Chapter 13

13

Dressed in Ryzika’s relics, with my six advisors cloaked in black surrounding me, I waited at the exit of our cave. The knolls were far busier than usual with magus pretending they weren’t here to catch a glimpse of fang or fur.

How would the Vissimo and Luthers arrive? Rhona’s description of Princess Basilia had me imagining her in high heels. High heels were more like high hells when walking in the forest.

“What was powering the barrier?” Varden asked me.

The barrier around the coven that I’d dropped twenty minutes ago? “The last of Corentin’s stored power. I don’t see any reason to keep using a barrier of the same grunt. Really, all we need and all that would be effective now is a deterrent against humans entering the knolls. The centering circles will provide enough residual energy to power that, so I believe we’ll link the barrier to this source.”

“Smart,” Varden answered.

I had my moments.

“You’re sure you want me in the room?” Huxley asked for the tenth time.

From my right side, Wild snorted.

“Huxley, you and Wild have the most knowledge of supernaturals out of the advisors. Yes, I’d like you there.” Winona would be there also. I’d felt it prudent not just to have my friends in the room, and Winona was ever-composed, regardless of her personal views.

I hadn’t wanted Opal in the room, and Ruby was new to concealing her emotions and needed more time. In the interest of keeping a presence of advisors in the caves, I’d left them Varden, and kept Barrow out of this first meeting. Varden because he looked so damn exhausted.

I exhaled. I was grossly underprepared for this meeting. Then again, could a person feel prepared for meeting this group of leaders?

A thumping beat overtook the sky, and my gaze shot upward, seeking out the source. Ah.

“Dark magic,” someone screamed from across the meadow, and I laughed.

“What is it?” Wild asked.

“A human flying contraption called a helicopter. Harmless.” Planes and helicopters never flew over the knolls due to the deterring charm woven into the barrier. When they hit it, the pilots suddenly decided to fly elsewhere.

Casting my magic out, I located the flattest piece of ground and scorched an X onto the grass.

The frightened magus fell quiet at my actions, and the cries of dark magic faded. We were about to open to the outside world for the first time in coven history. These magus were in for a shock if they thought this was dark magic.

The helicopter landed, and as the blades slowed in their rotation, I started forward, my six advisors a few steps behind.

The door was pushed open, and an enormous green-eyed Vissimo exited first. His eyes were cold, and he swept his focus over the surroundings with a practiced eye, taking in the gawking coven magus, the six advisors at my back, and then me.

“Is it muddy outside?” someone called from within.

He answered in a voice that chilled me on the spot. “No, my beauty. Soft grass, however.”

The woman sighed. “I guess that’s doable. A red carpet would’ve been nice.”

Dare I say it, but the expression of the green-eyed male softened in some semblance of a grin.

A drop-dead gorgeous woman exited the helicopter, shoving gently at the Vissimo’s back, who—apparently on purpose—was blocking her from leaving the vehicle.

The woman strode toward me, her hand outstretched, and the male growled, matching her strides to hover over us as I shook her hand.

Strong grip. Cold skin.

The Vissimo male lifted his gaze from our clasped hands to the person who’d suddenly appeared on my other side. A low growl vibrated from Wild.

Uh.

“Oh,” Princess Basilia said, glancing at Wild. “You’ve got a growly man too. I’m Princess Basilia of Clan Sundulus. My mate, Crown Prince Kyros, and I are here representing the king and queen.”

I sent Wild a pulse of warning. “Princess Basilia, I am High Esteemed Tempest. Welcome to the Buried Knolls coven.” I shifted my focus to the giant casting a shadow over us.

Where Wild was lean power, the prince was far more the body type of Corentin and Sven—hulking power. But the Vissimo was of a height that simply wasn’t seen in magus—and not ideal to walk through our cave system either. “Crown Prince Kyros.” I dipped my head instead of offering my hand.

Basilia was an anomaly. I’d never met a Vissimo who shook hands. That was a human thing. Which meant, she’d either grown up around humans or had been one herself.

“They don’t see many helicopters around?” Princess Basilia asked, jerking her head at the watching magus.

I smiled. “Try any. Human technologies do not exist within the coven.”

“Not even Snake?”

It took me a while to fathom what she meant. “The game on old cell phones? No. Nothing. We have magic for everything we need.” I waggled my fingers. “Including making it easy to walk on grass in high heels.”

Kyros’s growling ramped up, but Basilia’s eyes sparkled. “I accept.”

I sent a bolt of magic to her shoes, and the princess grinned, taking a few steps to test them.

“If you could bottle that and sell it, you’d be a billionaire.” She winked. “Trust me, I’d know.”

She was a billionaire? Fuck me. I couldn’t imagine that amount of money. Not that a magus living in the human world didn’t have other means to get by, but man. The princess was filthy rich.

“Yes, I have a golf cart even though I don’t play golf,” she added.

I was beginning to understand what Rhona had meant about Basilia pulling off the princess vibe. She was disarming, and I could only be grateful that two Vissimo like Kyros hadn’t shown up on the coven doorstep. She made him seem more approachable.

I peered over her shoulder at the helicopter. “I expected the pack leaders to be with you.”

“They decided to run,” Basilia answered.

Her mate hadn’t stopped his stare off with Wild, and I could feel Wild’s ire mounting by the second. I had no idea what to do about that. Wild hadn’t acted in a possessive way in so long, and never to this degree.

The Vissimo prince grunted, “They’re close.”

No sooner had he said the words than two Luthers loped into the meadow below. If the magus there hadn’t been so fixated on this conversation, there would have been more screaming. As it was, the magus just startled away as the huge wolves trotted toward us.

There was a ripple in the air, and a series of sickening cracks, and then a stunning red-haired woman and a huge man were straightening in their human form. I heard Opal’s gasp at my back.

Because they’d just changed forms? Or because they were buck-naked?

I’d guess the former as nudity wasn’t a biggie to magus. In fact, Kyros appeared to be the only one bothered, though I noticed Basilia fixed her sights on Andie. Probably because her mate was growling again.

Basilia hugged the woman and smiled at the pack alpha who was crowding his mate and surveying the scene in much the same way Kyros had.

“Kyros,” the male Luther grunted at the male Vissimo.

“Sascha,” the male Vissimo grunted at the male Luther.

Sascha’s gaze snapped to Wild, and then he growled.

Wild growled right back.

Why didn’t they see who could piss the farthest and sort this out once and for all?

Until that time, I didn’t dare move from between Kyros and Wild. And I’d remain close enough to Wild to intervene in anything between him and Sascha too.

Andie strode forward, and Sascha didn’t hover quite as much as Kyros had over Basilia and me.

“I’m Andie,” she said, an easy smile on her face.

The woman was about as opposite as could be from her sister. “Andie, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m High Esteemed Tempest. Welcome to the Buried Knolls coven.”

It seemed pointless not to acknowledge the male magus growling up a storm beside me. “This is one of my esteemed advisors, Wild.”

I looked at him for the first time. I didn’t strictly need to because I was receiving all his emotions and intent loud and clear through our bond.

Wild was one misplaced look from losing his shit. The guy was shaking. I slipped my hand up the sleeve of his tunic and felt him return somewhat to himself. He was on edge with the mating ritual. The demon in him must perceive the others as massive threats—which they were.

Wild exhaled, and his shaking receded.

I glanced at our guests and wasn’t sure what to make of the curious glint in Kyros’s gaze. “You’ll see my other advisors behind me. A few will join us in this morning’s meeting.”

Andie, still naked, glanced toward the meadow. “Your people seem… surprised.”

“They’ve never seen another supernatural before,” I replied. “Other than those who attacked us a week ago.”

That brought the attention of all Vissimo and Luthers to me. “To that end,” I said, “let’s head somewhere more private so I can tell you all. Huxley, Wild, Winona.”

Huxley and Winona stepped forward of the others and walked behind me and Wild as we entered the Caves.

I paused before entering. “Varden?”

“Yes, High Esteemed.”

“Please ensure no magus touches the helicopter. Our magus can interfere with the humans’, uh, magic.”

“Humans have magic?” Barrow blurted, unable to help himself despite the present company.

I felt the eyes of our guests on me. “Of a sort. Not from the Mother. A small lightning magic of their own design.”

That was as good as I could do in a few sentences on the subject.

Basilia’s lips curved.

Varden half bowed. “It will be done.”

I entered, noting that Wild walked behind me, while Sascha walked behind Huxley and Winona and in front of his mate. Kyros brought up the rear behind Basilia. I’d admitted to being underprepared, but the clashing male egos were not something I’d remotely expected.

Wild would be furious with himself later.

I led them to the advisory chamber and took my authority. Wild usually sat opposite me, and Winona went so far as to flicker an eyelid when he took the seat on my right, shifting it closer. His behavior hadn’t been missed, and I could only hope she didn’t see more before the end of this visit. We’d have a tough enough time explaining this much.

“Hold on,” Basilia announced. “You guys need clothes.”

Andie and Sascha glanced down.

“Forgot about that.” Andie looked to me. “You don’t seem to mind.”

“It’s the way we are born. It’s the way we die,” I answered. “Who are we to judge what the Mother has gifted us?”

“Huh, I guess so.”

Wild growled again, and I turned to find his narrowed eyes on me. Oh, come on. I hadn’t even looked at Sascha. Shit, I’d been avoiding him exactly like Basilia was to help Kyros keep a grip.

I sent Wild a warm promise of later, and his growling abated. I sent him more lustful thoughts, and he started growling for an entirely different reason. Oops. Too much.

I exchanged a look with Huxley. Yep, too late to realize that Wild shouldn’t be present. Then again, I wasn’t sure anything would get him out of the room now he’d spotted Kyros and Sascha.

Basilia tossed Andie a backpack, and she and her mate dressed quickly, then sat at the stone table once more.

Kyros seemed like the type who never stopped taking in his surroundings. I preferred the way his gaze roamed to when it focused on me. Then it was like looking through time itself. “The cave is spelled to replicate the outside?” he asked.

“It is.”

The princess wasn’t too enthused by her rocky surroundings, and there was an edge to the Luthers that made me suspect they may not love being underground.“Might I introduce you to Winona and Huxley, two more of my esteemed advisors.”

Winona dipped her head and murmured a greeting.

“Hello,” Huxley said to them loudly and very slowly. “Welcome to our coven. I. Am. Esteemed. Advisor. Huxley. Lief.”

Mother be. What was he doing? Vissimo could hear a fucking pin drop half a mile away, and Luthers had far better hearing than a magus not using their battle affinity to enhance the sense. Huxley knew all this too.

Amusement swept to me from Wild’s direction, and I quickly covered my grin. Nerves were getting the better of Huxley big time.

The Vissimo watched him like an animal in the zoo. Sascha appeared to feel much as Wild did, but Andie smiled kindly at the grimoire on my left.

“Nice to meet you, Huxley,” she replied.

“You too,” he replied loudly. Then repeated, “Welcome.”

I schooled the smile from my face by the skin of my teeth, then cleared my throat. “Thank you, Huxley.”

Wild’s soft laughter reached me, and I made a strangled sound before latching onto control again.

This was not the time for laughing, and unfortunately, it was all I wanted to do now.

I took a breath. “Thank you for coming here on such short notice.”

“We’ve waited some time to do so,” Basilia answered, shifting her bemused focus from Huxley. “We were glad to come.”

“Your patience was appreciated.” I tapped a finger on the stone table. “It’s hard to know where to begin.” I gathered my thoughts. It was crucial to minimize any lies. The Vissimo may pick up any changes in heartbeat. I could regulate my heartbeat, but best to play it safe. I didn’t plan to mislead them in any dangerous way. Winona’s presence had to be accounted for, however. I couldn’t risk telling the supernaturals something damaging that may be repeated to another magus here. “Some time ago, a group of us became aware that demons had infiltrated this coven. They’d been doing so for some time, shifting themselves—via gates in ravines—into our midst without a trace. Or much of one.”

“This is of concern to maguskind, not Vissimo or Luthers,” the crown prince remarked. “How does it affect us?”

A rumble started in Wild’s chest.

I rested a hand on his thigh. “Do you know much of demons, Prince Kyros?”

“Only what is in our archives. Which is much.”

Vissimo had archives, and he’d been quick to let me know they were vast. That could be huge, and his comment seemed to imply that they were a bargaining chip on the table in any alliance between us.

My eyes shifted to the Luthers. “And yourselves?”

Sascha answered, “We do not keep archives in the pack. We track our history through storytelling and song. We have lost Luthers to demonkind. Then again, we’ve lost Luthers to magus too.”

There was an accusation in his words. The Luthers had been attacked by this coven? I glanced at Winona.

“Not to my knowledge,” she replied to my unspoken question. “I will investigate the matter.”

I returned my attention to the others. “Here is what we have gleaned. A demon feeds on anarchy and despair to gain power. Anything negative—anger or sorrow or uncertainty—will help to fuel that power. Once strong enough, a demon is able to begin inserting itself beyond the confines of its realm until it can bodily leave for increasing amounts of time. A demon’s motive is to expand territory and enslave the occupants inside that territory to use as a permanent food source.”

I let that sink in. In answer to Basilia’s questioning look, Kyros nodded. Vissimo had ample knowledge of demons then. At least as much as us, and I was willing to bet even more.

“For three-hundred years, this coven was split into two sides.” And here was the real kicker. “And they were split in half because they were playing a game.”

The Luthers and Vissimo exchanged a long glance.

I took a breath. “Sound familiar?”