It couldn’t be. No way was Graves stupid enough to trust a guy who’d made it a habit to try to destroy our world on a regular basis. When he pulled off the hood, revealing the scar that bisected the right side of his face and removing any doubt who it was, I focused on calling an element, any element, to protect myself.
No. Fucking. Way.
“I believe you know Alec.”
“Oh my God.” Vanessa pushed away from the table. “Daddy? What are you doing?”
I jerked my gaze to the guys, who’d all jumped out of the booth and were on their way over to join me in destroying this dark elemental once and for all. I returned my attention to the grand poohbah of dark elementals, the biggest bane of my existence, Alec von Leer.
It took every fiber of my control not to set him on fire with my purple blaze. As powerful as he was, he couldn’t beat my hellfire. But we were in public. A battle here would expose our world.
Which was the point in bringing me here to meet with him. A public setting ensured I’d behave.
Wrong.
“Hello, quint,” Alec stated in that gravelly voice that sounded like he’d been gargling glass.
“I’ve always been impressed with your gift for nicknames, jackwagon.”
“Before you attack,” Graves added when I brought up my hands, charging the fire stemming from my core. “Please hear me out. Alec is the greatest influence over the dark elementals. If he agrees to a truce between the sides, so will the majority of his followers.”
“I have a better idea. How about I kill him instead?”
“And then what? Continue to drive the wedge between our sides? Please, Ms. Reed. Stand down and allow me to explain. If, after I’m done, you still wish to divide this world by taking up arms against someone who’s come to the table seeking peace, that is your choice. However, if you choose to demonstrate how to be a true leader and agree to the truce, your act will bring us that much closer to harmony in our world.”
God, I hated how much sense that made.
“I’ll hit him with fire,” Rob announced.
“I’ll put up an airfield to contain it,” Clay added.
“Let me freeze the water molecules in his blood.” Leo went dark with that one.
Bryan didn’t say anything as he launched forward and threw a punch, knocking Alec to the ground. Several patrons jumped out of their seats and moved in. Great. As if we didn’t have enough to deal with knowing the head of the Council had a new BFF, now we had the rest of the dive bar to fend off.
Alec pushed to his feet and brought up his gloved hand, pausing the crowd’s movement. With the other, he wiped at the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“That was for Trevor, you son of a bitch.” Bryan brought up his hands, calling air in front of everyone without a second thought of how his action had just exposed our world. He made fists, and Alec reached for his throat, coughing as he struggled to breathe.
“Bryan?” I wanted Alec to lose the ability to breathe as much as the rest of us, but would never use a forbidden call in the middle of a bar with Nelems all around. “What are you doing?”
“Ending this.”
“No.” I grabbed his arm and pulled his attention. “Not like this. Never like this. There are Nelems watching.”
“Fine, then I’ll do it their way.” He killed his call and doubled up his fists again, bringing them at the ready for another swing. Clay joined him, mirroring the stance, as did Rob and Leo. All four guys stood shoulder to shoulder, a human shield of muscle and rage between Alec and me.
What in the ever loving hell had gotten into my straitlaced earth elemental?
“Gentlemen.” Graves rose from his chair and stepped in front of Alec, facing us. “This is the start of a new world, a stronger world, one where we as elementals will work together to rebuild our world. United we stand.”
He then rested those icy blue eyes on me. “Divided we fall.”
4
The five of us sat in the living room of Rob and Leo’s cabin, no one talking, no one moving. We all stared off into space, numb from the bomb Graves had dropped at DB. There had to be better ways to unite our world without partnering with the dark side.
I waited for Leo to state something obvious the rest of us missed. Or for Clay to come up with the logical explanation using that big brain of his. Neither said anything.
And why ban witchcraft? Was it so that if the spells ever wore off, the magically enhanced would no longer have heightened powers? Was that how it worked? I stole a glance at Leo. I’d accidently enhanced him, giving him the power to call fire when I’d attacked a Council member with my hellfire. Would his ability eventually go away as we predicted? Or was it permanent? The dark magic used on MEs only boosted their existing powers. The spells didn’t give them a new element, not without dire consequences, as the guys found out when they’d lost a kid during an extraction.
Making magic illegal wouldn’t stop people from using it. It might stop good witches and wizards from using it, but not those practicing dark magic. They hadn’t given one rat’s ass before the Council banned it. They weren’t going to give a rip about it now.
Which meant this ban would only affect those of us practicing good magic, casting spells to protect us from those practicing dark magic. I couldn’t help but wonder if the Council had meant for that to happen. Add in dropping the barrier, the fact a dark elemental leecher now taught at the school, and the grand poohbah of dark elementals suddenly sitting at the cool kids’ table with Virgil Graves, and it was safe
