“There is little to report. No new species have been identified since the dragons eighteen months ago. Packs and herds are integrating well. If fighting erupts, it’s quickly put down by area alphas. The number of shifters without familial packs is down three percent from our last meeting.” Elijah shrugged, unsure what else he could say. “Aside from that, the werepack is set and ready to take a ride for Mardi Gras with Tucks.”
A few chuckles met his comment about parading. More than any other species, shifters were known for handling their issues within hierarchy structures. They were also notorious party animals and an obvious choice to roll with the toilet-loving, politically incorrect krewe.
Ivy’s gaze seemed to burn into him, but he didn’t dare to look directly at her. Anger rolled off her waves, anger that spoke to the wolf in him. Anger that made him desire nothing more than being every bit the alpha he is.
“Thank you. Jared?” Renard turned his attention to the final member, the warlock.
“This will not be well received after what I just heard, but I speak for my people. We tire of falling in-line behind the humans. We are people, not animals. We blend in and intermingle. My kind is no longer interested in being second-class citizens. The warlocks seek a request to remove all restrictions on where magic can be practiced and where our businesses can be set up. As with others, we comply because we respect life. I warn you that failure to consider this as a sincere issue could result in an explosion of sorts within the warlock community.”
“That is preposterous!” Candice’s shrill voice echoed in the near-empty room.
“Witches failed to gain approval on a similar matter. Why on earth would it work for the warlocks?” Ivy nearly snarled.
“You don’t think that will cause problems?” Renard’s shock-stricken voice shouldn’t have been in the mix as the monthly leader, but it was.
Angela culled the storm. With the clap of her hands, everyone’s voices fell silent. Elijah couldn’t help but smirk. He was against anything that didn’t outright support his kind, but he’d held his tongue because he worried an enforcer might have been needed if the outrage bubbled over. It seemed Angela had it covered.
Ivy regained her voice first, waving her wand around her throat and likely thinking the incantation. “Angela, while I understand your position and powers, do not ever do that again.”
Witches and warlocks never performed magic on unwilling people. To do so was to hex a person, and it was punishable by death in their circles. Being a djinn, Angela didn’t abide by the same rules.
“I found it necessary. I’m appalled as well, but the shouting would get us nowhere.”
Elijah’s steady gaze followed Ivy as she moved counterclockwise around the circle, lifting the magic rather than asking Angela to do it. He didn’t miss the twitch of her lip as she removed Jared’s. Finally, she stood in front of him. For the first time in almost three years, Ivy Lancaster stared directly into his eyes.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Darlin’. I didn’t shout.” The words were barely above a whisper, but he knew she heard them.
A curt nod was all the recognition she gave him before sitting back down.
“As with everything, there will be a vote.” Renard hacked, likely shaking off the final touches of magic.
Good on him. Pointless after the last vote, but at least he’s trying.
“All in favor, say, aye.”
Not a single voice, save for Jared’s rang out in the room. The answer shocked no one.
“I warned you. You should have taken it more seriously.” He snarled, and a dramatic puff of green smoke engulfed him.
“Ten bucks he’s gone when that smoke clears.”
Ivy swirled her hand. “Anemos.”
A cool breeze blew over him, sending a slight chill through him before it sent the smoke spiraling into nothingness. As expected, all that remained was Jared’s empty chair.
“Do you need me to get my trackers after him?” Elijah didn’t uncross his arms from his chest, but he meant the offer.
“No, I’m certain he simply needs to cool down. For years I’ve wished the warlocks would pick a more level-headed elect.” Renard sighed. “Why does shit always go down when I’m in charge?”
“Because vampires are the weaklings of the community?” Elijah quipped.
Renard bared his fangs with a hiss. “If everyone is done, I’m going to adjourn this meeting.”
“I’m going to suggest we take a vote to remove Jared if he’s so bothered when we meet again.” No trace of annoyance lingered in Ivy’s words. The cool, distant, overly ambitious witch returned.
Pity. I liked seeing her riled up.
* * *
Jared snarled as the smoke dissipated around him. He’d known the human would oppose removing the restriction on Supernaturals, but he’d expected support from the others—especially after they threw support into the ring for the witches.
Warlocks and witches are barely different. A small dispute split them into two factions, but their powers were the same. Witches could cast spells with wands and spells. Warlocks could cast with athames and spells. Both could brew up potions.
The only difference anyone saw boiled down to the magic itself. Witches tended to focus on what Jared considered “useable skills.” Witches cured and helped. Warlocks focused their powers on tangible magic—growing one’s brain, making money, lady luck—the things witches deemed themselves above doing, but did on occasion.
“So they’re more important than we are.” Jared dropped into the armchair closest to the fireplace. February in New Orleans warranted sitting by a fire if one was used to heat and humidity.
Despite being the weakest link in the species order, humans controlled everything because, at the end of the day, there simply were more of them. Even if every other Supernatural teamed up, humans still outnumbered the supernatural two to one.
“Unless there were less of them.” The idea slammed into him like lightning into a rod.
Warlocks did not believe in harming anyone with their magic. Nothing stopped them from green-lighting other kinds to do so, though.
Jared sat upright, glancing around the room. Shifters were known for their brutality, Djinn for their trickster wish-magic ways, and vampires for their cunning. Perfect traits to remove a little population from the world.
“Only, you can’t do it now. They know about you.”
His shoulders sagged, and he dropped back to slumping in the chair. Since humans knew about Supernaturals, they also knew how to kill them. There wouldn’t be enough time for a formulated strike before a full-blown war broke out.
“Time,” Jared murmured, snickering to himself. “All I have to do is turn back time and start the process before humans understand there’s something to band against.”
Time travel magic existed. It was tricky, barely enabling the caster to travel a few hours backward. “If I get every caster, or at least more species involved, we can power the spell up more.”
Warlocks did what it took to get shit done. That was another primary difference between them and their more passive female counterparts.
“If I can convince them to pool their spells and share family knowledge and power, there’s no telling what we could create.” A smirk slid across his lips.
If Jared created enough animosity to stir up the other species, he could single-handedly even the odds—lower them for humans even. All it took was the right amount of pressure.
“And a spell that currently doesn’t exist.”
A lesser man would have shunned away from the daunting task. Jared was king of the warlocks for a reason—he was not a lesser man.
3
“Is this entirely necessary?” Lita sighed, casting a glance over her shoulder. Despite shouting, the words nearly got swallowed by the ambient noise and party-goer ruckus.
“It is.” Ivy sipped the frozen Hand Grenade through the neon green straw. “If you’re going to insist I need to get out and, h
ow eloquently did you point it?” Ivy smirked, “Oh right, ‘get laid,’ then you are stuck coming with me to find eligible men. Besides, your five hundredth is nearly as close as mine. You should be keeping your eyes open.”
Bourbon street buzzed with magic. Thanks to an ordinance, magic bars operated on this one street. It was great for locals, but better for tourism. In the short time magical businesses had been allowed to come out of the shadows, they tripled the revenue New Orleans brought in any other way. Need a PI? There’s none better than a shifter. Their senses are unrivaled. Looking for an event planner? Hire a witch or warlock, their magic cut setup costs and time in half.
Not to mention magical businesses could charge double the going rates for their expertise and skills sets. Magical bars . . . people get drunk faster . . . more money spent while drunk. The city had blocks on the numbers of creatures in and out of the city, but it didn’t stop the businesses from booming.
“Bubbles and Broomsticks,” Deidre grinned. “Mom’s bar for the night? Seriously?”
Ivy shrugged. “It’s going to be packed anywhere we go.” She let her eyes roam over the street. At half-past eight, there were still patches of street that could be seen. In an hour or so, people would be so crammed together walking would be done single file while holding onto the purse straps of the person in front of you to keep from getting lost.
“Well, that is what happens when you go hunting for a good time during Mardi Gras.” Lita chastised, her gaze fixated on her phone. “Mom is going to give me an earful if she finds out I closed up shop early to help someone else find a man.”
The trio chuckled, the sound disappearing behind the three different styles of loud music filtering out of the bars.
“So we’re doing this?” Ivy shuffled, not daring to pick her feet up only to have them splash down into a spilled drink.
“We’re doing this.” Deidre grinned.
“Excuse me,” a low grumble wrapped around Ivy like a lover’s caress.
She’d know that voice anywhere.
“Elijah.”
His blue eyes stared into her soul. Ivy stood, trapped in the intensity of his stare. She could damn near feel his touch, despite his hands never leaving his side.
“Oh, this is Elijah?” Deidre shouted far too loudly.
Ivy’s cheeks heated with a flush. If she’d been able to cast an invisibility spell quickly, she would have vanished into the night.
“So you share council business?” Elijah’s growl held tinges of disapproval.
“Sure, that’s what we’ll call what she talks about regarding you,” Lita smirked and stuck out her hand. “Lita Perrow. You might remember me, we’ve met half a dozen times at my mother’s shop.”
Ivy tried to quell the surge of annoyance when Elijah’s deep gaze shifted to Lita.
You are acting insane. You don’t even like Elijah. She snorted at her inner monologue. No, you simply like looking at him, at the fierce way he commands control, and the tight morals that leave him as one of the last few good men you know.
“Ivy? Yoo-whoo?” Lita playfully shoved Ivy’s shoulder.
Blinking, Ivy refocused her attention. Elijah’s fierce gaze was once more burning into her soul. Even if she knew what Lita asked, one look from the alpha wolf would turn her brain down the wrong path.
“Sure?”
A chuckle broke out around her and Ivy wished she kept a potion for time travel handy so she could go back the full minute it allowed and pay more attention.
“I think you might like to rethink that answer.” Humor danced in Elijah’s tone and Ivy nearly purred.
The man was a lot of things besides off limits, but never jovial.
Of course, he’s hotter than sin when he does it, too.
“I’m a no regrets kind of woman.”
His gaze narrowed even as the smile on lips widened. “Your friend suggested she go home with a wolf as a way to irritate her overbearing mother.” He leaned closer, his warm breath a daring caress against her ear. “She suggested me.”
Ivy swallowed but waved her hand in the air. “Why would I care? She’s happy, her mother’s annoyed, and my coven business extends only as far as happiness and safety.” Jealousy and embarrassment eased off as she spoke and Ivy returned to her senses. “Yes, it’s rather likely Lita’s mother will kill her and then I’ll have a problem, but for the immediate future?” She leaned in this time, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Go for it.”
Her heart hammered in her chest. She’d never dared get so close to the man who made her dizzy with desire. She understood why. He smelled like the earth—rich and dense. It filled her nose and reminded her of all the ways the man before her was one of the manliest of men she’d ever met. Ivy had no doubt Elijah fucked like a warrior, but she’d bet he claimed as fiercely as any shifter and she was not a wolf to belong to him.
Elijah’s arm snaked around Lita, and Ivy saw red. Whether Lita played along to force Ivy to out her sexual attraction to the man or simply hadn’t had a chance to step away from him remained to be seen. Lita played with fire and Ivy would be the one burned if her friend didn’t move.
Lita’s laugh broke through the tension. She patted Elijah on the chest and showed off an award-winning smile. “While pissing my mom off is high on the charts, I’m more interested in that hunky partner of yours.”
Elijah’s smile flipped. “Don’t mess with Sam, he’s a good guy.”
Lita frowned. “And I’m a good witch. I like a man in uniform with morals. He comes by my mother’s shop a lot. He’s both.”
Lita’s fingers slipped around her wand and Ivy tensed. Attacks were not permitted, not behind closed doors and certainly not on a busy street.
“Lita,” Ivy drew her wand, and the purple signature glow of her aura began to smoke off the tip. “Stand down. I don’t have the energy to remove memories and save your ass if you do what I think you want to.”
Elijah snorted. “A little witch attack is nothing.”
Ivy whirled on him, her wand flickering with magic and lighting up the space between them, calling attention to whatever it was happening between them.
“Do not forget who is more powerful. Your teeth are sharp, your muscles are certainly powerful, but it is a witch who stands at the top of any food chain. Our energy and knowledge are the only limit to our magic.” Her voice rose above the Bourbon Street crowd.
“Let’s see that magic!” Someone shouted from behind her in the gathering crowd.
A few drunken “yeah’s” followed suit.
Elijah’s eyes glowed as his wolf danced just under the surface, clearly ready for ivy to follow through on the taunts.
“Let’s go, El.” Glen, Elijah’s second growled low as he stupidly put his hand on his alpha’s chest.
Elijah’s howl ripped through the street, shaking glass panes on the windows around them and sending vibrations through the ground. He was old and far more powerful than he let on at council meetings.
“Enough!” Ivy’s hands crossed and then flicked sideways, casting a dampening circle around them, forcing them all to cool down.
Elijah shook his head. The glowing in his eyes faded until only the striking blue remained. “Apologies. We’re near the full moon.”
Lita eyed the wolf. She knew the moon did not control a wolf of his stature but saw no point in saying so. If he wanted to slink away, let him.
With a nod, he and the two pack members with him slipped by them in the crowd.
“Oh my goddess,” Deidre gasped. “You good?”
Ivy let her head fall back against her shoulders and uttered a contrite sigh. “Do you see why wolves are not fuck buddies?”
Lita shrugged. “I never suggested one for myself. I figured if I flirted hard enough—“
“That I’d throw myself as the most volatile man I’ve ever met?”
“That you’d fuck the most handsome, and clearly into you man, you’ve ever met.”
Ivy’s jaw dropped. “You
are not serious.”
“She’s not wrong. I saw the way he looked at you. He wants you, Ivy. If you would just give in—”
“I cannot believe the pair of you right now.” Ivy threw her hands up and stalked off toward the bar. She heard Deidre and Lita catch up rather quickly and continued her rant. “You’re seriously suggesting I get in bed with a man who nearly drew two of us into a public attack?”
“He’s got a temper, so do we. It’s hot in the sack. Sure, it fizzles out quick, but that’s why I’m not looking for a man like him to spend my life with.” Lita bumped Ivy with her hip. “And I’m sure not suggesting the High Priestess marry a wolf. But he has to be amazing in bed. Be a little wild for once.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“No, I’m worried. I have years to go. You have three. You aren’t even looking for a husband. Go out and burn off steam, then you’ll be mentally ready to fall in love.”
“Why don’t you think I’m open to love?” Ivy waved toward a group of witches in the corner as she made her way to the bar.
“Have you even dated in the last sixteen years?” Deidre’s question was like a bucket of ice water cooling the residual annoyance from the encounter with Elijah.
“I don’t have time.”
“Because you have to bring your parents back, but here’s the thing, you don’t. We all trust you. You’ve stepped effortlessly into the role of High Priestess. Why can’t you accept that?” Lita flashed three fingers and pointed at a bottle of tequila when Jeremy, the bartender, looked her way.
“It’s not that I don’t accept it. Maybe I just want my parents back.” Tears pricked at her eyes. Talking to Lita about parents rarely did any good. Lita’s parents were alive and overbearing.
Both women put a hand on her back, but only Lita spoke. “I wasn’t trying to poke the bear. I just want you to have a little fun and stop focusing on the past. You’ve got a life to live. If there’s a sexy man interested in filling a little time with you, I say go for it.”
Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 221
