by S. J. West
Of the other five people present in the room, only four of them seem surprised by Shael’s announcement. The handsome black man standing by her is wearing an amused grin on his face as he watches the reactions of the others. Nadia told me in the car that my aunt usually sends a man named Alden Highborn to the council meetings. I can only assume that this man is Shael’s emissary.
Alden has a friendly, open face that would make anyone trust what he says. His black hair is cropped short, and he has a well-trimmed beard and mustache that’s only long enough to accentuate the contours of his handsome features. He looks to be around the same age as the queen: early to mid-forties. When his brown eyes meet mine, I feel an instant connection to him, as if he’s a long-lost friend. Alden also possesses an attribute that I’ve only come across once before.
I can’t sense what he’s feeling.
As we continue to stare at one another, I see Alden’s high forehead crinkle in slight consternation. He continues to study me like I’m a curiosity, which is probably a mirror of my own expression about him. The only other person in the world I can’t use my empathic ability on is Julian. What’s blocking me from reading Alden’s feelings? Is it some type of alfar magic? If it’s a protective spell, I’m sure my aunt would have it on her too. I know she doesn’t, because I can feel how genuinely happy she is to see me again. I’m not sure what’s going on with Alden, but I plan to find out.
“Come, Sarah,” Shael says to me as she waves a friendly hand, beckoning me to approach the group. “Let me introduce you to the other members of the council.”
I sense Mira become angry as I walk past her toward my aunt. She doesn’t like the fact that Shael is taking over the meeting. This was supposed to be her show, and my aunt is usurping her spotlight. I can’t say Mira’s bruised vanity bothers me much. She thinks way too much of herself as it is. She deserves to be taken down a peg or two as often as possible.
As I walk over to my aunt and the others, Viktor leaps out of my arms and proceeds to walk over to a crescent-shaped table made from polished cherry wood located right behind the group. He jumps up on top of it and lies down to keep an eye on the proceedings from his elevated vantage point.
When I reach my aunt, she gives me a brief hug and kiss on the cheek in greeting. The fragrant bouquet of warm vanilla surrounds Shael, instantly causing me to feel more comfortable before I’m quickly engulfed by the group of strangers.
“It’s so good to see you again,” Shael tells me, smiling pleasantly. Her warm expression may be disarming, but I can sense her cautious nature kick in as she begins to introduce me to the other members of the council.
“Sarah,” she says, starting with the person on her left, “I would like to introduce you to my most trusted advisor, Alden Highborn.”
Alden bows at the waist to me in true reverence. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” he says. When he stands back up to his full height, he continues. “The members of my family have been loyal servants to House Moonshade for many years. I hope to continue that tradition during your future reign.”
“Thank you,” I say, not knowing how else to reply to such a heartfelt declaration. “I appreciate knowing that.”
Alden smiles at me. Even without my empathic ability working on him, I can tell by the small grin on his face that he’s pleased with me.
“This lovely lady is Fiona Delvaux,” Shael says, continuing her introductions as she addresses the woman standing to the left of Alden. “She is the High Priestess of the New Orleans coven of witches.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sarah,” Fiona says, extending her hand for me to shake. I hesitate a second before placing my hand into hers. I don’t know very much about witches and warlocks, but I assume it’s safe to shake hands with her, since neither Shael nor Alden blocks me from doing so.
Fiona’s skin is the color of rich caramel, and her long, black hair has a multitude of tight, naturally flowing curls. Her handshake is firm just like her gaze. I can sense she’s trying to figure me out, as if I’ve suddenly become some great mystery that she needs to solve. Little does she know that I’m not that complicated.
“And this gentlemen is Ryker Arriens, High Priest of the coven,” Shael continues after Fiona and I stop shaking hands.
The man standing beside Fiona extends his hand to me also. Ryker looks to be in his late forties, possibly early fifties, considering his salt and pepper hair. He has a lean physique, like a runner. His steely blue-gray eyes stare into mine as if he plans to unlock the secret depths of my soul.
“I’m afraid you’ve thrown us all for a bit of a loop,” Ryker tells me with a cautious smile. “We weren’t aware House Moonshade had an heir.”
“Sarah is my brother’s daughter,” Shael explains. “I’m sure you all remember the turmoil that followed Rhys’s refusal to take the throne.”
I look at Shael. “Refusal?”
Shael gives a small nod. “Yes. He was supposed to become king after my father’s passing, but he decided to leave us and live with you and your mother instead.”
“If you knew he was with us,” I say, thinking through the implications of her statement, “why didn’t you come for me when he died?”
“We didn’t know where you were,” she replies, looking uncomfortable with me questioning her in front of the others about private family matters.
Considering the fact that my family only lived a couple of hours away from New Orleans, I don’t understand how she didn’t know exactly where we lived. Then again, maybe the alfar considered my father dead to them and didn’t care where he went. I can sense Shael’s need to shut down my line of questioning on the subject in front of everyone else, so I don’t push the matter.
“I believe Damien and Audrey would like to clear up the matter of their wolf attacking Julian’s home this morning,” the queen says, effectively changing the subject.
“Yeah, we would,” Damien replies gruffly.
I don’t need to be introduced to the alpha of the pack of werewolves in New Orleans. I remember him quite clearly from Mira’s party.
Even if I didn’t know Damien could change into a wolf, I would still be able to sense his animal side. I’m not sure what he has to be so angry about though. It was his wolf who attacked Julian and me, not the other way around. I look at the woman standing beside Damien and have to assume she’s the one Shael called Audrey. It’s obvious that she’s a werewolf too. She and Damien share the same underlying wild temperament.
Audrey is a tall, leggy, blonde-haired woman with haunting blue eyes. She looks at me like she wants to eat me and not in the fun way. Her pouty lips hold the beginnings of a snarl as her upper lip quivers slightly with suppressed anger.
“Yes, well,” Shael says, looping a protective arm through one of mine as she pulls me away from the werewolves in a maneuver that looks completely natural, “why don’t we all take our seats at the table and allow Sarah’s companion to tell us exactly what transpired at his home this morning. I was told you brought the body with you, Julian.”
“Yes,” Julian answers, walking farther into the room from the entrance. “We have the corpse.”
“Bring it,” Damien practically orders.
Audrey takes one of the eight seats at the table, allowing Damien to handle matters for their pack. I don’t know a lot about werewolves, except for what I’ve seen on Teen Wolf, and who the hell knows if any of that show’s rules apply in real life? But I assume Audrey is either Damien’s mate or the beta wolf of the pack. Considering the fact that Damien and Mira were lovers at one time, I’m going to go on the assumption that Audrey is probably the beta. If she was Damien’s mate, I doubt she would sit next to Mira without tearing the other woman’s throat out for sleeping with her man. If wolves are anything like dogs, they tend to be very territorial about their property. I don’t see Audrey just standing by and allowing her mate to have lovers on the side. I feel pretty confident in my assumption that she would get rid of her competition by
any means necessary.
Shael walks me around the table and gestures with her hand for me to take the seat on the right end. I do as she suggests, assuming she will sit next to me. Instead of that, she and Alden stand behind my chair like overprotective parents. Nadia comes to stand near me at the end of the table while Viktor lies down on the tabletop in front of me. I have to say that I’ve never felt so sheltered from harm in my life.
The rest of the council members take their seats as we watch two of Mira’s guards drag the body of Damien’s werewolf into the room. They lay his corpse in front of the table as both Julian and Damien walk up to it. Julian stands behind it as Damien kneels down on one knee to inspect the body.
“Did you shoot him in the head?” Damien practically snaps at Julian.
“No,” the man I love answers in a calm voice. “He did that to himself before I could reach him. I assure you that I would have kept him alive to find out why he was trying to kill me. Do you happen to know the reason why he would do such a thing?”
“No,” Damien answers, standing to his feet to face Julian. “I don’t have a clue why he would want to kill you or your companion for that matter.”
I can sense he’s telling Julian the truth. Damien also feels confused by the situation. It’s clear he doesn’t know what motivated his wolf to act the way he did.
“Is it just a coincidence that he’s also the one who threw the tree limb at Mira’s back at the party?” Julian asks. “Was he aiming at her, like we all thought, or was he trying to kill me even then?”
Damien doesn’t answer right away. His hesitation is long enough for me to sense that he wants to keep the truth of what happened at Mira’s party a secret.
“You would have to ask him what his true motives were at the party,” Damien replies, working out a way to not give a direct answer. “But since he’s dead, I guess you’ll just have to keep wondering.”
I might not be able to sense Julian’s feelings, but the sudden scowl on his face tells me Damien’s words just royally pissed him off.
“Listen to me very carefully,” Julian tells Damien in a deadly voice, “if you or any more of your wolves attack me or any member of my family again, I will hunt all of your pack leaders down and tear their throats out with my bare hands, starting with yours. I suggest you take my words as a promise, because I don’t make idle threats.”
“You can’t take us all down by yourself,” Damien replies, sounding tough, but I can feel his fear of Julian quite clearly.
“Yes, I can,” Julian replies as a matter of fact and not a vain boast. “You know I can. This is your one and only warning, because I won’t be giving you a second one.”
Julian looks down at the body of the man who tried to kill us and asks, “Who was he, and what position did he hold in your pack?”
Damien looks so angry with Julian that I’m not sure he’s going to answer his questions, but finally he does.
“His name was Jacob,” Damien finally says. “He didn’t hold any position within my pack after the party. I banished him for almost killing you.”
“So he was a rogue wolf?” Julian questions him.
“Yes. We turned him out and refused to take him back.”
“Hmmm,” Julian says, considering this new information. “Then his efforts this morning could have been in retaliation for him being expelled from your pack.”
“I suppose that’s possible,” Damien begrudgingly admits. “But,” he begins, hesitating as he thinks things through, “I’m not sure that explains why he killed himself.”
“Perhaps he knew my brother wouldn’t take kindly to being shot at,” Mira says from her chair at the center of the table. “He was probably more afraid of that than death.”
“Still,” Damien says, sounding unconvinced, “Jacob wasn’t a weak man or wolf. I don’t understand why he would shoot himself. If his objective was to kill Julian, why didn’t he try to do it in close combat? His suicide doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“Whatever the reason,” Adrian says, looking and sounding bored by the proceedings, “he’s dead now. Too bad he didn’t die in wolf form.” Adrian sighs disappointedly. “His pelt would have made an excellent addition to my collection.”
Damien’s hands clench into fists by his sides, and I can see and sense that he’s holding himself back from pouncing on Adrian to tear his head off.
The high-pitched squeal of nails scratching against a hard surface can be heard coming from the other end of the table. I look across and see Audrey slowly making claw marks on the lacquered surface as she stares at Adrian, like she’s imagining herself clawing his face off.
“Temper, temper,” Adrian says to Audrey condescendingly. “Do you need to be house broken, little wolf?”
Audrey growls in response, and I see her steely blue eyes begin to glow.
“Enough!” Damien shouts at her.
Audrey’s reaction to his command is automatic. She removes her hands from the table’s surface and turns her head away from Adrian in a vain attempt to starve her anger.
Fiona clears her throat delicately to gain everyone’s attention.
“Even though Damien had no control over what this rogue wolf did,” she says to the other members of the council, “Jacob was a former member of his pack. Under the guidelines you set forth, Mira, retribution is still called for in this situation. Damien and his pack must be punished for what was done.”
“Agreed,” Mira says. I can sense she’s taking a great deal of pleasure out of something. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that Fiona is treating her as the leader of the council or if punishing Damien excites her. Odds are it’s a mixture of both. “If the rest of you agree, I suggest we revoke the rights of the New Orleans pack from having a say on this council for one year.”
“You can’t do that!” Damien protests hotly.
“Yes,” Mira tells him haughtily as she raises her chin a notch, “I can. That is my judgment. Does anyone here disagree with my punisHmment?”
No one says a word.
“Good,” Mira says, sounding pleased. “Since your pack no longer has a say on what the council does, you are all hereby restricted in your travels. You are all required to stay within the county limits for the next year, and your pack is forbidden to produce any offspring. If you do, they will be sent to another pack in a different country to live out the remainder of their lives.”
Damien’s jaw clenches in anger, but he holds his tongue and doesn’t make a reply. I get the sense that he knows if he tries to argue against Mira’s dictate that she will make the punisHmment even harsher.
Mira stands from her chair. “I would like to thank you all for coming here today on such short notice,” she says, looking down either side of the table. “As long as we remain united, I believe we can continue to grow and prosper together. My goal has always been to maintain our prominence as the most powerful supernatural community in the world. In order to do that, we must remain vigilant against people who do anything to disturb the peace we have. Since we have no other matters to discuss today, I hereby call this meeting to a close.”
Everyone stands from his or her chair, so I do as well. Viktor walks up to me and stands on his hind legs while placing his front paws on my chest. I can take a hint. I pick him up and cradle him in my arms before turning around to face Shael and Alden.
Shael smiles at me kindly. “I’m sorry our second meeting was due to such horrible circumstances,” she tells me, “but I am grateful for the opportunity to see you again so soon, Sarah.”
“I wish the situation could have been better too,” I tell her.
“I have to confess,” she continues, “I was a smidge concerned about your safety when I heard what happened. If Nadia hadn’t been with you this morning, I probably would have been beside myself with worry, but I had every confidence that she would keep you safe. However, I wonder if you would consider staying with me in my palace for a little while until Nadia and her team can do a comprehens
ive threat assessment. Considering what happened last night in Destin and the events of this morning, I would feel better knowing you were completely safe.”
“I don’t believe my life is in any danger,” I tell her, feeling as though being kept “safe” in the palace is just code for being a willing prisoner. “I should be fine staying here with Julian.”
“I see,” Shael says, clearly disappointed that I didn’t take her up on her offer. “Well, at least I know Nadia will be close by your side to help protect you.”
“About that,” I say, hating to have Nadia so close when I make my plea to my aunt, but I have no idea when I’ll be able to make my case again, “I don’t really think I need a bodyguard.”
Shael tilts her head at me as if I’ve just spoken to her in a strange language she doesn’t understand. Finally, she asks, “Are you asking me to replace Nadia with someone else? Is she not performing her duties well enough for you?”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” I’m quick to correct her. “I just don’t think I need someone watching me all the time. I don’t need a Valengard detail following my every move.”
Understanding finally dawns in Shael’s eyes. “Ah, I see. While I understand that having them around may seem restrictive to your day-to-day activities, I can assure you they’re necessary for your safety. If you are asking me to change their orders, I’m afraid that is quite impossible. Once a Valengard detail is dispatched, it’s for life. If I were to bring them back now, they would all be disgraced in the eyes of the alfar and stripped of their ranks. Is that what you want?”
“No,” I say, appalled by the consequences of what I thought would be a simple enough request. “It’s not their fault that I don’t want them. It probably would have been better if you had asked me if I wanted bodyguards before you sent them to me.”
“I am your queen,” Shael says as a gentle, yet resolute, reminder of her authoritative place in my life. “I am also your aunt. It is my duty to make sure the next heir to House Moonshade is protected at all times. Frankly, I don’t need your permission to do anything. I know you are new to our world and that it will take you some time to assimilate to how we do things. The leader of the ruling house of the alfar doesn’t answer to anyone or ask permission to do anything. Am I making myself clear?”
