Money, Money, Money
ROGUE
The crowd finally calms as Lola takes her seat and Luca stands behind the podium looking smug as fuck.
Being an elder demon, he doesn’t tell the remaining chatterboxes to shut up—no, he snaps his fingers and a boom loud enough to rock the Grand Canyon makes everyone cower.
It’s not quite that bad for me and Reb, and I take note of the species who are also less affected for later.
I feel like my brain is downloading a million things a minute at the moment, but I don’t want any of it to escape.
We have to build a clear image of what we’re up against, especially because it keeps getting worse.
“Good evening, fellow villains of Bay City!”
I make a surreptitious motion of gagging at my stepbrother, and he grins.
Luca Gemini has definitely drank a metric ton of his own Kool-Aid and he thinks he’s hot fucking shit.
In this arena, he appears to be the big cheese, but that’s by design.
I’m pretty certain there are beings on that stage who could whip his ass without so much as breaking a sweat.
However, they indulge his megalomania by keeping silent.
Puzzling, but not much about today has made sense.
“When one or more of our members calls for one of these meetings, the protocols dictate they occur within a specific amount of time and the invitations are handled in the same way they have been for many years. You all received yours, with the requisite quests to locate our gathering, and those of you in front of me were worthy of attendance. For that, you should not be proud—it’s your job, and anyone who failed the test is being handled by the cleaning crews. ”
A gasp echoes through the arena, but I don’t see why they’re shocked.
Gangs are little more humane than human corporations—we’re all cogs in their machines, and only those most valuable are kept from the consequences of failure.
Even those cherished few will be fed to the scavengers if it benefits the assholes in charge; it’s nothing new.
My empathy triggers as emotions flood the supes surrounding us, and I frown as I realize some are now mourning family and friends they know they’ve just lost.
Cruelty is the point and Luca Gemini is feeding off of their misery from his perch on high.
“How did I write him off as a basic criminal with a power trip?” I mutter as I look at Damon. “I really didn’t pay attention to what was happening with your family.”
Damon shakes his head. “No, Ang and I never talked about it much when you were around. We’re not nearly as happy with our future as we like to pretend. But covering it means we can keep anyone else from being sucked in—until now, obviously.”
“Do not fret, criminals of Bay City. Anyone who has been taken, sealed their own fate. We do not mourn the inept; we strive to escape their fates.” Luca pauses and his eyes flash with the demon inside.
“Today we are honored to have not only our esteemed hosts—including myself and my wife—but honored guests in attendance. This gathering is brimming with the most powerful alliances we have made in decades, and we will discuss how this will help us expand our reach far beyond Bay City. Are you with me?”
Chaos fills the air, and it ignites the supes in the crowd immediately.
Screams, howls, and cheering echo across the venue like a mega-pop star just stepped on stage.
A rowdy shifter bumps into me, knocking me off balance and before I can even shove the asshole, Angelo is in front of me snarling a warning.
Damon joins him, his eyes dark as he absorbs the power of the influenced supes.
Since he is most definitely Luca’s son, that magic is zooming over his frame like a live wire.
I’m annoyed by their manhandling, but I also know D needs me to help him calm before his father senses his presence.
“Damon, it’s okay. He was a rude motherfucker, but I’m not hurt.
” My voice is soft and soothing as I whisper in his ear, but it doesn’t stop his horns and tail from emerging.
I grimace, knowing the twins aren’t supposed to reveal their entire demonic visage if they’re not in battle or amongst the family.
Looking over at Archie, I motion for him to sandwich the younger twin with me.
Once we’re pressed to both sides, I murmur, “You aren’t him.
Don’t let this shit get under your skin.
I know you can resist him. He’s probably doing this to look cool for his stupid guests. ”
Pulling back, I look into his black eyes, cupping his face as Angelo and the others deal with the mosh pit of bodies losing their shit in Luca’s grasp. Damon finally shudders and shakes his head, then looks at me with clarity. “Fuck, Sparkles. He’s really laying it on thick. How come you’re not…?”
“Mating thing?” Archie suggests as his chin rests on D’s shoulder. “That’d be my guess. She’s probably more immune to your guys’ powers now. Luca’s related, soooo…”
It’s an excellent point, and he’s probably right.
“I think Archie’s correct. You know I can do…
those things… now. The longer we’re mated, the more I might be able to access.
” I give him a crooked smile. “Which is very helpful to know for later, right? Luca won’t be able to wield his power over me effectively.
We needed to find that out, so no harm, no foul. ”
That’s when the burst of magic snaps back, and the supes stop clamoring for one another. Luca smirks again, dusting off his lapel as if he’s barely even stretching himself to control that many beings at once. I don’t have a clue whether that’s true, but he’s making a big show of it.
“Get this show on the road,” Reb growls in irritation. “I’ve been to cults who spend less time indoctrinating people. This is ridiculous.”
“Unfortunately, once the dickheads in charge get a mic, they have to be practically dragged out of the spotlight in every walk of life,” Javier says. “It’s no different with the ‘good guys’ meetings, I’d wager.”
Reb and I exchange glances, and I laugh. “He’s right. Society and Council meetings are interminable. But I’d love to get the fuck out of this dress and not have to worry about every damn person within range for a bit. So I, too, would like these fuckers to get it over with.”
“Who is that guy without a name plate? That’s been bugging the hell out of me.” Archie frowns as he inclines his head a little. “No one has said a word about what his deal is.”
“That worries me, too. He looks normal—almost human. But I don’t think he is, and the others are steering clear of him in a way that is quite sus.” I pull out my phone as I step back from Damon, aiming it at the stage. “Pictures of these idiots will help us plot out what we know.”
Damon’s horns and tail finally recede as he sighs in relief. “I can amend our scatter charts and files with them. Good plan.”
“The future of our combined organizations will be profitable for all of us… but only if we are united. My fellow hosts and I have brokered alliances with like-minded groups across the realms over the past few years; this is the culmination of that long, hard work.” Luca stops, looking at the other leaders, then back at the crowd.
“It took immense sacrifices by many of our former comrades to secure these partnerships without raising suspicion. In the coming months, your loyalty will be tested by your individual leaders before you may know the bigger picture. However, for now, we will allow each of them to speak to you about their roles.”
Hot damn, here we go.
“Julien Goldendash and Baulaur Flǎc?re, please rise and address our members.”
Luca steps back, waiting for the Fae and the mythical mercenary to stand.
When they do, he moves to his seat next to Lola, settling in as they approach the podium.
The Seelie taps his jaw with a finger, disregarding the microphone as he gives us all a shit-eating grin.
His goldenrod hair and beard make him look like a supermodel, but the real tell is in his dark brown eyes.
There’s nothing warm about him on the inside—in fact, he’s devoid of actual emotion as far as I can tell.
“Hello, Bay City,” he says in a smooth baritone.
“As your announcer said, I am Julien Goldendash. Before I share my information… ó chladach go cladach, ó bhuaic go buaic, ní labhróidh do bheola riamh. Is liomsa mo fhírinne, ní féidir leat a roinnt ar eagla go gcaillfidh tú d’oidhre lómhar.
Má bhíonn sibh gann, beidh mo thoil láidir.
gach rud a bhfuil grá agat, beidh sé imithe. *”
A burst of magic covers the crowd in pumpkin colored sparkles and I cough as I fight not to inhale.
Our group moves together quickly, bending inward to get our faces out of the tricky Fae’s bullshit, and I feel the wings of my twins spread over all our backs.
Once I can breathe again, I look across our huddle with a dark expression.
“That’s fucking illegal! He can’t hex an entire crowd of people to protect his pansy ass! ”
“He can and he did,” Javier says softly. “Legal or not, there’s no way the others weren’t complicit. I expect they’ll all add their own flair to this temporary block to keep the attending supes from spreading rumors or being bribed.”
“Are we affected by that?” I frown as I let my magic flow through me, checking for remnants of foreign bullshit floating around my aura. “I didn’t plan on telling anyone outside of our new friends—maybe—but I don’t want to be controlled by some traitorous dickbag, either.”
Rebel growls low, his eyes flashing with Unseelie fury. “This will hurt, but I can counter it until we’re in a place to remove the damn thing.”
Nodding, I clench my fists at my side and look at the others. “You should know that when Reb says it will hurt—he’s underselling it. Get ready.”
The tension inside our huddle increases as violet streaks of magic shoot out from my stepbrother’s fingers, working their way into all six of us.
I swallow a scream as his powers flood my system, wrapping around fragments I couldn’t see and insulating them.
He’s basically sealing the hex up in pockets of his own power, but it doesn’t feel good, nor does my magic like it.
There are matching grimaces on the faces of my other men, and by the time Rebel lets go, even he looks a bit wiped.
“We can stand up now,” he says on a pant. “That asshole has to be tapping into the royal bloodline power, by the way. No way he’s got that much juice. Probably why he married the princess.”
Even in Faerie, women are used by social climbing knobs who want to steal their damn power; it’s universal.
“That’s a topic for later. He’s gonna talk now,” Archie rasps as he rubs his palms on his arms.
The wings pull away, and my family rises to our full height again. As I look around, I see the surrounding crowd looking dazed, and I grit my teeth. I don’t care if they are all criminals—this is bullshit.
“Now that you’re properly prepared, I am delighted to relay that I am the representative from a multi-species organization in Faerie.
We are embedded throughout all four courts and facilitate all Fae-Earth realm smuggling.
From our addictive concoctions to brutal weapons to alluring creatures and beings, and even intelligence.
For the right price, we import your darkest desires.
” His grin turns wicked as he drops the next bomb.
“Thanks to one of the other honored guests, we could demonstrate a new product today—did anyone hear about the orc?”
Mother of Odin, the damn thing was proof of concept—they can export enormous deadly creatures to other realms for use as weapons.
We are all screwed now.
* From shore to shore, from peak to peak, ne’er shall your lips doth speak. My truth is mine, you cannot share lest you lose your precious heir. If ye be barren, my will be strong. everything you hold dear, will be gone.