Page 22 of Resurrection
“Shut the fuck up, asshole! At least I care that we keep the hope alive, and our allies that got us this far. We need everyone, especially now that she’s finally here.” Marcus squares off with him, both males glaring and trembling in rage. My own hand, the one holding my drink, trembles too, the ice cubes clinking on the glass.
Peals of laughter make all our heads snap towards April. She is leaning one shoulder on the wall, her eyes dancing on her beautiful face with mirth. When she gets our full attention, she slaps a hand over her mouth, but chuckles and giggles pass through her fingers. Shaking her head, she pushes off the wall and almost prances to the sofa she didn’t want to sit on a few minutes ago. Curling her legs under her, she pulls the t-shirt over them.
“I understood that part.” Pointing the finger at Andrei, she turns it towards Marcus. “Idiota.” As soon as she says it, another burst of laughter echoes in the space. We watch her, stunned. It’s a beautiful sound, transforming her face into something breathtaking. “And I’m sorry to tell you guys this, but this is actually wonderful news!”
“What are you talking about?” Maybe Andrei was right. Maybe she is mentally damaged.
“I’ve been hunted my entire life, not just by the Council, but everyone else, too. That does not exclude the humans that worship your kind like the gods the Council says you are.” Shrugging a shoulder, she tucks her hair behind her ear. “I’m laughing because I’m a baby compared to all of you, but I can tell you know that Hope is the cruelest bitch ever. If you have her to depend on, you are all screwed. And that makes my day. While the Council is occupied with you lot, I’m planning to be so far from here that not even a memory will be left behind.” She looks at me with hope lighting her beautiful eyes. “They can’t hold anything against you if I’m not here, right?” I watch her with my mouth hanging open.
“You really think that will actually work, and we will let you leave?” Andrei looks at her incredulously.
She sighs, shrugging unapologetically at all of us. “It was worth a try.”
“So, they know we have a runner, but not if she is the one we were looking for.” Ignoring April’s attempt at slipping through my fingers, I turn my attention to Marcus. The woman will be the death of me. I can tell. And I’m immortal.
“That is correct.” Tilting his head, he watches me intently. “I didn’t see it that way,” he tells me after he has given more thought to his words.
“Exactly.” Nodding in agreement, I turn to April. “You will stay here with Andrei. Don’t try to do something stupid. He will not hurt you, but that doesn’t mean he will not tie you up if there is a need.” Lifting myself up, I place my unfinished drink on the small table by the chair. “I will not be long.”
April says nothing, her stormy eyes telling me more than any words she has spoken. Striding towards the front door, I don’t turn around to look at her, resisting the urge with only the control I have been mastering for centuries. The woman is too cunning for my sanity. If I give her a finger, she will chew off my head.
Marcus is right on my heels, his anxiety pulsing through our bond. His punishment will come later for jumping ahead of himself. Now, I must stay calm. April will fight to her last breath, unaware that her last breath will soon come to pass. I can’t allow her womanly curves, the pull she has on me, or her mesmerizing eyes to persuade me to give in. This horror we are living needs to end, and she is the only answer. But that’s a worry for tomorrow. Right now, I have a Council to deal with.
Chapter Twenty-One
The door of Alpha Romeo opens, and I push myself out of it. Marcus stands at attention, holding it open while I straighten my jacket, buttoning up the top two buttons. The area around the Council Towers looks deserted and menacing. A mockery of the human faith, the once cathedral takes the entire span of my sight. Pale walls stretch in front of me, the bell tower on the right reaching for the night sky like an accusing finger at whatever creator has made this rock in the space we call Earth. The domed roof in the back of the building softens the look, but all that is destroyed by the frescoes, statues, and broken pieces of crosses littering everything around us. Not even architecture is safe from their anger.
Disgusted at what I’m looking at, I stride towards the arched entrance. My walk is leisurely, unhurried. Marcus stays a step behind, guarding my back. I can feel eyes on me, watching from all sides, making sure we are alone. There is no one at the entrance, leaving the wide doors open in invitation. The Council wouldn’t dare to place guards at their door, showing weakness to all that they can’t take care of themselves. That is the first thingI noticed when I came to this country. It suits me just fine, so I never said a word about it.
Taking the steps one at a time, I pause, reaching for my phone. Dialing Andrei, I turn around in a slow circle, my gaze penetrating the darkness, searching for those that track my every move. Andrei answers on the second ring.
“Sire.” His voice is but a breath in the speaker of his phone.
“Summons seem to test my patience and my peace.” Speaking loud enough that I can be heard inside the Tower, I keep turning around, shoving my hand in the pocket of my pants. The sound of fabric snapping when I flick off the side of my jacket echoes around me. “Remind me again why I am not vacationing somewhere else?”
“You wanted to show your respect to the Council, Sire.” This time, speaking louder, Andrei plays the word game well.
“Ah, yes!” Musing out loud, I finish the circle, spotting nine strategically placed Guardians. The Council is seeing me as a serious threat if they haven’t sent random errand boys to watch my every move. Good to know. “I get disrespected while showing respect. It serves me right for wasting my time, I suppose. I will be famished when I return…shortly.” Putting emphasis on the last word, I flick my fingers at Marcus to start walking. “Make sure there are enough humans there. All female, of course. I hunger for more than just blood this evening.” I’m confident he understands the meaning behind my words. We will be in deep shit if he doesn’t.
Flicking the phone off, I slide it in the inside breast pocket of my jacket. Its weight drops, pulling on the fabric at my shoulder, settling right above my heart. As with everything else, even my clothing is carefully planned. No room left for mistakes.
The inside of the Council Tower opens up in front of me like the gaping mouth of a great beast as soon as we enter. An oriental runner, in reds and gold, is rolled in the middle of it,softening our otherwise silent steps. Tall candelabras, holding what looks like ten large pillar candles, are placed every few feet, their flickering flames when we walk past another alerting the occupants of this place. So, the Councilisparanoid. They just don’t want everyone else to know about it. A smirk pulls on my lips, one I don’t hide. Let the bastards see that I’m onto their schemes.
We are almost halfway through the vast space when a murmur of voices reaches my ears. They have sectioned the open area, closing off the front part from the throne room. At the arched doorway, two sentinels stand guard, one on each side, their gazes locked on something behind me only they can see.
Marcus is more anxious than ever, forcing me to close off my connection to him. I know the moment he feels me cut him off. The air grows cold at my back, but I ignore him, not slowing or speeding up my progress. I don’t stop at the sentinels to wait to be announced either, forcing them to move along with me as I enter the throne room like a king expecting everyone to bow at my presence. It’s an empty space with only eight thrones. Lots of candles placed around are giving off enough light for the glazed eyes of the crumpled humans on the ground to see the faces of their masters.
A few gasps stop all the chatter.
“I have been summoned.” A slight tilt of my chin is all the respect I can fake at the moment, my disgust ringing clear in the last word. “Here I am.” Stretching my arms out on both sides, as if expecting applause, I look from one Council member to the next, ignoring the lurking onlookers hiding in the shadows like worms. All eight of them are here. Irina and Niklas, glaring at me, as I expected. Khan, Abraham, and Sharif sit between Elizabeth, Kali, and Eshe. Four male and four female gods, as they call themselves.
Killers is what I call them.
“Sebastian, you finally grace us with your presence.” Kali’s soft voice reminds more of a gentle breeze than the monsoon she really is. Her long, dark braid drops in her lap over her jeweled colored sari. The tiny gem between her thinly-shaped eyebrows blink at me in the candlelight.
“I will remind all of you. I was granted permission to enter your territory.” I don’t turn around to see the sentinels falling back to their posts when Irina flicks her red painted nails at them. “I don’t sneak around like a rat, hiding.” The jab hits the target before I’m done speaking.
“How dare you disrespect us!” Khan booms, his thin, goatee-braided beard quivering from the volume. The robes shift on his body, the handle of his katana sticking out of them. The crystal that makes up their thrones chimes with his voice. The echo amplifies from the vibration. Huh! That’s quite interesting, and something to look into later.
