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Quinton put his hands on my back, his heat searing though me as he muttered an irate, "What the fuck?"

I turned my bright, big smile on him and his eyes dropped down to my mouth.

"What's going on?" Tyson asked. There were masculine murmurs from behind him, letting me know the rest of the guys were wondering the same thing.

"Why are you smiling like a crazy person?" one of the twins asked.

I smiled back at Damien as he tugged on my hand. A glance ahead told me Rachel had lead Julian around the side of the building and we needed to hurry to catch up.

"This bitch has no idea what she's getting herself into with him," I said as I snickered.

They all laughed hysterically as we made our way around the building and into the backyard.

None of us were prepared for what greeted us back there.

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Ariel," Adrian boomed, as we stood in a huddle at the edge of the yard.

I think we were all worried about what would happen if we stepped forward and we were all far too busy taking in the backyard.

There were fairy lights strung up and hanging all over the place, giving the space a magical feel and illuminating the area brightly against the dark sky above.

An incredibly long table sat in the center of the yard, and I imagined it was several tables pushed together underneath the shiny silver cloth that covered it up. The table was covered with fancy dishes I had no desire to eat off of, and I certainly didn't want to drink out of some fancy teacup that I would be terrified of breaking the entire time.

In the center of the table, all along the entire length, there were black vases filled with bright yellow roses. The color of those roses really bothered me because I knew they were there for me. Not my favorite flower but definitely my favorite color. Now, where had they found that out?

"Where's Julian?" Dash asked in a bored tone. He was right, Julian and the oh so lovely Rachel had disappeared. Perhaps she'd dragged him off to try and molest him.

I wasn't even upset about it because I knew it was something she’d soon come to regret.

"Why," Adrien crowed, "the lovely Rachel has escorted him inside to show him where the restrooms are located. Already she's making friends. Isn't that lovely? Now," he turned his beady, scheming eyes on me, "come here and greet your host, child."

I absolutely did not want to go to him. I let go of Damien's hand and did just that.

Adrian was wearing a long-sleeved, black shirt that flowed around him like something some free loving hippie might wear. It even fanned out at the wrists. The collar was split open down in the front, with dark strings hanging from it that meant he could tie it closed if he wanted to, but clearly chose not to. The front protruded with his pregnant belly. His pants were black dress slacks that were actually the only normal thing about his attire. He was barefoot and I caught several shiny rings glittering on his toes. His hands were laden with rings that sparkled even more than his toes did, and I caught sight of several blinging bracelets on his wrists when he lifted his arms to greet me.

His hands went to my shoulders as I bent down so my face was close to his height. He pressed his chubby cheek to mine and air kissed my face.

When he let me go I didn't hesitate to step back and away from him.

His eyes shone with a weird light that gave me the creeps when he leered at my legs.

"We're so happy you could make it tonight, child. I'm sure you know by now just how pleased Marcus will be that you came. You know, since his brother passed away the rest of his family is entirely oblivious to this part of his life. It's good that he has you now to share in this with. He's a very well suited match to join the ranks of the Council. Very well, indeed."

I nodded because there was nothing I could say to that. Nothing he'd probably like all that much.

"Where is Marcus?" I asked conversationally. I hadn't noticed any of his vehicles parked outside when we'd pulled up.

"Oh," Adrian said as he waved his hand toward the motel behind us. "You know. He's around here somewhere. Several others have arrived recently and they're interested in getting to know him and you both, so don't be surprised when there are people lining up to talk to you tonight. You're a hot commodity you know, child. Everyone is interested in hearing from the girl who didn't even know she was a witch and surprised us all."

I frowned at him, not liking anything he'd said in the slightest.

"There are some people I would like for you to meet tonight as well, Ariel," Daniel said as he strolled up to stand beside Adrian.

Daniel wasn't dressed anything like his Council member buddy. Instead, he wore a black, long-sleeved button down shirt. The collar was pressed and the shirt devoid of anything even closely resembling a wrinkle. His slacks were black—surprise, it seemed to match the entire party tonight in attire—and on his feet he wore brown loafers’ sans socks. The sleeves on his dress shirt were rolled up to the elbows, exposing the skin on his forearms, and I caught a hint of ink hiding on the underside of one.

His hair, for once, was unbraided and hung around his body almost like a second person. Long, thick, and beautiful, it hung down past his waist. I didn't like him much, I didn't like any of them much, but that didn't stop my fingers from twitching with the urge to play with his hair.