Page 5

The Manor was actually three separate buildings centered around a massive fountain and large circular driveway. The entire compound was surrounded by a natural barrier of lush trees and vegetation, affording those who visited a feeling of privacy and exclusivity.

The main building was a towering six-story structure made of gray stone, glass, and steel. Over the years, it had been renovated and remodeled, but the foundation remained the same. Some might have called it a modern palace, but Killian had always thought it looked more like a luxurious fortress.

The interior of the building was more like an opulent hotel than an average club, with several lounges, a snack bar, a fine dining restaurant, and discreet staff who catered to the members’ every whim. There were also private suites that could be reserved by club members. The upper floors were supernatural-only areas that were heavily warded to keep humans away. That was where most of the employees lived, and there was plenty of space for any other supernaturals who might need sanctuary.

A full fitness center and spa were located to the right of the main building. Besides a state-of-the-art gym and relaxing spa, there was a large indoor pool, racquetball courts, and a full-sized basketball court. Behind the building was an outdoor pool that was only available during the warmer months, along with tennis courts, a golf course, an impressive garden, and a small orchard.

A nightclub was located in the large atrium to the left of the main structure with a domed ceiling. The interior of the building could be altered into a concert hall or a ballroom for special events. It was only open on the weekends, and even though it was located in the middle of nowhere, it always seemed to be packed.

Overall, The Manor was its own magical kingdom.

The short drive up to the entrance only took a few minutes, yet it was still enough time to alert the owner of their presence. Arson Altera was waiting for them outside the entrance with his hands braced on his hips, completely unconcerned by the falling rain. His long bronze hair had been pulled back in a messy bun, and his usually glowing gold eyes were dimmed to a more appropriate amber.

Wearing an old, faded T-shirt for a metal band that had been popular in the 80s that looked like it had been washed about a thousand times, jeans, and a pair of flip-flops, he looked more like a college student who had just rolled out of bed than a powerful dark angel and successful business owner. However, he was well known for being an eccentric soul so his attire wasn’t that surprising.

Arson had once been one of Lucifer’s most trusted generals, but now the dark angel spent his days in a more leisurely manner as the owner of the private club. As a member of the Guardians, he kept a close watch over the entire Pacific Northwest. He used his club to monitor the supernatural community within the area in addition to extracting valuable information from the patrons who visited the club.

Because Arson and his crew usually had everything under control, Killian hadn’t had to visit this particular location in quite a while. He secretly admired how well the dark angel had acclimated to living in the Human Realm. It took a lot of work to blend into the human community as seamlessly as he had. Arson even pretended to inherit the property from himself every few decades just to keep the locals from asking too many questions.

When the vehicle pulled in front of the entrance, Dario said, “ I’ll meet you inside after I park.”

Since he was a fanatic about their collection of vehicles, there was no way he would ever let a stranger drive one.

As the car rolled to a stop, Anika climbed out of the backseat and shot the eager valet who rushed forward an icy stare that made him freeze in place. Waving him away, she rounded the car and opened the door for Killian herself, standing like a sentry until he got out. It was amusing that they treated him as if he wasn’t capable of doing simple tasks like opening doors or driving himself around, but he allowed them to fuss over him without complaint.

Being the boss certainly had its perks.

Arson strode forward to meet them as Dario drove off toward the parking lot. In lieu of a proper greeting, he grumbled, “It must be really bad for you to drag your ass all the way out here. What the hell happened?”

As was his habit, Killian created a magical barrier around them so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. The invisible safeguard also shielded them from the rain. “I was hoping you could tell me. There was a significant magic surge in this area not too long ago. I want to know who or what caused it.”

Arson frowned as he led them toward the entrance. “I was wondering what that was. Something woke me from a sound sleep, but I couldn’t figure out what happened. Wait. Weren’t you in Italy? How the hell did you—never mind.” He chuckled as he shook his head. “Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to for a second. You reapers have all kinds of weird abilities I don’t know about.”

“Did anyone else sense anything?”

“I just started asking around before you arrived. So far, only the dark angels and a few of the more powerful demons on staff sensed something, but none of us could tell what it was or where it came from.”

“I’d like to speak to them.”

“Of course. I’ll arrange it.”

“Is Neely around?” Anika asked, cutting in. “I have a few fairy questions I want to ask her.”

“I just saw her a few minutes ago in the dining hall. I should warn you, she has been training some new kitchen staff, so she might be in a foul mood.”

“Noted.” She glanced back over at Killian, who gave a slight nod of permission for her to leave. “Would you like for me to arrange rooms for us?”

Killian would prefer to teleport home, but he didn’t want to leave until he figured out what had caused the influx of magic. “Might as well.”

She bowed her head before striding away.

“Do you want me to clear the club out?” Arson asked. “There are several humans currently on the premises.”

“There’s no point in interrupting your business until we know more.”

“Don’t worry about that. Not a lot of people are going to be venturing out in the rain today anyway. I’ll just have Celine spread the word that we are closing for a private event,” he said, mentioning the dark angel who had been his second-in-command since The Manor had opened. “It’s not often we have a dark god show up for a visit, so we might as well make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Let’s head up to my office, and I’ll arrange for the staff to come up and join us.”

As they strode through the private club, Killian took note of the people they passed. Everyone did their best to avoid glancing at him. He couldn’t blame them for that. He knew his presence made people uneasy, but that couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t personal. It was simply the power structure of the supernaturals. Even though he was concealing most of his powers since they were out in public, there was still no mistaking what he was.

Someone powerful enough that everyone naturally feared him.

Killian enjoyed leaning into his dark and mysterious reputation. In fact, he reveled in it. He found that people tended to be more honest when they were afraid. Even if they didn’t speak the truth, their body language could speak volumes. However, using fear wasn’t always the best option to get the information he required, especially when questioning the innocent. Because of that, he would allow Arson to do most of the talking.

They could have teleported directly to the office, but walking around the club was routine for Arson. Killian didn’t mind taking the long way. It gave him the chance to observe what had changed since his last visit to The Manor.

While the interior still had the aesthetics of an opulent private club, a lot of the décor had been updated, replacing some of the old-world elegance with a more modern style. The crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling looked like they belonged in an ancient cathedral, yet the art on the walls ranged from classic masterpieces to contemporary creations.

There was also a new fountain between the base of the double curved marble staircase that made it look like it was a wall of water that flowed into a long, narrow decorative pool lined with gemstone-colored tiles.

When they got to Arson’s office on the second floor, he didn’t bother turning on the overhead lights. Instead, he used magic to light a few candles and the large stone fireplace at the far end of the room. Arson preferred candlelight over harsher human light fixtures, and Killian was able to see perfectly in the dark so his eyes immediately adjusted to the dimmer light.

The office had been magically altered, making it a much larger room than it seemed from the hallway. Besides a large desk and towering bookshelves made of dark wood that lined the walls, there was a comfortable sitting area with brown leather chairs and a matching couch centered around the stone fireplace.

Killian used magic to remove his coat before he settled onto one of the leather chairs. He’d tried to send the cane back home as well but it refused to leave so he propped it against the side of his leg instead. The damn thing could be quite temperamental at times. That was the problem with possessing a magical artifact.

One could never be sure exactly who was in charge.

Arson carried a tray with a crystal decanter filled with dark liquid and two glasses over to the sitting area. He set the tray down on the table and poured them each a glass of amber liquid before taking his seat.

“I just opened a bottle of scotch from my private collection.” Arson smiled wryly. “I must have sensed you were coming for a visit.”

Killian took the offered glass and sipped. “Very nice. Did this bottle hit the century mark?”

“A couple, actually. I thought I would have to tweak it with magic, but it turned out to be fine on its own.” Arson took a long swallow before saying, “Should I tell Celine to start sending people up?”

“Anika and Dario are questioning the kitchen staff,” Killian stated, relaying what his friends had already conveyed to him. “So, we just need to speak to the others.”

“Any idea what that surge of magic could be?”

He hesitated briefly before admitting, “I’m worried that it was either a powerful supernatural using some serious magic or a new god was created. If either of those predictions are accurate, it could be extremely dangerous for the humans.”

Arson’s eyes narrowed. “A new god? I thought the only way for that to happen was to go through the Merit of Godhood Trials in the Celestial Realm, or be burned to a crisp in the Black Fire Mountain in the Hell Realm.”

“Occasionally fate chooses some poor soul to give god powers to, and it doesn’t always go well for the recipient or the people around them since this type of shit doesn’t exactly come with instructions.”

“Why the hell haven’t I heard of this happening before?”

Killian sighed. “Because people’s memories are usually wiped to keep this information contained.”

Arson’s expression darkened. “That’s fucked up.”

“Take it up with the magical source.”

When a knock sounded on the door, Arson called out for them to, “Enter.”

A demon slowly pushed the door open just enough to stick his head in. He obviously didn’t want to get any closer to Killian than was absolutely necessary, not that he could blame him.

“Umm, Arson? I’m really sorry to bother you, but there is a girl here who is demanding to speak to you.”

“What girl?” Arson’s eyes widened in alarm. “Is it my girl?”

Killian’s brow lifted. “You have a girl?”

The dark angel looked strangely uncomfortable. “Not exactly…yet.”

That was intriguing.

“Don’t worry, it’s not your girl,” the demon assured quickly.

Arson cleared his throat, looking relieved. “Who is it, then?”

“She, ah, she said her name is Seneca Lee. Says you know her.”

Arson frowned. “I do. So do you. She’s one of the authors of your favorite graphic novels.”

The demon forgot his fear long enough to grin. “Holy shit! Really? It’s that Seneca Lee? I can’t believe you know—”

“You can fanboy later.” Arson waved his hand impatiently to cut him off. “What does she want?”

“I don’t know, but she says it’s urgent. Like life-or-death urgent.”

When Arson started to rise out of his seat, Killian shot him a glance that had him settling back down in his chair. The cane was vibrating against his leg, and the crystal skull was pulsing with light as if it were excited. He couldn’t deny that he felt his own sense of anticipation stirring as well.

“Bring her up here.”

Arson cringed a little at the demand before he could mask his response. “Umm, really? I could just go down and…okay, fine. Just…try not to scare her to death, would you? She’s a good kid, and if she’s coming here to talk to me, she must be in serious trouble.”

Killian’s lips twitched in amusement. “I’m quite fond of dealing with trouble. And life-or-death situations happen to be my specialty.”