Cindy nodded and walked back to the deserted living room, me hot on her heels.
I watched her circle her arms and speak her ancient language, and again as soon as it was open, I darted through.
The room I entered was an amphitheater, and it was jammed full of creatures of all shapes and sizes. I stopped, shocked by the display of force, and Anthony slammed into my back, propelling me forward.
For an amphitheater, it was small. For a conference room, as Anthony had called it, it was massive. “How many people are here?” I muttered under my breath.
Elias heard me and looked around. “I've never seen it this full. There's gotta be three hundred people here. There's not even room for everyone to sit.
All of the witches streamed in behind us and moved to the sides of the room to stand against the walls and wait for further instruction.
The council, that I'd met at Michael's service, sat at a stone table in front of the stone stadium seats. The whole setup was ridiculous in the modern age, but it reeked of power.
Alexander, the Fae leader of the Junta, rose from his seat in the center of the table and motioned for us to come closer. “Riley, I'm very sorry that we're meeting again under such circumstances.”
I smiled, not willing to exchange pleasantries. “Yes, well, thank you. What's the plan at this point?”
“Now that you're here I've sent someone to fetch Ross. He'll be here momentarily, and we'll enlist his help with this mess.” He sat back down and scrutinized me, eyes raking over my bodysuit.
I took the opportunity to scrutinize him back. If I'd been asked to describe what a Fae man looked like before I'd learned that the Unseen existed, I would've probably described Alexander. He was lean, lithe even. Long, shiny black hair framed a pale face with delicate blue eyes.
He wore a suit though. I would've put him in some sort of robes. Looking down at his hands, I noted their softness. He wasn't a man that fought his battles with his fists.
“Have you seen enough?” Axoular growled beside me. I grinned at him, delighted by his show of jealousy.
Sometimes a little jealousy served to make a woman feel wanted.
Alexander inclined his head. “Axoular. I hadn't realized you'd entered a relationship with our Riley.”
“Do I need the council's permission to have a relationship?” I asked.
“Of course not. I was simply making an observation.”
“She's not your Riley, Alex,” Elias said, unable to stay out of it. “Stop being so pompous.”
The only indication that Alexander was irritated was a tiny flare of his nostrils. He laughed. “Oh, Elias, always to the point.” He opened his mouth to say more, but the massive wooden door to the amphitheater opened and a man walked in flanked by two guards.
I knew they were guards because they wore t-shirts that hugged their massive chests and biceps that said “Guard” in bright yellow print across their pecs.
“Ah, Ross!” exclaimed Alexander. “Thank you for joining us.”
Ross stopped near the door and swept his eyes across the room. “What the hell is going on here?”
His hair was red—bright, orange-red. The kind of red that causes fair skin to burn if the sun even peeks out. He had a neatly trimmed red beard to match it.
“Ross, join us.” Alexander indicated he should come closer to our group, which consisted of me, Anthony, Elias, Axoular, and Cindy.
He walked forward cautiously, looking out at all the creatures in the stands.
I took a moment to study them while he did. It looked like there were representatives and warriors from every species on Earth. Except for humans, of course. They couldn't be there, even though many of them looked human. I tried not to stare at the beings that were so obviouslyother.I spotted leprechauns, sprites, someone that looked suspiciously like a bigfoot, and more creatures I had no names for with fur or horns or scales.
A large group of who I assumed were Supay took up several rows in the front. They were the most heavily represented species. “How'd all these people get here?” I asked.
“I've had my coven opening portals since I got the first phone call,” Cindy whispered. “And every species is required to station twenty warriors here at the keep for policing the Unseen.”
My jaw dropped. “I didn't know that. Will the Sárkány have to do the same?”
“Once they're settled on the council, I'm sure they will.”
