vampires? Their magic would be concentrated wherever they existed. And what about the warlocks? They lived in a mountain, but it was in the human realm. They’d come because their magic had been growing weak in their own realm.
“So, you see,” Alston said softly, “we have to come here. We have to give our races a place to live and thrive.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t share it with the humans. The wolves don’t go around killing humans. They live alongside them.”
“In hiding,” Alston bit out through clenched teeth.
Dude really had a problem with being in hiding. Maybe he was a narcissist. Sally eyed him as he sat regally in his chair, as if it were a throne instead of a simple metal chair. Yep, definite narcissist.
“Okay, so back to why you need my magic in particular,” she said.
“It’s not only yours that we need.” He shifted until he was facing her. “We need them all.”
“All?” Her brow rose.
He nodded. “We need representation from every single supernatural race to add their magic to our own. The combination will be so powerful that we will be able to accomplish our goals.”
“And what is that goal?” Sally wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know.
“This rotating ball of water and land will become ours. The humans will be nothing more than chattel. They are weak. In the food chain, the weak serve their purpose and then die. We will give them the choice. They can fall in line and accept their place in the new world, or they can perish.”
Sally watched his face as he spoke and saw something dangerous slip over it like a mask. It was almost as if he were possessed by something else, something so incredibly evil that he would literally do anything, absolutely anything, to accomplish his goal. He was a powerful supernatural being who had nothing to lose. Not really. He cared for no one other than himself. And this new world was worth everything to him. That made him very, very dangerous. She wondered if those working with him, such as Ludcarab, understood what kind of person they were dealing with. But then again, the elf king was probably just as evil.
“Don’t look so frightened,” Alston said, the mask suddenly gone. “You’re a supernatural being of sorts. You and yours will be allowed to have a place in the new world. You will be subject to the leaders of the Order, of course.”
“Of course,” Sally said dryly. “How many supernatural races do you already have represented?” She glanced at the three fae. She remembered seeing warlocks and pixies on the battlefield. So with the vampire, fae, and wolves, that was at least five of the races. Sally now knew there were sprites. There were also trolls and the draheim, which were basically dragons.
“What am I missing, Costin?” she asked through their bond.
“There are realms that are mostly water,” he said, sounding a little hesitant. She wasn’t surprised. For some reason, the males of their race felt like they were somehow protecting the females by keeping them in the dark about the supernaturals. “You, Jen, and Jacque have an uncanny ability to get yourselves into trouble,” he pointed out. “We don’t need you marching off looking for these other supernaturals. Your curiosity would get the best of you eventually.”
She couldn’t argue so she didn’t. “Water realm? Are we talking mer-people?”
“And selkies and sirens.”
“Sirens?” she knew her voice through their bond sounded high because she hadn’t been expecting that. “Like the kind that lure men to the seas and drown them?”
“Are there any other kind?”
“Have you ever met a siren?”
“I wouldn’t be alive if I had,” he said. “It takes a very strong wolf, an alpha, to resist the pull of a siren.”
“Has Vasile ever met one?” She really should be paying attention to Alston, who was still droning on in the background as she conversed through the bond with her mate. She could feel Costin’s agitation abating as they talked through their bond. The connection offered him comfort.
“That is something you would have to ask him. I am not nearly as old as he and some of the other males in our pack.”
“We are very close to having all of the races represented,” Alston said, his words bringing Sally out of her head and back into the room. “We only lack a few.”
“Why don’t you just take what you want?” Sally asked.
“Magic has rules,” he said, a frown marring his face. “Even the powerful have to