Page 88 of Resurrection

“Sure,” Seiran agreed. Not really believing it. “All this is real?” They stepped out onto a floor, after Mike was scanned again, that appeared to be living spaces. Perhaps even vampire ones as the heat of the sun was completely absent from the windows, even though the hallway was filled with uncovered panes of glass. None of this looked new.

“Welcome to the Arcane Fellowship,” Mike said.

“What is this place?”

“Exactly as it sounds. We study the unknown. All of it. Not only witch magic of the darker kind, like the Ascendance did decades ago. But vampire nuances, like those that make up some of the most powerful vampires, like Max and Gabe. And even fae magic. Though I suspect our studies in that direction will grow in leaps and bounds now that you’re here. We’ve not had many of their kind willing to work with us. Only those of mixed pedicure like your Kaine.”

Seiran was intrigued. “You have fae working here who are part witch?”

“Yes, several actually,” Mike agreed. He guided them down the long hall and around the corner to a door, where he took out a key. “You’ll have to put your hand to the door. I hope the signature is still the same.”

Seiran watched as Mike put the key in the lock and then a symbol appeared in the center of the door, a circle surrounded with points. It reminded Seiran of something he’d seen in a book of old Druid magic. Mike motioned to the symbol, and Seiran put his palm to the door, expecting something, but only felt the mild edge of magic run through him. Then the door clicked open.

“You’ll have to invite me in if you want a tour,” Mike said. “That’s standard for all onsite apartments. But this is where you’ll go if you can’t rush home during a case. It’s a good place to rest, and eat, or take a break. There is a bunkhouse a few floors down that have pods just for sleeping, but since this is your space, I think you’ll find this a bit more comfortable.”

Seiran stepped through the open door. He actually felt the tugging of wards as they recognized him. Strong, though not cast by him.

The space was like stepping into a time warp. Back to when Gabe had moved into that first underground space rather than the decorative loft he’d used as a front before their relationship had become more permanent. The entire space had the same layout and colors, large kitchen, small half bath near the door. Master bedroom and bath in the back, and small sitting area filled with shelves ready for books. Gabe had designed that first apartment for Seiran’s comfort more than his own. This place had giant windows, though the blinds between the glass were closed, and they had to be the sunlight resistant ones since Sei felt no heat or warmth from them.

Mike stood outside the door while Seiran explored. Sei’s heart ached. Too many memories, but this wasn’t the same place. The bed was the same style as they used to have. The bottom, a box that could be opened to hold grave dirt. “This looks like Gabe’s old place,” he said quietly.

“Because it belongs to both of you. Once you’re showered, I’ll take you upstairs to your office. We can schedule a crew to come in and stock the pantry, make the bed, etcetera. Gabe wanted to ensure you were comfortable if you had to work long hours. We can get the kids registered too. No reason they can’t stop in. We just ask you keep them to the lower levels. The living spaces, cafeteria, workout spaces, and there are a few game rooms. No civilians above floor fifteen.”

Gabe? How had Gabe known about any of this? He’d been in the ground for almost fifteen years. “I’m confused.”

“About?”

“Gabe?”

“I suspect as soon as he’s back he’ll be on the board with Max and Lily.”

Seiran gaped at Mike. “What?”

“What, what?”

“Lily? Max? Gabe had a part in creating this?”

“Gabe started the process after you reclaimed your father’s house and took control over the Ascendance years ago. Max liked the idea of shifting goals. Your aunt had ideas that she could not implement in the Dominion. When she retired from the Dominion, she began working here. Building up the library and overseeing research. Sadly, Gabe went to ground before most of this was finalized. But this whole building used to belong to the Ascendance.”

Seiran was reeling. The Ascendance had been an organization not all that unlike the Dominion. A coven of witches, mostly male run, who used to manipulate and gain more power for themselves, no matter the cost. He had thought he’d unraveled the organization, but maybe had failed in more than one thing.

“This was the Ascendance?”

“Was,” Mike agreed. “Now it’s the Arcane Fellowship. Specializing in education, research, and community. Sounds really fluffy, and mostly is, but there are some very powerful witches here. It took a long time to weed out the bad ones and restructure.”

“Are they stealing power for themselves?” Seiran demanded.

“No. The groups are heavily monitored for that.” Mike pointed toward the back where the master bath was. “Get cleaned up. There should be some clothes in the drawers, just standard fair, jeans and whatnot. I’ll show you around. I think that will give you a better feel for all of this.”

“Gabe was a part of this?”

Mike nodded. “He got the ball rolling. That last time he came back, after being shot in the head, I think he was already starting to really have trouble. Put us to work on this and began recruiting to help the change. Your aunt Lily, and your mom, as well as Max, all joined up rather fast. Though I think Gabe had gone to ground around the same time. Sam has been working here almost a decade.”

“And never thought to mention it…” Sei grumbled as he headed toward the shower. He was going to have words with that vampire asshole.

“We were trying to gain inside information,” Mike said. “Having some members within the organization made sense. Tanaka thought telling you would make you abandon the job before we were established enough to make the power shift.” Mike sighed. “Not all of us thought that it was a good idea to keep you in. But her attention has been on protecting the next generation.”

“Not me,” Sei said. Never him. He would have left. To be free of the guilt and monstrosities they’d forced him to be a part of for years? He sucked in a deep breath, not bothering to invite Mike in. Sei needed some time with his thoughts anyway. There was anger boiling, as well as the grief, and a healthy handful of self-pity. But he had a lot of questions that needed answers, and at least somewhere to start. Would they kick him out if he told them he had no plans to jump in with both feet and trust another organization with magic and political power? He was done being a pawn for anyone. Dominion, Arcane Fellowship, or whatever the fuck they wanted to call it.