Page 85

"Let's go sit down at the big table now before everyone sits down and we are forced to be separated," I suggested.

Quinton stood up with me. The arrogant smirk on his face didn't sit well with me. Then again, nothing tonight did.

He gestured toward the big table, "Lead the way, baby."

I wanted to smack him upside the head. This was not the time for his sweet nicknames.

Instead, I smiled painfully at him and walked toward the table. My silent bodyguards moved like a wall behind me.

Nobody actually sat at it yet and I didn't bother to count the seats.

I'd yet to actually see Marcus who this dinner was actually supposed to be about. These people were serious assholes.

Everyone watched as I picked a seat at the middle of the table and sat down. Addison and Abel walked around to the other side of the table and sat down directly across from me. Tyson and Quinton sat on either side of me. Dash sat beside Tyson, and Julian and Damien sat down beside Quinton. Surprisingly, my bodyguards moved over to the other side of the table and sat down next to the Salt and Pepper twins.

Adrian moved to the head of the table and took a seat with flourish. Marcus was suddenly there beside him, sitting in the seat to Adrian's right. He looked down the table at me and winked. Daniel sat beside Adrian. The rest of the seats quickly filled up.

I looked over my shoulder and back toward the swing. My throat closed up with emotion when I saw Annabell slumped over in a heap, the swing no longer moving. Nobody even glanced in her direction.

What happened to females being precious amongst them?

I turned back around in time to see the oh so lovely Rachel sit down beside Marcus. She turned toward him and leaned in intimately. I jerked my gaze away, not needing to see any more of that. Little Miss Rachel seemed desperate for male contact and any male seemed to work just fine for her. Where had she come from, a convent?

Adrian started speaking once the seats were full around the table and young males, looking around twelve or thirteen, started moving around the table with trays held aloft in their hands. They were wearing plain black, long-sleeved button ups and black dress pants. Their feet were oddly bare.

Ignoring Adrian, I leaned into Quinton and asked, "What the hell? Where did these kids come from? Do you know who they are?"

Rude to ignore your host, I know, but I didn't give a crap at this point. I was done after people started looking at me like they wanted to eat me alive. In my opinion, they were rude first.

"They're orphans," Quinton whispered back. "The Council takes care of them, acting as their parental figures until they come of age. Then they will be given a choice to stay with the Council or petition to join a coven."

"I'd like to raise a toast," Adrian boomed, drawing my attention back to where he stood at the head of the table.

Everyone, myself included, picked up a glass from the table and that jug of Julian's brew was passed around. I filled my glass to the rim and passed it on to Tyson. If Quinton said it was safe for me to drink and not to worry, then I was taking his word for it. I needed something to take the edge off or I was going to start flipping people off for staring at me.

I raised my glass high along with everyone else.

"To Marcus Cole, our brother finally returned to us. We welcome him to the Council."

People cheered, I wasn't one of them, and glasses were tipped back. I put mine to my lips and drank heavily.

And choked on the toxic taste that I had poured down my throat. It left a trail of fire in its wake. The glass was taken out of my hand by a laughing Quinton and placed on the table. My hand went to my throat as my eyes watered.

Nobody else seemed to be bothered by the taste and I ended up scowling, angry at everyone.

"That tasted like shit," I muttered under my breath, as Marcus gracefully thanked people.

"Have you ever drank before?" Tyson asked in an amused voice.

"Not cat piss," I shot back.

The boys across the table openly snickered at me, but I didn't see any of them drinking from their glasses. I picked mine up and chugged some more of it just to prove that I could do it without choking.

A plate was placed in front of me by a teen boy and I murmured my thanks politely. He grinned down at me mischievously before placing a plate in front of Quinton.

I pushed my plate away, not wishing to eat anything from it until after I saw other people eat first. I was paranoid about everything and that kid smiling at me made me want to be extra cautious with the food. I didn't even see what was on the plate.

People around me began eating as they talked amongst themselves. The boys across from me were all digging into their food like all was right in their world. I tell you, I did not understand boys at all.