The guards put me in the cell, and the only thing I could be grateful for was the fact that they didn’t shove me. That didn’t stop them from slamming the gate in my face, though.
I stared out through the bars, swallowing hard against the fear.
How would I get out of this?
The Devil
I strode past Carrow as she was led away in magicuffs. Hot anger surged inside me, turning my blood molten. I wanted to stop, to jerk the cuffs off her and knock out both guards.
Instead, I looked away from her.
It made something feel strange in my chest—unpleasant—but I couldn’t reveal weakness to the Council. And she was a weakness.
I’d been delayed in getting there by my attempt to discover the Council’s intentions. As much as I’d wanted to run after her outside of Eve’s shop, I’d resisted. Information was power, and I always came prepared. As much as I wanted to tear Black Church apart and put these bastards in their place, it would never work. I couldn’t outright murder people anymore.
Not often, at least.
I drew in a breath as I entered the main meeting room of the Council of Guilds, trying to calm myself. The heavy weight of ceremony imbued the air. As usual, it annoyed me.
I scanned the room, taking in the crowd, and felt my eyebrows rise. Every guild representative was here. Carrow had merited a big crowd. My gaze lingered on the Vampire Guild’s leader. Mateo and I had an arrangement, and it worked. Primarily because I kept strict control of it.
There wasn’t a chance in heaven or hell that I’d participate in a guild, but even I wasn’t exempt from the Council’s demands, so I did what I did best.
I bought my way in.
Thus, the Vampire Guild claimed me as theirs, and I didn’t cause any problems for them. I certainly didn’t go to guild meetings.
Mateo gave me a brief nod, his pale hair gleaming in the light. Unlike me, he had been born a vampire and therefor was not immortal. Youth gleamed in his eyes despite the fact that he was somewhere in his sixties.
Everyone’s eyes looked young when you were immortal.
Mateo stood and inclined his head. “Devil. We were not expecting you.”
“I imagine not.” I stopped near Mateo, avoiding the star in the middle. Powerful magic resonated around that star, and I wanted nothing to do with it. “I see you’ve met our new resident.”
There was a chorus of yeses and nods from the gathering. I could feel the expectation on the air—the anxiety—as they waited to see what I would do. I had control of this Council in a very complicated way. Each person here did my bidding because I bribed them, threatened them, or compelled them with my powers.
It was never an easy process, however. I didn’t want to be a ruler—too much responsibility. This suited me better, but it could be complicated.
My power wasn’t absolute, of course. It was all a careful balance. I wouldn’t be able to free Carrow forever, but I would be able to get her out today.
Then we’d deal with the rest.
I pinned each with a gaze. “What do you want with the girl?”
“She has powerful magic that must be controlled.” Ubhan’s eyes flickered with dislike.
“Are you sure you don’t just want Orion’s Heart?” Her ability to hold that gem was proof enough of her powerful magic. But some members of this Council—the Sorcerers’ Guild, particularly—coveted such items.
“It’s a powerful talisman,” the sorcerer said. “It shouldn’t be held by one with such poor control of her magic.”
His logic was sound, but Carrow was different. Immune from the rules, as far as I was concerned.
“She failed the guild selection ceremony.” There was triumph in Ubhan’s voice.
“What do you mean, failed?” It was an ancient spell meant to determine what species a supernatural was. “It can’t fail.”
“It did.”
That was strange. And it would have to be dealt with. Even I understood the importance of belonging to a guild. The city had been founded on that principle.
“Be that as it may, she stopped a necromancer. She is new to our city, but she could be a very valuable asset.” My voice stung like a whip. “She is not valuable if she is locked up in the dungeons below.”
There was a grumbling from the two who always fought me the hardest: Ubhan, the sorcerer, and Nyla, the elemental mage. I narrowed my gaze on them, using my magic silently. There were those in this room who suspected that I could compel without using my voice, but they’d never worked up the courage to question me about it.
I let my magic reach out to them, floating silently and invisibly on the air to seep into their minds and make them amenable to my goals. I used this gift rarely—better to let people think I controlled others with my voice.
“Carrow failed the guild ceremony because she has not mastered her magic yet.” I was almost positive that wasn’t the case, but I imbued my voice with such certainty and power that they’d be forced to agree with me. For now. “I will take her as my responsibility and teach her to control her magic. I guarantee she will be a safe member of the community. And when her training is complete, she will find a guild.”
There was more grumbling from Ubhan, but his eyes were blurring just slightly, indicating that my magic was working on him. I knew to look for that sign, but hopefully, the others did not.
“Her gift is a simple one, albeit powerful,” I said. “She can do no harm by touching things or people and reading information from them.”
She could do a hell of a lot of harm, in fact, if there was anyone on this Council involved in shady dealings and she touched one of their possessions. She was in the business of secrets, though I doubted she saw it that way.
“That’s hardly all she can do,” protested Nyla.
“Do you have something to hide?”
“I am honest and above reproach.”
She was laying it on a bit thick, but I merely inclined my head, imbuing my voice with suggestive power. “I will take her under my protection and ensure that she is no threat to us.”
There was less blustering this time, and I could tell that my magic was working on them.
Ubhan stood and gazed around the assembly, garnering a nod from each one present before he looked at me. “We will release her on the condition that she learns to master her magic and proves she is no threat. But hear me well, Devil. If she cannot do it to my satisfaction, she goes back to the dungeons.”
I disliked the emphasis on my—he had an agenda here, no question—but I merely nodded and stored the information away for later. I’d spent so much of my early life on bloody rampages. I infinitely preferred manipulation and diplomacy.
“You’ve made a wise decision.” I turned and strode out, not bothering with farewells.
I heard a few annoyed huffs behind me, but my thoughts were already on Carrow. She’d spent at least ten minutes in the dank cells. I didn’t want her to spend a second longer down there.
Penelope, the shifter guard, followed me as I moved quickly toward the stairs and into the dungeons. This place was archaic, but it did have its uses.
Imprisoning Carrow should not be one of them.
I caught sight of her standing at the bars of her cell, her golden hair gleaming in the dim light. I blinked, unable to believe how beautiful she looked—how bright and luminous. She’d brought my senses back to life, according to the Oracle, and I wanted to know more. I’d long ago heard the prophecy that someone would thaw me, and it seemed that was true.