Page 110 of A Monstrous World: The Complete Series

Chapter Eleven

Nadia

T he cunty look on Imogen Diamonte’s face indicates pretty quickly that we’re not going to be BFFs.

She’s an undeniably beautiful woman, but the sourpuss look on her face suggests she’s been sucking on lemons.

Or possibly eating rotten ass. I mean, who am I to judge?

Maybe I should offer her a stick of gum. Damn, I don’t even have my purse.

My head bobbles between Echo and Imogen.

For the love of all things holy...is she his partner or his mother? Due to their lack of aging, it’s impossible to tell without asking for clarification, which I will absolutely not be doing.

The woman is already looking at me with murdery vibes.

That’s a big nope, no thanks , type of question that I’m not making the mistake of stumbling into.

Echo stands with his head bowed respectfully. His hands are clasped in front of him, but his posture is purely rigid.

Imogen huffs and waves a hand dismissively at him.

Echo’s eyes meet mine like he’s trying to convey something. Exactly what is lost on me.

“You’re early, you’ll have to wait,” Imogen says in a thick accent I can’t quite place.

Wait, she said we “finally arrived,” so which is it?

Are we early or late? “You’ll remain here.

Someone will come for you when we’re ready for you.

” She gestures to a set of three chairs near a door.

She doesn’t wait for our agreement. The door closes quietly behind her, and I take a seat in one of the chairs that line the wall.

My mouth opens, but Echo slaps a cold hand over my face. He gives a brusque shake of his head, indicating I shouldn’t speak. I’m not dumb. I get that vampires and other supernaturals have excellent hearing.

Echo must think I’m the most foolish witch in existence as he quickly points to his ear and his eyes fly to the meeting room.

Rolling my eyes, I give him a nod to let him know I understand.

He yanks out his phone, typing out something and handing it to me.

It’s a file or document with pictures and information on the five council members I’ll be meeting with.

I speed-read my way through each listed council member, but my blood runs ice-cold when I realize they’re all vampires and demons.

There’s not a single shifter, fae, sentinel, or witch on their town council.

That seems like a bad sign.

My hands shake as I hand his phone over.

He takes it, stepping back until he’s leaning against the wall and looking like he stepped off the pages of some men’s high-fashion magazine.

My gaze falls to my own outfit. The knee-length wrap dress is comfortable, but it doesn’t scream professional, now that I think about it. The leather sandals I’m wearing are, again, comfy, but after seeing Imogen and Echo, it’s clear I’m very underdressed.

Why am I self-conscious?

I’m doing these assholes a favor.

The ward isn’t in good shape. They’ve allowed it to deteriorate to the point I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do the job in one trip. Add on what Echo said in the alley, and I don’t even want to anymore.

The human can come to Haven if she needs my services, and the monsters in North Falls can hire some other witch to fortify their ward.

An incubus in full demon form opens the door and hungrily checks me out before extending a hand to invite us in.

My shadows slither back from wherever they disappeared to while we waited.

Popping off the chair, I hurry to make my way inside.

The pulse of desire I feel as I pass the sex demon is alarming.

Usually, my magic protects me from being influenced by other supernaturals.

My hand feels drawn to the demon with the platinum blond hair, and then I’m patting his wickedly muscular chest.

I mouth the word wow like a total loser.

“Garth,” he says with a smirk plastered to his handsome face.

“Nadia,” I say, almost in a trance. Demon magic is potent in the air.

My shadows have been a little too quick on the jump lately, but they seem to be enjoying a leisurely vacation at the moment. They lazily swirl around my hand and over him, since we’re touching, but Garth isn’t fazed. He laughs under his breath and nods for me to head inside.

Echo zips to my side, hissing at Garth. His fangs are super freaking intimidating and only a few inches away from my face. Cool hands wrap around my upper arms, and I’m swiftly moved across the room.

The council sits at a long table. There are three men and two women. The men hold the middle seats, and the women are on either end.

The five leaders in front of me are not a very diverse representation of the town residents.

My magic must be having an off day. I get a light pulse of warning, but nothing that matches the level of dread I should feel when I’m in a meeting surrounded solely by vampires and demons.

A prickle of unease jolts through my body. Well, nice of my senses to finally catch up with reality.

“You may sit,” Constantine Abraxas says.

He’s seated in the middle of the others.

A wrath demon, who’s quick to anger and even quicker to torture for the fun of it, is the one in charge of this meeting.

I almost wish Echo hadn’t given me any information on the members of the council.

The little I read is making it extremely difficult to relax.

My eyes unintentionally flick to Echo. How the fuck could my “partner” fail to prep me for this meeting? He should’ve warned me ahead of time or said nothing. This in-between bullshit is making me uneasy.

“What have you been told to expect from us?” Warren asks in that smooth vampire voice that signals he’s using compulsion.

My eyes don’t leave his as I answer. “I know from experience how meetings are supposed to go.”

“That’s not what I asked, now is it?” Warren asks. “What have you been told about this council?”

“Very little,” I hiss. My hands fly up as I rub at my aching temples.

“This is the least welcoming town I’ve ever been to.

Big shock that no one wants to work for you guys.

Ever heard the saying you get more flies with honey ?

I’m not obligated to help you with your ward.

” I jab a finger toward the town council.

Garth snorts from somewhere behind me, while Echo blows out a heavy breath, like my stupidity is physically painful.

Constantine laughs and shakes his head. “We were told you’d be plucky.”

“Told by whom?” I ask.

The greed demon at his side eyes me with what I think is appreciation. Lysander Godfrey is a beautiful specimen, if you’re into vain and disgustingly shallow. Physically speaking, he’s gorgeous, but the majority of supernaturals are.

I’ve learned my lesson before—the pretty ones are always dicks. The alpha wolf is a perfect example.

Warren quirks an eyebrow at me. “Do you know who we are?”

He’s still forcing answers? Guess we know exactly how this entire exchange is going to go.

Starting from left to right, I spit out their names and species.

Imogen looks bored as she taps away on her phone. Valaine Vossen, the only other female on the town council, is a succubus. She’s busy reapplying her lipstick while fluttering her eyelashes at herself in a compact mirror.

The three men are the only ones who seem to be taking this meeting seriously.

“The ward surrounding the town has nearly collapsed. Shouldn’t we be discussing that?” I ask. “I have other business to attend to while I’m in town, but I am willing to help.”

Unless I run, which is honestly starting to feel like a more realistic reaction, but they don’t need to know that.

Imogen gives Echo a nod.

He shoves me down into the only chair on this side of the table. I’m going to end up throat punching that guy...I can feel it in my gut.

“You’ll attend to the ward beginning today,” Warren says, lining his tone to force compliance.

“Of course,” I agree as my magic buzzes. It sure doesn’t lash out to protect me or even insulate me from being forced to agree due to his compulsion.

“Nadia, may I call you Nadia?” Constantine laughs as I say nothing. “You’re the fourth blood witch to enter North Falls within the last five years. It’s gotten to the point the paranormal council will no longer send us active agents.”

No one is even supposed to know the nature of my magic. My mouth opens and closes a few times. Combine what he just said with what Echo told me earlier about them all being dead, and a true shiver of fear runs down my spine.

I focus, willing my magic to do something —really, anything will do right about now—but it completely ignores my command.

Which is ridiculous; it’s supposed to be available for use when I need it. Unfortunately, my magic has never been particularly good at cooperating. She’s like a spoiled cat that occasionally comes when called.

My stomach rolls as I experience real fear for the first time in too long to remember. I’m in a room full of top-tier predators, and my magic isn’t coming to my aid. What the hell is wrong with this place?

“They all failed. We were told you’re quite intelligent. You understand the repercussions, don’t you?” Constantine asks, raising his eyebrows. They’re still compelling answers out of me, but I do think my magic is shielding me, at least a small amount.

That sounded like a thinly veiled threat, but I’m not going to play directly into his hand.

“The ward will fall within the year if I’m unsuccessful,” I tell him truthfully. “What caused the others to fail?” Now isn’t the time to betray Echo. Seeing what the council is willing to share seems like important information to have.

I’ll demand answers from Echo later and possibly convince him to help me escape this town.

“They’ve all been slaughtered.” Imogen’s face breaks out into a feral grin. “Of course, we have no idea why anyone would try to hurt them.”

“Right,” I agree. “That’s why you’ve issued me a guard?”

Constantine nods. “He’s more than your protection. Echo will be your vessel.”

“No.” I shake my head, trying to remain calm and respectful. My magic is still being temperamental, and that’s concerning. “I have no need for a vessel. I’m more than capable of successfully completing this job without using that archaic and, quite frankly, barbaric practice.”

Echo stands at my back. He gives my shoulder a warning squeeze.

“You will sever the sire bond between Imogen and Echo. Then you will tether him to you,” Warren instructs. My magic recoils at the thought, but it doesn’t fly out in a blaze of glory to defend me. Is there something in this room that has the ability to drastically affect my power? “Now!”

My body scrambles into motion as I push myself off of the chair.

Imogen looks furious.

“Now,” Constantine demands, glaring at her in return.

She rises and comes to stand next to me.

“If anything negative befalls me because of this...” Imogen gives me a dangerous smile. “I’ll rip your throat out.”

“I’ve never actually done this,” I say as my eyes fly up to Echo’s. “I understand how, but...”

“Get a move on,” Valaine calls. “I’m hungry.”

For the love of God, what I would give to be able to suck every drop of blood from their bodies.

Fucking compulsion.