The Elite was the most powerful wizard in our region. He served on the Regional Committee of Magic, and frequently communicated with the Wizard Council—although he was officially banned from taking part in local politics as a check to his power, which is why he had been unable to help me.
He was a clean-cut man with a well-groomed goatee and silvery hair that he slicked back. Both his appearance and his clothes—navy blue slacks and a black sweater vest—gave him a sort of kind, professor-ish appearance, but really he had the mind of a steel trap and was as sharp as they come, even though he was kind, too.
“I thought I could catch you in here about now. Care to join me for a cup of coffee in my office?” the Elite asked.
I glanced at Great Aunt Marraine, who dipped her head to me. “Go ahead, Adept. I’ll take care of everything here.”
“Thank you.” I gave her a quick side hug, barely escaping when she reached for my ear.
She—and probably every staff member present—was likely wondering how I came to be on speaking terms with the Elite.
Granted, I had spoken to him a lot after I got House Medeis back as I tried to unravel everything Mason had done. But that investigation had closed a month ago.
I waited until we were in the hallway—the door closed behind us—before I made my guess. “You have something you want to ask me about Killian Drake, don’t you?” I wryly asked.
Elite Bellus smiled at me. “No, of course not! Well, perhaps indirectly.”
When I stared at him he winked and beckoned me down the hallway.
To illustrate his separation from the Wizard Council, Elite Bellus had his own private offices with a much smaller staff—a secretary, two guards, and at least one aide were always floating through the front rooms.
When we entered, Elite Bellus took a tray that held two steaming mugs of coffee from his secretary, then led the way through a maze of desks and tables to his office.
Elite Bellus’s office had a big window with a spectacular view of the lake that elbowed its way through Magiford. The water was dark, but still beautiful as the last of the red, yellow, and orange leaves fell off tall trees.
I plopped down in the overstuffed, plaid chair positioned in front of his massive desk—which was barely visible thanks to the stacks and stacks of paperwork he had scattered around the room.
“Still bearding the Wizard’s Council, are you?” Elite Bellus offered me a tiny pitcher of cream.
“I’m not going to let them relax until they get an inheritance law on the table for discussion.”
“And the more they resist?”
I grinned. “The more paperwork they’re going to find waiting on their desks. So far we’ve only been lodging complaints about Mason. We can still register complaints on all the Houses that actively worked against me.”
Elite Bellus laughed heartily. “I like your style. It’s legal, but you’re going to push until you force their hand—or drive them insane. Well done.”
“Thank you. So. What did you want to discuss?”
Elite Bellus took a sip of his coffee, then slapped a folded piece of paper on top of the stack of folders closest to me. “I’d like to invite you to this.”
I set my coffee aside and picked up the paper, unfolding it so I could see it was an invitation to an event. “A meeting?” I asked, reading the top line.
“Yes. A mixed group of magical races is giving a small presentation. Everyone from the Regional Committee will be there, and we were each allotted a number of extra invitations to give to the movers and shakers of our community. I’m choosing House Medeis as one of my invitees.” Elite Bellus smoothed his goatee and offered me a sweet smile.
I glanced back at the invitation. “What’s the presentation about?”
“An inter-species police force and local government. The group is from South Dakota, where magical races of any sort have had to pool resources to survive. They claim it has helped reduce fights, increase morale, their community has grown as a result—all the usual claims.” He waved his hand, dismissing the achievement.
“You don’t believe that it’s beneficial?”
“Quite the contrary,” Elite Bellus said. “I believe it’s very beneficial—for those who can manage it. But every place I’ve seen it work has been small and overwhelmed. Everyone was forced together out of sheer necessity. It won’t work here in the Midwest—or the majority of regions—because we don’t have those outside forces at work. It’s just a pretty dream for us. But Pre-Dominant Harka made some noise about it and insisted we fly them out to speak to us when she heard about them.”
I stared at the invitation, trying to piece everything together. Why was he inviting me if he didn’t think the talk would be useful? I mentally reviewed his description of the meeting, then sighed. “You want me to come because Killian is going to be there.”
Elite Bellus gave me two thumbs up. “That’s how your House was able to fly up the ranking charts—you’re sharp!”
“What can you possibly gain by dragging me there?” I asked. “I already told you we didn’t part on good terms.”
Actually, we’d parted on terrible terms. Killian—being manipulative and untrusting—decided the best way to protect me from his Family’s war with the fae Night Court was to unceremoniously kick me out. I figured out what he was doing, but it didn’t matter. I didn’t put up with being treated like that—even if it was because he was doing it for my good. Especially because he thought he was doing it for my good.
Killian had the habit of being a manipulative jerk, and I wasn’t going to let him yank me around on a chain and make all my life decisions for me. Ever since I got House Medeis back I’d seen a vampire lingering on my street at least once every other day, and whenever possible I chased them off. I didn’t want Killian Drake finding anything out about me.
“Even if you’re mad at him, the fact is Killian Drake took you under his protection. Though it was a short amount of time, he doesn’t extend his protection to just anyone—I’ve seen him watch vampires get arrested in front of him, and he doesn’t even twitch. Somewhere in there, he cares for you. The way he paraded you around the Summer’s End Ball is proof—he wouldn’t lightly introduce you to society in such a way if he didn’t intend to keep the connection.”
I folded one leg over the other and wiggled my foot. “That’s unexpectedly romantic of you, Elite Bellus.”
“Hardly—I’m too logical to afford myself romantic nonsense where Killian Drake is concerned,” he dryly said.
“But you still haven’t said what you hope to achieve.”
“Ah, yes.” He brandished a finger in the air. “Given the topic, I suspect seeing you might throw him for a loop.”
“And you want him thrown for a loop?”
“Indeed.” Elite Bellus leaned back in his chair and picked up his coffee, taking a slow sip. “He’s been an absolute bear since you left. If he goes to that meeting, he’s going to reject everything they say for the sheer principle of it.”
“Why would that matter?” I asked. “You just said you didn’t think anything they talked about would work here.”