We’d spent hours last night, going through the book, learning new spells for defens ive and offensive attacks. If we were to face the Echelon Imperial, we wanted to be able to handle business if they tried some shit. I adjusted my suit and tie then looked at Adrian.
“You ready?”
He nodded. “Let’s just get this over with, see what the hell they want with us.”
I leaned down, kissing his soft lips. The fact that we fucked for almost two hours this morning didn’t sate my desire to have him again. Since claiming my sexy mage , it was almost as if I couldn’t get enough of him. And the taste of his blood, his heat surrounding me, filling me… the whole sensation left me delirious.
I forced myself to break the kiss, then planted another soft one on his forehead. I wanted him to not only know that he was treasured, but to feel it. I nodded, and together we made our way into a large mansion with immaculate landscaping. Ivory statues, and pottery, expertly trimmed bushes and topiary. The lawn itself was perfectly mowed and vibrantly green. The marble columns were polished and gleaming, proving that whoever lived here, loved decadence and luxury.
Before we could knock or ring the doorbell, the frosted, glass double doors opened and the mage who breached the barrier of my home stood before us. I believe his name was Zendel, and again, he was wearing a black suit, white dress shirt and black tie, as if that was his uniform.
“Welcome,” he said in that smooth, even voice of his.
“Let’s just skip past the pleasantries, shall we? This isn’t a social visit, we want to know why you’re demanding our presence,” I said, getting right to the point.
“Of course, please, follow me,” Zendel stated, then turned and led the way.
Adrian and I followed him as he led us through the mansion which was just as classically decorated on the inside as it was on the outside. White marble floors with silver veining and matching columns. Hand-sew rugs and runners adorned the floors, numerous paintings and sculptures added almost an art museum f ee l to the décor. The furnishings were also lavish and a mixture of cultural designs from French, Japanese, Chinese, Russian and even American influences. I took it all in and I was sure Adrian was doing the same.
Once we reached another set of double doors, these being polished black lacquer with a red pentagram on the combined doors. There were also gold sigils on each point of the pentagram, and I didn’t recognise what they meant.
Zendel gestured for us to go forward. “The Council is waiting.”
“What does the symbol mean?” I asked.
“You may get your answer inside,” Zendel stated.
I rolled my eyes, because this secrecy shit is one of the reasons I found mages to be annoying as hell. I never sought out a clan in the past because of that. Also, I’d much rather be in a pride.
“Will something happen to us when we pass through?” Adrian asked him.
“You don’t have a choice,” Zendel said. “Please.” Again, he gestured toward the door.
I didn’t like walking into the unknown, it just wasn’t my thing. I could sense magic all around me and it was hard to pinpoint exactly where the source was or if it was from multiple sources. Adrian stepped up beside me and placed his hand on the doorknob.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Fine, let’s do this,” I said, and together, we opened the doors, splitting the pentagram sym bol. It would come back together once we stepped inside, which we did . The doors closed behind us and i mmediately, I felt a wave wash over me, invisible to the eye, but I felt it ripple through my b ody once I crossed the threshold. I shivered and caught my balance as the dizz iness nearly had me spirialing.
Adrian was on one knee and I knew he’d felt the same thing and it pissed me off that we walked into something I deemed was a magical attack. I growled, my eyes glowing in my rage.
“It will pass,” said one of the mages sitting behind a U-shaped black table . There was a sigil carved on the table where each mage sat that matched the ones on the pentagram on the outside of the door. There were five other mages with him, three males and two females, making a total of six.
The sensation I felt did pass and I was able to focus more on my surroundings. The f loor also had a large pentagram engraved into it, against, the sigils were on each point. The room was bright as the floor to ceiling windows allowed for tons of sunlight to shine through. The walls each had paintings of the mages in robes, almost like this room was a temple to them. The shit felt like one big cockstroke to their egos. I grunted and knelt beside Adrian until it seemed like he was starting to feel better . I helped him to his feet and kept hi m close to me before looking at the mage in the middle who had spoken to me .
“What the fuck was that?” I asked.
“For our protection. The spell you encountered is what makes this room immune to your magic, and only ours will be effective,” the mage who I guessed might be the leader since he sat at the middle of the table was quite striking in his appearance. Long, straight black hair past his shoulder and combed back. Thick, arched eyebrows over intense brown eyes. He was certainly of Asian descent, Japanese by his features, and he had a regal presence that demanded attention.