Dragon's Gift The Huntress Books 1-3 Page 22

Fear shocked some sense into me. “I’m sorry. I can’t take the job.”

  Mathias’s blond brows rose. “Really? It’s a million dollars just for a meeting, and you won’t go?”

  When he put it like that, it did sound suspicious. If I weren’t hiding something, I’d have no problem meeting with the Alpha Council.

  “My job is lucrative. I no longer make decisions based on the fee.” Now that was a big fat lie, but I had to get out of this. It wasn’t worth the risk.

  “There are lives at stake.” Mathias’s voice was low, almost anguished. But it was his gaze that got me. Haunted. Afraid.

  “Lives?” I frowned.

  “Yeah. I need you to take this meeting. Hear us out.”

  Oh, hell. “Can you give us a minute?”

  He nodded and walked to the counter. Once he began speaking to Connor, I turned to Aidan and my deirfiúr.

  “Why the hell did you tell them about me?” I hissed at Aidan.

  “I didn’t tell them your secret. But they do need help. Badly. Like he said, lives are at risk. And if you do this job, you’ll be on their good side. That could come in very handy if you’re ever discovered.”

  Damn it, he was right. I wanted to be pissed at him—and I was—but he had a point.

  I glanced at Nix and Del. “It’s risky, but proving myself as honorable and helpful to the Alpha Council will give us a strong ally in the event shit ever hits the fan.”

  Nix nodded. “This is so risky. But that’s worth more than the money.”

  “Which is worth a hell of a lot,” Del said.

  I leaned toward Aidan, bouncing my leg in fear and anticipation. “Lives really are at risk?”

  “Yes.” His gaze was serious.

  “And you swear they don’t know what I am?” I whispered.

  “It’s highly unlikely. I didn’t tell them, so they’d have to guess.”

  “You guessed,” I said.

  “I spent a week with you under extraordinary circumstances.” He flicked imaginary lint off his sleeve. “And I’m a genius.”

  I scowled. I didn’t know about the genius part, but he was right. The trials we’d gone through to get to the scroll had forced me to reveal my powers. I’d agreed to help him find the scroll because it contained the names of the most powerful supernaturals, myself included. It would have blown my secret if he or anyone else had read it. Instead, I’d blown my own secret by using my magic around him.

  But he hadn’t figured out that my deirfiúr were FireSouls as well, because I’d told him the scroll had been destroyed. It was actually locked away in my trove. I should have felt guilty about hiding it from Aidan, but I didn’t. Protecting my deirfiúr and myself always came first. It was why I’d told him almost nothing about my past.

  “Fine. I’ll meet with the Alpha Council. But since I can’t be guaranteed they don’t know what I am”—I couldn’t repress the shiver of fear—“you have to go with me and provide backup. They respect you, right? They’d do what you say?”

  He nodded sharply. “Yes.”

  “What if one of them senses the strength of my magic?”

  “They shouldn’t. Your magic is better hidden than you think. Even I couldn’t sense it when I met you,” he said.

  “But I’ve been using it so much lately. It’s no longer dormant within me.”

  “True. But I only sense it when you use it. As long as you don’t use it there, they shouldn’t be able to sense it. Just stay close to me. We’ll pass it off as my magic if necessary. They won’t question me.”

  I let out a shuddery breath. It wasn’t a guarantee of safety, but it wasn’t bad either.

  I looked at Del and Nix. Like all things, we were in this together. “You’re cool with this?”

  “It’s risky,” Nix said. She’d always been the cautious one. “But if people are depending on you… That’s hard to ignore.”

  “I think you should do it,” Del said. “If you can get the Alpha Council to owe us one, that can only be a good thing. And two million bucks… Not that we should risk our lives for that, but…”

  “Hard to resist.” I thought of all the things I could put in my trove with that kind of money. It was a dumb thought, but if the shoe fits…

  I looked at Aidan. “Can you give us a moment?”

  His gray gaze searched mine, but eventually he nodded and got up. Once he’d reached the bar and begun to talk to Mathias, I turned back to my deirfiúr.

  “You guys really trust Aidan? I thought you were wary of him after the battle with Aaron.”

  “Yeah, and I’m still kinda iffy. But don’t you trust him?” Nix asked. “You just spent a week at his place.”

  “Only because he threatened to reveal what I am if I didn’t practice my magic. And his place is the safest place to practice.”

  “Because he cares about you,” Del said. “I’ve only known the guy a couple weeks, and even I can see that. He knows what hunts us and he’s right—having control of your magic is the only way to defeat the Monster. I know you’re wary of yours because it was so powerful and out of control for so long, but we need all of us operating at full strength.”

  I sighed. They were right. Both Del and Nix had a pretty good handle on their magic—they always had. Nix was a Conjurer, and Del was a Traveler/Phantom Hybrid. They both had more to learn, but at least they didn’t blow things up when they used their gifts. It’d allowed them to practice all these years while I’d been hiding.

  Ever since I’d woken with no memories at fifteen, my own magic had been uncontrollable. I hadn’t been able to practice it out of fear that other supernaturals would notice how strong I was. And because I frequently blew things up when I tried to use my magic.

  “Fine. I’ll do the job.”

  They both nodded, satisfied.

  I got up and went to the bar.

  Aidan and Mathias leaned against it, chatting about baseball of all things. Though Mathias was a big guy who radiated danger like any lion Shifter would, he paled in comparison to Aidan. Not only was Aidan taller, but the feeling of danger that rolled off him was hard to ignore.

  So was the strength of his magic. Though I was trying to learn to contain my signature, Aidan wasn’t as worried about people knowing his strength. He was already famous as the Origin, the descendent of the original shifter. People might as well know he could also kick their ass with his Elemental Mage abilities. Or tear their heads off as a griffin.

  Thank magic the guy was on my side.

  The two men turned to face me, one golden and one dark. Worry creased Mathias’s brow. Whatever was plaguing the Shifters, he really wanted my help with it.

  “I’ll take the meeting,” I said. “Depending on the job, I may take that as well.”

  Some of the grimness faded from his eyes. “Thank you. We have a plane waiting at Fairfield Airport.”

  I stiffened. I didn’t like the idea of being trapped on their plane. It was silly because I’d be walking straight into their stronghold soon, but I couldn’t help it.

  “We’ll take mine,” Aidan said. “And we’ll meet you there tomorrow afternoon.”

  I relaxed a little. Fates, I was a lucky girl. Not only had Aidan agreed to watch my back when we went to Glencarrough, he sensed when I was nervous and offered his plane. His freaking plane. How was this my life?

  “Thank you,” Mathias said. “Until then.”

  I nodded and watched him leave, then turned back to Aidan. Connor had gone into the kitchen and the back of the coffee shop had cleared out, so we were alone.

  “You look bothered,” Aidan said.

  I looked up to meet his gaze, hating that he was so much taller and stronger than me. It was sexy, yeah, but I was so off balance around him. All my life, my deirfiúr and I had kept our distance from anyone more powerful than us, hoping that it would help keep us safe. It had worked. Except for the fact that I was now woefully underprepared for dealing with someone like Aidan.

  “I don’t get you,” I s
aid. “You show up in my life, learn what I am, and instead of turning me in, you help me. Even your freaking heavy-handedness in making me practice my magic seems to be for my own safety. You’re too good to be true.”

  Shadows fell over his face. “I wish that were the case, but you don’t know enough about me to say that.”

  He was right. I didn’t. I knew that he’d built his company and his fortune himself, that he was the descendent of the original Shifter, that he was the strongest supernatural I’d ever met, and that he appeared to be a decent guy, but I’d only known him two weeks. I’d barely asked anything about him during that time. And people didn’t come out and say all their bad shit to you right off the bat.

  “So there is some bad stuff?” I asked.

  “There’s bad stuff about everyone, Cass.” Aidan’s voice was weary. “But I don’t let it define me.”

  “What’s your bad stuff?” I couldn’t begin to guess, but someone as wealthy and powerful as he was would’ve had plenty of opportunities to screw up. I didn’t know if it made me feel better or worse. From his dark expression, I should probably feel worse.

  The wooden door to the kitchen swung open, and Connor bustled out, two plates of pasties in his hands. He grinned when he saw us. “Be right with you guys.”

  The moment was broken. Aidan’s face had returned to its normal, impassive state and he said, “We’ll need to leave for Scotland tonight if we’re going to reach Glencarrough by tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Scotland?” The location of the Alpha Council stronghold was a secret, but given the name Glencarrough, it made sense.

  “Yes. The jet should be refueled soon. If you want to pack a fresh bag, I can pick you up in an hour. I need to swing by my place for a change of clothes.”

  “All right.”

  I watched him walk out of the coffee shop, his stride that of a man confident in his place at the top of the mountain. I wasn’t used to relationships. Growing close to anyone besides my deirfiúr while I harbored such a dangerous secret was a terrible idea. I certainly didn’t have experience with guys like Aidan.

  And I didn’t know how to deal with someone besides my deirfiúr knowing what I was. I’d wanted to trust someone else with the truth, to not always hide behind my lies, but now that I had that opportunity, it made me uncomfortable as hell.

  A week ago, I thought I was just mad at him for forcing me to confront my powers. Now, I realized I was probably more afraid than mad. And I hated being afraid.

  3

  “That’s where the Alpha Council lives?” I asked as our Range Rover descended into the valley.

  Mountains rose up on either side, surrounding the enormous stone structure crouched in between them. It was a monstrosity of towers and walls that spread across the valley in central Scotland.

  “Appropriate, don’t you think?” Aidan asked as he drove us down the narrow road. Sheep scurried out of the way, their little white legs kicking up as they bounded away.

  “Sure, for a horror movie about a haunted castle and its not-so-friendly ghost.” I surveyed the gray stone and the fantastical architecture. The size and complexity was mind-boggling. Once inside, you were only getting out if they let you. I rubbed my sweaty palms against my jeans.

  “It’s kept them safe for hundreds of years. No reason to leave.”

  I could think of a few. It looked so lonely and creepy. The desolate beauty of the Highlands didn’t help. Despite the late afternoon sun, the place looked like something out of a fairytale. But it was the villain’s castle.

  We’d been driving for two hours now, ever since landing at the nearest airstrip in a small village. I’d slept almost the entire flight, still exhausted from using my magic, but I’d been wound tight since we’d gotten into the car.

  I’d never willingly gone into a place full of government officials—either Order of the Magica or Alpha Council—and though I knew I’d had a good reason for coming here, I was having a hard time remembering it.

  “It’ll be all right,” Aidan said.

  Damn. He’d noticed I was freaked out. “Yeah, it’ll be fine.”

  I tried to play it cool as he slowed the car to a halt in front of a soaring wooden gate. I leaned over and looked up, craning my neck to see the tops of the walls. At least a dozen faces peered down at me, all scowling.

  “That’s a lot of guards,” I said.

  “There’s more on my side.”

  “Weird. You’d think they’d use magic instead of manpower to guard the gates. This is so…so human.”

  “Yeah, it’s off all right.”

  A familiar face appeared at the top of the wall. Wild golden hair blew in the summer wind and yellow eyes met mine through the glass. Mathias. He turned and waved a hand, presumably to someone in charge of the gate.

  With a groaning noise, the heavy wooden door lifted. My stomach sank with every inch it rose. We were driving straight into the lion’s den, bad pun intended. There would be dozens, maybe even hundreds, of Shifters here. Shifters who were largely immune to my magic. Outnumbered didn’t begin to describe my situation.

  Aidan directed the Range Rover into an enormous courtyard, and I tried to still my bouncing leg.

  Though the exterior had suggested a medieval courtyard full of dirty villagers and ponies wandering on packed dirt, I didn’t see that. Instead, everything looked modern. Cars were parked neatly in a cobblestone courtyard, and large stone buildings loomed at the edges, their glass windows winking in the sun.

  Mathias descended the stone steps. He wore jeans and a dark sweater. Though he should look civilized, the wild hair and golden eyes gave him a hint of animal. He pointed one big hand toward the largest building at the back.

  Unable to help myself, I ran my hand over the dagger strapped to my right thigh as Aidan pulled into a parking space in front of the building Mathias had indicated. When he killed the engine, silence loomed. My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

  “No need for that.” Aidan eyed my hand near my knife.

  I clenched my fist. “Habit.”

  “You need to learn to reach for your magic when you’re nervous.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” But he was right.

  I sucked in a deep breath and climbed out of the car, trying to keep the tension from showing on my face. I just had to play it cool, that was all. Easy peasy.

  Right.

  I could feel the magic in the air here. Taste it and smell it. No one here was as powerful as Aidan, but so many Shifters in one area gave the place a buzzing feeling. The scents of animals, some good and some bad, hit me, even though I saw none in their shifted form.

  Mathias approached and bowed low to Aidan. When he straightened, he looked at me. “Thank you for coming. The council is waiting for you.”

  I nodded, grateful I didn’t have to speak when he turned and led the way up the expansive stone stairs rising to the building behind us. I might be able to run fearlessly into booby-trap laden tombs and fight off demons, but this was scary.

  This was a freaking death wish.

  On the bright side, at least my sense of self-preservation wasn’t totally broken. Some of the crap I’d gotten myself into lately suggested otherwise, so it was a comfort that my danger sensors still worked.

  Aidan stuck close by my side as we passed through the large double doors. The interior was more formal than I’d expected, with marble floors and silk wallpaper adorning the large foyer. On one wall, a collection of rare weapons was displayed. Treasure. My fingers itched to pocket one. Or ten. They’d look so nice in my trove.

  I dragged my gaze away. Stealing from the Alpha Council was not on my to-do list.

  My brows rose at the sight of the priceless paintings gracing the other walls. I wasn’t much for art, but even I recognized some of these. I didn’t know the names, but I didn’t need to.

  “Are these real?” I asked, stupefied.

  Mathias glanced back. “Yes. The Alphas have a taste for the finer things. They’ve been collecting
for years.”

  “But how are they here? I thought they were in museums.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to curse. Why did I have to get curious and basically ask if they’d stolen them?

  Idiot.

  “You’re good at taking things,” Mathias said. “So are we.”

  I swallowed hard. Fears confirmed. The Alpha Council was ruthless and cocky enough to steal the humans’ greatest works of art. Supernaturals tried to stay under the radar of humans, but it appeared the Alpha Council was willing to chuck that if they wanted something bad enough. I’d have to keep that in mind.

  Mathias led us into a wide hallway. The golden glow from elegant light fixtures gleamed on the wooden floor. Silk wallpaper in a royal purple coated the walls to the wainscoting.

  The luxurious surroundings only served to highlight the strangeness of seeing a man being led down the hall, his arms bound in heavy chains, bulky Shifter guards surrounding him, herding him along. His face was downcast, but his magic seethed in the air. I eyed him as he was led past us.

  When I thought he was out of earshot, I whispered, “Who the hell was that?”

  “A filthy FireSoul the Alpha Council discovered living two villages over. He’s being taken to the Prison for Magical Miscreants.”

  Filthy FireSoul? My stomach dropped and I stutter-stepped. Aidan’s hand cupped my arm and pulled me along.

  Holy shit. I knew the Alpha Council was vigilant about FireSouls—they didn’t want anyone killing off Shifters to steal their shifting power, obviously—but seeing it firsthand was freaking terrifying.

  And I’d agreed to come here.

  There are lives at stake.

  Mathias’s words echoed in my head, but they didn’t make my heart calm or the sweat dry on my skin.

  Mathias led us into a great room that screamed wealth even more loudly than the foyer had. When twelve figures rose from their seats around a massive, gleaming wooden table, I was suddenly immensely grateful for Aidan’s presence at my back.

  When each Alpha bowed low and murmured their respects, I was even more grateful. Why didn’t Aidan sit at this table? Clearly they would accept him here. Besides the two chairs that were clearly meant for us, there was an empty chair, right in the middle on the other side of the table.