Kai didn’t move. He looked like he was being pulled in two directions. He looked so completely powerless. When he spoke again, his voice was rough, like sandpaper. “Alden had you.”
“I got away.” She squeezed his hand to comfort herself as much as him. “I broke his magic, but it wasn’t enough. Even without his followers, he’s too strong.”
“Let me get this straight,” Kai spoke quietly. “Alden opened up two glyphs, one for you and one for Finn. And he did this at the same time. He transported you across a whole state. And he performed this magic without ever stepping foot in the building, let alone the same city or even same state.”
“Yes.”
“The further you want to transport someone through a glyph, the more magic you need. How the hell did he draw a glyph without being physically here?” Kai wanted to know. He looked at the commandos, but they just shook their heads. They didn’t have the answers either.
Sera had never seen Kai scared like this. Angry, yes, but not scared. Angry meant the dust in the air catching on fire and things exploding all around him. Right now…his magic felt like cold dread. It was like frostbite eating away at her soul.
She set her hand on his arm. “We will work it out, just like we always do.”
Kai looked at her, pain pulsing in his eyes. “Sera, a psychopath is after you. He can snatch you from basically anywhere, anytime. And I can’t do a damn thing about it. How do I fight that? How?” His voice echoed through the chamber, his agony magnified.
Tony came up to them. “The meetings must continue.”
Sera looked across the mass of faces turned toward Kai, watching him have a breakdown. Nervous energy popped in their magic.
“How many more have been turned?” he said to Tony. “How many are sitting here, spying for him?”
“I don’t know. But if the Summit dissolves, it shows the world that Alden has won again.”
“I can feel them,” Sera said.
They looked at her.
“Alden’s magic. I can feel it on them again,” she clarified. “Bringing me so close to him backfired. Up close, I could feel the mask he’d woven around the bonds that link him to his followers. Now that I’ve had a taste of that deception, I can feel it here too. I can do this. I can sniff them out.”
Kai glanced over his shoulder at the Council members, then at Sera. “Do it.”
She stepped forward, opening up her senses to the magic in this room. The bonds between Alden and his devoted followers sparkled silver and hummed like a dying chainsaw. She met a man’s eyes, smiling.
“What is she doing here?” he protested.
“She’s not on the Council,” another added.
“Eject her from this chamber!”
“You didn’t protest when my cousin, a follower of the Grim Reaper, popped up inside this chamber,” Kai snapped back.
“He is one of Alden’s,” Sera said, pointing at the first protester.
The commandos moved toward him.
“This is an outrage!” the man protested.
“Oh, do be quiet and stop making a scene,” Margery told him.
The whispering voices in the room hushed. Margery Kensington was a leader people respected. She was one they turned to for guidance.
She looked at Sera. “Please continue, dear.”
Sera wove up and down the aisles, pointing out Alden’s followers. There were so many—too many. Alden was right. The Council was crumbling.
“This has gone too far, Kai,” said a female vampire, the last person Sera pointed out. “You bring in this, this outsider.”
“No,” Margery said, standing. “She is not an outsider. Sera’s sister rescued me from hell when no one here would act. They saved me from the Convictionites. They are not my enemy. The mindless minions of the Grim Reaper are.”
Murmurs of assent spilled from the audience. And dissent. The Council was split. If they didn’t do something fast, it would collapse.
“The Grim Reaper wants to fracture us, to make us weak,” Kai declared. “He is the threat. And we must unite against him.” He lifted his hand. “It is our job to protect the supernatural community. Let’s stop talking about it and actually do it.”
“Well said,” Margery told him, moving to stand by his side.
Several others joined them, about a third of the Council. It wasn’t enough to convict the defectors. Kai stood there for a moment, staring at those who’d refused to join him. His eyes pulsed slowly with magic, a promise that they’d live to regret their decision. Then he turned and left the meeting chamber.
“Where is Ares?” Sera asked. She hadn’t seen him in the chamber.
“He’s gone,” Kai said coldly. “He slipped out just before you returned. How did you get away from Alden?”
A good question. She hadn’t thought she had enough magic in her to teleport so far. And yet she had. She chewed that over for a moment.
“I followed your magic,” she finally decided. “It led me back to you. It will always lead me back to you.”
Kai wrapped his arm around her. “Stay close, Sera.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised.
He smiled at her, a ray of sunshine in the storm raging all around them. Sure, they’d unmasked Alden’s followers, but the Summit had dissolved. The Council was divided. Today, Alden had won. And now they had to scramble. If they couldn’t gather allies—if the supernatural community couldn’t get their shit together—then tomorrow would be even worse.
“I got away.” She squeezed his hand to comfort herself as much as him. “I broke his magic, but it wasn’t enough. Even without his followers, he’s too strong.”
“Let me get this straight,” Kai spoke quietly. “Alden opened up two glyphs, one for you and one for Finn. And he did this at the same time. He transported you across a whole state. And he performed this magic without ever stepping foot in the building, let alone the same city or even same state.”
“Yes.”
“The further you want to transport someone through a glyph, the more magic you need. How the hell did he draw a glyph without being physically here?” Kai wanted to know. He looked at the commandos, but they just shook their heads. They didn’t have the answers either.
Sera had never seen Kai scared like this. Angry, yes, but not scared. Angry meant the dust in the air catching on fire and things exploding all around him. Right now…his magic felt like cold dread. It was like frostbite eating away at her soul.
She set her hand on his arm. “We will work it out, just like we always do.”
Kai looked at her, pain pulsing in his eyes. “Sera, a psychopath is after you. He can snatch you from basically anywhere, anytime. And I can’t do a damn thing about it. How do I fight that? How?” His voice echoed through the chamber, his agony magnified.
Tony came up to them. “The meetings must continue.”
Sera looked across the mass of faces turned toward Kai, watching him have a breakdown. Nervous energy popped in their magic.
“How many more have been turned?” he said to Tony. “How many are sitting here, spying for him?”
“I don’t know. But if the Summit dissolves, it shows the world that Alden has won again.”
“I can feel them,” Sera said.
They looked at her.
“Alden’s magic. I can feel it on them again,” she clarified. “Bringing me so close to him backfired. Up close, I could feel the mask he’d woven around the bonds that link him to his followers. Now that I’ve had a taste of that deception, I can feel it here too. I can do this. I can sniff them out.”
Kai glanced over his shoulder at the Council members, then at Sera. “Do it.”
She stepped forward, opening up her senses to the magic in this room. The bonds between Alden and his devoted followers sparkled silver and hummed like a dying chainsaw. She met a man’s eyes, smiling.
“What is she doing here?” he protested.
“She’s not on the Council,” another added.
“Eject her from this chamber!”
“You didn’t protest when my cousin, a follower of the Grim Reaper, popped up inside this chamber,” Kai snapped back.
“He is one of Alden’s,” Sera said, pointing at the first protester.
The commandos moved toward him.
“This is an outrage!” the man protested.
“Oh, do be quiet and stop making a scene,” Margery told him.
The whispering voices in the room hushed. Margery Kensington was a leader people respected. She was one they turned to for guidance.
She looked at Sera. “Please continue, dear.”
Sera wove up and down the aisles, pointing out Alden’s followers. There were so many—too many. Alden was right. The Council was crumbling.
“This has gone too far, Kai,” said a female vampire, the last person Sera pointed out. “You bring in this, this outsider.”
“No,” Margery said, standing. “She is not an outsider. Sera’s sister rescued me from hell when no one here would act. They saved me from the Convictionites. They are not my enemy. The mindless minions of the Grim Reaper are.”
Murmurs of assent spilled from the audience. And dissent. The Council was split. If they didn’t do something fast, it would collapse.
“The Grim Reaper wants to fracture us, to make us weak,” Kai declared. “He is the threat. And we must unite against him.” He lifted his hand. “It is our job to protect the supernatural community. Let’s stop talking about it and actually do it.”
“Well said,” Margery told him, moving to stand by his side.
Several others joined them, about a third of the Council. It wasn’t enough to convict the defectors. Kai stood there for a moment, staring at those who’d refused to join him. His eyes pulsed slowly with magic, a promise that they’d live to regret their decision. Then he turned and left the meeting chamber.
“Where is Ares?” Sera asked. She hadn’t seen him in the chamber.
“He’s gone,” Kai said coldly. “He slipped out just before you returned. How did you get away from Alden?”
A good question. She hadn’t thought she had enough magic in her to teleport so far. And yet she had. She chewed that over for a moment.
“I followed your magic,” she finally decided. “It led me back to you. It will always lead me back to you.”
Kai wrapped his arm around her. “Stay close, Sera.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised.
He smiled at her, a ray of sunshine in the storm raging all around them. Sure, they’d unmasked Alden’s followers, but the Summit had dissolved. The Council was divided. Today, Alden had won. And now they had to scramble. If they couldn’t gather allies—if the supernatural community couldn’t get their shit together—then tomorrow would be even worse.
