Into Darkness

35

Next came Christian, still tall and handsome as he’d always been at close to sixty, with his wife, Ember, a shyly smiling, petite brunette. Lu stared at the woman, astonished to find a human in this place.

She wasn’t the only one.

Jacqueline, known as Jack, came next. Her red hair was as fiery as her personality, befitting the woman who’d founded the Dissenter movement. Once a famous reporter in the disbanded United States, she now headed the small but ferocious group of humans dedicated to overthrowing the IF’s rule and living peacefully with the Ikati, otherwise known as Aberrants.

Jack’s husband was the very nonhuman Hawk. Former Alpha of the Manaus colony that had been destroyed in Brazil—ground zero of the Flash—his mixed feelings for Lumina were clear as he stepped forward with a glower. Dark-haired and brawny, he was close in age to both Christian and his half brother Xander. Like the other two males, he still had all the potency and magnetism of his youth.

“My Lady,” he said curtly. He stepped back, lips thinned. Lu shot Magnus a worried glance, but he just nodded and continued with the introductions.

Demetrius and Eliana were next. Originally from the Roman colony that had been abandoned after the Flash due to security concerns, they were the most feral of the group. Both of them were clad in their usual black leather ensembles, complete with trench coats and matching guns strapped to their thighs and waists. At over six and a half feet, Demetrius stood the tallest of all the males, his shaved head, brow piercings, and neck tattoos lending him a sinister air, but only when he wasn’t looking at his wife. Lithe and porcelain-skinned, with choppy black hair dyed mostly blue, Eliana was adored by her warrior husband, and it showed in his every glance.

“Salutem, domina,” Eliana murmured. Lumina started, and Magnus caught her eye.

“I didn’t know I spoke Latin, too,” she said under her breath.

Too?

A fine sheen of frost began to form on the walls, blossoming with a crackling whisper as the temperature in the cave simultaneously dropped. Magnus turned just in time to see Honor glide silently into the room.

“You weren’t going to start without me, were you?”

Though he knew she was teasing—because Honor never cared to attend an Assembly meeting—not a hint of a smile touched her lips or eyes. Which, Magnus reasoned, was a good sign. If Honor smiled it would be such a momentous occasion the Earth’s axis might shift, disrupting gravity and launching them all into outer space.

A frozen heart was the only thing the two of them had in common.

“Thank you for coming,” he said, inclining his head. Surprisingly, he wasn’t being ironic; he actually was thankful she’d come. He hoped Honor and her sister might eventually grow close. Lord knew Honor could use some thawing, and Lumina . . .

He glanced back at her, concerned. She was trying valiantly to cover it, but he sensed how much it cost her to stand here, acting normal. Maybe if she and Honor spent some time together, got to know one another—

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Honor said, staring hard at Lumina. While everyone else tensed, the twins sized each other up in hostile silence.

Okay, maybe “grow close” was overreaching. Maybe “not murder each other” was a better goal.

Magnus gestured to the large round table surrounded by chairs on the opposite side of the cave. “Let’s sit.”

Honor said, “Dear sister and I have a few things to work out first.” She looked around, her frosty gaze sliding over the gathering. “Everybody might want to clear out for a bit, until we come to an understanding.”

Without even looking at Lumina, he felt her bristle. The air temperature spiked; the candles in iron braziers along the walls flared up with a hiss.

Shit. Can anyone say “disaster of epic proportion”? He stepped between the two women, eliciting a low growl of displeasure from Honor.

“Move, Seeker,” she said, deadly soft. “Or I’ll make you move.”

“I’m the Alpha of this colony, Honor.” He controlled his tone, though all he wanted to do was wring her neck. Not that he’d survive the attempt. Not that he cared. “I’m responsible for the safety of everyone here. And you know I can’t guarantee anyone’s safety if you get upset.”

Her eyes were the permafrost of ancient tundra, where ice never thawed and life refused to grow. By her sides, her hands flexed open, fingers twitching as if they longed to wrap around his neck. “Yes, you’re the Alpha. Congratulations on being the proud owner of a dick.”

Her voice dripped acid contempt. The answering growl that rumbled through his chest was pure reflex; he really despised it when Honor went all man-hater on him.

With a sneer, she added, “And I’m not upset. Not yet. But if you don’t get out of the way in the next five seconds, I will be. And we all know what happens then.”

They stared at one another, seething, until a soft voice broke their stalemate.

“You know what I hate more than anything in the world?” Lumina stepped out from behind him. She faced Honor with her shoulders back, grim determination on her face. Magnus felt a rush of admiration for her, which was quickly swallowed by panic. She had no idea what she was doing—and Honor had had a lifetime to practice her Gifts.

Her extremely deadly Gifts.

“Bullies,” Lu finished quietly, staring Honor down. “And that’s exactly what you are, isn’t it? You’re nothing but a big fat bully.”