I smiled gratefully at her and inclined my head. I’d been to a party at the Witches’ Guild. It was like a crazy sorority house full of magic. It would be fun, no doubt, but I still bristled at the idea. I didn’t want to be forced into joining some group. I had a nice life already in the making with my new flat and Mac and Eve and Quinn.
“No,” Ubhan said. “Her magic is different, strange. She needs to be tested.”
Several others in the room nodded in agreement, and a chill went over me.
“A test?” I hated that my voice sounded squeaky.
Was this, like, a magic test? There was no way I could pass a test.
“It is simple.” The sorcerer gestured to the middle of the room. “Approach the star on the ground and stand upon it.”
My gaze followed his gesture, and I spotted a metal seven-pointed star laid into the middle of the stone floor. It was at least four meters across and gleamed a dull bronze.
“What will happen when I do?” I could hear the skepticism in my voice.
“Magic will link you to whichever guild you are meant to join.” Ubhan flicked his hand, clearly wanting me to just get on with it.
I strode toward the metal star, ready to run if things got weird. Where I would run was another thing entirely, since I couldn’t hide from them in Guild City, and I was unwilling to leave. But I’d be ready to move if I had to.
I stopped in the middle of the star, feeling the eyes of the entire Council on me. A low chant began, coming from somewhere else in the church, raising the hair on the back of my neck.
The words were indistinguishable, but magic pulsed in the air. It pressed in on me, heavy as a curse. A noise from above caused a hush of expectation to fill the room. I looked upward as a star-shaped mark at the top of the domed ceiling twisted and opened, sending a shaft of light down upon me.
It slammed into me, throwing me to the ground. Pain and panic flared just before I blacked out.
3
Carrow
Agony seared my skull, and I blinked blearily, trying to clear my vision.
Why was I lying on the floor?
The cold stone was hard beneath me as I tried to sit up gracefully.
Failure.
I wobbled upright and took in the room around me.
A dozen figures stared down at me from their perches on the benches that surrounded the circular room with the soaring ceiling.
Black Church.
Of course.
I staggered upright, pain still throbbing in my head. The stone beneath me was the bronze star—that’s why it had been so cold. The light that had knocked me out had faded, and the star-shaped hole in the ceiling above me had closed.
There was the distinct feeling of shock in the air, and the faces of those around me were slack.
“What happened?” I demanded. “How long was I out?”
Which guild had chosen me? And holy crap, was that their idea of a test? It had been brutal and stupid. What good was knocking me out?
The sorcerer flicked his hand at the two guards who had brought me here, Garreth and Penelope. They jerked to attention and strode toward me. Garreth reached for his pocket again, and I tensed. When he pulled out cuffs, I nearly hissed.
“You’re not putting those on me.” I stepped back.
“Ubhan insists.” His voice wasn’t even apologetic.
My heartbeat raced in my head. “What are you doing?”
“You are not suited for any guild.” The sorcerer’s voice boomed out over the empty room. “Your magic has been rejected by Guild City.”
Rejected?
“No. That can’t be possible.” I had no idea what was even possible here, but I wasn’t going to leave Guild City. This was my new home, the only place where I fit in.
“This is the way.” The sorcerer glowered. “You’ll be put in a holding cell until we decide what to do with you.”
“No, that’s—” I began, but my lips glued themselves together, as if by magic. I tried to force them open, to protest, but they wouldn’t budge.
Damn. It was magic.
Wildly, I glared around the room at whoever had done it. Shifty eyes moved so as not to meet mine.
Hang on….
Were they afraid of me?
No way. They were all insanely powerful supernaturals, the leaders of their guilds. There was no way they were afraid of me.
Not possible.
Garreth stepped toward me, and I tried to dodge. My feet slowed like I’d plunged them into syrup. I strained against the magic, my muscles burning as I tried to break away. Garreth grabbed me easily and snapped the cuffs on. Penelope came to my other side and gripped my arm.
They began to drag me from the room, and though I tried in vain to struggle, I was barely able to move. My shout was muffled behind a magical gag, building up in my throat as frustration and fear welled within me.
Cordelia hid in the corner, trembling as her eyes glinted with rage and cunning.
As we passed one of the benches on our way to the door, I caught a snippet of conversation from two supernaturals whose species I didn’t recognize. A man and a woman, both slight and mean-looking.
“Never seen anything like it,” the woman said.
The man nodded. “She’ll have to stay locked up, there’s no question.”
“Not even evicted?”
“With power like hers? Can’t be allowed to roam free.”
I caught the gaze of the man who’d spoken, seeing into beady black eyes that gleamed with a dark satisfaction.
He’d deliberately spoken loudly enough for me to hear, that bastard.
He was talking about leaving me locked up forever because my magic was weird, a kind they did not understand and feared.
Anxiety thrashed inside my chest like a living beast. I struggled against the guards’ strong grip as they dragged me toward the door.
But as we passed through, another figure appeared.
The Devil of Darkvale.
He looked impeccable—though angry—as he walked toward the main meeting room.
“Your fault!” I tried to shout through the gag. It came out muffled and ineffective, and I wanted to kick him.
I almost did, too. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I probably wouldn’t land a good one and would just look like an ass.
He’d sicced the Council on me when I hadn’t helped him with his damned intruder. What a bastard. I was going to get him for this. If I didn’t have the magic to do it, I would grow it.
Hell, I would burn down his whole damned world for this.
The guards dragged me through the church, heading toward the back and down a set of stone stairs. We descended deep into the earth, the walls around us glinting with dampness and furred with dark moss. A corridor revealed eight cells below the church. They appeared ancient, tiny rooms of stone with metal bars. The whole place had the feeling of an underground world, as if there were more to Guild City below the surface.
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.