He nodded along, his hair still ramrod straight, no bounce at all. “This is very true!”
“What’s true?” I asked, settling my hands on my hips. “You’re wasting my time?”
“No, that you’re in a very precarious place. You’ve volleyed between life and death a number of times in the last month, like a Wimbledon master, and it’s been quite amazing to witness, if I must say so myself. Precarious, indeed!”
I dropped my arms and took a step forward. “Jeb, how do you know that?” I sized him up. He didn’t look like he should be an all-powerful supernatural who knew everything. He looked like he should be working a stage in Vegas.
He barely kept the indignant gasp out of his voice. “Because I am the High Ambassador, that’s why! It’s my job to know. Who did you think you are dealing with? I’m not some young supernatural trying to prove myself. I’m Jebediah Amel, first warlock of the great Amelentia Line. I take my position very seriously and I’ve come to talk to you about business.”
“Hmm,” I said. “I hear what you’re telling me, Jeb, and it sounds very impressive, but your signature is strange. You’re cloaking yourself, aren’t you?” I ran my power over him, pressing it firmly against his body, trying to figure out the warlock puzzle that was Jebediah Amel.
“Stop doing that,” he ordered, his hands fisting at his sides. He was just short of stamping his foot like a child. “Yes, of course I am cloaking myself! Do you honestly think a warlock of my stature can just walk freely around this realm? I’m a target—just as you are—and once the supernatural world figures out I am away from the protection of my home, it could be chaos!”
“I’m sorry to inform you, but none of that means anything to me,” I said, hands back on my hips. “It can’t be chaos if the most powerful supes on the planet don’t know who you are.” If Jeb was really a bigwig supe, there would be some record of him. My father would’ve mentioned him. I would bet my eyeteeth Rourke had never heard of him—and he was the oldest supe I knew.
He seemed a bit stunned by my words. “You… you really don’t know who I am?”
“I have no earthly idea who you are. I’ve never even heard a whisper of your name. But you will be happy to know that my wolf remembers you, which is why I’m not currently trying to put you in a headlock, even though your hairstyle would make it tough to do.” My humor was lost on him.
He looked dejected. “I see.”
“But I do know you’re strong… strangely so.” I took a few steps closer. “And I’m not sure even Tally could do what you did with the van. Your spell casting is amazing, and your ability to cloak yourself is impressive. Did you take the plane down too?”
“I had no part in the plane crash,” he huffed. “That is not how I do business.”
“No, carjacking is a much better way to achieve your goal.”
“I was left with no choice. You are always accompanied by many and I had to make contact with you before you arrived home, and that was the only way I could see to get you here safely.”
“ ‘Safely’ is going a bit too far. That was a crazy. If I’d gotten on a plane with my father, would you have been left with no choice but to take that particular plane down?” I asked curiously. Then I pointed out, “You just said you had to get to me before I got home.”
“No,” he said, more to the ground than to me, “I would’ve found a way to get to you before you boarded.”
“I already said you could’ve asked to meet me alone. I’m usually fairly accommodating when someone isn’t trying to kill me.” I rubbed my neck. I knew Rourke was still searching for me, so I had to wrap this up. “But, Jeb, we’re done debating this. I need you to explain to me the real reason why you brought me here. And if you want my trust and cooperation, I suggest you stop cloaking your true nature. I don’t suffer fools or pretenders, and I’m warning you, I don’t trust easily.” I crossed my arms and waited for him to make up his mind.
“Fine,” he said. “I will do as you ask.” He flung his arms wide, in what was becoming a decidedly Jeb-like flare, and chanted something into the air. Powerful magic gathered around him, swirling, causing the air to change until there was one final surge. His clothes transformed with a loud whoosh, leaving him in flowing white robes.
I hadn’t been expecting that.
The robes were a touch comical because he was so short. The effect wasn’t as dramatic as I think he’d intended. His arms were now extra hairy and thick with muscle, and his hair was even longer on top but still stuck straight out. No amount of gel in the world could have given it that effect, so it had to be either natural, or magically secured into place.
He held something in his arms. It was a leather-bound book of some kind, and it was gold and glossy and took up his arm space. His power prickled me and I took a reluctant step back. “Holy cow,” I said. “Your magic is potent. It’s making my hair stand on end.”
“I am the Gatekeeper of Fate, the High Ambassador of the Coalition.” He sniffed, for what must have been the fifth time tonight. “As I told you, I am the keeper of all things supernatural. Every supernatural on earth, and throughout the realms, must pass through me to get to you. And once you assume your place at the head of the Coalition—”
“Wait.” I held a hand out to stop him. “What did you just say?”
“I said once you take your seat at the head, I will be at your service—”
“The ‘head’ part I don’t understand. I’m just the Enforcer. I can’t be the head of anything. The Coalition is a team, made up of five equal members.” At least that’s how I envisioned it all working.
“You are the chosen leader of the Coalition. The female wolf, who acts as the Enforcer, is the head of the council. It’s always been that way. And I am your secretary, if you will. Your chief operating officer, as a better term.” He inclined his head in a slight bow.
“Just because it’s always been that way doesn’t meant it has to stay that way, does it?” I could hear Eudoxia, the Vamp Queen, right now in my ear, moaning and constantly complaining about my lack of everything necessary to lead the council. I didn’t want to suffer through that daily if I didn’t have to, and she was right, for the most part. I was very green. Not an ideal candidate to rule.
Jeb raised a furry eyebrow at me. “I suppose it could be another, but that would be unprecedented.”
“Somehow I think that will become the unofficial tagline for the new Coalition: The Unprecedented Bunch. I can already promise you, we aren’t going to act like the old guard. This is a new era, Jeb. You said so yourself. The other women on the Coalition will be much better qualified to run things than me. It’s likely that we will vote on most things. There’ll be five of us, so that makes it easier. We’ll always have a tiebreak.”