Most missions, we walked away victorious. We saved those in trouble or busted a cult. Usually, we took the criminals in. But sometimes, we were forced to walk away from a dark lake in the middle of the night with nothing but dead-end leads.
The knowledge that the next washed-up corpse might be the clue we needed or just another name on a board made my heart ache.
We had left Shadowmere Abyss behind for now, but we weren’t finished with the mission.
It felt like the beginning of a nightmare, a presence we couldn’t yet identify, but whose impact would linger for years to come.
rune
. . .
The whispersof war had grown so loud between the human factions that the Supernatural Council could no longer ignore the escalating tension.
Which meant that Drecken somehow got stuck doing a press conference during the time we’d carved out to work on new potions, so I came with him.
“I loathe being the one assigned to this,” he muttered as we walked down the long corridor toward the press hall. Magic flared off him in little static snaps of color. “I should be brewing a new weapon to use against the humans, not explaining politics to the News Sector, who will no doubt twist whatever I say.”
“You’re the Council’s overpowered warlock,” Jesper pointed out, hands in his pockets. “You scare the public and are intelligent. You’re perfect for this.”
“And you,” Drecken shot back, “are the agent who knows how to speak to the public, so you’re doing this with me. Preferably, you’ll take over most of the speaking.”
“Very well.” Jesper’s mouth curved. “At least I’m included on time with Rune today.”
We’d been on back-to-back missions since the year started, so Mom gave us one day off. Unfortunately, my other mates had things to do for the academy…specifically House Head duties since they’d all been given the position. It took a lot more than I had realized.
I was glad Dimitri was nominated as House Head and not me, no offense to him.
They herded me into the press room first, but not through the front. They tucked me behind a privacy screen near the left wall, where I could see the stage but the cameras wouldn’t catch me.
I was grateful for that. The News Sector had several branches for each territory and also two others that covered everything that happened globally.
The press hall in the Supernatural Council’s headquarters was just as luxurious as the other rooms. High arched ceiling painted a brilliant white, marble floors, and tiered rows of seats for the reporters. There was a podium in the center of the stage in front of them.
Rows of journalists of all species filled the seats, their eyes sharp, pens already moving on their tablets. The air buzzed with whispers.
Crossing my legs, I leaned back and watched my mates stride onto the stage toward the podium.
Every camera in the room followed them.
It never surprised me that Jesper looked incredible in a suit. The tan suit he wore had been tailored to his broad shoulders. It was tapered to come in sharply at the waist and flared slightly at the bottom. The suit hugged all of his muscles in a way that made my venom pool in my mouth.
His shoulder-length white hair was pulled back in a loose tie that showed off the powerful line of his jaw. His brown eyes were calm and controlled, and his expression was neutral.
Drecken stood next to him, and while he was still just as attractive, he was the opposite of polished.
He wore his usual white lab coat over a dark shirt and jeans. He hadn’t bothered with a tie, and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows, showing his inked script of ‘intuition’ and ‘protect your energy’ over both wrists. His bright green hair fell in asymmetrical curls, longer on one side, messy in a way that looked accidental. His blue eyes glowed faintly with power, and every few seconds, a pulse of magic rolled off him, making the cameras glitch.
I couldn’t take my eyes off them.
A council aide murmured something to the front row, then nodded toward the stage.
“We’ll begin,” Jesper said, voice carrying easily.
The room quieted.
“As some of you have heard,” he continued, “there is unrest in the Human Territory. A civil conflict.”
“Declared war,” someone stated from the seats.
