“Good timing,” said Zoe. “Grab your things. We’re leaving for the Independent Gathering, and you’re coming with us.”
“Jack isn’t going to like this,” said Mira. “His orders were for one of us to stay with him.”
“He didn’t specifically say that Eldon needed to stay here at the mansion,” said Zoe. “Besides, we might need his help.”
Lee folded his arms. “I’m so glad that my opinion is also being weighed and taken into consideration.”
“Hey, if staying here at the mansion and missing one of the few meetings between the major, relevant, non-Chaldean supernatural factions is what you want, then that’s fine by me,” said Zoe. “I just figured you’d want to be included in this sort of thing.”
“As reasonable as Lee has been during his time here, I’m not convinced that he’ll behave,” said Mira. “Better if he stays here, as Jack implied, if not ordered. I would be willing to—”
“Absolutely not.” Zoe folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at Mira. “I have no intention of leaving you alone with my brother anymore. You’re allowed to bite me, not him. If he insists on staying, either I or Ryoko will remain with him.”
“So like I just mentioned, this is my decision to make,” said Lee. “It would make things simpler if I went, wouldn’t it? With all of you there, the House of Shadows would be closer to full strength.”
“That’s true,” said Ryoko. Mira and Zoe both scowled at her, suspicious of where Lee’s line of reasoning was headed.
“Then I’ll go,” he said. “Under one condition. When we’re done, I want Ryoko to drop me off at Primhaven using her water teleportation.”
“Absolutely not!” snapped Zoe.
“Hold on,” said Mira. “I don’t necessarily see a problem with that. Lee is his own man. Quite his own man, in fact. If he wishes to face danger for the sake of his friends, do we have any right to stop him?”
“Jack won’t allow it, and neither will I,” said Zoe. “He’s my little brother.”
“Zoe…” Lee stepped closer to her, setting his hands on her shoulders. “I’m not a child. I’ll be okay.”
It was hard to tell where the genuine authority lay amongst the three women, all second to Jack when it came to leadership, but none having veto power over any of the others. They looked at each other, exchanging worried and thoughtful glances.
“I’ll think about it,” said Zoe. “That’s the most I can agree to. Mira, are you alright with Eldon coming with us, then?”
“I suppose it does make sense, if he’s to depart afterward,” said Mira.
“He’s not going to…” Zoe scowled and mumbled the rest of her sentence. “Whatever. Can we just get moving now?”
“I think that would be for the best,” said Ryoko. “Let’s meet up in the foyer after we change.”
It took Lee longer than it should have to realize what she meant. It was only when Ryoko led him to the laundry room and handed him a pair of swimming trunks that the practicalities of how her water teleportation worked dawned on him.
“Take this bag, too,” said Ryoko. “Place your belongings inside of it, everything you aren’t interested in getting wet. Oh, and you should take this, too.”
She handed him a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses.
“Is this commentary on my usual style choices, or…?”
“It’s a disguise,” said Ryoko. “Keep the hood up and glasses on once we arrive, if you would. As Mr. Masterson mentioned, the Melting Pack will be sending representatives to the meeting. The woman you encountered when you were removed from Primhaven might very well be among them.”
“Ah,” he said. “Very true.”
He brought everything up to his room to change and pack. With his clothes safely stuffed away in the waterproof bag, he rejoined the others downstairs. The sight of Ryoko and Mira in swimming attire was enough to make his jaw drop, though they both occupied opposite sides of the spectrum of gorgeous women.
Ryoko wore a cute light-blue one-piece that emphasized the mild curves of her petite figure. Lee found himself wondering if he’d finally found a woman who he could leer at without Tess feeling jealous, when his eyes drifted over to Mira.
She wore a black bikini that had been given the massive task of containing her generous breasts and butt. A task it seemed to be struggling with, from the amount of curvaceous cleavage that was left exposed up top. She had on a straw sunhat that seemed unnecessary, both due to the somewhat cloudy weather and the fact that they’d only momentarily be on the beach.
“Like what you see?” asked Mira.
“Don’t say yes unless you want her to try to bite you again,” whispered Tess.
Mira took a step toward him, arching her back to emphasize the beauty of her breasts even further. Lee mentally reminded himself that he was wearing a thin pair of swimming trunks that would do little, basically nothing, to hide his physical arousal. It still took a force of will to pull his eyes from Mira’s chest, a force of will that made casting spells seem easy.
Tess had on her bikini, too, the same blue polka-dotted one he’d seen her in a few times before. She was absentmindedly lifting one of her breasts with one hand and staring at Mira, though in a very different way than Lee had. She saw him watching her and quickly folded her arms across her chest, frowning slightly.
They walked down the hill and through town, the three women stopping to chat with a few people here and there. Lee was surprised that nobody commented on their attire, which was far out of season. The time of year also meant that the beach was empty, which he supposed made it easier for Ryoko to work her ability without attracting notice.
They walked to the edge of a small pier and came to a stop. Ryoko sat down, letting her legs dip into the water. A shiver ran through her, and Lee was close enough to see goosebumps pop into existence on her arms, and… other sorts of bumps become visible in her bust.
“We should be ready,” she said. “I’ll go first. Don’t wait too long once I’m through.”
She seemed to be talking to Lee directly, as the others were already familiar with the mechanism of her water teleportation. She gave him a small, reassuring smile before pushing forward, slipping into the ocean without so much as a splash.
“Don’t worry, it’s warm on the other side,” said Mira. She stepped off the pier without preamble, pencil diving into the ocean’s depths. Lee took a step forward, getting a view of the water. It was swirling, a small, energetic but contained whirlpool. There was no sign of either woman underneath the surface.
“You should go next,” said Zoe. “Lucas and I will go through last.”
“Sure,” said Lee. “Ready, Tess?”
“Yes!” she said. “Oh, this is so exciting! Here, let’s go together.”
Lee pulled her into his mystic stream and she wrapped her arms around him, tight. He grinned, feeling playful, and lifted her up by the butt and thighs. She squealed, locking her legs around his midriff. He sneaked a quick kiss and then stepped into open air.
CHAPTER 22
The freezing-cold sensation of water teleportation reminded Lee of the duel he’d had with Eliza during his time at Primhaven. She’d used her water magic to full effect against him, forcing it into his mouth and nose. He wasn’t drowning this time around, but the water still had a sentient, purposeful quality to it, roving over his body, caressing and carrying him toward his destination.
Lee had closed his eyes when he’d first hit the water, and the disorienting, tumbling sensation made him glad that he had. The process went on for a fair bit longer than he’d been expecting it to, seconds stretching outward into a minute, long enough for his lungs to start to burn and ache for fresh air.
Then, quite suddenly, the water was warm. Bath temperature, at least. Lee still had his eyes shut, but he blinked when he felt a finger poke him in the nose. He sat up to find Ryoko grinning at him from the edge of a deep steam bath. The water underneath and around Lee continued to swirl in a perfect, symmetrical
whirlpool.
“You should be quick about climbing out,” said Ryoko. “Your sister will be arriving—”
Lee felt a head suddenly poke against his butt as another body materialized underneath him. He wasn’t fast enough in pulling himself out, and Zoe’s panicked fingernails raked painfully against the inside of one of his thighs.
“Jesus, Zoe!” he cried. He rolled onto the stone floor of the bath chamber he now found himself in, tossing his bag to the side. Tess was still with him, squeezing water out of her hair to dry off a bit, though it was totally unnecessary for her.
Zoe coughed and glared at Lee as her head rose fully above the water’s surface. “I’ll forgive you, Eldon, since this is your first time, but it’s really unpleasant to come through water teleportation and crash into somebody.”
“Next time, don’t react by slashing me with your claws, Catwoman.”
Mira and Ryoko were already pulling their clothing back on, and Lee felt a bit like a pervert for his slight disappointment over the fact that it was over their swimsuits rather than a full change. He set his own modesty aside, quickly changing into his boxers, jeans, t-shirt, and socks in the corner and ditching the swim trunks.
“I should have brought this up before we left, but where are we, exactly?” he asked.
“Romania,” said Zoe. “We’re in an old castle known as the Emerald Keep.”
“Jack and I had business here a few years ago, before we’d really begun with the House of Shadows as an organized entity,” said Mira. “It once belonged to a vampire lord named Volandar.”
“I take it Volandar is no longer around?”
Mira flashed a devious smile. “Fortunately, he is not. It wasn’t Jack who slew him, for your information, but the castle has been empty ever since.”
“Mr. Masterson eventually purchased it for a few hundred thousand dollars,” said Ryoko. “The locals were superstitious of the place. When it went up for auction, he was the only one who made a bid.”
“Whoa,” said Lee. “I figured Jack had money, but that’s like, serious money.”
“His inheritance left him quite wealthy,” said Ryoko.
“Why did he buy it, though? What use is an old castle in the middle of Romania?”
“He wanted to turn it into a sanctuary for the people we help,” said Zoe. “Many of the members of the House of Shadows already live here and have been working on restorations. He even brought up the idea of turning it into a school, not unlike Primhaven.”
Lee had a variety of thoughts related to that idea, but he kept them to himself as he and Tess followed the women out of the bath chamber. The keep was brightly lit, though most of the electric lights seemed to have only been recently installed and clashed with the old stone architecture.
They were far from the only ones inside the structure. Members of the House of Shadows welcomed Mira, Ryoko, and Zoe with nods and quick greetings. Everyone they saw appeared to be busy, carrying chairs or otherwise occupied.
The hallway was a maze of twists and turns that Lee doubted he could retrace if he tried. They eventually exited out into a large, open chamber with a high ceiling and massive painted-glass windows. Lee was surprised to see that the sun was setting outside, though as he considered the time differential, it made more sense.
Eight large, circular tables were set up across the floor, each one with ten chairs around it. More of Jack’s followers were hurrying to set up each of the designated seating areas with candles and pitchers of water.
They all wore cloaks with hooded cowls, which prevented him from seeing their faces. A few of them clearly recognized Lee from their infiltration of Primhaven, however, judging from the unwelcome they paid him as he entered.
He made the executive decision to don his disguise, putting the sunglasses on but leaving the hood down to start. Jack was in the center of the room, and it was Lee’s first time actually seeing his face and physical appearance.
He looked too normal for who and what he was. He had short brown hair, skin that managed to be both tanned and vampirically pale, and a very average physique, despite being the strongest opponent, by far, that Lee had ever gone up against.
He wasn’t overly tall, either, maybe an inch or two shorter than Lee. He wore a black long-sleeve shirt, black jeans, and black leather boots. It looked more like the outfit an ambitious burglar might assemble, rather than the garb of a vampire lord.
“He could have tried a little harder to make himself look intimidating,” said Lee.
Mira raised an eyebrow at him. “He’s not trying to look intimidating. He’s only wearing black because it doesn’t stain. It’s a practical choice.”
“Ah,” he said. “Just how many people has Jack killed before? Ballpark estimate, if you don’t know for sure.”
He’d meant the question to ruffle her a bit, and he hadn’t expected her to answer.
“Honestly?” Mira shrugged. “More people than we’re expecting tonight. More than I could tell you of, and surely more than he can count.”
“Ah,” he said, again.
Another member of the House of Shadows hurried by, carrying a sign on a metal stand that read, “Dinner at 7:30, Discussion at 8:00, No Fights.”
The dinner the sign alluded to was already in the process of being wheeled out on numerous carts by serving women and men, most of whom looked like locals. Lee wondered if living in such proximity to a castle previously inhabited by a vampire had left them comfortable with, or at least aware of, the supernatural.
The sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention back to the moment. Jack had arrived to greet them. Mira and Ryoko went to him in turn, both kissing, embracing, and whispering with him for a moment. Lee exchanged glances with Tess.
“Do you think having multiple girlfriends is just a perk that comes with being a vampire?” she whispered.
“Compared to everything else about him, it’s not that surprising,” whispered Lee.
“I suppose that’s true.”
Jack’s attention shifted toward Lee then, and the two looked directly at one another for the first real time. Lee hadn’t seen his face during the attack on Primhaven, only the cowl of shadows he’d used to disguise himself. Lee was the one with the disguise this time, though it was still just a pair of sunglasses.
There was a tension in the air between them so pronounced that it almost felt like it had physical presence, an invisible referee to assure a clean fight, or an unseen stenographer recording every word spoken. Though they didn’t speak at first, merely stared at each other, each man taking stock of the other.
Lee knew how strong Jack was, but he also knew that his own skillset, as a mystic, was almost uniquely suited for taking him on. He could defend against Jack’s magic with dispel, and he was reasonably certain that he could extend anti-magic outward to strike in a way that would pierce his defenses and render his accelerated healing useless.
He didn’t know why his thoughts suddenly veered in the direction of violence, but he knew without question that it was what Jack was also thinking at that very moment. It was the truth behind the ego jousting and verbal sparring that most men were more comfortable settling for. It was life and death, the measurement of strength, primal instinct. It was too close, too murky for him to say anything for sure.
“Lee Amaranth.” Jack gave a small nod and a smaller smile, extending his hand. Lee waited a moment before shaking it.
“Jack Masterson,” he said. “I see you’re throwing a party.”
“A party which you, unfortunately, were not invited to,” said Jack.
“Strange. My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.”
“It seemed short-sighted for us to leave him at the mansion, sir,” said Ryoko. “We thought he’d be fine here as long as someone kept an eye on him.”
Jack’s eyes never left Lee’s. “It’s alright, Ryoko. I trust you to make decisions like that.”
“I’ll keep him next to me,” said Zoe. “He is my little
brother, after all.”
There was a slight tremor to her voice as she spoke the last sentence, as though she was adding it as a desperate reminder while simultaneously worrying it might not be enough. She could feel it, too. A veritable cold war between two supernatural sovereign citizens.
“Lee…” whispered Tess. “Um, don’t say anything rash, okay?”
“The idea of this whole Independent Gathering is fairly ambitious,” said Lee. “I see what you’re doing.”
“Is that so?” Jack smiled. “Just what is it that I’m doing?”
“Opening the line of communication. Possibly building alliances. Solidifying your power.”
“That’s a rather cynical takeaway.”
“Cynical, but accurate.”
Jack shrugged. “I don’t just talk to potential allies. I send a formal invitation to the Order of Chaldea each year, too.”
“Of course you do. You know they’d never send anyone.”
“Not yet. But some things change over time.”
“Some things don’t.”
The tension ebbed again, splashing at the edge, teasing the limit. It almost felt inevitable. There was a rapport underlying it, Lee and Jack, both still and unflinching, taking slow breaths. Ready for whatever came to pass, be it a concession or a fight to the death.
“Are the two of you are quite done with your penile comparison?” asked Mira, stepping to stand directly in between them. “The guests have begun to arrive.”
Lee exhaled, and Jack turned to face away from him. The first representatives of one of the invited supernatural factions were at the Emerald Keep’s entrance, handing off their coats to the awaiting servants. The Independent Gathering had begun.
CHAPTER 23
Jack, Mira, and Ryoko headed for the mouth of the chamber, playing the part of the gracious hosts. Lee noted that Jack didn’t seem to share the same simmering tension with the first arrival, a tall man with curly brown hair in an expensive suit.
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