The Phantom King (The Kings) (28 page)

Instead, he’d left her in their cavern, the one place he could be certain she would be safe.

“Thank you for yo
ur time, gentlemen,” Roman greeted the others
. His deep, powerful voice filled the room with
authority, as it always did. He went to the chair that was his, but instead of sitting, he placed his hands palm-down on the table and leaned into it. “I’m afraid
several omens bring you here tonight, none of them necessarily good, and some
most certainly
less
than good
.”

Ophelia was one problem.

This business with the Akyri King was another.

To Roman’s
left sat the Sh
adow King, hidden in the stygian
recesses of the cowl of his cloak, nothing showing
but the unnatural glint of his eyes.
Not many people knew the face
that lurked in that darkness. Roman was one of the few who did.

To the left
of the Shadow King sat
the Winter King,
also known as the Ice King – or Kristopher. H
is thick, fine hair
was
the color of snow, his eyes
were
an arctic blue-gray,
and
a hint of frost appeared
before his mouth with each slow breath he took.
This didn’t always happen. Normally, the ice inside of him was
kept well under wraps. However
in times of
d
anger, the cold of Kristopher’s ancient soul was loosed. One
of their own had betrayed them,
one of their fellow kings. If they could not trust and rely upon one another,
it could bring supernatural war
. Such a thing would see the end of the Earth as anyone knew it.

So K
ristopher had reason to be upset
. They all did.

Kristopher’s
hands were in his lap, but if he were to lean forward and touch the table, Roman knew that rime would begin to crackle across its surface.
It was a disquieting thing to witness.

T
o
the Winter King
’s
left sat
the
Unseelie
King
, Caliban
.
He was one of the more…
frightening
men at the table. The fey were always beautiful, and Caliban was no exception. Raven hair, fair skin, and a charming smile hid the undertow of darkness that defined his kingdom.
He and his brother the
Seelie
King were both sovereigns of
the supernatural court
. His brother sat directly across from him, an opposite to him in nearly every possible way.

The two Sidhe Kings wore identical rings that protected them from the iron so
prevalent
in modern day society and allowed them to meet in the larger cities it was sometimes necessary to hold
gather
in.

To the
Unseelie
King’s left sat the
Phantom King
, Thanatos
.

Thane
was normally a rough and tumble but
incredibly laid back sort of man who only attended
meetings because it was expected of him as a king
. However, t
hat was not the case tonight.

Instead of the suit he normally
wore
while seated at this table, he remained dressed in his usual garb of blue jeans, a t-shirt, and a black leather jacket.
All three showed the signs of their former struggle.
What Roman could make out of his tattoos where they peeked ov
er the skin of his neck and
wrist
s
beyond the cuff
s
of his jacket
showed ink
of pure black
that was
seemingl
y more agitated than ever
.

His gray eyes swirled from silver to charcoal, and every mu
scle in his entire
body appeared to be flexed.
He was as taut as a bow string,
and his situation was mirrored in the Warlock King, who sat
directly
across the table from him.

Jason Alberich
had also come
to the meeting
in street clothes, black, as was his usual garb. His
jade green eyes were shooting sparks of furious emerald, and the air around him was filled with an aura so intense, Roman knew the man was having to conc
entrate
hard on forcing his
black
magic
to heel.

Both men were like wolves protecting their mates, fangs out, eyes flashing, muscles bunched for the fight. And the reason for this sta
nce was clear; their mates were indeed
threatened.
Ja
son had yet to claim his queen,
or even meet her face to face. As for Thane….

Roman gl
anced at the dark-haired man. Thane
had yet to fully realize or admit it to himself, but the young Siobhan Ashdown was made to rule by his side.
His soul knew it
,
his heart recognized it, and his body was reacting to the threat to her.

And s
peaking of wolves.

The newcomer at the table,
Jesse Graves, was al
so showing signs of carefully contained wrath. It was easier for the Overseer, who had once been a sentinel in the werewolf community and therefore a highly trained enforcer, to keep hi
s emotions under wraps. But
the amber of his eyes
glowed as fiercely as the sun
. It was
always a sign with werewolves
. T
he fact that his pupils were tinged with red
and his lips were closed to hide his fangs were two more
.

“
Threats to our community, to our peo
ple
, and even to our loved ones have made themselves apparent over the last few days,” Roman said.
“They are pressing and potentially catastrophic.” He paused for effect. “So I won’t keep you long.”

The werewolf community was dealing with an interloper powerful enough to make it past Jason Alberich’s wards and several enforcers, not to mention Lucas Caige, in order to lay hands on the Healer’s newborn twins. The idea was not only terrifying to Dannai and her husband, but to everyone who cared for her – which was a wide circle indeed.

That circle included the twins’ godfather and protector, J
ason Alberich. The Warlock King had enough to worry about
with the threat to his queen and to one of his warlocks
, but his troubles
clearly
didn’t end there.

Roman
took his seat and began to divulge
the details of each of their issues when there was a sudden disturbance in the a
ir. It was not unpleasant,
and it was very familiar.

He looked up in time to watch the expressions on each of
the Kings’ faces change as they too
noticed the vibration. Some
were surprised.

He was not.
Neither was Jason Alberich, who also clearly recognized the signature of the sensation.

Switching gears, Roman
straightened, standing fully once more. “Gentlemen,
I would like to
introduce the very wise and venerab
le high witch, Lalura Chantelle.
”

As soon as the words were past his lips, the air above the table began to shimmer.
Roman
watched in silence
as his very old friend made her dramatic appearance amidst a cloud of
gray smoke
and a flash of bright light.

The Kings sat back
in their seats to stare
up at the newcomer who now stood at her
full
four feet of height in the center
of the polished redwood table
.

She was facing away from Roman when she appeared, and with a quick look around, a small sound of irritation, and a jostling of old bones, she turned to face him. Her heels scraped the table beneath her.
Roma
n took a deep, slow
breath.

The high witch who appeared to be half dwarf, half elf looked down at Roman, her clear blue eyes piercing him through to the soul.
“
You don’t look good, Roman,” she told him. “I’m the one who isn’t supposed to look good at my age.”

No one had ever popped into a meeting of the 13 Kings before. No one even knew of the location of the meeting
places, and they
changed ge
ographically every time
. However, he could not summon the effort it would have required to be taken aback by Lalura’s intrusion. He just wasn’t surprised.

This was Lalura. H
e should have known it would only be a matter of time.

He moved forward and, with long-learned grace, he offered her his hand to help her down.

She accepted without a word, using his empty chair as a step stool.
When she was standing beside him, she straightened her robe, adjusted her cane, and said, “I won’t take much of your time.” Her tone was somber and strict. “The gods k
now I have duties to attend to elsewhere.” She turned, shot Alberich a knowing glance, and the Warlock King gave her a single, slow nod of recognition.

She
looked at Thanatos next
. “I’ve only come to give something to the Phantom King.”

Thane
watched her in silence. He was an untouchable kind of king, made of things intangible and mysterious. His world was so desolate and so stark, the very fabric of his being seemed to reflect its harshness. He did not cower before Lalura’s piercing gaze, and he did not speak. He had a lot on his plate, and whatever the old witch wished to give him would probably seem inconsequential to the troubles brewing within him.