1627

~Amolet

It all felt like a good idea, until night fell and Sinful grabbed my hand, whisking me away from Cian and to the Immortal Realm.

The moment the world rebuilt around me, I saw Hale and Ira had already arrived. I'm not sure what I expected, but it's not the desolate landscape that we have stepped into. Barren fields stretch for mild, uninhabited and bleak looking. When I turn, a tall, straight building stands, the outside of it deteriorating.

"This is a terrible plan," I mutter tiredly. Is Stace supposed to meet us here? The place looks like it's moments away from collapsing in on itself. I wouldn't have thought Sinful was capable of occupying such a sore sight.

"Too bad it's happening anyway," Sinful notes, nudging my side.

I push away, glaring at him irritably. "What is this place?"

"A meeting place between Territories," Ira says, cutting Sinful off as she strides toward the front door, as if this place isn't a total disaster. Perhaps it was erected when they were first born, all those many centuries ago. "It's commonly used by purebloods."

"Now that you're away your our brother, anything you want to say to us about him," Sinful asks, stepping into stride with me as walk toward the building, trailing Ira and Hale, who talk quietly together.

"No...Why would I?" I say uncomfortably.

I haven't had much of a chance to stop and think about what it means to be mated to Cian. Not only is he an Immortal, but he's also a pureblood. That means no matter what, he is going to outlive me, by a long shot. Right now it doesn't bother me, but I can already feel the seeds of doubt burying themselves inside of me.

"If you ever want out, just ask," he offers, grinning mischievously down at me. I narrow my eyes suspiciously at him. I would be surprised he never gets tired of shameless flirting, but I suppose he is Lust.

"Don't you have a mate?" I question. I would love to meet the woman who is able to deal with this insufferable man.

We step inside the building, and the environment completely transforms.

It's as if we have stepped through a wall of magic, and entered an entirely different building. The place is small, but luxurious, so intimate in a way that is very immortal. The walls are a dark, rich mahogany, like the furnishings. However there is nothing personal about the space, here only for the most powerful people to convene, and nothing more.

"I'm not seducing you," Sinful murmurs lowly as we cross through a sitting room and into a dining room. I'm not exactly sure where all the staff who are meant to serve us are. "You'll have to ask Hale or Ira for that."

"You know how I feel about mortals..." Hale mutters, looking at us over his shoulder.

"Can you all shut up. I would rather not have Stace seeing us talking like this," Ira snaps, adjusting her dress. She has shed of her pretty, soft exterior tonight, knowing there is no one present to be fooled by her. Her dress is skin tight, her brown hair slicked back beautifully. I'm only slightly envious of how stunning she is.

Sinful rolls his eyes. "Don't tell me you want to sleep with him."

"I'm not going to hear that from Lust...And me sleeping with him has nothing to do with the mission." It sounds more like a warning coming from Ira, that she doesn't want anyone interrupting her own agenda.

Sinful sighs. "He has a mate."

"Who has a mate?"

We all turn to the entrance of the dining room as Stace walks in. I'm not sure what it is, but all of a sudden, the air in the room turns ice cold. He looks formidable, in all black, sauntering into the room as if he owns it. He makes it painfully obvious that Noah was never really issue, that he is going to be the hard one to rid of.

"Stace, you're finally here," I say while everyone else seems to be doused in silence.

"No Cian," he notes, surveying the room. "I'm glad you headed my advice."

"Don't tell me you're scared of him," I find myself saying. I'm not sure why he didn't want Cian here, but whatever the reason is, I'm wary of it. I don't trust a single person in the room, especially the one who is meant to be protecting me against any sinister plans Stace may have dreamt up.

"No Amolet, I'm not scared of Cian," Stace replies, the hint of a smile on his lips suggesting he is nothing but amused by that. "I just wanted you to feel free to speak your mind without worry of him being there to hear you."

"It's wonderful to see you, Stace," Ira exclaims, as we all sit down. I pretend not to notice Stace take the seat as far from Ira as possible, right opposite to me. "I've missed you, even if you rejected me."

Stace leans back in his seat. "You were never the best at taking hints."

"Unfortunately for you, rejection is merely a challenge for me," Ira retorts, unbothered by Stace's words. Considering her temper is often hard to quell, she is reacting to his judgment well. Between them, there must be a lengthy, fascinating story that has led up to this moment.

"Why did you want this dinner party? Noah is dead now, and I have a feeling you know where Abella is." I'm cutting to the chase, not wanting to hear Ira desperately beg for Stace's affection.

Sinful seems bothered by the waiting to, as with a single wave of his hand, the barren table is suddenly laden with food, some already served on my plate in front of me. Immediately I reach for the wine that has filled my cup, feeling a headache building up in my temples already, and we have barely started speaking.

"I'm honest when I tell you I don't know where she is," Stace sighs, picking up his glass, tipping it at me. "I want to be friends."

Sinful snots. "Alright Stace, time to be truthful."

"Now that Noah is dead, why have all of you decided to continue associating with Cian's mate?" Stace questions, turning to the rest of the table. I still, wondering if his intention is to turn them all against me. I doubt it will work though. Not when they have been hating him for centuries, it seems.

"None of us can turn down a party." Ira leans forward, biting the bottom of her bright red lip, grinning mischievously.

"I think we all know what will happen if your intentions are to turn against me," Stace notes, extending his arms. He isn't afraid of us though, I realise. I don't know the extent of his powers, but it seems like he could cause a lot of chaos if he wanted to.

I mean, he could certainty kill me. The question is whether I could kill him.

"You're the one who sided with a man willing to murder his mate. We should be worrying about your intentions," I remind him.

"I'm surprised, Stace, that you trusted Noah, considering how protective you are over your own mate," Sinful brings up. Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see him edge back in his seat, as if he is anticipating an explosive reaction from Stace.

When I glance at him across the table, I can see why Sinful is so suddenly wary.

A dark shadow seems to have settled over him, his shoulders tensing, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. It could just be me, but I swear I can taste magic in the air, like Stace is seconds away from using it on us. In a disturbingly calm, graceful movement, he leans forward, staring straight into Sinful's eyes, uncompromising.

"I don't want to hear you talk about my mate for the rest of your pitiful life, let alone at this dinner, do you understand?" he says slowly, not allowing a single syllable to go unheard.

Sinful shrugs. "Where is she?"

"I'm warning you." Stace's voice is deep and frightening. I want to tell Sinful to leave it, knowing how much he loves exposing mates to people, and how it can be such a sensitive topic to people. Me included. But yet, I can't bring myself to step between this conversation.

"She doesn't even know Stace is her mate yet," Sinful exclaims, telling the table. "How fascinating is that?"

"Can we not talk about his mate? It's not fair on me," Ira grumbles.

"Come on Stace. I'd like to meet her," Sinful pushes.

"Alright, I tried to be fair and reasonable, but I should have known this wasn't going to go anywhere positive," Stace says regretfully. He gets to his feet, looking as though he is about to leave the room as he rounds the table.

He lifts his hand suddenly, and Sinful stills next to me. When I look at all the Immortals in turn, they are still, nothing moving but their eyes.

"I apologise, Amolet." Before I have a chance to realise that Stace has used his powers to paralyse them all, he's right behind me, grabbing a hold of me. "I'm going to need to stir some things up."

I don't even get the chance to use my powers, as Stace grabs the side of my head, and snaps my neck, my consciousness fading away.

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Sophie_Midika

Midikacrane

~Midika 💜🐼