Chapter
5
Kent
Four days later…
Fuck, but I hate wearing these stuffy-ass suits. Almost as much as I hate my first name.
Kent’s brown hair was slicked back. He was wearing a black, three-piece suit, with a white shirt, and a blood-red tie. He looked like the typical upper crust citizen, except for the five o’clock shadow on his jaw. If his mother saw him right now, he would get a disapproving glare for not shaving. Of course that was because his mother thought she was better than the Queen of England. Perhaps in the social circles of demons she was. To the everyday human, she was just a rich, old bitty who liked to think she was upper crust, always reminding him of their family lineage and why that made them practically royalty in her eyes.
His family, the Kents, was one of the oldest surviving demonic lines still in existence. His father’s side could be traced all the way back to the first generation born from a human’s rape of an escaped true hell-bound actual demon when the Romans practically ruled the known world. If that wasn’t ostentatious enough, it got worse.
Kent’s father was a third generation first son. In other words, Kent’s great-grandfather was the original born during Roman times. Demonic bloodlines were “muddied” the more they reproduced, and Kent’s line had been one of the few to do it sparingly, meaning their powers were stronger than your average demon.
Pair that with a mating of convenience for producing more genetically powerful offspring, and it had ensured the Kents stayed one of the most powerful. Hence why their family sitting on the council was so fucking important. What was power worth if you didn’t yield it? his mother liked to say.
Now, here he was, at a place he had avoided for years, about to ruin his fucking life.
Looking over at the Ninth Circle Council’s building he had just parked in front of, Kent couldn’t help thinking of the reason he was in this mess.
Chloe Demos.
The Amazon truly had no idea what she had asked of him, but it was too late now, because Kent had agreed to the terms of his marker. Now he was moments away from destroying his carefree lifestyle, which was probably why he was still sitting in his car.
There was a time when Kent thought losing the bet would put him on the winning side with the Amazon. Now, he wasn’t so sure the woman realized that neither of them would be winning. Taking on his family seat was a literal hell. Taking on Lulu’s case was a hell he wasn’t sure his Amazon had yet realized she was going into.
Staring at the non-descript brick building, Kent thought of what he was about to submit himself to. The Ninth Circle Council was the judge, jury, and executioner to demon society. They enforced all the laws and relegated the earth-bound demon realm so that humans would never catch on to their existence.
Somehow, that nosy Amazon Chloe had learned of Kent’s family place on the council and how Kent had not filled his father’s spot since the demon had died twenty years ago. How she had found out, he didn’t know, but the damage was done. Her words on the phone call he had received from her an hour ago had been simple and to the point.
“I need you to claim your family’s seat and sway the demon council to give Lulu Ivanov, Gage Ivanov’s sister, a fair trial on the murder charges they’ve brought against her for supposedly murdering her former demon lover.”
Kent had been momentarily stunned that she had known about his family’s council seat at all since that was a closely held secret.
The Amazon had been poised to fuck up all the space he had put between himself and his family, and what had been his response?
“No. You’re smoking crack, woman. I won’t go within a thousand feet of that council.”
Did he deny everything like a crafty demon should? Nope.
If that wasn’t bad enough, then he had to go and fuck it up even further between himself and the woman who was quickly becoming his obsession.
“How the hell do you know about it, anyway?”
“A lady never tells her secrets.”
Kent snorted. “And you’re no fucking lady.”
The moment those words had been spoken, Kent had wished he could take them back, even if they were true. Chloe Demos wasn’t a lady. She was a fucking warrior. He knew that now. She might fight her battles in stilettos and with the use of devious cunning, but she was an Amazonian warrior, nonetheless. Which was why, here he was, about to do something he swore he would never do, to save a tigress he only knew by association.
Kent sure as fuck hoped Gage Ivanov appreciated this shit.
He would rather be back on that plane in Germany, protecting their little group’s method of escape and hoping for some sort of action while the others raided the Corvus pack’s compound than going into this hellhole. Kent had thought protecting the plane had been boring as fuck? That had been nothing compared to what he was about to subject himself to. Hell, he would rather go back and storm the Corvus compound all by himself than do this. Nevertheless, he was a demon of his word, so he was going to honor the marker.
Getting out of his car, he walked with steady purpose to the secret doors on the side of the building that were shielded by magic from human eyes. Saying the password made them unlock for him, and he stepped inside to be met by the council’s man servant, Niles.
“Good afternoon, Niles. I believe there are two visitors here waiting for me.”
The other man bowed in his starched stiff suit, waving his hand toward the entranceway into the other room. “Yes, sir. If you will step through the door, you will find them waiting outside the council’s chamber doors.”
Kent strolled into the waiting room with a determined stride and stopped in front of a curious Gage. Chloe’s sister Elena sat next to him with a blank look on her face as she studied him.
Kent had learned a lot from being raised in his blue-blood, political, backstabbing family, and one of those things was how to recognize a dangerous predator.
And he wasn’t talking about the tiger.
Sure, Gage Ivanov was a deadly man, one of the deadliest from the whispers of gossip Kent had heard via his contacts. But Gage’s mate concerned him more. She was a thinker. Kent could see it in her eyes.
While Elena might not have her mate’s brawn strength or shifter speed, Kent would bet a shit-ton of money that the woman could probably out-plot, out-think, and if given the chance, out-maneuver any adversary. Maybe it had something to do with her Amazon genetics, Kent couldn’t be sure, but it did make him wonder just how much Elena was like Chloe.
The woman sure as hell had out-maneuvered his ass into a hell of a spot today. If she only knew what she was about to do to him, maybe she would have changed her request.
Still, that didn’t mean it was over between him and Chloe. Far from it, if Kent had anything to say about it.
There was something about the woman that kept her on Kent’s mind from the time he woke up until the time he went to bed, and it was driving him crazy. And he was bound and determined to figure out why as soon as he did what he had to do to help Lulu Ivanov today.
Silently sighing, Kent decided it was time to get this circus on the road.
Looking at Gage, he said, “I hear they’re avoiding you two.”
The tiger squinted his eyes in suspicion. “What kind of games are they playing here, demon? You should go in there and warn them not to fuck with my family. I’ll start ripping spines out and tearing heads off if they keep this shit up.”
Kent shrugged. “You’ve been around long enough to know the Ninth Circle is and will always be up to something. I hear you have evidence that casts doubt on the charges against your sister.”
Gage held up a manila envelope between them.
Holding his hand out, Kent asked, “May I?”
The other man handed the envelope over reluctantly, then watched closely as Kent opened the flap and pulled pictures out.
Schooling his features, Kent flipped through the photos and examined them one by one. They were of a couple embracing and kissing outside of a hotel. From the information Chloe had given him, the woman in the pictures had been the dead demon’s mate and the male was her shifter lover.
Kent didn’t take long before he stopped analyzing them and looked back at Gage with a new, somewhat resigned look on his face.
“For whatever reason, Councilman Holden is gunning for your sister as his brother’s killer. You’re going to need someone with some serious power to go in there to vouch for you and these pictures.”
“Well, where the hell do we get this person, Kent?” Gage snarled in anger.
“You’re looking at him, you bad tempered bastard. Follow me and keep your mouth shut.”
Not waiting to see if they would respond to the vague bomb he had just dropped, Kent spun on his heel and started walking at a fast clip toward the large, closed, heavy wooden doors that separated them from the council.
Elena’s panicked voice called out as he extended his hand toward the knob, “Don’t touch—”
The rest of her warning came to a screeching halt as Kent grabbed the knob, turned it, and flung the door open so it swung wide and banged loudly against the wall behind it.
Poor woman must have thought he would be subjected to the death spell that had been applied to the doorknob to keep everyone else out. That was because she didn’t know that Kent was a legacy and in line to take his father’s council seat. Only council members or legacies, which were demons who had been invited to join the council, could open them without suffering the pain of death via a nasty spell cast by an extremely talented witch.
The voices that had been obviously arguing among the inhabitants seconds before were silenced at his dramatic entrance.
Stepping into the room, Kent could hear Elena and Gage following until they stood directly behind him in the middle of the floor with two long, polished wooden tables on either side of them. Both tables were full of councilors, all of whom he knew by name. However, the table on the left seemed to be short one member since there was an empty seat.
The room was dimly lit, shadows filling the corners and edges, casting a sense of mystery and caution. The back wall was painted from top to bottom with a mural that depicted demons in a battle against each other that took place hundreds of years ago. Some of Kent’s ancestors were in that painting. It was another stark reminder of how long his family had been playing this political game.
The very one Kent had avoided until now.
Let the games begin.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the Ninth Circle Council, I could be polite and say it’s a pleasure to see all of you, but I’d rather not waste time with lies.” Waving the pictures up in front of him, he continued, “It’s been brought to my attention that Councilman Holden has pressed charges against this feline-shifter, Lulu Ivanov, for the murder of his brother, Andrew. As per the laws this council laid down over a thousand years ago, charges can be placed on hold pending a thorough investigation if acceptable evidence of reasonable doubt is presented in favor of the accused. I hold such evidence.”
Murmurs flew wildly on both sides of the room, ones that were immediately overwhelmed by the belligerent voice of Holden, who stood up from his chair at the end of one of the tables and pointed at Kent.
“You have no right to be here and presenting evidence. You’ve neglected to assume your family’s ancestral council seat.”
A few of the demons agreed with the Holden’s objection, while others argued loudly against him.
When Kent held up his hands, the room quieted once again.
“The lot of you have worked long and hard to get me to either ascend to my family’s seat or appoint another to take it. You’re right; I’ve avoided making that decision for quite some time. But the fact is, the seat is still mine if I choose to claim it, which means I still have every right to come in here and present whatever evidence or argument I want to until the time comes that I have relinquished my seat to someone else.
“These pictures show your dead brother’s wife with her lover, whom Lulu Ivanov is claiming is the real killer. Will you look at them, Councilman Holden, and consider the evidence?”
“I refuse to consider any evidence from a man who has spit on his obligations to his family and this council. You should leave now and take the trash you brought in with you.”
He heard the tiger growl behind him then take a step forward as if he might do or say something in retaliation. Kent couldn’t let him do that. An act of aggression in this room was punishable by a death sentence, something he was sure the tiger had no clue of. Therefore, he held a hand up to stop Gage.
Keeping his focus on the councilman in front of him, he clarified out loud what he already knew in his heart to be true. “You won’t consider the evidence I vouch for because I’ve yet to make a decision on my seat?”
“What’s your word worth?” Holden spat at him viciously. “You have no honor.”
Kent snorted then looked from Holden to the other side of the room where the vacant seat sat. “If that’s how you want to play it, then you can enjoy the repercussions of pushing me too far.”
Kent left Gage and Elena in the middle of the floor as he walked to the empty seat. Meanwhile, the whole room as a whole held their breath in anticipation of what he would do.
Placing the pictures on the table, Kent then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. Flicking it open, he circled the enormous, ornate chair until he stood behind it. Then he held his hands up for all to see.
In one hand, he grasped the knife. In the other, he held his palm open wide in front of it.
“Upon my duty as one of the descendants of the Nine Circles of Hell, I assume my family’s seat and the responsibilities of such on this council.” Slicing his palm open along what palm readers would call his lifeline, Kent watched for a second as the blood flowed freely down his hand before he grabbed the middle of the top of his chair with his bloody hand.
Kent watched as Elena’s jaw dropped open. She seemed to gawk in fascination as Kent’s blood soaked into the chair instead of dripping down. Kent knew it was because the chair was absorbing it, taking in his essence.
From this point, until the time of Kent’s passing, no one would be able to sit in this chair but him. If they did, wooden thorns with poison would sprout out of the chair and attack the person trying.
When Kent lifted his hand back up and showed it to the room as proof that the magical chair had accepted his right of claim, the blood was gone and his hand had healed, something Kent had never had any doubt of.
In a clear, controlled, but booming voice, Kent said, “And my first act as councilor is to submit this evidence and order an immediate reprieve in charges against the accused, Lulu Ivanov, pending a thorough and honest investigation.”
The room erupted in chaos.
When Kent looked at Gage and Elena, he found them smiling at each other in victory. There was no victory to be had yet, though. Gage and Elena had no idea how conniving this council could be.
Kent feared for their safety. He would have to say something to Chloe about making sure the two stayed vigilant from here on out.
And while he was talking to the Amazon, there were a few other things he had in mind that he wanted to say. Like, “Damn you, woman, for ruining my life.” But if he was smart, he would go with the other thing on his mind, “Kiss me, you crazy woman.”