Black as Midnight

by Mary Martel

  I wanted to tear her fingers away from his smooth, hot skin but was almost afraid to touch her. We were here as guests of the Council and she was much the same. I didn't think getting physical with her would win me any brownie points with them and could probably end up landing me with some severe punishment I wouldn't enjoy. You absolutely did not mess with their females. I knew this because I was considered one of them. I couldn't touch her, not unprovoked. The Council might look the other way if she were male, but not with her being female. I assumed this was why Quinton hadn't removed her touch as well.

  It killed me though because he looked upset and she didn't care and kept molesting him anyway.

  I was saved from having to get into a verbal tussle with her when Julian strode right up to her and stepped between us. She was forced to take a step back and her hand fell away from him. I wanted to kiss him.

  Julian stuck his hand out to Rachel and politeness made it so she was forced to shake his hand or look like the incredibly rude bitch she was.

  Quinton pulled on my hand, tugging me into his body. Tyson let me go and I circled my arms around Quinton's waist. He rubbed his arm against mine, rubbing away her touch on his skin.

  "Julian," Julian said in greeting. "It's lovely to meet you, Rachel."

  He sounded charming, actually happy to be meeting her, and I wanted to laugh. She ate it up like candy.

  She, like most others, missed the darkness that lurked underneath the surface with Julian. I wished her all the best of luck with that one.

  There was no surge of jealousy this time when she touched one of my guys. Julian held his elbow out to her and she practically preened under his attention.

  "Shall we?" he asked her in a sweet, sultry voice.

  "Yes," she purred. "They are waiting for you. Let me lead the way." She latched onto his arm like she was afraid he might snatch it away if she took too long.

  She turned back to me and gave me a smug look of victory. I almost laughed in her face.

  Damien shrugged Tyson aside with a look of apology, but he didn't verbalize it. He pulled me away from Quinton and we held hands as we followed Rachel and Julian around the side of the motel. I'd never been back here before and was somewhat terrified of what we'd walk into.

  Damien's mouth came close to my ear while we walked side by side, hand in hand. "You know he doesn't mean anything hurtful by this, right?" he whispered.

  I turned, almost bumping noses with him, and he had to jerk his head back. I grinned at him, bright and big, and he stopped walking, pulling me to a stop along with him. He stared at me as if he'd never seen me before.

  Quinton put his hands on my back, his heat searing though me as he muttered an irate, "What the fuck?"

  I turned my bright, big smile on him and his eyes dropped down to my mouth.

  "What's going on?" Tyson asked. There were masculine murmurs from behind him, letting me know the rest of the guys were wondering the same thing.

  "Why are you smiling like a crazy person?" one of the twins asked.

  I smiled back at Damien as he tugged on my hand. A glance ahead told me Rachel had lead Julian around the side of the building and we needed to hurry to catch up.

  "This bitch has no idea what she's getting herself into with him," I said as I snickered.

  They all laughed hysterically as we made our way around the building and into the backyard.

  None of us were prepared for what greeted us back there.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  "Ariel," Adrian boomed, as we stood in a huddle at the edge of the yard.

  I think we were all worried about what would happen if we stepped forward and we were all far too busy taking in the backyard.

  There were fairy lights strung up and hanging all over the place, giving the space a magical feel and illuminating the area brightly against the dark sky above.

  An incredibly long table sat in the center of the yard, and I imagined it was several tables pushed together underneath the shiny silver cloth that covered it up. The table was covered with fancy dishes I had no desire to eat off of, and I certainly didn't want to drink out of some fancy teacup that I would be terrified of breaking the entire time.

  In the center of the table, all along the entire length, there were black vases filled with bright yellow roses. The color of those roses really bothered me because I knew they were there for me. Not my favorite flower but definitely my favorite color. Now, where had they found that out?

  "Where's Julian?" Dash asked in a bored tone. He was right, Julian and the oh so lovely Rachel had disappeared. Perhaps she'd dragged him off to try and molest him.

  I wasn't even upset about it because I knew it was something she’d soon come to regret.

  "Why," Adrien crowed, "the lovely Rachel has escorted him inside to show him where the restrooms are located. Already she's making friends. Isn't that lovely? Now," he turned his beady, scheming eyes on me, "come here and greet your host, child."

  I absolutely did not want to go to him. I let go of Damien's hand and did just that.

  Adrian was wearing a long-sleeved, black shirt that flowed around him like something some free loving hippie might wear. It even fanned out at the wrists. The collar was split open down in the front, with dark strings hanging from it that meant he could tie it closed if he wanted to, but clearly chose not to. The front protruded with his pregnant belly. His pants were black dress slacks that were actually the only normal thing about his attire. He was barefoot and I caught several shiny rings glittering on his toes. His hands were laden with rings that sparkled even more than his toes did, and I caught sight of several blinging bracelets on his wrists when he lifted his arms to greet me.

  His hands went to my shoulders as I bent down so my face was close to his height. He pressed his chubby cheek to mine and air kissed my face.

  When he let me go I didn't hesitate to step back and away from him.

  His eyes shone with a weird light that gave me the creeps when he leered at my legs.

  "We're so happy you could make it tonight, child. I'm sure you know by now just how pleased Marcus will be that you came. You know, since his brother passed away the rest of his family is entirely oblivious to this part of his life. It's good that he has you now to share in this with. He's a very well suited match to join the ranks of the Council. Very well, indeed."

  I nodded because there was nothing I could say to that. Nothing he'd probably like all that much.

  "Where is Marcus?" I asked conversationally. I hadn't noticed any of his vehicles parked outside when we'd pulled up.

  "Oh," Adrian said as he waved his hand toward the motel behind us. "You know. He's around here somewhere. Several others have arrived recently and they're interested in getting to know him and you both, so don't be surprised when there are people lining up to talk to you tonight. You're a hot commodity you know, child. Everyone is interested in hearing from the girl who didn't even know she was a witch and surprised us all."

  I frowned at him, not liking anything he'd said in the slightest.

  "There are some people I would like for you to meet tonight as well, Ariel," Daniel said as he strolled up to stand beside Adrian.

  Daniel wasn't dressed anything like his Council member buddy. Instead, he wore a black, long-sleeved button down shirt. The collar was pressed and the shirt devoid of anything even closely resembling a wrinkle. His slacks were black—surprise, it seemed to match the entire party tonight in attire—and on his feet he wore brown loafers’ sans socks. The sleeves on his dress shirt were rolled up to the elbows, exposing the skin on his forearms, and I caught a hint of ink hiding on the underside of one.

  His hair, for once, was unbraided and hung around his body almost like a second person. Long, thick, and beautiful, it hung down past his waist. I didn't like him much, I didn't like any of them much, but that didn't stop my fingers from twitching with the urge to play with his hair.

  "You'll get your chance, Daniel," Adrian chided in a very unfrien
dly voice. "We're all going to get to spend time with our newest female tonight. There's no need to try and insert yourself into our conversation and steal her attention away from me. Come now, brother, we're all here together."

  Daniel sneered at Adrian.

  "Whatever you say, Adrian," Daniel replied in a low, condescending voice.

  He turned to walk away, but something prodded me to reach out to him. I grabbed ahold of his arm and his hair flung around him like a curtain as he whipped back around to face me. His eyes widened in shock as he saw my hand attached to his wrist.

  "I'd very much like to meet these people you'd like to introduce me to, Daniel," I told him quietly. "Whenever you're ready, you just let me know. Okay?"

  His entire demeanor changed, and if I was a different person I would say he melted entirely at my touch and soft spoken words. I wasn't going to say it, though, because that would freak me right the fuck out.

  The hand I wasn't holding onto came up to gently caress my hand on his wrist.

  "Of course, lovely. I will be back around later to collect you and introduce you to people. You are very kind to me."

  I let go of his wrist as if it had stung and he turned away from me and walked away.

  What the hell had just happened and why did I now feel like his interest in me had doubled in the last five minutes?

  Fuck my life, seriously.

  "My, my," Adrian tisked. "It would seem that our Daniel has certainly fallen under your charming spell, Ariel. The rest of them will soon fall as well, I imagine."

  Why did that sound so ominous to me?

  Ignoring his words, I gestured toward the long table and asked, "Do we have assigned seats tonight or do we sit wherever? And when do you think we'll be eating?"

  I swear if he said we had assigned seats and had put me between people I was uncomfortable with there was a good chance I was going to tell him to get fucked.

  Adrian frowned at me as he studied my face far too closely for my liking.

  "No, no, child. Nothing like that. You will be able to pick your own seating arrangement just so long as you don't sit at the head of the table. That's a special place reserved for members of the Council. For now, I want you to mingle and get to know the others here. Before dinner there will be a small toast to accept Marcus into our ranks, and then we will have dinner. Afterwards, you're free to go if you so choose, but I want you and your coven to know that we've secured a block of rooms for you all and had them readied in case you'd all like to stay the night here instead of driving all the way back home. We'd be honored to have your coven stay here with us."

  That was nice of him but there was no way in hell we'd be staying here. I didn't need to ask the guys to know they'd be in complete agreement with me.

  And what was up with him calling it my coven? I know I called them that all the time, but when you got down to the nitty gritty this was Quinton's coven and he ran the show. Rightfully, so.

  Quinton stepped up beside me. "That's very kind of you, Adrian. We will take your generosity into consideration when the night draws to an end. I would like to thank you kindly for your invite to the festivities tonight. It is an honor to be included in such Council matters. My coven is most pleased to have been invited and we are all very well aware that we are only here because of Ariel's presence in our lives. We do not mistake where your generosity stems from, and we want you all to know that we are very much grateful for it and give many thanks."

  Quinton waved his hand behind him and Dash stepped forward. He held up a big, clear jug that tapered off at the top and had a thick cork stuffed into the opening.

  "Alcohol," Dash stated. "Potent and magically induced. Julian made it specifically for this night. We offer it in gift to you and the rest of the Council as thanks for your having invited us to be amongst you and a part of this special night. It is both an honor and a privilege."

  Adrian thanked Dash before walking off with the jug held high in his hands, inspecting it.

  I did not want to know what the hell was in that jug. I just knew Julian had created it and I would not be ingesting it no matter what. I'd already downed the purple stuff and that was enough for one day.

  Dash took my arm and pulled me off toward a corner where there were comfy looking chairs set up in a half circle, a curtain of fairy lights hanging over them and all around them. Right before he pushed me down into a chair he leaned into my ear to whisper, "It's safe to drink the liquor. I promise nothing bad will come to you because of it."

  My butt hit the cushion and I sat back, getting comfortable. I was preparing to scope everything out while the others talked around me.

  Quinton took the seat beside me. "Yeah, except maybe you'll get drunk off your ass. That shit is potent. If you get drunk just make sure you... You know what, never mind. Someone is going to be glued to your side all night long so you don't even have to worry about that."

  I gaped at him. Did he just... encourage me to get drunk, and then tell me I would have someone watching over me if I did so that it was okay?

  "Is it just me, uncle, or are you encouraging our girl here to get drunk tonight?" Tyson asked from the other side of the half circle. He was slouched back with one of his arms up and dangling off the back of his chair. He had one leg up, bent at the knee, and his foot resting on his other knee. He looked utterly relaxed and like he didn't have a care in the world. There was a tiny, secretive smirk on his face aimed at his uncle and his eyes were half-lidded.

  I could never pull off such a pose. I was far too uptight and anxious.

  Quinton shrugged as my Salt and Pepper twins took seats side by side in between us and Tyson. Both Trenton and Simon moved behind me and a quick glance over my shoulder told me they were stationed behind me like sentries, their backs to me, facing off against anything that would come at me from behind. For once, I wasn't annoyed by their presence and thoroughly appreciated having them standing behind me. With this crowd, there was no telling the kind of trouble that could befall me and I definitely needed someone at my back. Dash took the seat between myself and Addison.

  Quinton responded to his nephew, but I ignored them. I ignored them all as I looked throughout the space behind the motel.

  It was an odd building with the balcony out front facing the parking spaces. But, maybe that was just a thing with old, cheap buildings that were used as motels. The back of the building was lined up with windows on both floors that had air conditioners hanging out of them. Huh, seemed there was no central air here. The heating probably sucked too.

  The entire back of the structure looked like it had recently undergone a makeover. The paint looked the purest of white and fresh. There were immaculate brown shutters on each side of every window that did not jive with the front aesthetics of the place. They were brand spanking new and so was the paint job. It made me wonder, though, why change the entire back of the building but leave the front as it was? I was willing to bet they did it so as not to draw further attention to themselves if someone were to stumble upon this place. If you just happened upon it and saw the front state of things, you'd more than likely keep right on driving because you didn't want to end up murdered in your sleep.

  They'd taken very good care to make the backyard space a place you'd actually want to spend time in, and it was pretty.

  There was a cute, circular table with chairs on a cement patio tucked up close to the motel. A large, black umbrella hung over it. Fairy lights lit up the underside of the umbrella. It was cute because the table had been covered in a black cloth with silver stars etched into it all over the place. On top of the table was another bouquet of yellow roses. There were glass vials of all sizes scattered around the table and they were filled with liquids that came in a plethora of colors. All of them were vibrant, all of them pretty. Beside the vials were dainty teacups that matched the roses in color.

  If I hadn't read about Alice going down the rabbit hole when I was a young girl, I might have actually sat down at that table and tried
out the different vials, taste testing with the pretty yellow teacups. Now, I was old enough to know better and wouldn't be ingesting anything the guys didn't ingest first.

  Farther back and away from the building was a two seater swing under a canopy. It glided back and forth and at first I didn't recognize the person sitting slumped in the corner on it. It was the auburn hair and her incredibly slight frame that let me know it was her.

  The dreaded Annabell.

  I was stupid for not even thinking I would see her here when she lived with the damn Council.

  Annabell didn't even look in our direction. She tipped her head back against the back of the wooden seat, her hair flying out behind her, and stuck her arms up in the air like she was on a roller coaster ride. The swing wasn't even moving faster than a snail’s pace so I didn't understand what in the hell she was doing.

  "What's wrong with her?" I asked quietly, interrupting the guys’ conversations around me and I nodded my head in Annabell's direction. "She looks insane."

  Maybe that wasn't a nice thing to say about her, but it was true for the time being.

  "She's probably on drugs," Damien replied in a casual tone. "Or, at least that's what it looks like to me." He shrugged like it meant absolutely nothing to him either way.

  Tyson watched my face carefully as he gestured over toward the umbrella covered table. "She could have been drinking that shit this whole time as well. With her, you never know. Drunk, high, it's all the same to her. Either way, she's having a good time over there. The only thing that's missing is the male or males who she's currently got wrapped around her greedy fingers."

  Tyson's voice was bland, giving nothing away, and I had to wonder what was going on behind that carefully crafted mask. I knew he loved me something fierce, I knew he hated Annabell even. But I often times wondered what he saw when he looked at her. Did he want to go over there and rescue her from her own stupidity? Was he going to watch over her all night long to make sure she didn't get into trouble or, worse, try to interact with one of our other coven members?