I hesitated. “No. We push the issue, they’ll retaliate. We must uphold the laws.”
I looked at Tor. “I’ll consent to this.”
Zurina and Urtzi also agreed. Edan swore a few times, but he knew he was outnumbered. He gave a curt nod and Mariana soon followed. Only Genevieve had to give her answer and she looked like she was going to pass out. Her face was almost translucent and her eyes were no longer blue, but a scintillating gold.
“Genevieve, we must have your consent,” Tor said, being careful not to set her off again by keeping his voice gentle and calming.
“Come on, Gen, I have shit to do,” Edan said.
“What?” Mariana asked. “A woman tied to your bed begging for mercy?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact.” Edan glanced at me and cocked a half-grin. If Wraiths had sexual encounters it was never in the realm for obvious reasons, so what was he talking about in his bed? “A remarkable woman who begs for my touch and is willing to try anything once.” He turned from me and his eyes travel across the length of Mariana. “Care to join us?”
“I don’t sleep with men who have to tie up a woman in order for their submission.”
Tor raised his voice above the banter. “Genevieve.”
“Yes,” she conceded. And then to my surprise, her body language changed. She straightened in her seat, her eyes widening with a delightful sparkle. A hint of a smile formed on her angelic lips. I’d give anything to be able to read what wheels were turning in her mind because something drastic had changed.
“Then it’s decided,” Tor said then turned to me. “Now, what of CWOs? Any progress?”
Wraiths were unable to touch the Center World Others. The numerous species came from the middle of the Earth, where they had lived for thousands of years. They had developed immunity to the Wraiths’ powers. Our guess was that the minerals and heat from the center of the Earth protected them.
“Long Necks are banding with the vampires. It’s under control for now, but the Grits are still a problem.”
“Women are disappearing at a more alarming rate across the city,” Zurina said.
Grits were difficult for the Scars to detect and when the Scars did find them, Grits were even more challenging to kill. They were arrogant, determined males who used their good looks to lure women to their beds. They survived by sucking the air from the lungs of a human, which extended their life.
“We’ll assist human women with their senses,” Urtzi offered. In other words, the Wraiths would heighten the humans’ awareness of danger. Although I didn’t think it would have much effect. The Grits were resilient, brutal, and were spreading across Europe and North America.
Tor nodded to Genevieve and the water in the fountain began to change to gold, indicating the meeting was over.
I quickly interjected. “What of Tarek? He rises from Rest soon.”
“Yes,” Tor said.
The water became blue again.
“He’s dangerous and we need to re-evaluate his sentence.” Every time I said his name, my Ink became unsettled. I put my hand on my neck where my snake tattoo was to hide the glowing red eyes from the others.
“He’ll have served his time,” Tor replied.
“Delara will be at risk,” I kept my voice calm, but a mild tremor escaped as the roaring inferno raged inside me. I was uncertain if it was my Ink this time or the simple fact that I wanted to rip Tarek apart.
“Perhaps. We don’t know what he’ll be like after suffering Rest. Regardless, we do nothing, unless he breaks the law again,” Tor said.
My gaze shot to Edan as I felt the Wraith’s heat from across the table. What the hell was Edan’s problem? His eyes were narrowed and his skin pulsed bright red.
“He almost killed her,” I replied.
Tor nodded. “Yes. But we, including you, Waleron, passed judgment for what he did. When his punishment is complete, he’s free. If he breaks the law again, then we’ll interfere.”
“He’ll seek revenge on Delara for speaking against him.” Jesus, I hated these meetings. The Wraiths didn’t know how to bend on anything.
“Perhaps, perhaps not,” Tor replied.
“She’s my responsibility. I won’t wait until he kills her for a ruling.”
Tor’s fist pounded down on the table so hard the floor quaked. “You dare go against us? You may be powerful, but break the laws and you will be judged. You are not immune, Waleron.”
I tensed. My patience was gone; I clicked the lid open on my now damaged dispenser and slipped one of the white pills into my mouth. Screw this. I’d deal with Tarek myself. Tarek was a violent Scar and no amount of Rest was going to change that.
“You could ask Delara to be yours,” Genevieve suggested.
Yeah, right. I was just as dangerous as Tarek.
Urtzi looked amused, his blue eyes dancing. “Like that would ever happen.”
“He deserves death for what he did to her,” Genevieve stated. I remembered that she had fought hard for the Deaconry to sentence Tarek to death.
“Enough!” Edan shouted. “This meeting is over.”
Tor agreed and nodded to Genevieve.
I went to object when the water from the fountain changed back to golden. To speak after the water had changed was unheard of.
Tor stood then closed his eyes and vanished into a cloud of red dust. Urtzi followed behind in a gust of wind, and Edan a red fireball of light. With a simple tug on one of her dreadlocks, Mariana left too.