Page 6 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

I close my eyes in dread. He’s seconds away from killing me.

“Cassius,” he barks. “Take care of the trash. We don’t allow vampires who feed on innocents in my club, and I would really hate to spread blood everywhere before dinner. I’ll escort him to…” He walks up to the vampire, who suddenly stumbles back. “Where he belongs.”

Cassius smirks from behind the vampire. “And you do know where you belong when you harm any of the immortals here—or humans, for that matter.”

“Look, man…” The guy spreads his hands wide. He’s shaking. “I don’t want any trouble. Had I known she was under the Council’s immortal protection, I wouldn’t have—”

“Should have never,” Timber—or his god name, Anubis—answers.

“Not even once,” Cassius agrees. “We have rules here in Seattle, in this club, and you know, just in general. Right, Prince Tarek?”

So that’s why. Makes sense. He’s one of them. I was right. He’s most likely on the Council, and if he’s a prince, then he’s second to only the King of the Werewolves, which means he’s old.

Tarek just grins. “Guys, you know I had this.”

“Why does everyone have fun without me?” A voice sounds as someone kicks the door open, revealing basically the most gorgeous man alive—a male siren. Oh, perfect. I now have most of the Immortal Council in front of me. He’s been known to seduce anything that breathes. Bet he tastes good, too. He’s married, though, and has the blood of a god in him—Ra, to be specific. Apparently, none of the Egyptian gods actually died, they just started an immortal race.

There are too many powerful people here to count. Sirens. Werewolves. Angels. Gods—

And they just keep coming.

Literally.

“What does it take to get a good drink around here?” The door opens again, revealing…wow. Yeah, basically the King of the Vampires. Long, jet-black hair, green eyes, leather jacket with a bloody shirt beneath it, and married with twins and another on the way.

All of it checks out.

I am in actual Immortal Hell.

Cassius. Mason. Tarek. Timber. Ethan. And our resident siren, Alex. Not to mention Stephanie and a few others. The Immortal Council, the ones in charge of making sure humans across the world are protected. The ones who work for theCreator. The ones who’ve protected our entire species from the Fallen.

The only stories I know are the ones I’ve picked up from people who took pity on me after my parents’ deaths.

But they’re legends.

I feel like I’m about to pass out.

Ethan sighs. “And one of my own. Unbelievable. You know, you just want one night out without responsibility.”

Alex grins. “Yes, because being a parent is so hard.”

“Damn.” Mason chuckles under his breath. “Timber’s bar may never be the same after that comment.”

Ethan lunges. Alex grins, and Cassius just rolls his eyes as if he’s been dealing with toddlers—aka the Immortal Council—for longer than he can remember. He slowly whispers, “Stop.”

The entire room freezes, except for our little get-together. Everyone is literally frozen in time, save for the tiny pieces of dust in the air that slowly fall all around us.

“Alex, I swear. If you don’t stop pestering him, I will make you ash.”

Alex grins. “I live for it.”

“And yet you might die from it,” Cassius growls and spreads his arms wide, feathers shooting from his back to form giant, purple and blue wings. I stumble backward. He plucks a feather and very slowly brings it to the vampire’s neck. “We don’t harm others unless they truly deserve Hell. Do you understand?”

His pulse races; I can sense it with how my mouth waters. Tarek slowly pulls me to his side and keeps me there as if he knows I’m tempted to get my revenge and drink all the vampire’s energy but am too terrified to get close to Cassius to do so.

“I think we should let her,” Tarek says. “Let her take what he stole.”

Cassius nods his head. “And the rest of you?”

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