Page 30 of Song of Tenebrae

“Yes,” I hand him the wad of cash that was promised to him, they all have a price. “I need it quickly.”

The pilot nods and runs to call a car; I need to get to the house before everyone arrives. Once they are all back, the doors will lock, and no one can enter or leave. Not until black mass on the night of Raiden’s birthday. When the clock strikes two a.m. and the lights dim real low, the ceremony will begin. The blood will run rivers through their legs as they bask in the glow of His light and appreciation.

Thankfully, I was trained to infiltrate places and people, so getting into the house won’t be an issue. My only fear is being seen before I’m supposed to be. I make plans and even though I sift through many different scenarios, I can’t account for everything that could possibly happen. All those people under one roof could be a problem, even if it is a large roof.

I watch as a blacked-out Rolls pulls up on the tarmac and I know it’s for me, nothing but the best. The car stops in front of me and the driver jumps out, running to my side to grab my small duffle bag. He picks it up and opens the trunk, setting it inside carefully. He comes back around and opens the back door for me, his head bowed as I get in.

“Magus.” He murmurs and I grin at the name.

It’s amazing to be called that after so long being known as nothing special. I am special in this community and everyone will know it soon enough, you can’t fuck with a Magus and get away with it. I sit on the warm leather seats and watch as the driver gets back in, his blue eyes landing on mine in the rear-view before quickly looking away.

He knows he is not to speak unless spoken to and look unless requested. It feels nice to finally be appreciated for what I am. He eases out of the tarmac, already knowing my destination, and I relax in for the ride. It’s a forty-five-minute ride to the house and I’m about fifteen minutes behind the others. I need to be careful because I don’t know if they all went back to the house or not and like I’ve said, I can’t be caught. The Elders will deem me a waste and dispose of me themselves.

Dominica is calm and serene, even when a storm is brewing. The sky begins to darken and I can see lightning cracking along the dark clouds' surface. It’s still far out over the ocean but it’ll be inland soon enough. The storms rage fiercely here and I chuckle, I can’t wait to hear the females scream with it. It’s almost like a welcoming gift from the islands to the people who will never leave.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I snarl when I see who it is. I can’t answer right now and besides, I have nothing to say. I press ignore and slide the phone back in my pocket, effectively erasing the irritation from my mind. Out of sight; out of mind. The streets are empty as people gear up to wait out the storm and I love the quiet serenity of it. You don’t get this in the city and it’s like a balm for the troubled soul.

“Will we beat the storm?” The driver’s head snaps up at the sound of my voice.

“I believe we may beat it but it could creep up faster, the storms on the island are unpredictable.”

I grunt my reply and rest my head back on the seat, my body is so heavy with exhaustion. Rest hasn’t come easy for me, my mind plays flip flop, and it’s so hard to keep up. I don’t know where I am sometimes and then clarity hits, leaving me in more confusion. It’s okay, I know I just need to let my body recover and my mind to heal. It’ll be fine soon enough and I can be back to normal.

The house is large and I can find a room far off from the rest of them to relax. They’ll never know I’m there and since every meal is buffet style, I can just float right under their noses. I’m excited for this next week as I’ve always been for the past twenty plus years, but this week is different, and I’ll finally be the one calling the shots.

Raiden

I hear the low rumble of thunder in the distance and curse when I look out the window. The sky is darkening and I can see the lightning skating between the clouds out over the ocean. This one looks like it’ll be a bad one and I regret letting the guys go off on their own. I call each of them and none of them pick up their phones, irritation evident in the way I’m sent directly to voicemail. I know it’s been frustrating to be locked up for the past year. Even when we travelled, we had to stay inside most of the time and being around the same people day in and day out can get out of control.

We weren’t always like that, we used to be able to spend days on end in each other’s company, and still be happy, but things have changed, especially in the last year. I know it’s because of Tempest and my pull to her, the guys feel like I’m slipping. How can I explain to them that I’ve found the piece that’s been missing? I can’t. They will just have to experience it for themselves, which I think Hail already does and Squall is beginning to. Torrent is the only one that’s still wild, his heart locked up tight, and his soul unwilling to search.

I don’t blame him for the way he feels, it’s been this way forever and I believe he will find someone soon enough. Once Hail accepts what he’s feeling for Sky, I believe his migraines will stop, and he can feel what it’s like to have your soul at peace. Yes, my soul is at peace with Tempest here. She’s filled with anger and hatred, but our souls know each other well. They don’t absorb the feelings of the body and that’s why she and I crave the presence of the other. It pisses her off but it amuses the fuck out of me.

“Looks like a bad storm,” Sky says behind me.

“Mmm.”

“Where are they?” Her voice sounds hard and I can’t fight the grin that comes over my face. She only cares about where Hail is but doesn’t want to admit it.

“He’s on his way here.” I answer her as she huffs.

“Is this going to be the same as last year?”

“Is what?” I turn to look down into her dark brown eyes.

“Thisvacation,” she spits over the words. “Will it be the same as it was last year?”

“Yes.” I shrug, “with a few small modifications.”

“Are people dying this year?”

I shrug again and turn away from her prodding questions, I’ve already told her all I need to. I don’t owe Sky any explanations. She mutters something under her breath and stalks away, her heels clicking on the stone floor. I watch out the window as the first car pulls up and Squall steps out, his face turning towards the sky. The driver grabs his duffle bag and hands it over, giving him a small bow. We all came with the same bag since we have everything we’re going to need already here. This is our home before anywhere else.

He looks up to the house with a small grin on his face and his fingers comb through the white-blonde hair on his head. I can almost see his light blue eyes twinkling with excitement. Squall’s size and coloring makes him look like a modern-day Viking; Thor and him could pass as brothers. He comes up the stairs and I turn my head to watch him come into the front foyer.

“Honey, I’m home.” He calls out as his voice echoes around the cavernous place.

“Everything okay?” I ask him as I step out of the sitting room and into the foyer.

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