19. FOURTEEN

FOURTEEN

Wren

Adramaticgroanleft my lips as we stepped into the Supernatural Council’s courtroom.

Ted, the phantom on the council, walked up to us, flickering a few times. “Good morning, Rowan, Wren… and Damien.” His voice went up a pitch at Damien, and I covered my smirk with my palm.

“Morning, Ted,” Rowan greeted him.

I thought it was interesting how so many supernaturals were afraid of my shadow demon. He was so determined to use force to get what he wanted that even some of the most powerful supernaturals feared him.

Drecken stepped over next to us and practically salivated as he stared at the dark veins in my arm. “Good morning, Wren. May I see your arm?” He held out his hand.

“Sure.” I held out my arm, and he snatched it, pulling me toward him with a small tug.

Damien snarled, stepping closer until his chest hit my back. “Watch it. She’s mine.”

“She’s ours,” Rowan corrected, flames swirling in his gaze as he narrowed it at Drecken. “And if you aren’t gentle with her, I’ll burn your arms off.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Sorry.” Drecken muttered his apology and waved his other hand back and forth before inspecting my arm.

The dark magic swirled within my veins, almost bubbling as he prodded it with his own magic.

“Yes, it seems to have binded itself to your magic and flesh, but only here.“

His brows knitted together as he poked my arm. “Doesn’t really make a lot of sense. Magic encompasses all of the supernatural, that’s science. Biology of magic, if you will. That is strange indeed,” he mumbled, more to himself before letting me go. “I’ll get back with you on a hypothesis.” He turned and walked out of the room.

Damien gripped my hand and brought my forearm to his mouth before kissing over every part of my arm he had touched. “My little bird.”

Ted smiled at us, no doubt an attempt to make me feel comfortable, but the thing about the dark magic being inside me meant I felt comfortable always, or to be more accurate, I didn’t feel much of anything at all—unless I was being touched by my mates.

“I wanted to see your incorporeal form, if you wouldn’t mind?” he asked, and I let out another dramatic sigh before my magic exploded, and I went incorporeal and flickered back.

“Fascinating. Can you walk through walls? Go through objects and people?”

I nodded.

“Very interesting. As a phantom, I can go into an incorporeal form. Well, not really incorporeal as much as, well, phantom, but I’m still visible. I also cannot walk through people but can walk through walls or objects. It’s very interesting.” He hummed. “Your power may prove very useful. I was actually wanting to see if you wouldn’t mind going with Damien to the human syndicate to eavesdrop on their meeting?”

“You’re going to the human syndicate?” I raised a brow at Damien, who shrugged his shoulders.

“I haven’t been told about it yet.”

“Yes because I denied the mission,” Rowan snapped, narrowing his gaze at Ted.

“While I understand the concern of not knowing where the relic is, I believe it would be smart. Actually, Wren would be great to have around even the dragon…”

“Not fucking happening,” Rowan roared as Damien blurred forward within his shadows, grabbing Ted around the neck before Ted flickered phantom and stepped out of the way with his arms up in defense.

“Don’t ever suggest my mate go to those assholes who want to hurt her,” Damien snarled.

“Apologies.” He rubbed his neck as he flickered back into his regular form. “Speaking of the dragons, that dragon and his mate got away when the other dragons went to the academy. She’s pregnant with his child.”

“Which makes her more of a target now.” Rowan sighed, rubbing his temples.

“We will protect them,” Ted assured us.

“Good.”

“I wouldn’t mind going to the humans or the dragons and eavesdropping,” I said before sighing. “Well, maybe not the dragons. My mates have good reason not to want me near Blezen, and I’d much rather only be bred by them.”

“How can you say that so nonchalantly?” Rowan growled at me, anger blazing in his gaze.

I blinked a few times, scratching at my hands. “It must be the dark magic. Sorry.”

Rowan gripped my chin and made me look up at him. “I won’t risk you.”

“I understand. I wouldn’t risk any of you either.”

“Glad we’re seeing eye-to-eye, fledgling.”

“However, we should find out what the humans are going to do with the relic.” I leaned into his hold. “Send Damien and me. We’ll stay in the shadows.”

Rowan’s flames increased in his irises before he nodded, reluctance infiltrating the bond. “You won’t leave the shadows, no matter what.”

“I promise.”

A surge of something dark danced in my chest, but I pushed it back down.

I had to make myself useful during this war, even if it meant going somewhere I really didn’t want to go.