Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
A n hour since the ward around my apartment had been placed and Dominic had left. Worry crept in and settled over me. Without a way to contact him, I began to think the worst. I didn’t think things would be resolved quickly, but I wanted to know about any progress. And I was worried about him.
I tried distracting myself with a book but couldn’t focus enough to get into the light, cute rom-com. Previously, an adorable main character and a grumpy love interest would have effortlessly held my attention. Now, it simply reminded me that there wasn’t anything quirky or lighthearted about my life at the moment.
And I couldn’t take any steps toward mending things with my job. Emoni had confirmed what I already knew: I didn’t have one. She discouraged me from contacting Cameron, the store owner.
“It’s better to do that face to face when everything is over, or at least controlled enough that you won’t have the threat of your life being upended again. If by some chance she allows you back, I doubt she’d give you a second chance.”
Emoni was right. But I needed a distraction.
“When is your next gig?” I asked.
She excitedly told me about her next bookings and how it was heartbreaking to find out that one of her songs became a sound on TikTok and that I’d missed it.
Hearing that, I’d never wanted to walk away more. Just say screw it to all of it—and force them to accept that. This wasn’t my fight and I should be able to bow out. Power-hungry people wanting a civil war shouldn’t mean I had to miss my friends’ successes and not be there to celebrate with them. The insistence on secrecy. Me stumbling into the middle of it just because of a series of unlucky events. It wasn’t all bad, though. In the chaos, deplorable situations, and violence, I’d found something special with Dominic. Initially, I thought it was just physical, but it was more than merely amazing sex with a gorgeous man. I was a priority to Dominic, whereas with my ex, Jackson, I was often treated as an afterthought. The effect the royals’ decisions had on human life hadn’t meant much to Dominic before, but now it was a consideration. I adored the way I felt when he was near, when he touched me. Even the way he looked at me. I wanted him in my life. That reason alone kept me from trying to figure out a way to burn it all to the ground so I could have my old life back.
Reluctantly, I pushed aside the fantasy of ending this, because fantasy is all that it was. I was left with the guilt of a worrying brother, sharing in my best friend’s successes days too late, and feeling like an observer rather than an active participant in my life.
The lump in my chest grew, and as Emoni enthusiastically retold the event, sadness crept in.
“What’s with the face?” she asked.
I shook my head, the words caught in my throat. It took several moments before I could speak. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to share that with you.”
She smiled. “You’re acting like it won’t happen again. It will. And you won’t be dealing with Underworld realms, wars, and weird creatures of the night—or is it day—or whatever. Creepy magicals that live among us.”
Emoni expelled a whoosh of breath when I pulled her into a big hug. “You’re the best friend a person could ever ask for,” I whispered into her ear.
“I know,” she whispered. “I should get some type of commendation,” she teased.
When Emoni had run out of news and I was left alone with my thoughts, worry reared its ugly head, so I tried distracting myself by cleaning my apartment and occasionally paying attention to the subtitles of a drama that had captured Emoni’s attention. But my mind kept slipping into listing all the things that could go wrong. Emoni pulled her attention from the tv and scrutinized me.
Offering me a weak smile, she said, “No news is good news, right?”
“When has that ever been true?” I challenged.
“I know.” She squeaked out of a weird excitement in our shared belief. “That’s the worst platitude, isn’t it? You’re going to hate me for saying this, but you will have to wait and deal with it. What’s the alternative?”
She was right. Nodding, I abandoned cleaning and plopped down next to her.
“Let me see the synopsis and catch me up.” She was more than happy to catch me up on the enemies-to-lovers college drama.
The show was distracting enough that I startled at the abrupt, commanding knock at the door. Expecting Dominic, I rushed to it, only to find his mother.
I silently mouthed to Emoni who it was. Her expression was an amalgamation of fear, curiosity, doubt, and the need to escape danger at the idea of meeting her. Glassy eyes seemed to be recounting all the things I’d told her about Ileana. The desire to flee overrode the other emotions.
Ileana’s otherworldly appearance stood in stark contrast to the urban environment outside my apartment. Seeing her without the backdrop of verdant trees and forestry, vibrant flowers, and her peculiar creatures roaming about was uncomfortable, and her discomfited appearance showed it. Wearing a flowing satin gown that shifted and shimmered in hues of violet and silver, her commanding presence evoked the diametric feeling of fear and draw. Unlike the royals, she didn’t seem capable of managing some semblance of assimilation. Her command of the space was undeniable.
“Ileana,” I whispered with an attempt to add as much reverence as I could.
Emoni pulled me from the door, grasping my wrist in what was either a show of solidarity or an urgency to run like hell. Her grip on me tightened as annoyance washed over Ileana’s face when the ward illuminated and prevented her entering. Pressing her hand to it, she whispered a few words, her expectant look disappearing when the ward remained intact.
“The ward.” Her crisp voice requested the removal. I had to pry myself out of Emoni’s grip, who would have been fine with the conversation taking place behind the safe confines of the ward.
“It’s fine,” I whispered, but her doubtful expression didn’t change.
Once I broke the ward by stepping over the threshold, Ileana brushed past me.
“This is Dominic’s doing?” she asked.
I nodded. “Dominic’s magic is increasingly impressive,” she said, pride replacing the irritation in her voice. She took in my apartment with a sweeping look before turning her appraisal to Emoni. A smile curled her lips. It was warmer than I remembered her extending to either me or Dominic.
In a warm and melodious voice, she said, “I’m here to help, not harm.”
It made me wary of the ease with which she slipped into the facade of being innocuous.
“Is Helena alright?” she asked.
If she didn’t know, I didn’t feel comfortable telling her. She searched my face for something.
“Why did you ask that?” Was it intuition or a magical connection?
“She tried to come to me. Sabin reported seeing an apparition of her. She hasn’t reappeared. I suspect her magic is being restricted because she was unable to speak. And because Dominic has you secured behind this ward, he’s protecting you. What happened?”
Her concern made me push aside the fact that she was often the one who provided counterproductive suggestions, such as letting chaos ensue, killing a bunch of people, or causing a catastrophe and seeing who survived.
Emoni went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water that she handed to Ileana. Taking a small drink from it, Ileana returned her attention to me. “She is in trouble?”
I nodded. “They’re looking for her now.”
She narrowed her gaze on me. “Who is looking for her?”
“Everyone available.” I considered embellishing that finding her was top priority. It was top priority for Dominic, Anand, and Areleus. I wasn’t convinced that Helena’s return was at all important to any of the others. I doubted they cared about protecting the realms of the Underworld and the beings who dwelled there.
“Take me to the place she was taken from,” Ileana demanded, placing the water on the table and leaving the apartment without awaiting a response.
When we didn’t follow, she turned, piercing me with her icy glare. A shiver of fear ran through me, but it wasn’t greater than my desire to avoid returning to the site of the violence, the people who saw me as a problem, and where I had nearly been abducted also.
I couldn’t shake the discomfort of the Dark Caster’s loss of interest in me once she had her sights on Helena. Finding Helena had to outweigh my fear.
I nodded. Emoni cuffed my arm, giving me a look that told me she wasn’t going to leave me alone.
Ileana scowled her disapproval. “I am responsible for two lives,” she complained.
At least she’d accepted our safety as her responsibility, albeit reluctantly. It was still some protection. I’d take it any way I could get it, although my confidence in the lengths she’d go to honor it was questionable. Before heading out, I marched over to Emoni’s arsenal and grabbed the pepper spray I’d seen. Emoni grinned and revealed a stun gun. My friend wasn’t the vigilante of justice she wanted to be, but at least she was prepared.
Emoni offered to drive. My preference would have been to borrow the car and leave her behind, but the look she cast in my direction discouraged any such suggestion.
Ileana sneered at Dominic’s vehicle at the warehouse, as well as at the occupants. I’d assumed they would have left if they’d declined to join the search, because they remained targets if the Dark Caster returned. If Dominic was there, so were Areleus and Anand. Speculation ran rampant through my mind about what could have happened in the past few hours. Had they searched and failed? Had there been another attack before they could look for Helena? Had Areleus’s inability to show any form of humility caused an eruption of violence rather than offers of assistance? Not knowing bothered me, but I remained steadfast next to Ileana while she examined the building and the property next to it and did a cursory scan before she made rote movements while making her way around the building and surrounding areas. Lingering illuminations of gold and amber from her magic whirled in the air and faded. It would have been a beautiful spectacle if I didn’t know that one was more than likely a compulsion spell to prevent anyone coming near the area, and I had no idea what the second one was. But the effortless way she laid down sigils and markings was similar to what she had done when she wanted to subdue someone she needed to question, which made me confident that she would be entering a building without the threat of magic being used against her.
Emoni and I trailed behind her while I explained to Emoni my hypothesis of what I suspected had just occurred. She stopped short of the entrance. “And you’re okay with this?”
“How could I stop her? No, I’m not okay with any of the things going on. I’ve been dragged into this, and my only goal is to limit the harm to humans and the others. At this point we just have defensive measures.”
“Defensive measures against a woman who can create creatures, block magic, and who has a propensity for violence as her first tactic,” she grumbled. I pressed a finger to my lips, hoping she’d soften her voice as it was rising with each item she listed.
She nodded, ushering away fear and apprehension from her expression. “We’re going to be okay,” she whispered. Squaring her shoulders to stand taller, she displayed a bravado that her panting breaths betrayed. And her confidence disappeared completely when we were confronted with a group of shifters who had reverted to their human form. Their naked human form . With magic suspended, the witches couldn’t clothe them.
The naked shifters pinned Ileana with malicious sneers. With immunity to magic, they wore the shock of it being used against them with anger. I suspected Ileana’s link to animals played a part in that ability, but I wondered what her limitations were. They’d hate her for her power in the same manner they despised the royals.
Her appearance didn’t spark recognition in any of the faces in the room. She quickly found Dominic among the sea of people and fixed a cutting look in his direction. He returned it, before shifting a glare in my direction. Tension and anger bracketed his frown before it quickly fell away along with his attention that he redirected to Ileana.
“I have one question,” she said without an introduction or waiting for the commotion to die down from her magic-blocking spell. All eyes turned to her, commanding the room as she did with her unique presence that clearly wasn’t of this world. “Why hasn’t Helena been found?” she asked in a tone steeped with accusation.
“Mother, you’ve joined us.” Dominic’s attempt at diplomacy and to distinguish her as an ally not to be feared was lost on the group. She was a royal. A menacing entity with the ability to block their magic. An obvious threat. Ileana would never be considered an ally. And clearly had become an addition to the mounting problems.
I followed Ileana’s eyes as they glided across the space, taking in the aftermath of a brutal skirmish, the energy still present in the room and the reddish-brown stains that had sunk into the pores of the concrete floor.
“We’re discussing a strategy,” Dominic offered. It might have been his desire to do so, but the unyielding looks of defiance contradicted his statement.
Emoni forced her gaze to stay away from the stains in the concrete. The putrid and undeniable smell of sweat, fear, and aggression lingered. The air was oppressive with potential and past danger and dread. All her efforts to ignore it failed. As did mine.
“We must be in full agreement of a truce,” Dominic said. I couldn’t figure out what had occurred that would lead Dominic to believe he couldn’t trust the others. Although there would be limited trust when it was riddled with self-interest, the threat of betrayal, and tenuous loyalty because of a magical contract that they would surely circumvent if given the chance.
The set jaws and reluctant nods indicated the agreement was made under duress.
“If you aren’t confident in this agreement, I will find my sister. And only find her. The shades and the Dark Caster and her acolytes will be your problem. May your survival be in your favor.” If the last few hours had been spent negotiating with the group for their help, I could imagine Dominic was at the end of his patience. Areleus’s fist balled at his side indicated that he was restraining himself from responding in the way he did best: violently. His reluctant display of diplomacy pulled his face into a baleful grimace.
Piecing together bits of the murmurs I could make out, body language, and expressions, it seemed Dominic had to form a rescue party but also quell the dissension in the group. If Helena could be abducted, confidence in the royals had diminished. Were they arrogant or foolish enough to believe they’d have a chance? The losses they’d suffered would have been exceptional, if not cutting down their numbers so severely they wouldn’t stand a chance in hell of doing anything other than submitting. But unearned confidence often accompanied arrogance, and supernaturals had shown to have a disadvantageous amount of both.
“Just because we aren’t happy about this truce and have grievances with Helena doesn’t mean we don’t understand the significance,” Madeline provided. “If the Underworld is destroyed, the prisoners will be released, and I am not confident of our survival if Celeste isn’t in the Perils.” Her patronizing sneer vanished and was replaced by something I’d never seen on her. Gratitude? Humility? Or a mélange of both. “Thank you for returning Celeste to the Perils and preventing your sister killing her.”
They had every right not to be enthusiastic about looking for someone who was so cavalier about sentencing them to certain death.
Dominic must have returned Celeste to her prison, which was why Helena, rather than Dominic, was there to offer me help. I wondered if the results would be the same if he hadn’t been the one to return Celeste. Would we be looking for Dominic instead of Helena?
“We are one collective,” added Emory, shamelessly unabashed by his current state of nudity situation. Then he looked at his cohorts. “The infighting left us vulnerable. We can’t allow this to continue. We must be aligned, without limitations.” There seemed to be a general acceptance of that. I was positive that the collective would be against the royals and their involvement, and was only agreeable to the truce because it was mutually beneficial.
“Why is he naked?” Emoni whispered, but with their hearing, the shifters and vampires heard her.
Before I could answer, Emory padded closer, smirking, locking his gaze with her. Emoni wasn’t a stranger to a lot of attention from a wide assortment of men: you-don’t-have-a- chance-in-hell; you’re pretty, I’m pretty, let’s date; I’m rich, that has to get me some points. But a naked dhole shifter with a villainous English accent had to be a first.
“It appears we don’t have magic. So, we were forced back into our human form, and the ability for the witches to clothe us was taken as well.” He directed a shrewd glare to Ileana.
“What type of shifter are you?” Unbothered by the nude Bond Villain, Emoni’s interest remained piqued.
“Dhole,” he said.
Fear and disgust was discarded like litter; excitement blazed in Emoni’s eyes, smothering any display of apprehension. My friend is weird. It was a reluctant acceptance.
“And you can shift?” Because Anand was a non-shifting shifter, she hadn’t been able to see a shift.
All eyes turned to Ileana, who nodded. It was doubtful the shifters cared about the dhole shifting to assuage my friend’s curiosity. They wanted their ability to perform magic. People who possessed such power didn’t like it restricted in any way. That had been made apparent to me by Helena’s reaction when she attempted to stab her brother with a broken wine bottle when he performed a spell to block her magic. Along with the royals’ gifts seemed to be an innate compulsion to do whatever was needed to obtain more power and abilities.
Moments after Ileana stepped out, the shifters’ bodies contracted and shuddered as if fighting off a surge of magic that would force them back into their animal form. The dhole gave in to the magic and shifted, looking predatory as he padded around Emoni. Fascination had robbed my friend of all her self-protective instincts, and she knelt, positioning her face close to his but not before me giving her a reminder that dholes were aggressive predators. Him sharing a body with a human didn’t change that. Ignoring my warning, Emoni had clearly decided that the predatory dhole was as harmless as a cute toy poodle and was treating him as such.
Please don’t bite my friend.
“That one is human. How will that be handled?”
Emoni was too busy sinking her fingers into the fur of the predatory dog, so she missed the fact she’d become the subject of discussion.
A vampire stepped forward to handle the situation with compulsion. Emoni looked up from the animal and noticed that all eyes had turned to her and that a vampire with exposed fangs was just inches from her.
Blocked by Dominic, he revealed his fangs in warning, pulling a dismissive smirk from Dominic.
“She’s fine. Your anonymity will remain. Luna is human and knows.”
From their looks, grumbles, and murmurs, I’d graduated from “his human” to something else. In that vicarious state between not quite human or supernatural. A place that garnered me more contempt than value.
The sharp hiss rang in the room before the vampire lunged at Emoni. Dominic caught him by the throat before tossing him to the other side of the room. Emoni sucked in a breath, shuffled back several feet, and Anand grabbed hold of her, pulling her to him. She nestled closer, a flare of fear in her eyes. Emoni fisted his shirt, burrowing closer to him. I wanted her to be cautious but not hammered by the reality of how easily her life could be snuffed. Anger placed an unbearable tightness in my chest and a thirst for revenge that felt bitter. I hated it.
“Stop,” Dominic commanded Emory who, during the commotion, had shifted to human form. Slowly approaching Emoni, Emory seemed unsettled by her loss of interest, which he had clearly enjoyed. Her face was a sheet of fear and apprehension. Ragged breaths escaped and her tense stance made it clear she wanted to be anywhere other than in a room of the magically inclined.
Emory continued moving toward Emoni and Anand, but when she reared back farther into Anand he stopped and looked in the direction of the witches. With a casual wave from one of them, he was clothed.
He slowed his approach. His voice dropped to a low satin tone. Gentle and comforting. “Are you okay?” She barely bent her head into the nod.
“Lovely. Know that we aren’t all like that. Your safety is a concern to us all. His behavior was unwarranted and deserving of Dominic’s harsh response.” He was slathering it on a little too thick and disingenuous.
From my short time with vampires, I’d noticed that they tended to be brusque, impulsive, and with a propensity for violence when protecting their anonymity and themselves. Emory’s PR scrubbing of the vampire’s misdeeds earned him a side-eye glare. He saw it, ignored it, but halted his advance toward her.
It had nothing to do with my look of disapproval and Anand’s thunderstorm look that added to the tension in the room.
“It’s fine. I understand you don’t want people to know about you all, but is murder really necessary?” Emoni asked.
His brows drawn together, he looked back at the vampire who’d recovered and was avoiding Anand’s challenging gaze that seemed like he was encouraging him to consider another attempt. “He wouldn’t have killed you. The miscreant was going to compel you to forget.” There was an effort to sound confident, but I wasn’t buying it. Compelling someone took time.
“Messing with my mind?” she asked. Repulsion and anger overshadowed the fear.
He nodded. Disgust, anger, and disbelief competed for expression on her face. Guilt welled in me because I’d allowed Dominic to manipulate her memories after she’d been attacked with a necri spell. Although it was done to protect her, I still agreed with her. Manipulation of a person’s world took away their autonomy and was a violation.
“We are done here. Finding my sister is the priority.”
“I question your tactics. Should your sister be a priority since Areleus is handling that?” Ileana’s emotion regarding Areleus’s mission showed in her furrowed eyebrows, the flare of her nostrils, and the deep-seated scowl. She made no effort to hide it. Storm clouds homed in on Dominic.
A perceptive Madeline took note of it. “I believe that apprehending those who have aligned with the Dark Caster should take precedence over our efforts at finding Helena. It’s not just the newly acquired magic that the Dark Caster possesses, we must also contend with shades that have weaponized against us. How can we be any help to you when we have those serious concerns?”
“I agree. I will handle the shades,” Ileana offered returning to the room, commanding everyone’s attention. “ Only after Helena is found. I’m not sure if the Caster has discovered a way to gain access to her magic. You do not want to contend with anyone who possesses our magic and the Dark Caster’s. None of us do.” She smiled, a disarmingly genuine one. “I give you my word, the shades will no longer be an issue. We find Helena, we find the Dark Caster. I assure you she will not be a worry any longer, either.”
Her oath accompanied a confidence that made everyone quickly agreeable. They wanted it over by any means, and Ileana was giving them what they wanted: clear destruction and an end to their problems.
“And the Awakeners that chose the opponents’ side? What will happen to them?” asked a man in a small voice. I recognized him from the group of shamed Awakeners who had become allies. His carefully worded question was an indicator that he didn’t want them dead. Once the dust had settled and the immediate threat gone, there was room for them to reconvene to complete their goals.
Several eyes moved to Ileana, who had her attention firmly on Dominic. Her lips were pressed into rigid lines, suppressing what I’m sure was a direct and unhelpful response that they’d be destroyed with the rest. That seemed to be her preferred tactic. Sensing that it might not achieve the diplomacy Dominic was aiming for, she kept it to herself.
“They will be captured,” Dominic offered. “Handled in the manner that you wish.”
It was apparently a mutually agreed upon action and without pushback. Directives were given on where to search, and everyone broke into smaller groups.
The royals and Anand stayed together.