Page 37 of Beneath the Watching

Something tugged at my sleeve. “Can I go see her?” Mabel asked.

“No.” Both Ilya and I said at the same time. I leveled a warning gaze at him, irritated by his overfamiliarity.

“We aren’t going near them. You’ll see why, later,” I said, peering down at her.

Ilya placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to go remind her who she belongs to, I’ll catch up with you later.”

“He seems like a good friend,” Mabel remarked.

My eyes skimmed the room while I answered her, “He is.” People kept arriving and I pulled us farther back from the doors, while still allowing plenty of space for a quick exit.

Ilya’s competition for Kiara was across the room, easily spotted by his superior height and commanding presence. He was with a vampire named Alastair and a few others. Mabel followed my gaze and shivered.

“That’s who Kiara’s with?” She turned to me. “He’s scary. Kinda hot, but scary.” I bristled at her words.

“Hot?” I snarled at her. I was completely unjustified in my reaction, I knew she wanted me at least physically, and I wouldn’t let her go, but she wouldn’t be the first or the last to be enthralled by the man. She had the grace to look guilty and shrugged.

“He’s next in line for the Satanic throne.” Mabel’s brows furrowed as she listened. “He’d as soon kill you as he’d fuck or eat you.”

She paled. “Can we help Kiara?”

“That’s what Ilya’s trying to do.”

After a while the crowds quieted down and Ilya had come back for a moment, refusing to speak of whatever had transpired while he’d been off attempting to secure his woman. I sent him to grab Mabel a bite to eat to give him something to do. Now, she stood next to me munching on strawberries, tempting me to lick the juice from her plump pink lips as the event began.

I listened while Kiara was questioned up on the stage by Lucian and Victor, Mabel’s attention transfixed on the conversation. A crawling sensation coursed up my spine, ghostly fingers tapping along my bones. My throat constricted slightly in response to the assault.

I knew I was expected to turn around but first I glanced at Mabel, just in time to see her head dip slightly. She didn’t look back though I knew she had been affected even if she had no idea what was taking place.

Carefully, so as not to alert her, I moved to confront what I knew was behind me.

“Stefan,” a smooth voice washed over me.

My guard was instantly up, and I pulled my energy in, attempting to cloak my physical response. A deep chuckle resounded in the atmosphere. “Cavorting with half-breeds, I see,” Josiah murmured, the soft cadence of his voice belying the strength that lay below the surface. “You may speak freely.”

He meant Mabel wouldn’t hear a word, having taken the precaution of spelling our voices for the occasion.

“In that case, I don’t believe you were invited,” I replied.

Josiah was a so-called half breed himself, a diabolical cross between vampires and demons. The two races harbored a deep-seated although likely unwarranted animosity between each other. I never knew what had caused the divide and I couldn’t be bothered to investigate.

The man tsked me. “I believe you were summoned to the High Court.”

So that’s why he’s here, I realized. Checking up on me. A not-so-subtle reminder and a show of force. I looked the man up and down, noting his sleek black hair and impeccable dress. He put my friend Ilya to shame, with the unearthly quality of his tailored suit and elegant dress boots. With his perfect facial structure and warm brown eyes, I was thankful Mabel couldn’t see him. My own insecurity suddenly grated at me, and I took a deep breath.

“I will be there shortly,” I informed Josiah. The man straightened his back and placed his hands in his pockets.

My eyes traveled to his companion, a man I recognized as Micha who was also a half breed. The two men, and any of their kind, were very rarely seen in the Fourth Realm. Instantly, I worried for Ilya and wondered what had compelled them to make this interestingly timed clandestine visit. We were powerful, but no match for these beings and it couldn’t solely be to remind me of my appointment.

Josiah pulled his hands out and crossed his arms, quietly observing as Ramone was stripped of some magic and banished from the Realm. Mabel gasped, her hand flying to her mouth when Kiara collapsed on the stage and Ilya went to grab her.

Voices all around us rose even higher as the palace’s royal armed forces, known as the Black Guard, began to trickle in. As a member of Lucian’s council, I should’ve been up there assisting but under no circumstances would I allow my woman to be unchaperoned.

Further chaos ensued as the Guard seized Ramone and he began, understandably, fighting back. I pulled Mabel against me and glanced at Josiah and his companion.

“Change,” Mabel muttered. “Change is coming.” She turned to me, a question in her eyes and I knew she’d picked up a voice from the ether. Caught off-guard, I groaned aloud.

“She’s an oracle,” Josiah stated, pinning me with his gaze. “Changeiscoming.”

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