The Ravenous Dark, page 5
They were doing it now—sharing, consuming, theorizing—and when they hit dead end after dead end, they quieted and turned their focus back to Ronan.
"Riley, summarize," Callum directed. His brother's arms were crossed over his chest, and his face was as stoic as his own.
Riley stepped forward. "A minor or major vampyré household plotted to upend the wedding. Over the past two weeks, rumblings of discontent and segregation have crossed the lips of several vampyré courtiers. This latest wedding was the final straw. It's possible some vampyrés raised funds to tempt a rogue sorcerer or sorceress contractor at court; they could have used them then to summon the shadowmancer and wreak havoc."
"A rather sound theory," Ronan said, as Callum waved back Riley. "However, you're missing several important pieces to the puzzle." Ronan cracked his neck before stepping into the middle of the room.
Then he told them everything.
He explained his exploits with Jax and their quest for power. He shared with them the depths of his newfound powers, his increased speed and strength, his Goliath raven form, and how his newest power made him the shadowmancer. At the last minute, he chose to leave out the dark magic which bound him.
Dark magic was highly unpredictable, addictive in its power, and dangerous as all hell. Those who meddled in it never had complete control over the raw and wild magic it produced, meaning those on the receiving end, or those wielding it, could be dealt irreparable damage, if not fatal blows. And that the magic was sourced from Gods long-forgotten only added to its volatile nature.
A ripple of unease had gone through him at the thought of everyone in possession of such intimate knowledge and had curbed his tongue. He further rationalized the matter would be better dealt with by the help of a few instead of the many.
Ronan watched attentively as his family absorbed the information. Some frowned back at him. Others straightened in their seats, regarding him with wary respect. A siege of questions soon flowed forth. Ronan allowed Ana and Callum to settle them, striving to keep his stoic facade even as doubt blossomed inside of him.
"So, what do we do?" A voice called from the back.
The room quieted as they awaited Ronan's answer.
"It need not be said that this information stays strictly within the confines of our household." Power saturated Ronan's voice as he eyed everyone around the room, eliciting several nods and hastily given agreements. "If any outsider discovers my identity, our family will fall. Our best course of action is to stay vigilant. Keep your eyes and ears open to any talk of who might be responsible for cursing Laxmi. If we discover the source, we can eliminate them and the threat to the equality we strive for at court. Any verified leads you find should be given to Callum and Ana first."
A ripple of anticipation went through the raven shifters.
"What will you do, brother?" Callum asked.
A slow smirk spread across Ronan's lips. "I'm going to learn how to master my new power."
III
Exploring the Dark Court was like a game of roulette, Bailey decided. One never knew what was going to happen. An assassination attempt? Most likely. Some fetishized depravity? In copious amounts most assuredly. Acts of gallantry long since lost to the modern era? By the handful every night. Displays of dark magic, however, were extremely rare, but now Bailey could mark even that off her list of the oddities witnessed in court. After said display of dark magic, she thought nothing could take her by surprise.
Enter, Ruby Vrana.
The petite vampyré was making significant headway in wearing a hole in the Vrana's common room floor. Bailey was impressed.
She tracked Ruby's dogged pacing with parted lips. For the past forty minutes, Ruby paced the same path without missing a step. No amount of coaxing or cajoling from her lover, Nova, could stop her.
Sebastian entered the room. His nose retreated from the book it stuffed itself in to observe the scene. "What's wrong with her?"
"Jax," Nova and Bailey answered.
Bailey bit back a groan. Ruby's nervous energy was infectious, and it stirred up her lingering anxieties. One week had passed since the disastrous wedding and discovering Ronan was her soulmark. She'd spent the entirety of it seeking him out, without luck. All she wanted to do was talk. She was perfectly fine holding off on moving forward with their soulmark, so long as they could spend that time getting to really know each other instead.
Maybe go on a date… or ten, and kiss some more.
Bailey ducked her chin, hoping the curtain of her hair would camouflage the rogue blush stealing its way onto her cheeks. Her search took her all over the court, but she only managed to run into members of his household. She passed on a dozen or so messages expressing her desire to speak with him. She didn't want to think he was avoiding her, but the more nights that passed without a single message being returned pricked at her heart.
She desperately wanted to confide in River, but her best friend was even more frustratingly absent than Ronan. The number of times she just missed her was ridiculous. Bailey's throat tightened. After a humiliating week of chasing after Ronan's scent like a lost puppy, she wasn't sure she wanted to share her big news anymore.
What she needed was a win, and that meant taking Franklin up on her offer to join the Wildings. She doubted her presence would be missed here. Story of my life. Accompanying the thought was an eye roll as Bailey straightened in her seat and brushed her hair over her shoulder. She planned to find Franklin tonight and take back control of her life.
She’d never intended to accept Franklin's invitation, but a week alone to mull over the pros and cons of doing so showed surprising results.
Make side cash? Check.
Hang out with the living? Check.
Forget about the sting of rejection? Check.
Keep busy while River ran around without her? Check.
Stop thinking of her hot-as-hell kiss with Ronan?
… Probably not, but she wasn't hard-pressed to relinquish the delicious memory yet. Bailey sank into the couch's plush cushioning, her sight catching on Ruby once more. At the very least, she would get away from the restless energy.
"What's wrong with Jax?" Sebastian asked as he made his way to the stash of blut wein kept out of sight in a sideboard against the wall. Ruby stopped in her tracks, her deathly glare jolting Sebastian to a halt as well.
"What's wrong with him?" Her voice was tight with emotion. "Everything! He's keeping secrets. His moods are unpredictable. He—"
"He missed their monthly hangout session," Nova interrupted. Her voice was the perfect mixture of calm and stern. Ruby refused to meet her eyes. Tight fists formed at her sides.
"We've all seen how he's changed over the years. Every time he returns from the Otherworld, he's a little bit farther away from himself," Ruby persisted.
A sympathetic frown curved Nova's lips down. "Baby, you know it started long before that."
The room stayed silent. Twenty years ago, Jax played an instrumental role in breaking the curse on lycankind and in the great lycan war. His involvement had cost him an eye at the hands of the enemy, and Bailey could only imagine what else. Nova was right, but so was Ruby. Although her relationship with Jax was surface level at best, she could see the change in him, just as she could in Ronan.
The marauding jokesters were gone, replaced with men half-hidden in shadows and secrets.
"You can't keep him safe forever," Sebastian chastised gently as he reached the sideboard and poured himself a glass of blut wein.
"I'm immortal," Ruby snapped. "If I want to keep him safe forever, that's my prerogative."
Nova rose from her seat at Bailey's side. "What Sebastian is trying to say is that you've got to let him go at some point, Ruby. You can't keep hovering over him like a mother hen. He's how old now?"
"He doesn't like to talk about his age." Ruby stuck her nose up in the air with her point.
"Probably because, even he doesn't know it anymore, since he mysteriously stopped aging seven or eight years ago," Sebastian quipped. He quirked an eyebrow at Ruby, who fumed silently.
"This isn't the gang-up on Jax club," she responded with heat.
Nova reached Ruby's side and wrapped an arm around her waist. A kiss placed on her temple softened the petite Asian's rigidness. "No one is ganging up on him. Like I was saying, I think the only point trying to be made here is that Jax is old enough to make his own decisions—"
"He's consorting with all the wrong people," Ruby practically shouted as she took up her agitated pacing once more. Nova sighed and stepped out of her way, allowing her to continue on the same well-worn path as before.
"And what sort of people would those be?" Sebastian strode over to the group, choosing to sit in one of the two armchairs adjacent to the L-shaped couch where Bailey sat. The mop of chestnut curls on his head had yet to be styled into submission, and it gave him an utterly boyish look that was at odds with the superior expression he gave Ruby. "You haven't forgotten that everyone in this court has an agenda; to expand their riches, gain influence among their kind, or increase their power. And then there's the other half that would jump at the chance to cut us down and take our seat," he finished dryly.
Ruby's face was grim. "I'm well aware that the entirety of the court is out for its own interest, Sebastian, including ours. That's exactly why I'm so concerned for Jax." Ruby came to a stop at the end of her line, turning to face the group with devastation lining her eyes and mouth. The mammoth mouth of the fireplace looked ready to swallow her from its place only a few short steps behind her. "He was made for this place. We both know it." Ruby's eyes were only for Sebastian as she spoke.
"We raised him for this," Sebastian conceded, sounding contrite yet fond at the same time.
"He plays the game as well as the oldest vampyrés, but he's slipping. This quest of his is changing him… and it's no longer for the better."
Bailey cleared her throat, breaking Sebastian and Ruby's melancholic turn. "Who is he hanging out with that you don't approve of?"
It was difficult for a vampyré to flush unless their emotions ran too high or they'd recently fed, but twin spots of dusty rose ghosted across the apples of her cheeks. Bailey assumed the former to be the culprit as Ruby's soulful brown eyes glanced away briefly.
"The Circe, Agron, and Menrva clans," she listed off.
Sebastian snorted out a laugh, which he then failed to cover up with a cough. Excusing himself, he inquired politely, "What's wrong with the Menrva Clan?"
Ruby's expression flattened. "You mean besides the fact that they worship a Goddess of war, Sebastian?"
Sebastian met her expression with one of dour exasperation. A casual flick of his wrist sent his blood swirling around the edge of his crystal glass. The scent of dull copper and well-aged wine clung to the air as his chestnut eyes bled red. "Yes, and medicine and art. If I'm not mistaken, she's quite renowned for her wisdom as well."
"Whatever," Ruby grumbled.
Bailey checked her watch. It was still early in the evening, but on the off chance that Franklin proved as difficult to track down as Ronan, she wanted time to search. After a minute of silence ticked by, Bailey heaved herself to her feet. Ruby's eyes narrowed.
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
"But we need to make a plan," Ruby insisted. Bailey made it to the end of the couch before Ruby was in front of her. "We can't let Jax's behavior continue like this."
"Haven't you listened to a word of what your girlfriend has said or Sebastian? Jax is a big boy." Bailey popped a hip and planted her hand on it. "If you're concerned, sit him down and talk to him. Tell him he's acting like an ass and to knock it off."
"Like an intervention?" Bailey didn't like the sudden eagerness radiating off Ruby or the way her eyes seemed to shine brighter. She glanced discreetly at Sebastian, whose lips were turned down in clear disapproval. Bailey shrugged.
"Sure," she said with forced politeness. She was itching to leave. "Just let me know when you need me, and I'll be there."
Ruby hummed her agreement before cocking her head to the side. "Where did you say you were going again?"
"I didn't." Bailey's answer was overly sweet and made Ruby's left eye twitch.
"Didn't what?"
All four heads in the common room turned to the newcomer. It was Irina. She was dressed smartly in a navy pantsuit, her blonde hair thrown up in a sleek ponytail.
"Bailey's going off on some adventure that she refuses to disclose," Ruby offered, stepping out of Bailey's way. "Probably because it's not safe."
"Probably because it's not your business," Bailey snapped back.
Irina heaved a sigh that was Oscar-worthy and stared expectantly at Bailey. "I'm sure news of the most recent shadowmancer assault has reached your ears." Bailey nodded.
It was all over the court. The shadowmancer had infected another vampyré courtier with its dark magic, cursing it to madness and siccing them upon those unfortunate enough to be in their vicinity. A small gathering of the Delacroix's acted swiftly, but even under their hands, two vampyrés, a sorceress, and a demon were slain. Yet, the death that shook the court the most was that of the shadowmancer's vampyré puppet.
Killing a vampyré was no easy feat. The sun, and by extension fire, could kill a vampyré as well as a good old-fashioned beheading or bone steak to the heart. It was unheard of for a curse that could bring a vampyré down. The reverberations of the shock were still manifesting. Bailey had a feeling it wouldn't bode well for the sorcerers at court.
"Should this menace make itself known again, I want you to leave. Immediately. No playing the hero like last time."
Heat suffused her face and neck. She wasn't happy with the attention or praise she received after taking down the "Butcher Bride". She didn't want the eyes of the court on her more than they already were by being the only she-wolf at court.
"No problem. The only reason I stuck around the first time was to help Stella," Bailey said.
"Good. That goes for everyone here. The Delacroix have expressed their desire to handle the matter, and so they shall."
"But the Delacroix will just go on a witch hunt for whoever is behind summoning this shadowmancer," Nova argued. Then paused thoughtfully. "Well, I guess it will technically be a sorcerer hunt. I doubt people will think River's the culprit. Everyone at court thinks she has some weird obsession with hybrids." Nova rolled her eyes at that irony, but Ruby's alarmed expression cut it short.
"Jax—" Ruby started but stopped when Irina quickly raised her hand.
"I'm well aware the situation isn't ideal as the Delacroix have quite the flair for dramatics, but we must pick and choose our battles wisely as a royal household. Since we've proven a Royal Household can be knocked off the board to give rise to a new name, we are the target of many. It is imperative we stay on top, for to fall would be our death sentence." Irina's matter-of-fact tone was emphasized with a terse smile. "We cannot enact the change we seek if we are not in power to do so. Now, do I have any cause for concern over the little adventure you're going on?"
"I think I've proven I can handle whatever the Dark Court throws at me."
Irina's eyes flashed silver at Bailey's arrogant declaration. "Where are you going?"
"I'm meeting with Franklin Baum about taking up a few jobs with the Wildings. And before you say no, I'd like to remind you that I'm an adult and can make my own decisions. Plus, my association with them will be seen as normal, considering shifters are the closest supernatural species to lycans."
Irina frowned. "I take offense to the second. As I'm sure William and Deval would too, seeing as we're all half-lycan ourselves. Regarding your first claim, you may be an adult, but you are still a guest in my home, and I expect you to follow my rules. Your actions are a direct reflection upon us whether you like it or not."
Bailey rubbed the back of her neck and muttered something close to an apology. The hum of acknowledgment that came from Irina informed her that her reply scratched the bare minimum of what was acceptable.
"I suppose your association with them may pass," Irina mused. "Please try not to take on too many jobs that might reflect poorly on the household and stay on your toes while around them. They're troublemakers through and through."
Bailey's face split into a grin as she nodded her assent. "I'm sure I'll fit right in."
"Come, we can walk out together." Irina's fingers stirred the air in a semblance of a wave to the others and aimed for the door. Bailey was hot on her heels.
"Where are you off to?" Bailey's inquiry was met with a suppressed eye roll from the female hybrid.
The lock latched with a soft thud as the door shut behind them. An echo of magic lapped at the air near their backs as Jax's wards resettled around the entrance. Bailey had long since grown accustomed to the constant outpouring of magic within the court's stone walls, though some instances more than others scratched at her senses. The ward was one of the first pieces of magic she became familiar with.
"I'm off to have a chat with Luka Krovopuskov."
Bailey's nose scrunched in distaste. "That vampyré's a total douchebag." The telltale twitch of Irina's lips told Bailey she wholeheartedly agreed. "Why are you talking to him?"
Irina stopped. She cast a wary eye about the hallway. Bailey mirrored the move instinctively. Satisfied that no wayward courtier would overhear them, Irina explained, "The Delacroix are set to campaign for restrictions on the court's magically inclined community. The Roux have chosen to abstain given their recent… misconduct."
Bailey's eyebrows hunched down as she brushed her hair over her shoulder. "Misconduct? They advocated for the Gayamun clan’s execution after the blame was laid on them for the ‘Cellar incident’.” Bailey made air quotes with her fingers before crossing her arms over her chest. “They also slaughtered their contracted sorcerers along with the Tempest clan, save Valdora—” Bailey took a deep, calming breath. “—and you’re calling all of that murdering misconduct?”
