Six
Emilio
“The city of Blackmoon Bay has fallen under fae control,” Jael said.
That was it. No small talk, no preamble. The Seelie Prince simply stepped into my sister’s foyer, bringing in a gust of chilly air, and detonated the bomb.
“Explain,” I said, holstering my weapon. Elena followed suit, but like me, she didn’t take her eyes off him.
“The fae have taken the city,” he said grimly, “though I’m loathe to call those monsters fae. Darkwinter are no kin of mine, I assure you.”
At the mention of the brutal fae bloodline, a panicky buzz filled my chest, but there was no time to indulge it.
“I’ve been in touch with my guys at BBPD all night,” I said. “No one mentioned anything about a hostage situation, especially not at the hands of Darkwinter.”
“They are unaware of the circumstances.” Jael lowered his eyes, almost as if he were ashamed. “Say what you will about my people, detectives, but the fae are quite subtle. No one in the Bay feels like a hostage. They are willing participants in this, thanks to the magic.Thatis the kind of power we’re dealing with here.”
“That’s not power,” I said. “That’s manipulation. It’s coercion. And it’s against the laws of humankind as well as our own. I assume you’ve informed the Council?”
He met my eyes again, the shame replaced by a look of utter defeat.
The reality of the situation sunk like a stone in my gut.
The Council didn’t need Jael to inform them.
“They already knew,” I said.
Elena and I exchanged horrified glances. Our so-called conspiracy theories were suddenly getting a lot less theoretical.
“Talia was in the Cape tonight,” I told him. “It’s my belief that Darkwinter is partnering with hunters to eradicate witches in the Bay and possibly elsewhere, and I wanted the Council’s help.”
“Did she offer it?” he asked.
“Oh sure, Jael. Right along with a plate of cookies and a glass of warm milk.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, breathing deep. Jael was probably the only fae ally we had left—I needed to cool it.
In a much calmer tone, I said, “Turns out she already knew about the Darkwinter-hunter connection. Looks like she just wanted to find out how muchIknew. How much danger I would pose to her grand plans.”
“Yes,” Jael said. “She knew about Darkwinter and the hunters. It’s my understanding Talia is the one who brought the parties together initially.”
It made sense. Talia had always stricken me as a climber. She’d probably been in league with Darkwinter for years, keeping them on speed-dial, just waiting for a chance to make her big move with the Council. Her earlier tirade about the witches echoed in my mind, each word taking on new meaning.
The witches are a problem that should’ve been dealt with long ago…
The Council has not been as involved as we should’ve been. That is changing…
We must find a way to make the distribution of power more equitable…
“Now she’s convinced the rest of the Council thatyou’rethe threat,” Jael continued. “She insisted Blackmoon Bay needs ongoing protection from you and your associates. They agreed. Late last night, she called in her hand-picked Darkwinter Knights to secure the city.”
Late last night? So, after my frantic phone call, but before tonight’s meeting.
She’d played me, of course. And I’d fallen right into her trap.
“The same Darkwinter Knights,” I said, “who’ve teamed up with hunters to build an army of supernatural freaks and biological weapons with the power to kill and enslave entire races of beings.”
I gave him the quick-and-dirty rundown on the situation in Raven’s Cape and the prison we were still trying to locate, doing my best to protect Gray’s privacy. Jael might’ve shown up here with helpful intel, but that didn’t make us partners. I didn’t yet know if I could trust him, and it wasn’t my place to share details about Gray’s magic or her current predicament.
“That does sound like Darkwinter,” Jael confirmed. “They’ve had their eye on hybrid technologies and genetic manipulation for some time, though I had no idea they’d already had some successes.”
