Page 29 of Lower World
“How sure are you that this talisman will do its job and I’ll get inside undetected?” My fingers dipped in the pocket of my pants and curled around the wooden disc etched with runes on both sides.
“It will do its job,” was all he gave me.
“You ever going to share how you make deals with witches when the Syndicate is the only place I’ve seen them? I know the Council has them on a tight leash, so there’s no way you can get to them. Unless—”
“Let it be, Brooklyn.” He scanned the city around us as I watched his profile. “I’ll tell you one day, maybe. For now, just trust it’ll help you.”
“Unless someone in the Council is helping you.” I finished my thought, but he said nothing, his mouth set in a tight line.
“They are on the move.”
I leaned forward to see the person in the shadows had disappeared, leaving the two guardians alone at the mouth of the alley. After Alice got information I didn’t want from Johnathan, I had to fess up to Dominic that I planned to get inside the mansion and snoop around. He didn’t stop me, but he tagged along no matter how much I argued about it. At least Alice stayed behind where she would be somewhat safe. That was why Dominic was with me, and he would stay outside. If a large group of Atua were headed in any direction, he would follow them. That way he would get Alice out if that was their destination.
We didn’t have to worry about Johnathan. He wasn’t dead, per se, but he wasn’t alive, either. Whatever magic Alice conjured in her hand melted the skin and bone on his face to the point of no recognition, but the rest of his body was intact. There was no heartbeat either, yet I felt his power, though it was faint enough to have to hunt for it. So, we left him in the basement after Dominic pounded a metal hook in the ceiling—with his fist of all things—and he draped Johnathan on it to dangle like a carcass from the metal chain. We waited for anyone to exit the mansion so I could sneak in when they returned. The wards around it would drop to allow the Atua entrance, and no one would be the wiser that I got inside, too. It was a solid plan.
In theory.
Just as I turned to move away and leave him behind, Dominic took a fistful of my shirt and yanked me to him. His mouth crushed mine, unyielding and demanding. I gasped, and he took advantage, his tongue invading my mouth. It twirled around mine aggressively as he wrapped the fingers of one hand in my hair. My own arms snaked around his neck, and I clung to him while he devoured me. Nose full of his scent, I was swimming in a sea of need the likes of which I’d never felt before. We shared breath until he slowed, releasing my tingling lips and pressing his forehead to mine.
“At the first sign of trouble, you get out.” Voice raw and raspy, he was breathing hard as he yanked on my hair to drive his point home. “Say it, Brooklyn.”
“I’ll get out at the first sign of trouble,” I repeated after clearing my throat, although I still sounded breathless. Those swollen lips were taunting me, too close and yet too far away. “I have to go.”
“I don’t want you to go.” I stilled because I knew how much it cost him to voice his feelings.
I will be back before you know I’m gone. I promise.” Neither the shifter nor I believed that, but we were both good at pretending.
Forehead still pressed on mine, those green eyes stabbed me to my soul. Dominic allowed me to see all the fear, apprehension, and dread that was going through his head, and it was crippling to witness. This powerful male that stood up fearlessly to the Syndicate was worried about me. Not long ago, he’d threatened my life, and every second word coming out of his mouth had been a jab aimed at what I was. Did he finally see beyond that intowhoI was instead of what? And what did that mean? That just like Alice, he saw some quality that could redeem what Atua had done to the rest of the world? There was too much I wanted to say, so much I wanted to ask, but I only brushed my lips softly across his and moved away from him before he could stop me. Because he did want to prevent me from leaving that roof, and I could see it written all over his handsome face.
With one hand on the edge of the roof, I vaulted over it, sailing through the air and dropping in the shadow-filled alley in a crouch. A dumpster sat halfway open, and the odor wafting off it was strong enough to peel paint off the walls. Despite all that, when I straightened, my fingers raised to my lips, which were still stinging from Dominic’s kiss, and I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe there was a light at the end of this tunnel of unending darkness for me. As I sauntered out of the alley like I owned the city, I could’ve sworn that I saw that light blink. It was just a small wink, but it was there. All I had to do was walk through the infernal regions without being burned and reach it.
Right after I was done dealing with the Syndicate, that was.
18
Icaught up to the guardians just as they waited for the tall iron gates to swing open and allow them access. Sharp pointed peaks jutted from the gates, glinting in the moonlight like the open jaws of a monstrous beast waiting for its next meal. Both large males stepped aside for a limousine to drive through, and I ducked between two bushes, hunkering down so I wouldn’t be noticed. The long black vehicle slowed, and the back window cracked open an inch, but I couldn’t see crap from the leaves stabbing me in the face. If I made too much noise, I had no doubt they’d come to investigate, so I waited, although it killed me because I wanted to know who was inside it.
“It is arranged,” one of the guardians grumbled, his voice so harsh and deep you’d think he’d been chewing razor blades daily instead of gum.
The limo drove off, the red lights fading until they disappeared in the distance. The two goons stomped up the long driveway, and the gates glided in, resembling the wings of a black swan curling in on themselves. I waited until the last moment, and when the opening was just wide enough for me to slip through, I did.
Manicured lawns with topiaries stretched in front of me, clustered close enough to provide cover, and I darted deeper on the property. As long as no one actually laid eyes on me, they would never know I was prancing around among them. From experience, I knew my power and energy registered as Atua. Any Atua. So, unless I gave them reason to investigate, I should be okay.
The night was approaching an end, and grey streaks were already lightening the sky. It was the best time to prowl inside the Syndicate’s grounds since all of them would be taking a rest soon. Some guardians would stand watch beside the witches and humans, and I was counting on that. Those, I could deal with. With that in mind, I took a wide turn around the mansion and squatted near one of the walls, watchful for any patrol.
This plan would only work well and wouldn’t backfire on me if they acted in character. The Council was arrogant. They prided themselves on the power they held, so never in a million years would they expect me to pop in for a visit. As far as they were concerned, I would be running for my life, praying to never see any of them again. I would not be coming to share breakfast while they were hunting me like an animal. When I couldn’t wait anymore, I stood up, cracked my bones, which were stiff from being tucked in a corner like a mouse, and looked up the three-story wall that loomed above me.
Unsheathing my claws, I sunk them in between bricks and started the slow climb up. I had to pause here and there when a corner broke off and rolled down, or when a sound made my ears perk up. No patrol came around, and no window was cracked open. When I reached the roof, I sprawled on the tiles, releasing my breath. The easy part was done. I flipped around and very carefully crawled around until I found the small door nestled between the rooftiles. When it wouldn’t budge, I raised my fist and crashed through it before darting to the side where I waited to see if someone would come to see what the commotion was.
No one came.
Before long, my legs dangled down, and holding my weight up with just the tips of my fingers, I soundlessly dropped in the middle of a hallway on the top floor. The only floor where no guards would be lining the walls and where no one dared come uninvited. The Council’s bed chambers. The rest of the large mansion would be brimming with activity. I knew this because my own room—the one I used to have—was one floor below. The squeal of a hinge from a door opening had me diving to the side and plastering myself to the wall in the best impersonation of wallpaper that I could muster. A knock brushed against wood somewhere ahead of where I was playing a spider on the wall.
“If you have come to apologize, I do not wish to hear it.” Isaiah’s voice drifted to my ears before a door slammed closed. The rapid tapping of knuckles followed it. “Go away.” That time, I felt the vibration through the wall I was hugging when the door slammed with a loud clap.
Curiosity had me inching sideways, gliding closer to see who decided to disturb Isaiah when the ancient fool wanted sleep. When Frederic’s platinum head came into view, the blood in my veins curdled. Bare chested, the Council member had a silk robe hanging from his shoulders and billowing behind him as he stormed away from Isaiah’s door. Silk sleeping pants were sitting low on his hips, and he padded over the thick, red carpet barefoot. A storm was brewing in his gaze, and his face was pinched in anger. The only thing that hid me from him was a tall half column with the large, golden bust of a naked woman perched on it. Frozen in place, only my eyes darted around in search of an escape route in case he noticed me.
That was when the third door came into view.
