Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
I had given it two weeks to make sure everything had settled and that I wouldn’t be met with any more surprises. Except for the updates Dominic gave me during his visits, my life had returned to normal—somewhat normal. The machinations that existed in the shadows would never allow me to live a completely normal life. It was impossible to believe that.
When I entered the café of Books and Brew, Emoni waved and gave me an excited grin and overly enthusiastic thumbs-up, which did not have the effect she intended. If she felt the need to be so animated and optimistic, it was to help alleviate some of the hopelessness of the situation. My hands shaking was an unexpected response to entering Books and Brew. When I sent Cameron a text asking to speak with her, receiving her quick response made me hopeful, but the closer I got to actually chatting with her, the scarier it seemed.
Come on, Luna, you’ve been around shifters, dark lethal magic, vampires, deity-like beings, and witches. Nothing should shake you.
The pep talk didn’t work. I’d been tossed into those situations operating on adrenaline and the desperate need to survive. Despite death being the possible outcome of those interactions, this one seemed scarier. It was ridiculous. But I felt the way I felt.
I liked my job and working with my best friend made it better. The owner was kind, but it was a big ask to allow me to return to work after having been gone for so long. I hadn’t even given her the consideration of calling out. Or the courtesy of an outlandish excuse. I was nervous, hoping that a personal emergency as an excuse would suffice.
My eyes met Cameron’s and the ebullient smile she flashed quickly faded as if she was reminded that she needed to be angry with me. There was a subtle sheen of worry in her look when she beckoned me to follow her into her office. Small, and often used as secondary storage, the office wasn’t tidy. It never was. Used so infrequently, the computer was surrounded by discarded papers. A few post-its were lined in a row on the table. The smell of coffee and vanilla wafted in the air.
There were boxes of books and supplies stacked in the corner. The long black adjustable standing table that she used, always in the standing position. A chair that looked too comfortable not to take advantage of. A wooden chair positioned in front of it for conferences. It didn’t invite comfort, so conversations while sitting in it were short and sweet.
Cameron didn’t direct me to the chair but directed me to the sofa crammed into the opposite side of the room. It was comfortable in the way a well-used sofa is. Firm but cozy and offering a warmth that relaxed those seated. She handed me a water from the mini fridge and sat at the opposite end of it, turning to me.
Her brow inched up, she took a drink from her own bottle, and pushed out a sigh in a heavy exhalation. “Where have you been?”
The concern etched in her features made me want to spill it all, no matter how unbelievable and strange.
“Reginald told me that you were in deep.” The tarot reader who claimed to be a witch was the first person I called after the incident with the book that started it all, teaching me to stay far away from unique untitled books. It was then I knew his claims to magic weren’t true. He did his best to help me, but the other witches he knew were just as fictitious as he was. And he couldn’t keep a secret, but since most people didn’t believe in the occult, it was safe.
“He went on to insinuate that magic was involved.” The way she waved off that detail, I assumed she thought he was being ridiculous to keep from providing the truth. “Emoni was quite guarded and evasive whenever I inquired about you. She seemed as worried as I was, which made me believe she didn’t know, either.”
My head lowered, I fidgeted with my cuticles and nails, knowing that if the hurt and worry in her words showed just a fraction on her face, the dam would break and I’d be retelling the story to a nice doctor who could give me the help she thought I needed.
When I finally lifted my gaze to meet hers, I’d shored up the ability to not crumble.
“I wish I could tell you everything, but I can’t. This doesn’t give you a reason to consider letting me come back, but the situation was unavoidable. You’re the last person I’d knowingly disappoint, and I hope you know that.” What I’d practiced was better, and I hadn’t anticipated my voice breaking and the amount of emotion it held. I loved my job. This was one of the few jobs where the owner said we were a family, and it was true.
The longer she took to respond, eyes narrowed with uncertainty, searching my face for more, I knew the further she was from approving my return.
“Okay,” she said finally. “But it’s a trial for now. I’ll put you on the schedule, but if this happens again, I won’t entertain speaking with you again.”
She stood and I followed. A half smile curled her lips. “Now Emoni can get back to normal. She’s surprisingly mellow when she’s worried. The customers were concerned.”
I was sticking with the belief in pretty privilege. Her snark was amusing and cute because it came from a person who made extra money from her looks.
“I’m happy to be back.” Rocking back and forth, the hug-urge was strong. Cameron was the first to initiate it. I welcomed her typical genuinely warm embrace.
One less issue weighed on me as I put the pieces of my life back together bit by bit.
Next on my list was to have the needed conversation with Forest to update him. In the two weeks since my return, he’d visited once and never discussed what I’d revealed to him, although I could tell he was still curious. Anytime he seemed like he was gearing up to ask questions, I redirected him. I’d become exceptionally skilled at it because of my conversations with Emoni. She had a dangerous combination of fascination and revulsion with the supernatural world, which made forgetting about it, or even losing interest in it, impossible. She watched people differently, blazing curiosity and inquisition toward everyone she encountered. That was her trying to determine if they were human or a clandestine supernatural. I had to constantly remind her that staring and unyielding scrutiny bordered on creepy. Over the past few days, it had diminished, but she remained hyperaware of everyone and the possibility of them not being human.
During my last visit with Forest, he insisted, “The next time we meet, we’re going to discuss everything you’ve been avoiding telling me. I want to know it all.” There was no room for debate or refusal. And I didn’t want that out. He deserved to have answers.
It was his idea to meet at the creamery. I guessed navigating the truth about supernaturals was easier while scarfing down his favorite flavor: mint chocolate. Waiting for me in front of the ice-cream shop, he was attentively scraping the last bit of ice cream from a small cup.
He accompanied me into the shop. I left with a small waffle cone. He had a large bowl of mint chocolate.
“I’m not sharing,” he announced, giving my single scoop cone a derisory look.
“We’ll see,” I teased, following him outside. We decided to walk instead of sitting at one of the tables where our conversation could be overheard.
The farther we walked, the deeper we fell into seemingly benign conversations that made Forest fidgety while he geared up for our actual conversation. A spirited curiosity played over all the angles of his face, and there was a strain in his voice as he struggled to tamp it down and not rush his questioning.
“Thank you for not freaking out when you couldn’t reach me. You deserved better, and I’m sorry,” I said, giving him a segue. I’d returned home to several missed messages and texts from him.
“I didn’t have a lot of choice. When we spoke, you seemed so confident and capable of navigating things. So, I tried not to worry.”
“I did?”
He nodded. “Yeah, you did. And you had Emoni and her knife skills.” He laughed. I joined him in it. It died down with his heavy sigh. “What happened?”
I couldn’t help but be impressed by his unwavering composure as I provided him an unabridged version of everything that had occurred.
“Areleus was going to kill his wife!” he blurted, his steps coming to an abrupt halt. His eyes pivoted to me. Some of the color had drained from his cheeks, and his lips were parted in shock.
I corrected him with, “They aren’t married.”
“That’s better!”
“No. Their world is different. Darker. Complex. It’s shocking, but in the context of their world, not terribly unexpected.”
“Seems like a reason for you to stay away from Dominic,” he offered in a concern-laden tone.
When I didn’t respond, he moved in front of me. Forest’s expectant look pleaded for an answer. My silence withered his expression into worry. “Luna?”
“I want to, but I love him. I don’t have magic and I have no relevance in their world.”
“Can you be irrelevant when you’re dealing with Dominic and his new position? Whether or not you accept it, you will indirectly be a part of that world if you’re with him.”
“I’m not part of that world, just his.”
The worry creases relaxed and he huffed out an exasperated breath. “That’s semantics, Luna. But if you make me worry about you again, I will have to make you end that relationship.”
His jaw ticked while he sealed his lips into a tight line to suppress his laughter.
“Even you don’t believe you have that ability.”
He shrugged. “It was worth a try.”
I was pleased when our conversation wandered from discussions of other worlds to another of his endeavors.
“You know, I’ve considered writing. Recently your life has been so fantastical and interesting, it would be fun to?—”
“Don’t,” I rushed out in a tone harsher than intended. It was different than the Discovery of Magic Reginald had given me, which was steeped in misinformation. Forest knew intricacies of the world that demonstrated insider knowledge, and if it was ever discovered that he was my brother, it would put him at risk. “I don’t want to give anyone any reason to be concerned about you and your knowledge of them.”
“And that precisely is the concern.”
I cringed at the people who’d invaded our space. Their imperceptible movement gave the illusion that they glided with the wind. Vampires. And we were surrounded by them.
They were unfamiliar to me, but it was likely that I’d seen them before. The faces of the supernaturals who attacked me were etched into my mind. I’d never forget their faces. The two male vampires were dressed casually, one in a textured pale green polo shirt and jeans, the other in a relaxed white button down and chinos. The third, a woman, wore navy ankle pants and a peach-color Henley tucked in. Each wore a pleasant warm smile that would lead casual observers to believe we were friends engaged in conversation. However, there weren’t any casual observers, just me, Forest, and the vampires. Moments ago, there had been a stream of traffic and a few pedestrians. I wondered which witch I had to thank for the privacy.
The woman’s smile widened to expose her fangs, prompting a sharp intake of breath from Forest. Her cool, calculating eyes jerked in my direction before she sneered at my lack of reaction.
I wasn’t fearful. Instead, I felt increasingly annoyed. That response didn’t go unnoticed by the other vampire. His gaze lingered on me for a long moment, his lips dipping into a rueful frown.
“We’d like to invite you to come with us. We have questions that need answers and concerns that need to be addressed,” the frowning vampire said.
My eyes trailed over each one of them before I blew out a breath. “This feels more like a demand than an invitation.”
“You’re free to decline,” the vampire in the jeans offered. Predatory cold eyes swung in Forest’s direction. “But he can’t. We need to discuss the information he has about us and how negligent he’s been in guarding that information.”
Color drained from Forest’s face when I glared at him.
Forest, what did you do?
As if he’d heard me, he tore his gaze from me and lowered his head.
There was no way I’d let Forest leave with them alone. From their restrained predatory looks, I knew they were waiting for us to bolt so they could engage in a chase.
Filled with disappointment, I acknowledged to myself that I was once again being pulled into their world and that Dominic’s assurance had been wrong. That was the hardest part to accept. Was Ophelia right? Had I weakened him or ruined his standing among the supernaturals to the point they didn’t feel the need to abide by his requests?
I parted my lips to agree, which they seemed to take as a tacit agreement, and before I could actually commit, Forest and I were swept away. The mode of transport didn’t bother me, but being in an unfamiliar room did.
Forest grabbed my arm, trying to steady himself from the disorientation and the unsettling feeling from vampire travel. Looking around, I knew this wasn’t the Conventicle’s new headquarters; it wasn’t pretentious and luxe enough. The room was a simplistic modest office. A long oak desk was placed in the middle of the room where five people sat in inexpensive-looking task chairs. Their stern cold eyes fixed on us.
Bookcases flanked two tall cabinets. Sunlight struggled to stream through the small windows framed by raised blinds. In the opposite corner was a chevron-patterned lounge chair with a small side table next to it and an arched floor lamp. The set-up was incongruous with the rest of the room. Pristine white painted walls contrasted with the forest-green carpet that was in desperate need of replacement. I couldn’t determine if this was their actual headquarters or a borrowed space.
Out of my periphery, I spotted two wolves to our right, positioned to attack, which ushered in fear I hadn’t had before.
“Those are werewolves,” Forest whispered in a low, tremulous voice. The wolves monopolized his attention, causing him to ignore the other threats.
One of the vampires who snatched us made a show of running his tongue over his teeth. Two of the five people I remembered as being aligned with the New Conventicle. I had no idea what camp the vampires were from. Dominic told me that defected Awakeners had been captured and dealt with. He didn’t elaborate, and I chose to believe they had a speedy trial and had been sentenced to detainment by the Conventicle.
“You all are a pain in the ass. What do you want?”
It wasn’t bravado, it was true anger. Some of it was directed at myself. I’d advocated for their safety and had been truly na?ve about their potential to harm me. Dominic and Anand had captured the shades, who were no longer a risk to the supernaturals. Had that act emboldened these assholes ? Now they were working without any fear.
A man, I suspected a witch, sauntered toward me. Shifters had an assured, predatory gait that made a person feel like prey even if they weren’t. Vampires had a mesmeric fluid movement. Witches and Seers were the most human in their presentation, although witches possessed a distinguishable arrogance.
“You have the confidence of someone who still has Dark Caster magic. We were assured you didn’t and that you were not a concern. But I am very concerned,” he asserted with the certainty of someone who had proof. No one had proof, just speculation. I had no idea if Peter or Ophelia had ever confirmed that I could wield Dark Caster magic.
“Well you’re wrong. I don’t have magic. What I have is a headache from dealing with you all. Leave me and my brother alone. You don’t bother me, and I won’t bother you. Deal?”
He scoffed. “When his video was cleared, his memories should have been altered, as well. Your brother has been quite busy posting his tales on free story sites.” It took an extreme amount of self-control to keep my eyes on the witch and not risk a glare at my brother. When he’d suggested writing about them, he conveniently left out he’d already uploaded stories. He’d always been a proponent of the ideology that it was better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. This time that propensity could cost him dearly.
“Do you know how many books there are about supernaturals, your politics and vulnerabilities?”
“Often they ring of ignorance and fantastical embellishments.” With a wave of his fingers, the witch manifested a small stack of papers and handed them to me. I skimmed over them, afraid to devote too much attention to them and ignore my environment. Tamping down my anger, I vowed that Forest and I would discuss this later. Damage control was my priority. He’d written so much from the limited information I’d previously given him. What would he have done with all the new and specific information I’d just given him?
Turning to my brother, I whispered in his ear, trying to speak as low as possible to prevent being overheard. “They’ll want to compel you to forget.”
“I don’t want that done. They’re not fucking with my head,” he said, his anger making it difficult to keep his voice to a whisper.
“Would you agree to a binding oath?” We weren’t leaving here without the assurance of his confidentiality.
“Depends on what it is.”
“There will be no oaths,” the vampire interjected before we could discuss it further.
I whipped around. “It should be part of the discussion.”
The witch’s venomous laughter filled the room as he turned to the vampire. “An oath is acceptable. A mortalitas oath would suffice.”
I assumed mortalitas was Latin. It wasn’t a good sign that it was a derivative of mortal .
“It is a binding oath that will cause death if he breaks it.”
Despite his sharp, angular features and pronounced chin, a rosy flush grazed the witch’s cheeks, and his kind hazel eyes held hints of discernment but not cruelty. His relaxed t-shirt and ripped distressed jeans reminded me of Peter, especially the way he bared his teeth with his harsh smile.
“No. That’s not remotely an option.”
“Because your brother is as much of a liability as you. What type of oath did you expect? A slap on the wrist? A good scolding and reminder for him not to do it again? With the mortalitas oath, if he breaks it, we just need to clean up the mess once and never have to deal with that problem, or him, again.”
“He will agree to an oath with reasonable terms,” I countered.
“You really aren’t in a position to negotiate. You’re an unsettling aberration whose existence shouldn’t be taken lightly. If others choose to regard your involvement with all the events that have occurred as coincidence, so be it. I won’t.”
With his rote movements and rapidly moving lips, a mist formed between his hands. When he stepped toward me, Forest and I took several steps back to keep the distance between us. I was about to tell Forest to run, when the door was flung open by a powerful burst of energy. The witch was suddenly airborne and slammed into the wall across the room. He crumpled to the floor in a heap.
“How dare you! There is an agreement.” Madeline’s voice boomed. The lights flickered at her anger.
“Agreement?” The witch sneered. “Does it mean anything if we remain at risk?”
“How are we at risk? The shades are gone, there aren’t any more Dark Casters. And the Awakeners who challenged us have been imprisoned, where you all will soon join them.”
“Wasn’t that claim made before? Dominic and his family boasted of making it safe, yet many died because it wasn’t true. We’ve almost been exposed countless times. Yes, the Awakeners are imprisoned, but how many survived their capture to be given the courtesy of imprisonment rather than death?”
She jutted out her chin and pierced him with a hard look. “We have more autonomy and control than we have ever had, a unified front, and an alliance with the royals that benefits us. And his only request was to leave her alone. You fucking idiots!”
Magic exploded from her, sending everyone slamming into the walls. Except for the werewolves. Impervious to her magic, one wolf lunged at her. With a swift swipe of her hand, the vacant chairs careened into the wolf. One of the bookcases hurled into the other wolf.
Madeline’s hands moved in sharp, distinct strikes. Eyes blazing with rage and fury, her frown ensured that they’d regret breaching the agreement. As Dominic had said, she appeared to be protecting me as if it were her own life. Seemed to be retaliating like the threat was to her. Fear crept onto their faces but quickly bloomed into satisfied smiles. The female vampire had Madeline pinned against her chest, her neck wrenched to the side to expose the vulnerable vessels in it.
“Shall we discover whether my fangs are faster than your magic?” she said against Madeline’s neck. A crushed look of defeat coursed over Madeline’s face. Usually haughty and confident, she now wore a wary look of fatigue. She was the self-proclaimed head of the Conventicle, and I figured the past few weeks must have come with its own set of challenges. She probably had been battling on behalf of the supernaturals against Dominic, asserting and campaigning to keep her position with the addition of new members, and negotiating unity among them. It was enough to cause exhaustion. Dealing with the Awakeners had to have taken an emotional and structural toll. If they were dealt with too harshly, the Conventicle would be viewed as tyrants; too leniently, the rules would be more likely to be broken.
The room silenced and all eyes turned to Madeline and the vampire. Tension and indecision lay heavy in the room.
“If you hurt her, we will incur Dominic’s wrath. Much of his concession came with that one request. Leave her and her loved ones alone. It hasn’t even been a month and already it’s been violated.” Madeline sighed with disappointment.
“We give him too much unchecked authority. One person.” The vampire holding Madeline scoffed. “We have every right to do our own investigation and not take?—”
Her words suddenly cut off, she dropped to the floor, her head twisted into an odd angle before Dominic plunged a stake into her heart. He whispered several words and with a wave of his hands, she disappeared. He didn’t even give her a true death where the body withers and turns to dust. Before they could put up any form of a fight, the other vampires received similar treatment.
I wasn’t sure how I missed whatever he’d done to the others in the room. But they were now secured against the wall by a luminous band around their necks, fearfully watching the demise of the vampires.
Mouth open in horror, Forest took measured steps backward to the door. I ran to him.
“Don’t run away.”
“What the fuck, Luna?” His eyes widened and he froze mid-step, shocked to the point he didn’t breathe. Following his stare, I saw Dominic engaged in a fight with the werewolves. One that lunged at him was met with powerful kicks that pushed him several feet away. Before he could rebound to stand, Dominic’s claws were piercing his chest and then throat, which ceased all movement. My eyes trailed Forest to the other werewolf, who looked as if he’d received a similar ending, achieved in the short time it had taken me to look at the people pinned against the wall.
I returned my attention to Forest for a moment before looking at Anand and the cadre of guards from the Underworld who waited near the door. Catching Anand’s attention, I made a poor attempt to nonverbal communication. Anand’s brows drew together.
“No one’s going to help?”
“Does he look like he needs it?”
Forest looked lost. Unable to move forward or back, he was floundering for an exit strategy.
I took his hand in mine. “It’s fine. Just look at me,” I coached him in a low, calming voice. There was no sense of pride in my ability to remain calm to the macabre soundtrack of unfettered violence.
He attempted for a second but whether it was morbid curiosity or revulsion he couldn’t tear his eyes away. “Dominic?”
I nodded, following his gaze to Dominic who was standing in front of the supernaturals fastened to the wall. Madeline had put a significant distance between her and an enraged Dominic.
“I attempted to stop it,” she said.
“I know. My anger will not be misdirected to you. You may leave if you wish, or stay so you understand how serious I am about Luna’s safety.”
“As per our agreement, the Conventicle should—” Madeline said.
“No way in hell. I made one request. One fucking request.” The lights pulsed with his anger and stifled the room. “To leave her alone.”
“We just needed to know,” the cruel witch from earlier gasped out in a weak voice.
Dominic moved toward him in measured steps, taking slow breaths, I assumed to calm himself. But the baleful look remained. Standing directly in front of the witch, Dominic flicked his finger, and the witch’s head jerked up to look him directly in the eyes.
“Madeline, tell me what I said during the meeting to all there.”
Relaxing her tightly pressed lips, she said, “The agreement was that you wouldn’t intervene with that of our world unless requested. That you would continue to imprison Celeste until we can undo the curse, protecting her life so that we can live. And you agreed not to intervene without our formal request unless it violated the safety of humans or if Luna was put in danger.” She looked at me. “If she, her friends, or family were ever endangered, it would be handled without discussion or mercy.”
“It was agreed upon, correct?”
She closed her eyes and nodded. Counterarguments and protests withered into a sullen look.
“Your witches should be the most determined to adhere to this agreement. How easy it would be to wipe out the strongest of your line.”
I suspected all the witches who lined the walls were from the same bloodline.
He moved closer to one witch. “You were there.” Quickly moving to the next, he studied him. “You were there.”
He continued until he came to the last person. “Your face isn’t familiar to me. Were you not aware of this agreement?” She had little available movement and turned her eyes toward Madeline. I suspected she knew and was debating whether Madeline would abet her lie.
Madeline took a deep breath. “All the witches were made aware of the agreement. I took it upon myself to impress upon them the gravity of it. The shifters and vampires were made aware as well.”
He nodded and turned to face me.
“Luna, will you leave?”
I wanted to. I should have run away like I was being chased by an axe-wielding monster, but I couldn’t. My feet were rooted in place. Lips parted but the words stuck in my throat. Which words? A jumble of them bounced around in my head. Don’t , but what were their intentions for me? Be the better person . He had and they’d still violated his one request. Okay. Although I knew it was in my best interest to move, I was unable to do so even with the threat of potential violence.
Forest made the choice for me, grabbing my arm and hauling me out of the room. Anand and the guards formed a wall, preventing my return.
We left without looking back. I wouldn’t look back. It felt like I was leaving it all behind. The human wall Anand and the guards had formed. The violence. The death. The drama and politics. The agreements. And perhaps Dominic.
Did I want to leave him, too? For the first time, I wasn’t completely sure.