Magic Rising (23 page)

“You’re welcome to join us,” the older man said as I stepped over the threshold. Gage gave me a quick, reassuring smile and shut the door.

“Thank you.” I knew better than to ask if they were sure. If they’d invited me, they were sure.

“We don’t have the company of witches often,” the woman said pleasantly. She stood up and offered me her hand. “I’m Caroline Newton.”

“Stella Mayweather.”

She introduced me to the others, the older man being Noah Woods, the grand packmaster, and the younger, Drew Freeman. Gage fetched a chair from beside the door and added it to the table.

“Stella’s a friend,” said Gage, ensuring I was comfortable before collecting another glass and pouring wine. I noticed he didn’t say a “neighbour,” just a “friend.” Perhaps my address wasn’t common knowledge? I wondered if this would be important.

“And a friend of Etoile Winterstorm,” remarked Noah. “You have an interesting coterie of friends.”

“The very best,” I added and they seemed to agree with a nod at that.

Gage took the empty seat next to mine. Something caught his eye and he squinted. “Is that blood on your dress?” he asked, his nostrils flaring.

I looked down quickly, but I couldn’t see anything. He reached out and pinched the fabric at my hip, rubbing it between his fingers, while inhaling. When he withdrew them, they were slightly pink. I peered at my dress. The tiniest red dot had landed on my hip.

“Not yours,” he remarked with an expectant face.

It was my turn to look puzzled. “You didn’t hear?” They all shook their heads. “Matthew Donovan, one of the candidates, was shot when we were leaving. He’s okay, but the place is in full lockdown. You really didn’t know?” I asked again. I thought that was why Gage wasn’t surprised to see me; that he must’ve heard I was here for the foreseeable future like all the other delegates.

“We came straight here when we left the ball,” Caroline told me. “We’ve been busy with other things. How long ago did this happen?”

“An hour maybe.”

“Perhaps you’ll kindly tell us what happened.” Noah’s suggestion was more of an order than a request. I didn’t see the harm in telling them, since I was fairly sure everyone else would know soon enough. I stuck to the facts, kept it brief and when I finished, there was a moment of silence.

“Something to think over,” said Noah at last as his colleagues regarded me with stunned silence. He got to his feet and removed a key card from his pocket. “Nothing much will happen tonight. Let’s discuss it over breakfast tomorrow. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Stella.” The woman and the other man rose. We exchanged goodbyes.

“Are you sure I didn’t interrupt anything?” I asked when they’d gone.

“If you had, I wouldn’t have invited you in,” Gage told me. His blunt reply wasn’t offensive, just a statement of fact. “How are you really? You don’t seem too shook up.”

“I guess I’m not. I panicked for a moment, but Etoile had it instantly under control and Micah was with me.”

“Ah, the bodyguard. He came in useful.” He sat at the table and took a long moment to look me over, after which he relaxed. “Well, I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

“That makes two of us.”

“I bet Evan’s got a lot to say about all this. I know I’ll get an earful from Annalise.”

I sipped the wine, deciding I would switch to water after this. I wasn’t a big drinker and didn’t try to be.

“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him.”

“Tonight?”

“Since I got here. He’s incommunicado.”

“I’m sure Micah will give him a report. He’ll probably be here by morning.”

“Doubt that.”

Gage gave me an assessing look. “What’s wrong, Stella?”

My sigh was small and tired. “Nothing. Ignore me.”

“So, are you going to tell me why you came looking for me? Because you seemed to think we’d already heard about Matthew Donovan’s shooting.”

“Just for company, and I had a couple of questions. I thought seeing as we’re in lockdown, I might as well take the opportunity to come by.”

“What for?”

“Pardon?”

He jumped in before I could gather my thoughts. “From my recollection, we talked already this evening, and we both have a few things to think over. You’re here with your people and I’m with mine. I can’t see what we have left to talk over that didn’t come up earlier.”

“We’re friends…” I started. “And I haven’t seen you much lately.”

“Yeah.” Gage ran a hand through his hair and then pushed his chair back slightly, so he could stretch his legs. “I guess I’ve been avoiding you.”

“I noticed that.” My voice was small. “I wish you wouldn’t.”

He closed his eyes, tilting his chin towards the ceiling as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” he said, opening his eyes again and rolling his head to one side. He gave me a rueful smile.

“I never meant to hurt yours either.” A look passed between us. It was a sad one and I knew he knew I wasn’t referring to tonight.

“There’s a bar upstairs,” said Gage. “We could go up there and get a drink; or just kick back here.”

I considered the lockdown. “The bar is probably crowded. Let’s stay here. No more wine though. Do you have any water?”

“Sure.” Gage walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a plastic bottle. He grabbed a glass tumbler from the bar and passed them both to me. “Noah has a delegation meeting with the candidates tomorrow. We have an appointment with Esme Sanchez first thing, then Georgia, Etoile after lunch, and Donovan last. Oh yeah, and that other lady, Mary somebody. Will you be with Etoile?”

“I guess so. She was busy earlier so I didn’t ask.” I decided to keep whom she was busy with to myself. “What will happen?”

“Just a discussion. Like I told you earlier.”

“Ah.”

“Drew is leaning toward Donovan for Leader. I think they’ve met before,” Gage explained.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t like Donovan. Too much of a politician. A lot of puff, not a lot of fire. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not thrilled he’s been attacked.”

“What about Noah and Caroline? I mean, what do they think of the candidates?”

“They’re thinking things through. They think Etoile is smart, but I don’t know which way they’ll swing ultimately.” We moved over to the sofa, Gage taking one end with me at the other. “If you were anyone else, I wouldn’t be telling you this,” he warned.

“I’m not going to say anything.” I remembered why I had decided to stop by. “Speaking of not saying things, I heard you are all interested in some talisman that you think will be at the Summit.”

Gage’s head shot up and his face darkened. “Where did you hear that?” He made an exasperated huff. “No, let me guess. My sister?”

“Yes, but don’t get mad. She just asked if I heard anything about it.”

“Have you? Is it here?”

“I don’t know. But I found a book that mentions it. It says it could just be a myth.”

“It’s not a myth.”

“Why are you all so interested in it? Is it the wolves who were just here that want it?”

Gage nodded. “Noah would like to see it returned. I suppose Annalise told you it was a gift from a witch that was later stolen from us?”

“Pretty much. The book said the same thing.” I didn’t mention what else the book said; instead, I waited for Gage to continue. “What do they want to do with it? Put it on display or something?” I prompted when his reply didn’t appear forthcoming.

“Something like that. We got a lead that a witch has it and is prepared to sell. Noah wants to put in a bid, if we can’t negotiate for it to be returned amicably.”

“Do you think this witch might just give it to you?” I asked, deciding by ‘amicably’ he meant ‘free.’

Gage huffed. “Doubt it.”

“Do you know who the witch is?”

“No, and I’m not sure Noah does either. He’s waiting to be contacted.” When Gage told me how much his clan leader was prepared to spend, I whistled.

“That’s a lot of money for a simple artefact.”

“It would mean a lot to the wolves. We grew up hearing stories about it. The witch was supposed to have been in love with the wolf she gave it to. One of those big epic love stories.” Gage kept his eyes focused on the blank TV screen on the wall opposite as he spoke. “It’s a symbol of freedom and it’s supposed to protect our race. It’s a nice story.”

“Are you sure it’s just a story?” I asked, recalling what the book said about its supposed powers.

“Yeah. All of our parents told it to us and it’s been passed down through many generations.”

“Does it have a happy ending?”

Gage pulled a face. “I’ll tell you the story some time. It’s just a fairytale really, but the witch and the wolf were real people; and the talisman is a symbol of their unity and their love.”

“I guess it makes sense for a witch to have it, since a witch created it.”

“Only in so much as it was stolen. We thought it was lost forever, but now it’s resurfaced…” He trailed off. “It’s just a talisman. But if you hear anything, would you let me know? I’m sure Noah would appreciate it.”

“I’ll listen for any news,” I told him. While Gage discussed it, he never gave any indication that he thought the talisman might be anything special. Gage regarded it as nothing more than something fabricated from a fairytale. “Don’t say anything though. I don’t want to get your friends’ hopes up.”

We passed the time a little longer, then I yawned a little too frequently, and Gage insisted on walking me back to my room. It wasn’t necessary, but polite nevertheless, so I let him. Micah’s door opened as we passed by and he stepped into the frame. His tuxedo was still perfect and without a single crease, like he hadn’t been sitting or moving at all. He didn’t look too pleased at my being out without telling him, but he kept it to himself. Besides, with the hotel in lockdown, I was probably in the safest place.

“I looked for you,” he said, glancing over at Gage, then back to me.

“I went upstairs,” I told him tartly. “And now I’m going to bed.”

“So I see. Goodnight, Stella. Gage.”

“Micah.”

Micah shut his door.

“I think he’s taking his guardian duty too seriously,” I told Gage as I slipped my key card into the slot and the door opened.

“You didn’t tell him where you were going?”

“He’s not my nanny. Besides, we’re in the hotel and it’s under lockdown. I should be able to move freely here.”

Gage thought about that. “If Evan assigned Micah to look after you, maybe it’s a good idea that you stick with him.”

“You’re not going to lecture me about Evan micromanaging my movements from afar?”

Gage laughed. “I think you can do that just fine by yourself.”

When he was gone, I showered and pulled my jammies from the suitcase that mysteriously appeared. It was placed at the end of the bed while I was gone. I thought about Gage leaving me with some serious topics to think over, since it happened twice now. As I climbed into bed, I dialed Evan once. Unsurprisingly, I got his answering service straight away. This time, I didn’t leave a message. Instead, I hung up and dropped my phone onto the nightstand. I could very well give myself the micromanagement lecture indeed. I even wondered if Micah was on the phone with Evan, perhaps commenting on my most recent movements right now.

Well, screw them
, I thought crossly. If Evan couldn’t be bothered to return a phone call, I’d do exactly as I pleased; and if Evan didn’t like that, he could damn well tell me himself.

I fell asleep, feeling cross and frustrated. When I dreamed, I dreamed of pale vampires in love with witches, witches who loved wolves, missing demons, and talismans that protected everyone.

THIRTEEN

Etoile had a room reserved for conducting business and Micah and I slipped inside only five minutes before our first appointment was due to arrive. We had just enough time to receive instructions, but not long enough for me to ask her about the vampire, Matthias. It wasn’t that I wanted to know what he was doing in her room — I’d figured that one out all by myself — but I was curious about him. She never mentioned him. Why? And was whatever going on between them now more than just a fling? More importantly, would her relationship with Matthias affect her candidacy? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ask one very important question: did she love him now as much as the time I saw him in her memories? It seemed too invasive of her personal space.

Grabbing coffee from the tray set on the side table, I exchanged greetings with Seren, David and Steven, before taking a seat. I kept my surprise to myself at Steven’s presence. If Mary Richardson could run for Leader, it seemed perfectly fine for a Council member to support another candidate.

Despite a good night’s sleep, I didn’t feel particularly rested. Sweeping a look around the room, I decided everyone else was edgy too.

The room was large with enough space for a long table, with chairs spanning the lengths of each side. They took up one whole wall by the window, and there was a less formal seating area where Etoile had already claimed a Queen Anne chair for herself. She wore a navy suit with an ivory crew-neck top underneath, and her hair was swept backwards to curl behind her ears in a slightly tamer version of her usual style.

“Today will be long,” Etoile told us as she consulted a small plastic folder. “We’ll see the shifters first. Then, the demons, and the wolves after lunch. I’m so glad they’ll have eaten before we see them. They get so tetchy when they’re hungry.” She ran her finger down the list she perused, finishing, “And the vampires after dark.”

“Let’s hope they eat first, too,” murmured David, and Etoile smiled.

“You’re obsessed with food,” said Micah softly as he strolled past, his hands in his pockets. Today, he wasn’t the only one dressed up. I’d taken a leaf from his book and worn a sober, black skirt suit with a pink shell top. Apparently, I’d gotten it right too, seeing as Etoile and Seren were similarly attired, although I wore flats and Etoile wore four-inch heels. If she intended to distract every male guest, all she had to do was stand and show them some leg. I supposed it was easier than yelling.

“I have several appointments with witches that you need not attend.” Etoile closed the folder and tapped her pen against it. “Seren, you know what to do. David, could you play wingman? Stella, you can do coffees and generally look inconspicuous while you evaluate our guests.”