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His eyes lifted to mine and he cleared his throat. “Nothing. I just haven’t ever seen you in a dress before.”
“Doesn’t she look great?” Maisie said.
A smile lifted the corner of Adam’s lips. He nodded in response to Maisie but kept his eyes on mine. “Amazing.”
I took a moment to look him up and down, too. He wore a shorter version of the chiton Maisie and I both wore. His was black with a golden thunderbolt embroidered over his heart. The chiton’s design showed off his golden skin and well-muscled arms and legs. Never had a dress looked so utterly masculine, and I had a sudden urge to know what he was wearing underneath that skirt.
A tingle of sexual awareness had me shifting uncomfortably. But the question of Adam’s undergarments made me realize something else—I wasn’t wearing anything under my own chiton. “Hey, where are my weapons?”
Maisie shrugged. “They’re with your other clothes.”
“Mundane weapons aren’t allowed at rituals,” Adam said.
I sent him a pitying look. “You’re funny.” With hands on hips, I turned to Maisie. “Give them back.”
Maisie raised her hands in a diplomatic gesture. “You’re going to be surrounded by family, Sabina. No one is going to attack you.”
“She’s right, Red,” Adam said quietly.
“Need I remind you that my own grandmother staked me less than a week ago? No offense, but I’m having trouble feeling safe among family right now.”
Adam sighed deep from within his chest. “Honestly, Sabina? Even if you had a weapon, you wouldn’t stand a chance. Most of the mages waiting in that room could disarm you with a passing thought.”
“Oh, that makes me feel tons better. Thanks.”
Maisie came forward and put a hand on my arm. “Sabina, I know this is difficult for you. But I swear on the grave of our father that no one will harm you here.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Adam caught my attention. With his eyes, he pleaded with me to drop it. I glanced at Maisie, who looked anxious. With a deep sigh, I nodded. I might not have known Maisie well enough to trust her yet, but I trusted Adam. “Fine, but I’ll expect them back the minute this is done.”
Maisie looked relieved and grabbed my hand. A tingle passed between our palms. Her expression went all serious. “I know you’ve sacrificed a lot to come here. But never doubt you made the right decision. This is where you belong.”
That remained to be seen, but even I wasn’t rude enough to rebuff Maisie’s obvious sincerity. Not knowing what to say, I simply nodded.
A bright smile lifted her lips. “Good. Now that that’s settled, you ready to go meet the Hekate Council?”
I let my breath out in a rush. I wasn’t ready for any of this, but that never stopped me before. “Can’t wait,” I lied.
3
Getting to the council chambers required another elevator ride. When the doors opened in the basement of the building, I caught my breath. Instead of the stately meeting room I’d been expecting, the space looked like someone had dropped a hippie commune in the middle of the Senate. The place reeked of sandalwood and patchouli.
The elevator opened at the top of the room. Below, steps led down between row after row of coliseum seating. The seats were covered in colorful cushions, spread about like confetti. And standing among the rows were hundreds of mages dressed in chitons of every color imaginable.
At the bottom of the stairs, an open area that looked like the stage held a long table covered in colorful scarves. Behind it, five mages dressed in white chitons stood and watched our approach. It appeared that the white chitons were reserved only for members of the council, since I didn’t see any among the crowd. I only recognized one of the members. After our disastrous mission at the Dominae’s vineyards, Orpheus had arrived to help bring the bodies of the dead mages home. We’d only talked for a moment then, but he seemed nice enough.
After a moment of silence—the kind that usually follows a record scratching to a stop—the whispers and pointing began.
“That’s her!”
“She’s here!”
“Praise Hekate for bringing her home!”
Adam grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Then he and Maisie exited the elevator, leaving me to walk out alone. The mages on either side of the steps watched in awe as I made my way down. Some even reached out to touch me as I passed.
I tried to ignore all this because, frankly, it was freaking me out. They were acting like I was some sort of royalty or something.
Orpheus came around the table and met us at the base of the steps. He took both my hands in his.
“Welcome, Sabina. As you can see, we’re all thrilled you agreed to come.”
I didn’t mention that I hadn’t had much choice. Instead, I forced a smile. “Thank you.”
He then turned me toward the crowd and stepped in behind me. “May I present Sabina Kane, daughter of the hero Tristan Graecus and sister of Maisie Graecus, High Priestess of the Chaste Moon and the Oracle of New York.”
Maisie came forward and raised her voice to be heard. “Welcome home, sister. After decades of being subjected to the evils of the Dominae, you may finally take your place among your true family.”
Behind us, the audience broke out into another round of applause.
“The Hekate Council would like to thank you for assisting us in finding our loved ones who were taken by the Dominae,” Maisie continued. “Without you, we might never have known their fate. You took a stand against our enemies despite great personal cost to yourself. With your support and knowledge, we will finally defeat our enemies.”
Another furious round of clapping. I kept my eyes on Maisie. Her praise made me feel itchy.
“In light of all this and more, the ancient and venerable Hekate Council has created the Sacred Order of the Blood Moon to honor you.”
My heart stopped. I’d never expected to be honored. I looked at Adam, who winked at me and smiled. I watched in shock as Orpheus came forward and handed some sort of necklace to Maisie. She turned to me and held the gold chain over my head.
“We, the ancient and benevolent Hekate Council, hereby dub thee Sabina Kane, High Priestess of the Blood Moon. May you use your exalted position to protect and serve the mage race.”
She lowered the necklace around my neck. The gold chain felt cool against my skin. “Behold, all assembled, Sabina Kane is now under the protection of the Hekate Council. Any enemy of hers shall be enemy to us all.”
