Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
T he casual room we sat in was a clear abandonment of Ileana’s usual style. Walls a creamy shade of ivory, cozy cloudlike sofa and chairs, calming artwork adorning the walls, and taupe-color velvet curtains added warmth to the room and made a peaceful setting. What I felt, though, was diametric to the calm the room attempted to create. Ileana’s long manicured nails drumming on the arm of her chair became the soundtrack for the tense silence that surrounded us.
Dominic and I sat on a sofa across from her as she sank back into the club chair. Dominic’s brows furrowed together while he studied his mother intently. Time ticked by; he and I seemed to share the same unease of not knowing what was going through her mind.
I was saddled with the feeling that my life was seconds away from another upheaval. Things were bad. We had planned to siphon Peter’s magic, but instead the Dark Caster stole both his magic and mine. The supernaturals were vying for a war. Dominic’s father and sister had aligned with Peter, in the expectation of getting power from him. Shades were now roaming the city with the ability to take on a human body, disguising themselves while keeping their immense magic. War was still looming between those on the side of the Conventicle and those with the New Conventicle. Dominic and I had retreated to the Vita, a section of a world that existed parallel to mine. I wondered if in the hours of our absence humans had discovered the existence of supernaturals.
Dominic’s lips lifted into a humorless smirk. “This is complicated,” he said, his voice a low growl. It was more than a simple complication. The situation incited anger in him that was threaded through his words. The fiery blaze in his eyes smothered when he closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were piercing and predatory. Did he have a plan or was that just a thirst for retribution?
Studying his contemplative frown, Ileana’s somber expression darkened. Her eyes narrowed and the deleterious energy couldn’t be ignored. “Do you want me to take care of this, Dominic?” her gentle tone finally asked. Her calming, sweet voice belied the menace that dwelled in her eyes. Her help would come in the form of unbridled violence and the loss of many lives. Except for Helena and Dominic, no one would be safe. She would take joy in adding Areleus, who I was now convinced she barely liked, to the people who’d fall victim to her help.
Several minutes passed while Dominic studied his mother, whose expression offered nothing more than a placid landscape. He shook his head.
“No, I will handle it, but I may need your help.”
Some of my worry lifted knowing Dominic would be navigating this turbulent situation, not the woman with a penchant for survival of the fittest methods where she believed in the most destruction and had little regard for the lives that would be lost. She never considered changing her strategy even after I pointed out that humans were at a disadvantage. I wasn’t na?ve to Dominic’s dark side, either. He was the product of Ileana and his father and just as capable of being cold, calculated, and violent with ease. The difference was that he seemed to be the most reasonable of them all, and I trusted him.
“Of course, Areleus and Helena need to be involved as well,” Ileana asserted in a tone that left no room for debate.
Dominic’s jaw clenched. He and his father were at war, and the mention of his name made me relive the overwhelming fear I felt when Areleus had secured me against his chest, one hand around my throat and his claws at my stomach, to force Dominic’s hand after he’d restricted Helena’s magic. Once Helena’s magic had been returned, she did everything possible to make Dominic regret giving her access to it again. How could he ally himself with his father and his sister, when they’d tried to kill him? I detested Helena. Her allegiance had proven to be the most variable and insidious. She aligned herself with whomever she determined would be the victor. Helena’s loyalty wasn’t to a person but to their potential for success.
“No.” Dominic matched Ileana’s uncompromising tone.
“Son, that wasn’t a suggestion. You must put aside your differences or you will fail. Kill your father after you’ve succeeded.” She gave him a pointed look. “Helena must be spared. Understand, she will be loyal to you once you are in power.”
“Or at least until someone else comes along who she suspects might have more power. Then the betrayal starts all over. An infinite loop,” I mumbled, earning a sharp glacial look from her.
“Did you have something to say, Luna?”
Feeling overly protective of Dominic to a flaw, I repeated myself.
Her pointed look eased into a bemused half smile. “My magicless little creation is human once again.”
Damn, the disdain she had for people who didn’t possess a sliver of magic was tragic.
“You still remain quite bold even when you have no means of protecting yourself.” The smile warped into a cruel chastising sneer.
I could say whatever disparaging thing I liked about Areleus, but she drew the line at Helena. Somehow, Ileana found some virtue in Helena choosing to side with power. Clearly, we valued different things.
“How can Dominic trust them? You’re requesting he handle this volatile and dangerous situation while also dealing with the person who stole Dark Caster magic, and while having to watch my back at all times.”
“Dominic won’t have that worry because he’ll have my protection?—”
“Unless it involves Helena. She seems to get a pass on all her wrongdoings.”
Despite being nearly feral in my protectiveness, I quickly realized it was a stupid and precarious place to be. My life had been put in peril on too many occasions. I wanted to decrease the chances of it happening again. But I couldn’t rein in my turbulent emotions or my scathing opinions. Trusting Helena and Areleus would inevitably lead to more betrayal, violence, instability among humans and supernaturals, and my life being in danger. Ileana was growing impatient with my insolence, and the look she levied in my direction warned me to proceed with caution.
“Helena will obey my demands,” Ileana asserted.
“Is there another side of her I have not yet met? Because the one I know doesn’t seem to listen to anyone.”
Ileana’s cool look of displeasure turned from me to Dominic as if she was urging him to intervene.
“Luna is right. Helena is not to be trusted, and I won’t give her another opportunity to betray me again. If you want her life spared, don’t put her in a position to betray me. If it happens again, I won’t show her any mercy.”
“I can assure you that she won’t.”
Where was this confidence coming from? None of my dealings with Helena gave me any confidence that she would uphold her mother’s request. But Ileana’s assertion was made with the reverence of promise. I was curious as to how she’d achieve that oath, but I doubted she’d share. Perhaps she had a mom-request she could use that demanded compliance at all costs. Who knew?
“Will they make it a priority to protect and preserve humans?” Since they had so little respect for humans, I had to continue to be an advocate.
“Humans are not involved in this,” she countered.
“Yes, they are. Hiding the existence of magical beings seems to be top priority, but with everything that’s happened, I’m not sure that can continue. What happens to humans when it fails? Can their safety be guaranteed?”
The factions were split between the Awakeners who wanted to be revealed and place humans in a subservient role, and the Conventicle and New Conventicle and their acolytes, who were separate factions with the same goals. They wanted to continue anonymity for different reasons and approached the goal with extreme tactics.
“Luna’s family must be protected.” Dominic’s response was achingly cool with the need to protect the people dear to me. He may not have shared his mother’s dismal view of humans, but preservation of their lives had never been a priority.
“Not just my family. Humans cannot be casualties of this. It’s not fair,” I entreated, looking to Dominic for understanding.
“I don’t seek to kill off humans,” Ileana provided before he could respond. It was a far cry from what I wanted, which was a commitment to do whatever was necessary to save them. I gathered from her expression that was the best offer she’d give, which she punctuated with a dismissive shrug before leaving the room.
Dominic’s fingers linked mine in a firm hold, deterring me from going after her and demanding more. It had been a fleeting thought, but I had no intention of pursuing it.