Chapter 3

Three

A week later…

The Celestial Council

With Cassius' worry about the Celestial Council involving itself after the battle with the demons, they'd devised a plan for a fishing expedition. Eli's mate, Raymond, a Council Witch Hunter, had let it slip in a missive that Gideon might be interested in working for them. Gideon had known they might want to have a fishing expedition of their own.

He was the tiny little witch amidst giants, so he might give the impression of being the weakest link, and therefore the least danger to the Council.

Only a day later, an invitation to work for the Celestial Council had magically arrived for Gideon. Not only an invitation, but a meeting with the Supreme Seven, at that. He'd anticipated meeting with an underling, someone he could effortlessly manipulate with a memory read easily, but no. He'd meet the Seven. An honor for most witches, Gideon wasn't impressed and knew he had a battle of wills ahead of him. With a heavy chip on his shoulder, he swept into the Council's inner chamber with his head held high, ready to show them how wrong they were to underestimate him.

Raymond and Eli escorted him, trailing behind. Raymond knew his way around, and Eli had demanded to attend to protect them both, though Gideon didn't need his protection.

The Grande Hall was designed to awe with its polished floors, rune-carved walls, and high ceilings encrusted with gold. Gideon looked from the corners of his eyes, refusing to show wonderment at the majesty displayed around him. Instead, he focused on Hecate in her flowing pale blue gown standing behind a long, golden trestle table, raised upon a dais at the back of the room—the Goddess of all Witches looking as regal and elegant as he'd oft heard described. She was beautiful, in a severe way, her sharp features and slim, pointed nose giving her a bit of harshness, which he'd heard she possessed. Three powerful goddesses graced her on either side, all wearing ethereal white gowns. A glow of magic swelled around them all like halos, illuminating their features and shimmering against the golden walls of the chamber.

The power of seven was potent.

But then, he saw that in his own coven. The tattoo shop, surrounded by three other magical businesses on either side.

Seven tattooists—Cassius and his six enchanters.

Gideon returned his focus to Hecate, sensing he shouldn't allow his thoughts to wander in her presence. He supposed he should feel… excited? Honored? Few were allowed an audience with the Celestial Council itself. Underlings? Sure.

The seven? Rare.

Yet he felt… nothing. He could care less about the Council or their rules. The opulence around him seemed contrived. The large golden table was trying too hard. The whole vibe was meant to cause fear and self-doubt, only Gideon wasn't buying into it. He'd marched into the Wizard of Oz's chamber, ready to pull back the curtain and expose them all as frauds.

Only they weren't frauds. Not exactly.

Or were they?

He'd felt the press of their magic as soon as they entered. They pushed at the edges of his control, growing more aggressive as the seconds passed. He fought it, but together, the seven were stronger than him. Their magic felt odd… as if it was all coming from one entity not seven.

Merged power?If it were true, it meant they were more dangerous than he'd assumed.

But with those who were powerful, also often came conceit. Conceit allowed for hubris. They assumed their own mental blocks were stronger than his, but they were wrong. Gideon found a sliver of a crack and glimpsed a tiny peek inside their minds before they sensed his presence and blocked him—and then shoved harder against his own mental barriers, nearly breaking through.

Nearly, but they did not win.

He fought, but knew he was no match for seven goddesses for long. He attempted a different tactic. "A bit intrusive, don't you think? I don't get an introduction before you jump inside my head?"

At his side, Eli agreed. "We did not give our consent to this."

None of the goddesses responded, nor did they stop their intrusion. They stared down from their golden pedestal, haughty in their disdain. Gideon was ready to walk out with both middle fingers fully extended. Instead, he sauntered closer and smiled wickedly, deciding a bit of sarcasm might irritate. An irritated witch made mistakes. "This is a great way to introduce a potential employee to the Council."

He glanced at Raymond, who stood wide-eyed beside Eli. He'd asked Gideon to remain respectful and not poke the bear, but fuck that bullshit.

Respect was earned, not given.

Gideon marched up the two steps and stood directly in front of the table they used to set themselves apart. He extended a hand and took pleasure in the look of intense surprise on the goddesses' faces. "Now, shall we go with a proper introduction? I'm Gideon Goode."

It had the desired effect. They stopped their snooping and backed off. Gideon inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Hecate glanced at his outstretched hand as if it were poisonous—yet she eventually lifted a hand to his. Gideon felt her magic rubbing up against his as she shook it, little whispers of her memories sliding through his mind. She snatched her hand away, as if burned.

Gideon went to each of them, one by one, and shook their hand, getting more bits here and there. Most of it trivial. The good stuff was buried deep. When he was done, he turned and returned to his coven brothers, nearly bursting with laughter at the incredulous expression on Raymond's face.

"What are you doing here, Eliphas? I believe you declined our offer of employment," Hecate asked.

"I've reconsidered," Eli murmured. A lie. He had no plans to work for them. "With our newly mated third working here, I was considering what possibilities there were for our future."

"The rune you mentioned," Hecate said. "Where have you seen this?"

Before entering, Eli had noticed an odd rune carved into the doors of the chamber, one Gideon had never seen. He'd made a comment under his breath as the grand, carved doors had first opened, but clearly Hecate had heard.

"I've seen it in my family records. They kept detailed sketches of the protection runes they'd come across over the ages."

Hecate narrowed her icy, blue stare at Eli. "Who of your forebears used this rune?"

Gideon turned to Eli and saw his Adam's Apple bobbing. Keep your cool, Eli. You've got this.

"Do you think I know the name of all my forebears?" Eli asked. "I have hundreds that go back centuries. Can you remember all your relatives from way back when?"

Herrelatives? Gideon bit his tongue to keep from laughing. She'd sprung up near the beginning of time itself. Her fellow gods were relatives in the same sense that humans called their workplaces ‘one big family'. Anyone with sense recognized the jargon for exactly what it was—a means of manipulation and control. Co-workers would throw one another under the bus to save their own skin at any point. As would gods, from what he'd heard.

That's not how a family worked.

Not a healthy one, that is.

As far as Hecate's family, they were most definitely not healthy. Considering how prolific Zeus had been with his wandering wang, spreading his seed everywhere, there was likely no way she could know the majority of her supposed siblings, halves, wholes, or otherwise. Add in all the incest, and well, it was a big pot of messed up ancestry.

"No. I can't," Hecate spat, her expression emotionless. She turned to Gideon, eyeing him up and down.

"You wish to work for the Council? Why? You and Eliphas both suddenly show up looking for work. Is Cassius losing control of his coven?"

"Not even close," Gideon murmured, jaw tight. "I can do both, can't I? Continue in my role in the coven and work for the Council on an as-needed basis. I doubt you need someone with my skills lingering around all the time."

"You'd be shocked," Morganna, the Goddess of Battle and War, muttered.

He eyed the woman, a question popping in his mind. Whywould the Council need a Goddess of Battle and War? Were they planning to wage one?

"We might be willing to try you on an as-needed position," Hecate said after casting Morganna a stern look. "If your magic's what it's purported to be."

Gideon lifted a brow, his lips curling. "I'd like you to show me a memory witch of my caliber if you know of one."

Hecate frowned, but the hint of a smile on her lips lessened the impact. She snapped her fingers, and a young witch stepped into the chamber through a hidden door at the side. The witch was tall and lean, and incredibly beautiful. She glided gracefully toward them, her long, flowing gown making her appear to be floating—which she well could have been underneath. She stopped and turned to face Gideon, her face seemingly familiar.

Yet Gideon couldn't place it.

"This is one of my daughters. She's a demigoddess and her magic strong. Her mind stronger. I've trained her myself." Hecate rose, glaring down her sharp nose. "If you can wipe her memory and turn her into a blank slate, the job is yours."

Gideon eyed Hecate's daughter and searched her features. From the twinkle in her eye and smile to her lips, he sensed she thought him incapable of the feat. His gaze flipped to Hecate for a second, noting her expression was just as haughty. Neither expected him to win.

"Ready?" he asked the daughter.

The blonde smiled at him, chin high. "Not a chance you'll be able to do it."

Gideon had already felt around the edges of her memory before asking her to begin and saw the way in within seconds. It wouldn't be easy, yet not hard, either. More tedious, winding through the haphazard protections she'd laced about her mind without careful planning. There were weak spots throughout, but he needed to find just the right one. He coiled magic into his palm and thrust it her way.

She quickly evaded the spell and returned one of her own. Gideon spun, the magic just barely caressing his leg. He shot another spell from his fingertips as he spun, hitting her square in the chest. Angrily, she shot another back, and he narrowly evaded it.

Back and forth they went, each of them hitting their mark a time or two. When she lifted a hand, out of breath, he lowered his hands.

"This is getting nowhere," Hecate's daughter said. "We're equally matched."

"Oh, we are very much not equally matched," Gideon murmured.

The demigoddess' face went blank as she stared at him, as if a curtain was pulled over her head. She stood stock-still, silent.

"Allianna?"Hecate asked.

Her daughter did not move.

"What have you done to her?" Hecate demanded of Gideon.

"Only what you asked," Gideon replied, smiling broadly.

Allianna twitched and then stumbled a step. She glanced around, wide-eyed and open mouthed. "Where am I? Who are you people?" Her panicked expression intensified. "Who am I?"

Hecate shot a blast of magic at her daughter, and Allianna froze.

"Put it back," Hecate growled.

"You're mad at me for passing your test?" Gideon asked. "Or is it because you assumed she was stronger than I because she has your blood in her veins?"

Hecate coiled magic in both palms. "Put her right or you won't leave this chamber. Neither will your friends."

Gideon scowled. "You want her made whole again? Perhaps I want something in return."

Hecate lowered her hands, her magic dissipating, as she threw her head back and laughed. "You dare make demands of a goddess? I could kill you where you stand."

"And her memory dies with me," Gideon replied, smiling.

"As if I couldn't repair her myself."

"Why haven't you?" Gideon asked.

Hecate's smile vanished. "What is it you want, Witch?"

"Emancipation from the Council. For my entire coven. We are no longer under your rule."

"We didn't discuss this," Eli whispered at his side.

Gideon glanced his way, pleading silently for Eli to give him leeway. Eli appeared unhappy, but he closed his mouth.

"Not happening," Hecate said, her smile grim.

"This is a negotiation, is it not? If you won't give me what I ask for, what can you give me?"

Hecate eyed him. "A get out of jail free card. Single use."

"Twoget out of jail free cards. For each of our coven members."

"I give you an inch and you take a mile. One for each. Final offer."

Gideon smiled. "One for each." He glanced at Raymond and Eli. "And when Raymond puts in his notice that he's leavin?—"

"Gideon," Raymond whispered hotly.

Gideon ignored Raymond. "… leaving the Council, which, by the way, will be arriving soon—you will accept it with grace, and allow him to leave his position without argument."

"Raymond is one of our best Witch Hunters. You ask too much."

"He knows you toyed with his memory after his accident. Made him forget his mates so you could keep him in your clutches."

Hecate laughed, leaning back in her chair with an ease Gideon sensed she didn't feel. "We were protecting him. He was nearly dead. His mind fractured. The only way to save him was to wipe certain events clear from his mind. Knowing his own mate had nearly gotten him killed—well, we feared that would be too much for him to accept."

"It was an accident, and you know it," Eli spat. "Pierre didn't mean for it to happen. He was trying to help."

"He tried and failed," Hecate snapped back. "Pierre nearly killed Raymond in the process. We did what we had to in order for him to live."

"But after I was healed, you never told me what happened," Raymond said. "I went years without my mates. They went years thinking I was dead. Why?"

"They'd endangered you," Hecate said. "They do not deserve you."

"That isn't your choice to make," Raymond yelled.

The room thickened, magic tightening the skin on Gideon's bones. He sensed it was Hecate's anger fueling it.

"You made a call, I get it," Gideon said, moving between Raymond and Hecate. He smiled, attempting to placate her. "You were trying to protect him. As any good leader does. Unfortunately, he wishes you'd chosen differently. You kept him from his mates, and he's angry. Anger breeds contempt. Contempt destroys loyalty. You will always wonder if he is still the steadfast hunter you've relied on all these years. Is it not better to allow him his freedom instead? To be with the mates you kept him from all these years? He's given you so much. Allow him to retire."

Hecate's expression did not change, the scorn in her eyes burning. Finally she lifted her chin, looking down her nose at them all. "He can have his freedom. On two conditions."

"And those are?" Gideon asked.

"You can never tell anyone what transpired here in this chamber."

She likely didn't want the witching world to know how easily he stole her daughter's memory.

"Acceptable," Gideon said, glancing at Eliphas and Raymond before focusing on Hecate. "We will never repeat it. What's the second?"

"After you return my daughter's memory to her, you wipe Eliphas and Raymond's memories of this conversation."

"No," both Eli and Ray snapped in unison.

"I will not have my daughter's reputation as a witch brought into question. She is a demigoddess. My daughter."

"How about I wipe their memory from just before Allianna was brought out and until we walk out of this chamber. I'll fill the gap in their memory with a fabricated memory. You lobbing inane questions about working for the Council or some such."

"Gideon?" Eli asked. "I do not want our memories touched."

"Trust me," Gideon whispered. "I've never harmed you, Eli. I don't plan to start now. None of this was earth-shaking. It won't change anything for either of you."

Eli glared.

"It is the only way out of here," Gideon whispered as low as he could.

"You could've let Allianna win and walked away, but that wasn't something the mighty Gideon can do, is it? Your pride caused this. We'll pay the price for it."

Gideon met Eli's stare and knew there was some truth to that. Pride always came before a fall. "Be that as it may, we want to leave this room, no?"

Eli continued to glare, but soon softened his expression. He turned to eye Raymond before focusing on Gideon. "Fine. Nothing more than needs to go… and it better not hurt."

"Not like you'd remember it, anyway," Gideon said with a wink.

Eli growled under his breath.

"Willthat be enough?" Gideon asked Hecate. "They won't remember the key parts of our conversation and your secret is between me and your council."

Hecate's nostrils flared. "It is acceptable." Hecate vanished, reappearing inches before Gideon. She reached out a hand. "Do we have an accord?"

Gideon lifted his hand. Before he touched her, Hecate pulled her hand away. "If you speak of this to anyone, I will have you burned at the stake. And I will ensure you live for days, burning. Remember that."

Gideon swallowed. "Understood."

Hecate shook his hand, the magical pact struck. "Now, fix my daughter."

Gideon coiled magic into his hand and shot it at Allianna. Hecate snapped her fingers seconds after and the girl moved, lifting a hand to her cheek.

"What happened?" She lifted her gaze to Hecate. "Mother?"

Hecate didn't answer her, disappointment in her eyes. She turned to Gideon. "Now, them."

Gideon performed another spell, wiping most of the meeting away and replacing it with an invented memory of inane babble. Both Eli and Raymond blinked over and over, hands lifting to their heads.

"Does it hurt?" Hecate asked.

"I've never experienced it for myself," Gideon replied. "I've been told there was a slight sensation of pressure, as if I were digging about—which I often am. No one has spoken of pain."

Hecate sniffed. "I'd hoped it hurt a little. A pity."

Gideon rolled his eyes. "I think it's time for us to leave." He urged the pair of bewildered men toward the door.

"Before you go," Hecate murmured.

Gideon paused looking over his shoulder.

"You never intended to work for us, did you?"

Gideon fought a smile. "Nope."

"Did you accomplish what you set out to do?"

Not really.Their defenses had been too strong but why let them know that? "I think I did."

"I think," Hecate replied. "You're an opportunist who took advantage of a moment of weakness for his own gain. You didn't get what you wanted, so you took what you could."

"And you would've done things differently?"

Hecate smiled. "No." Her smile widened. "But don't think we didn't have our own designs for this meeting. We may well have learned more than you wished to share."

Gideon searched her face, sensing she wasn't telling the truth, but then, they very well might've read Eli or Raymond's minds.

"The offer of employment stands, Gideon Goode. If you ever change your mind, our door will open to you." The next line, Hecate whispered inside his mind. Anyone who can wipe the memory of a demigoddess belongs here. Not out there amongst the riffraff.

Don't count on it, lady."I'm honored."

"No, you're not," Hecate said, laughing. "Now leave before my amusement fades and I change my mind about letting you go."

"With pleasure," Gideon muttered before meeting Eli and Raymond at the door. The doors opened for them, and he urged them through. He gave Hecate one last glance before following them out. Once outside in the cold, crisp air, Gideon sighed with relief.

"I'm never going back into that building," Eli said after they'd all climbed into the car.

"It was intense," Gideon murmured, knowing the secret they did not.

"Did you figure out which one of them had given Doyle his new memory?" Raymond asked.

Doyle, their ex-apprentice, had been aiding the demons they'd fought. His memory had been altered, and not well, and signs pointed to the Council. "To be honest, it could be any of them. They've merged their magic into one."

"All of them?" Eli asked, looking over his shoulder into the backseat. "The entire building?"

"No, the seven on the Celestial Council itself. It was kind of like when we fought at Dark Arts, when we lent you our magic. All made into one. But this is different. We all retained our own magic signatures. Theirs?" He shook his head. "I can't tell where one ends, and the others begin. A hive mentality. So, it could be any one of them."

"Holy fuck," Raymond said.

Eli had his cell to his ear, talking to Pierre, and the conversation ended.

"Did you get anything else from them?" Raymond asked him, his voice low as Eli talked with Pierre.

"There is something dark lingering in that merged magic. I think one of them was tainted before they merged. It might be spreading."

"I want to know why they did this. What good could come from it?" Raymond shook his head. "I can't believe Hecate agreed to be bound to others. The goddess I knew would not allow something like that."

"Perhaps she had no choice."

"Perhaps," Raymond said. "If that's the case, who's powerful enough to force Hecate's hand?"

"That's a question you might need to ferret out yourself," Gideon replied. "It might be the very person pulling the strings on whatever the demons were doing in Salem. All we know is they were cursing humans, particularly witch's mates. To what end?"

"Your guess is as good as mine at this point," Raymond answered. "At least we've stopped them. They can't curse anyone from a cage."

"No, but there are legions in Hell. More could be on the way to take their spots as we speak. We need to cut off the head. The minions will falter without a leader."

Raymond chuckled. "Have to find the head, first."

"Oh, we will," Gideon said.

As soon as they returned to Enchanted Ink, Gideon marched to the doorway of the underground lair and descended the ancient steps. He strode up to the gates, one of the demons smiling and leering at him.

"Hi," Hadyn, one of their young coven members who'd been pulling quite a bit of guard duty, said as Gideon entered.

"Hi," Gideon responded, not taking his eyes off the evil creature in front of him. He'd been avoiding what needed to be done, but there were too many questions left unanswered.

"Hey, beautiful," the demon crooned. "Why don't you come over here and suck my cock with that pretty mouth of yours."

Gideon smiled and pushed into the demon's mind. It wasn't hard, he slipped right past the meager defenses and had access to it all. He rewound the tape, so to speak, going back through recent memories, searching for answers.

He paused on a dark figure, completely blacked out of the demon's memory. Over and over the black figure appeared, fully masked. Gideon couldn't remove the concealment, couldn't break past it. Whoever was in charge had covered their tracks well. The minute he was back in Hell, he leapt out of the demon, wanting to see no more.

One by one, he ransacked their memories, and each one of them had the same dark figure. Some even had whole blank spots that had been wiped entirely clean. There was nothing left for him to grab hold of. They gave him nothing.

Frustrated, he spun and stomped upstairs without another word.

As he exited into the lobby, he heard, "What did you see?"

Gideon spun. Cassius leaned against the wall beside the door. "Nothing. Just an empty black spot."

"That's all I saw, too, though my memory skills are nowhere near as good as yours. Good to know I'm not as weak as I feared."

"I couldn't get past the mask. Whoever did it is strong. Very strong."

"I got the same sensation. This person doesn't want to be found. Too bad. We will find them and put an end to it," Cassius said.

"Damned straight," Gideon said.

Cassius smiled. "I appreciate the get out of jail free card you negotiated, by the way. Well done."

"You know about my secret conversation inside the protected walls of the Celestial Council, but not who's behind the mysterious mask in their memories?" Cassius always seemed to know everything that went on around him. Gideon had gotten used to it, but on occasion, it rankled. Especially when he had a surprise he wanted to share.

"It helps being mated to a shapeshifter who can take any form," Cassius said. "He can be a fly on any wall I wish him to be."

"Ahhh,"Gideon said, smiling. "Switch followed us inside and listened in."

"Exactly," Cassius murmured. "I was worried the three of you might get into trouble. I needed to know you were safe." He sighed. "If I knew where to direct him to expose the masked man, I would send h—well, I wouldn't send him because I'd be fearful for his life, but you get the idea. I can't know what Switch and I cannot see for ourselves."

"I've always wondered how you did that." Gideon smiled. "Magicians aren't supposed to tell their secrets, you know? I would say that goes for witches, too."

"I think we know each other well enough to peel back the curtain every once in a while," Cassius said, smirking.

"Well, to be honest, I'm glad to have someone to discuss that conversation with considering my pledge. You know it all?"

"Of Hecate's daughter? Oh, yes. Well done."

"I'm not allowed to tell anyone what happened, but you already know, so I'm not breaking my agreement one bit."

"I wouldn't be too worried about Hecate coming after you. She had the power to return her daughter's memory yet didn't. Or rather, she used to have the power." Cassius knocked his fist gently on the wall. "Now that they've merged, perhaps she's bound by group consensus. Was she outvoted by her sisters on the Council? Retribution for a past slight, perhaps? The possibilities are endless."

"Or are they all being controlled by someone else entirely?"

Cassius shrugged. "We get more information and end up with more questions than answers." He chuckled mirthlessly. "Your pact with her to take Eli and Raymond's memories away?"

"Yeah?"

"She never said you can't give it back to them."

Gideon grinned. "I'd already recognized that loophole. I figured I'd give it a couple of days before I did, though. Eli's going to be angry at me for taking it. Raymond was pretty pissed at some of the things Hecate said, too. They're in their honeymoon phase right now. Let them have a few more days of bliss before I drop that back into their heads and get them riled up."

"You did what you had to. They won't be mad long. As long as you do return it."

"I'll give them a long weekend. Monday, I'll return it. Promise."

Cassius grinned before squeezing his shoulder and heading back to the tattoo studio.

Gideon stood in the empty lobby, a wave of loneliness washing over him. In recent months, it had grown heavier and heavier. He knew he could go to the shop and hang out with a dozen people or go hang out at Luca's, but after his little games with Hecate, he was exhausted. He took the elevator to his small apartment he shared with no one, changed into his cotton pajama pants and a cami, grabbed a pint of Rocky Road, and turned on the new Interview with a Vampire series he'd heard folks rave about.

And escaped into someone else's story for a few hours to forget that sense of isolation he'd struggled to shake in recent months.