Intensity was good. It meant they were finally starting to believe me, to believe it was the fae who killed the Red Queen and not some sort of sneak attack the bears were trying to foist off onto another enemy.
Before I could answer her, a low voice cut through the room. “The mecca is compromised.” The basement area fell silent and at first I wondered which of the council had spoken, until I realized it was none of them. Finn started to growl low and menacing, and if I had been the stranger in our midst, I’d have been very nervous. My familiar slid his massive body around until it was before me.
A huge male stepped up out of the shadows and I wondered how long he’d been there. I recognized him straight away: Seamus, the male magic born of our packs. His hair was pure white, like his skin, although he seemed to have a little more color than many of the others. His icy-blue eyes cut through me and a shiver traversed my spine. He was powerful and determined. I could see that in the way he strode across the room.
“The mecca is visible to my eye now. It was never this way before the Red Queen fell. The balance is no more and the fae will come for the power. They will destroy us all to get it.”
I didn’t like the way he had crept into our meeting, but magic born had a way of doing that. Ignoring my instinct to reprimand him, I turned back to the council. “Seamus is right, the power is no longer balanced. This is what the light fae told us. She said that the dark now want to rule Earth, and they plan on taking it soon.”
Returning my gaze to Seamus, I let hard eyes linger on him for a few extra seconds. My power was judging and assessing him. I saw nothing of concern, but I would remain on guard. There was an offness about him. Even Finn felt it.
My next words were lower, contemplative. “What I don’t understand is why the queen’s death changed the mecca. It was the catalyst for all of this. What was she up to in those days before she died? What did she see or know which caused the Tuatha to send out a hit on her and all the heirs? In the Otherworld, the light and dark battle all the time, but we have never been part of it.”
“Which tells you…” Torine prompted, seeming to know I had more to say.
“Which tells me that there may be a weapon on Earth, something the queen figured out in the days before her death, and which somehow the Winter Court also discovered. The Winter Court wants the weapon. They know it could tip the odds in their favor. Maybe the Red Queen used it just before she died, maybe that is why the power is coming to us.”
Not everything in my theory made perfect sense, but it felt like the right place to start.
“Have you searched her private stores? Through her papers?” Torine asked me. “You should have started your investigation there.”
I gritted my teeth just slightly. Did he think I’d just been relaxing and drinking cocktails on the beach since my coronation? I had been pretty busy in the few weeks I’d been queen.
“It’s next on my to-do list. She had thousands of boxes filled with her personal effects. I’ll begin in the library where she was murdered, and work my way back from there.”
Seamus strode closer to me and I was again captured by the unique beauty of the magic born. “I would like to help you. I came today because the mecca imbalance can no longer be ignored. Now that I know more, I believe it is magic born who’ll be the most help to you. Especially regarding the fae magic books and a possible weapon.”
Okay, so he’d been listening since the very beginning. My temper started to get the best of me then. We should not have lax security at a time like this. The council must have agreed. They burst into loud reprimands.
“You cannot sneak into private meetings! You will be punished for this!”
“Silence!” I shouted.
It took a few minutes, and some pushing of my power, but eventually I could be heard again. “I need you to go and find Violet,” I said to Seamus, ignoring the council. “I will deal with your lack of respect later. You do not run this world, that’s my job. But I agree that the magic born will be instrumental in our preparations. You’re going to be on the front line of this war.”
He bowed his head low, especially for a magic born. “No disrespect intended at all. I just know that what we are told and what is truth are not always the same. I wanted truth this time.”
Before I could say anything more, he turned and in a flash was gone from the room. Damn magic born.
Chapter Four
I am queen. Hear me roar.
The alphas filed into the room. First were the two who ruled the other boroughs: the current queen heirs Selene and Chelsea. Selene was technically the spare queen, but I liked to think of her as an heir. Still, she was alpha of the Bronx. Chelsea was alpha of Queens.
Chelsea of the yellow clan had turned sixteen last week, and as was her birthright was now an heir and alpha of that borough. I had not spent much time with her, only the brief meeting when she came of age. But from what I had observed, the tall, willowy brunette was mature beyond her years. She did not speak without thinking, and her dark brown eyes were always assessing, keeping an eye on the shifters she ruled. She was a fit queen heir.
Selene was still a bitch. Just looking into her smug, overly made-up face was enough to send my mood into the pits.
I focused on the rest of the alphas filling the room. There were about fifty in here now, those who ran smaller packs within the boroughs and outside of New York City. Some I knew well from my time in the Bronx and Manhattan, others I had never met before. Calista had given me a large dossier on all leaders, with their names, photos, and other basic information. So for the most part all their faces were familiar.
I took a seat upon my throne. It had been moved here for this meeting. A queen needs her throne if she is to impose the right level of authority. My throne was littered with small chips of mecca stone; much larger ones made up my crown. I was literally thrumming with energy.
My skin even had a slightly purple sheen to it, which all helped to ensure no one would doubt my power.
Finn was still at my side, his head height well above the arm of my chair even though he was seated on the ground. Standing back a little and on either side were my dominants. Blaine was closest, the black and red uniform emphasizing his strong physique. His auburn hair was military-short over most of his head now, with just a little length on top for style; his focus was sharp as he observed the room.