by Stark, Jenn
We glided around the corner of the main house, only to find a second structure waiting beyond fountains and a perfectly manicured lawn. Even if Ahmad was repurposing seawater to irrigate this place, it must cost him a fortune to maintain the lush exterior.
Then the SUV slowed, and I noticed a group of people gathered beyond the central fountain—a semicircle of women all arranged around another striking female, this one dressed in a gorgeous white pantsuit with wide, draping trousers and a coat-style jacket so light, it fluttered in the breeze. Her hair was long and shiny, her face radiantly beautiful even from a distance. The young women stared at her with undisguised admiration. I couldn’t blame them.
“Eshe being Eshe.” Nikki drawled. We’d known she would be here, but I still felt a surge of relief at seeing her safe and apparently unharmed.
Ahmad beamed, turning back to us again. “It’s my first gift to you, and one I am very happy to grant. As I’m sure you are aware, we located the High Priestess yesterday, shopping in Dubai. It was a simple matter to extract her from her guardians. Too simple, if truth be known. We suspect they anticipated her rescue, and sought mostly to draw you here. But to our knowledge, she has no recording devices or magical wards of any kind placed upon her. We do not believe she is a threat, and she assures us she is unharmed.”
“They let her go,” I said. “They were done with whatever they needed her for.”
Ahmad nodded. “I believe so as well. And again, Justice Wilde, you are here. That was the ultimate game for them, wouldn’t you say? And to all indications, she is healthy, well-fed, and quite satisfied with her experience with the Shadow Court. She has been unwilling to share that experience with us, and I, of course, have not pressed.”
Nikki snorted, and I managed to hide my smile. The High Priestess was not likely to spill her candy to this guy, even if he was the Sun. Which begged the question…
“Does she know who you are?” I asked. I was pretty sure she hadn’t told Kreios, if so…and if not, why not?
Ahmad modestly inclined his head. “I confess I was most eager to tell her. It has been a long time since I have interacted with anyone on the Council, and though I had no interest in reestablishing that contact or submitting to anyone’s will but my own, I missed the stimulation of speaking with a true peer. Being immortal is an incredible asset in building a fortune, but it can be lonely as well.”
I wasn’t quite ready to play the violins of sadness yet, but I kept my peace. With a murmured word to his driver, Ahmad ordered the SUV to slow and then to stop. The doors opened, and Nikki, Danae, and I stepped out as Eshe stood, dispersing her followers with an imperious wave. I studied the girls closely as they drifted away, but I couldn’t recognize any of them. Where were the girls from the Pompeii gathering? Surely Eshe would know…assuming she was okay, and not merely putting on a haughty show.
She waited for us with primly folded hands, smiling as we approached. But once Ahmad gave us a final happy wave and drove on, she fixed me with a pointed glare.
“It took you long enough.”
And just like that, I no longer worried about her. “I’m sorry, did you send up some sort of flare? From what we could see, you were liberated from a shopping trip, not some sort of prison camp.”
“You’ve no idea what I’ve endured,” Eshe said, but she sounded mostly bored as she surveyed us with a shrewd glance. “We have a suite of rooms assigned to us. I’m glad to see that at least Nikki dressed you appropriately for once. Did you have any difficulty getting here?”
There was an amused lilt to her voice with her last question, and I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Don’t even tell me you knew that was going to happen. A little heads-up would’ve been handy.”
Eshe lifted an unconcerned shoulder. “I couldn’t run the risk of either the Shadow Court or Ahmad knowing exactly how advanced my skills are. It does me no favors to show my hand completely. I’m sure this will not come as a surprise, but the rooms we have been assigned are all wired to the rafters with eyes and ears. It seems our host is willing to take no chances and wishes to shine his lovely rays of curiosity down upon us at all times. The only place that’s free of surveillance I’ve been able to find is the spa.
Nikki turned toward her. “Back it up, Buttercup. There’s a spa?”
Eshe favored her with an amused smile. “Staffed by very watchful personnel, but not bugged, that I can tell. All the members of the facility are women, of course, all very circumspect. I would not misjudge them, and I would also not underestimate them, but there is privacy to be had there. Privacy we need. There is much we should discuss before the proposition that will be made to you this night, much I need to share.”
My brows lifted. “What kind of—”
“As I said, we would do better to wait,” Eshe said, cutting me off with a dismissive wave. “In half an hour, then? The staff will show you the way. Don’t dawdle too long in your rooms, and have a care—there are cameras. Trust me on that.”
With that, she swept off in a swirl of silk, the long lines of her pantsuit somehow seeming even more suited to her than her typical toga. Nikki flipped her hair over her shoulder, Danae smiled inscrutably, and the three of us followed in Eshe’s wake, not speaking as we entered a low guesthouse compound. It appeared that our suites were all interconnected, one after the other down a long hallway, the doors between our main sitting areas all linked.
“Wow,” Nikki said, lifting her gaze to the glittering chandeliers beneath a series of open skylights, before poking her head inside the first bedroom. “Ahmad sure knows how to show a girl a good time.”
I had to agree. The rooms were sumptuously outfitted with low cushioned chairs covered in pastel shades that evoked pearls and sea glass, the walls covered in fabric wallpaper, making the chambers feel like the inside of a jewelry box. A peek into the sleeping areas showed similarly outfitted spaces, with doors standing open to dressing alcoves.
“We’ve got spa robes, ladies. And slippers and, like, pajama pants, and I don’t even know what this is, but I am all in,” Nikki announced from inside her dressing chamber. I couldn’t help but smile, but when I shut the door on her and Danae’s chatter, it was to draw in a deep and unsteady breath. The lines of fire where my wings had burst free from my shoulder blades had never stopped throbbing. I’d accessed a different kind of energy today, one that I did not understand. I lifted my mental barriers slightly, unexpected tears sparking behind my eyes as the Magician immediately responded.
“You’re hurt,” he said. “I should be there.”
Not yet, I replied mentally, startling myself with my choice of words. Not “No,” full stop, but “Not yet.” My heart gave a hard tug at the idea that the Magician was only a quiet call away. Even if I would not put him in danger, that gave me strength.
Instead, I focused on my primary concern, though I wasn’t a hundred percent sure he could help me. What magic did I tap in to today? I asked. Could you tell from so far away?
As usual, I should never underestimate the Magician’s ability at telehealth.
“It is an old energy, one that has not been fully utilized for centuries, possibly millennia. I mentioned that the Shadow Court was not active in the Arabian Peninsula, but their prejudice was not isolated. We haven’t explored the arcane powers of those lands, or those who have learned to wield those powers, nearly enough. All of us on the Council tend to stick to the magic we know best.”
Yeah, speaking of the Council. Were you ever going to get around to letting me know about the Sun?
The Magician was quiet for a long moment.
“So it is Alsain Ahmad,” he finally said, as if I had just given him the news. “The Sun reveals itself, at long last.”
Apparently, I had.
You didn’t know? I protested. How could you not have known that he was a member of the Council? I mean, seriously. It’s not like he’s doing all that much to hide. And what about the Moon and the Star? Who are they?
“Ahhh…the Moon. The Star…there is a symmetry there, of course. And their identities remain unknown. Some of the most effective disguises are those you wear in plain sight,” Armaeus said, but his voice was distant, and I knew I was losing him. There clearly was much important thinking to be done about this discovery, and he was already fading, doubtless to go wall himself up in his fortress of solitude until he could figure everything out.
Hey, hey, hey, don’t feeb out on me yet. What do I need to know about Ahmad? How dangerous is he? What does the Sun do, anyway?
Armaeus’s voice strengthened. “Fortunately, the ancient powers of the Sun are well documented—fire magic, of course, and powerful influence. He can lull you into coercion or scorch you into it, you might say.”
I grimaced. Charming.
“There is also mention of weather magic and an interconnectedness through light rays, though that is less certain.” Armaeus’s words picked up speed, probably reflecting his growing intrigue over Ahmad being the Sun. “I have much research left to do. The Sun, the Moon, and the Star were once a trinity of power on the Council, but that was millennia ago. They fell away from the Council almost as soon as the battle with Atlantis ended. The Moon and Star were lost to history well before Ahmad’s ascension.”
Yeah, he said he didn’t know the other two.
“He speaks the truth in that. I realized only recently, after reclaiming my memories, that all three members had been part of Council lore up until the mid-1800s, but I had no idea how to find them, or even if they remained alive. When the call went out for the full vote, not even the Devil expected them to respond.”
But they all did, I said.
“They all did. Unfortunately, they elected to use a mail-in ballot, you might say. We had no way of knowing where those votes came from or who generated them.”
I grimaced. You people seriously have to get a better system.
Armaeus chuckled. “I will take it up at the next bylaws meeting.” Then his words grew more serious. “You need to rest, Miss Wilde. You are very drained from your efforts today. More drained than you should be.”
I shrugged, though he wasn’t here to see me. Well, I didn’t have much of a choice. How’s Sariah doing?
“Resting and healing. As you should be. In fact…” Armaeus’s voice faded again, and I shook my head.
Fine, I’ll rest. We’re about to take a spa day, actually. With Eshe. It’ll be great.
The Magician’s voice filled my mind with a new urgency, as well as a definite sense of satisfaction. “I’m sure it will be. But not as refreshing as a moment spent elsewhere in this world…”
I felt an unexpected tug then, and, more surprised than alarmed, I gave in to it. A moment later, I found myself in Armaeus’s arms, smack in the middle of his office in Prime Luxe. It was full-on night outside, the Strip lit up like Christmas, which only added to my disorientation.
“Whoa!” I managed, my mind spinning as all my cells reconstituted. “How did you do that?”
“I never stop learning, Miss Wilde. But shhhh…” With a long, soft sigh, he sent rivers of healing energy through me, flooding over and under and through injuries I hadn’t realized I still carried, and I sagged against him, spent.
“Oh…oh wow,” I managed.
“Somewhat better than a spa day, I hope you’ll agree,” Armaeus said. After a few blessed moments more, he held me away from him, his gaze soft as he studied me.
“You must return,” he said, as if trying to convince himself. “A battle awaits that must be fought.”
“But not yet?” I asked too quickly. Then I bit my lip. Armaeus’s eyes widened, and he gathered me close again, pressing his lips to my temple.
“Not yet, Miss Wilde, no,” he murmured into my ear. “Not yet. If I could create a world away that you and I could share for an eternity, I would do it. My magic only goes so far, unfortunately. But for a space of minutes, perhaps the half hour Eshe has allotted you before you meet again? Yes. That I most assuredly can do.”
He lifted his hands to my face and cupped my chin with his fingertips, leaning down as if to brush the softest kiss against my lips.
I didn’t give him the chance. I threw my arms around him and shoved him backward against a pile of pillows that appeared a half second before we landed on top of them, sending him sprawling as I came down on top of him. My mouth found his, and I pressed against him hard, hungering, dying of a thirst that overwhelmed me to reconnect with this man who barely knew who I was anymore, and yet who was as bound to me as my soul to my body. Armaeus, never one to hesitate once a decision had been made, especially one he supported, murmured something else, and a moment later, we both sank not into enormous pillows on the floor of his office, but into his luxurious bed, our bodies naked and entwined.
“I really need to learn how to do that,” I muttered, lunging for him.
He laughed, the sound rich and full, and took my momentum as his own, catching me and turning me over on the bed until he pinned me with his body, his hands shackling my wrists and stretching my arms high, his breath a sweet mix of cinnamon and citrus.
“I think I should be careful of exactly how much you have learned to do already, Miss Wilde,” he said, staring down at me. He looked like he should be the one trekking across the Arabian desert, spiriting chalices free from ancient ruins, and for just a moment, I let myself long for that possibility, the two of us setting out side by side, partners not of a great and mighty Council, but on some clandestine midnight raid for a shadowy client whose intentions we couldn’t fully trust. “I have long known you are more capable than even you suspect.”
“Maybe I know exactly how capable I am,” I challenged, and I sent a pulse of magic through my hands, directed at him, lifting his body more fully and shifting it a few crucial inches until it was better positioned above me. Just as quickly, I swept the magic away, and the Magician settled down heavily over me, our bodies fit perfectly together. He reacted with gratifying speed, his shaft hardening against me and his eyes heating, glittery with purpose.
“Then I definitely should be more careful,” he mused. “But not yet, I think. Not yet.”
He tilted forward and slipped inside me, and it was my turn to arch back on the bed, my mouth dropping open on a groan, my eyes drifting shut. I moved against him in a swift, rolling rhythm, wanting—needing more. I knew I should meet his gaze, knew I would regret not watching the rush of emotions chase across his face as we joined together, but I couldn’t share my focus right away. I couldn’t do anything but revel in the explosion of sensations that his body was evoking in mine. His body and his magic.
Armaeus murmured something low and arcane, and I increased the rhythm of my movement, the speed, my breath coming more fitfully now. This, this was what I’d been missing, almost without realizing it. The sharpness of our connection, the immediacy of it. Armaeus had been my introduction to the fullness of my magic and also its strongest prod, and I craved that insistent drive now, craved it like I craved his body.
I pushed against him, and he rolled easily until he was beneath me. I braced my hands on his beautiful bronzed shoulders, my fingers pressing into the taut muscles. I stared down, feeling myself fall into the endless mystery of his gaze, his eyes widening as something opened deep within me, filled with joy and power.
I clenched my eyes tight and breathed that power in, let it fill me, let him fill me, the movement right and true. We slid out of time and place and back again, my skin growing frigid, then fiery hot, then drenched in rain and whipped by wind. And all the while, the open space within me reached hungrily for more, more, more—
“Sara,” Armaeus gasped, and his use of my name made my eyes shoot open, my own sudden need for oxygen overwhelming as I sucked in a startled breath. His eyes had gone completely golden, the darkness of his magic that had haunted his expression for months now, a darkness that had always been there, but had grown so much more intense as we’d fought the war against magic and dealt with
the subsequent fallout—suddenly, crazily gone.
“Sara,” he gasped again, his voice more urgent. He looked at me with wonder and surprise, and his own pulsing rhythm increased until he was driving into me. “You can’t take all my darkness, no matter what you think. I need it—and you need me to have it. You have to know that—”
At least, that was what I thought he said. I couldn’t fully process his words as I exhaled not only breath but power, and the world tilted back on its axis again, time suddenly resuming its rush and tumble around us. Then Armaeus was filling me once more, spiraling me to a climax I felt myself clawing toward, desperate to have and desperate to stave off at once, but one I couldn’t delay any longer. I jerked hard, and he shouted with an exultation that seemed to stretch far beyond sexual into something dark and unfathomable.
I fluttered my eyes open again, not realizing I’d clenched them shut, and I saw not only the Magician, but an entire night sky around him, filled with shimmering stars. This, this, the magic within me seemed to whisper. This.
And then—we were flying.
18
By the time I returned to Ahmad’s pleasure palace in Dubai, I had absolutely no need of a massage. But I also wasn’t in the mood to explain why I now felt…uniquely relaxed, so I dutifully reported to the spa a half hour later.
The personal care facilities at Ahmad’s residence were every bit in keeping with the rest of the accommodations. Eshe, Nikki, Danae, and I met up in the lobby of the facility, which looked like it had been designed to hold fifty such guests, not four. There were half a dozen staff lined up to greet us, all young women of startling beauty, in flowing outfits of shell pink and sea-foam green. I was beginning to seriously miss my grungy hoodie.
“This way, this way,” the lead woman instructed us, and from hearing her voice, I realized she wasn’t the teenager I had suspected, but a full-grown adult. I amended my reaction to the place. If this was the effect the spa had on its patrons, I might need to stay here longer.
