Dead Man's Deal The Asylum Tales - By Jocelynn Drake Page 0,151

was a soft rustle of material behind me, making me think that Gideon had bowed to the council. “I am sorry about the lateness of the hour, but I felt that due to the urgency of our current situation, it would be best if this were handled as soon as possible.”

It was a struggle not to roll my eyes. The warlock could be as smooth as silk when he wanted to be, not that he ever wasted it on me. He was diplomatic, with only the faintest touch of lips to ass to keep all the feathers unruffled. It was yet another reason why I couldn’t survive in the Towers.

“Really?” another warlock said.

“Yeah, I heard that the Towers were in a bit of a fix,” I said, my gaze darting up to the sour faces glaring down at me.

“And how would you know about the concerns of the Towers?” the same warlock demanded, his voice growing stiffer as he straightened in his high-backed wooden chair. You’d think if they were going to be stuck in those chairs for hours on end, they’d make them out of something more comfortable, but then I guess a cushioned recliner didn’t look as intimidating.

“Well, having Indianapolis destroyed was kind of a giveaway,” I said with a shrug and a grin. “But then, you hear things when you’re living among the puny mortals. Things I’m sure you don’t want the masses to know, but one way or another, those whispers find their way to my ear.”

No one spoke for several seconds as the members looked at one another. Their faces were blank, but the buzz of energy in the air grew. A couple orbs at the end of the staves held by the council members glowed, tying a fresh knot in my stomach. The light indicated when a witch or warlock was drawing energy to her- or himself. The council members weren’t necessarily starting to cast a spell. High emotions also tended to draw and excite the energy in the air, but a glowing orb was rarely a good sign.

The council chamber was supposed to be a magic-free zone in the hopes that people could speak freely there without the fear of being vaporized. It didn’t exactly work out that way, but it was a nice idea. The room was black because it was intimidating, but I had a feeling that its designers had also chosen the color because it didn’t immediately reveal spilled blood.

“Why are the problems of the Towers your concern?” a witch asked. It was the same one who had addressed Gideon with such a tired voice. Her black hair was pulled back into a severe bun with a few thick streaks of gray threading through it. Her skin was the color of rich mahogany and she looked as if she’d be pretty if she smiled, but there was something about the lines surrounding her dark eyes that said the witch didn’t smile much.

“I guess because I would rather not see the town I’m living in wiped from the map,” I said with a little more bite than I had meant to use. Frowning, I walked over to Reave and grabbed a handful of the back of his torn and bloody shirt. “Let’s cut the crap. Someone found out the locations of the Towers. Seven of them. With my usual rotten luck, I tripped over the bastard who wormed through your glamour spells and I’ve brought him to you.” As I spoke, I gave Reave a little shake. The dark elf snarled at me, trying to twist around so that he could hurt me, but Gideon’s binding spell was holding him in place.

“Now, that is extremely generous of you, Mr. Powell,” commented a warlock with a heavy dose of sarcasm. Somehow, he managed to lounge in his chair, looking as if he were nine months pregnant and proud of it. He had been at my hearing ten years ago, but I couldn’t recall his name. He had been an asshole then too. Funny, that.

“Yes, well, since I’ve had a few witches and warlocks appear recently looking for my head because of this fiasco, I thought it would be in my best interest to clean up this mess for you.”

A little less insulting, if you don’t mind, Gideon growled in my head. I’d like to live through this nightmare.

I wanted to telepathically tell Gideon to fuck off, but I had a feeling that I was being very closely monitored—the council members would know