few buttons before a holographic screen appeared over the table. “Now.”
The current Human Council head, Evelyn Smith, appeared. “Good evening, Rowan. To what do we owe the pleasure of an impromptu meeting?”
“You have a human ssspy in our agent academy,” Sabine hissed. “During the placement examsss, my daughter was poisssoned by an unknown human drug and feedsss were cut. There was an injection site on her neck, and my daughter knowsss the difference between a human and a sssupernatural.”
“Your daughter?” Evelyn blanched. “We have no spies in the supernatural territory that we are aware of, per our peace treaty.”
“Then, you have a rogue faction,” Rowan snapped, fire flaming around him.
“I will investigate this matter. Give me time,” she murmured, her brown eyes flicking to the side. “Kevin, go check each faction’s records.” Turning back to the camera, she said, “Clara will be in contact with you on this matter.”
Clara was their diplomatic relations officer, and to be delegated to her was an insult.
“Then, she can contact Kaelith with that information.” Rowan gave her a seething glare and hung up.
The holograph dissipated.
“I’m assigning agentsss at Apex Elite Academy as a detail. They’ll be watchersss and keep an eye on things. I’ve already contracted Jesssper Wyvernheart part-time, as well as a few other agents,” Sabine told us, holding her head in frustration. “Drecken, resssearch the drug used on Rune.”
“Already have her blood,” I assured her. “I was working on it before I was called here. It seems to have a lot of consistencies with tourmalyke, but I’ll let you know more when I know more.”
After the meeting, Rowan pulled me to the side.
“How’re things going?” he asked me pointedly.
“I’m trying to replicate the feelings I feel for her, but it’s not working,” I admitted. “I’m close, but it’s more of a pleasant feeling before a feeling that I imagine would be like heartburn sets in.”
“Drecken, I say this with the utmost respect, but you like her,” he said slowly.
“I…did like it when she kissed me,” I murmured softly, double-checking that Sabine had indeed left.
Rowan’s mouth fell open. “That’s great.”
“It’s something.” I nodded, feeling those damned butterflies in my chest and stomach. “I’ll figure it out.”