"Stop doing that," I whisper breathlessly.
He smirks, and then his arms wrap around my waist, making me feel the edge of regret before we're suddenly blurring out of the room, everything passing me too quickly. I feel dizzy, sick, and oh… damn… I'm…
Chapter Twelve
My eyes are too heavy to open at first, but a distant dripping sound leaves me with the taste of dread, forcing me to summon the strength to wake.
I gasp for air as I surge forth, and I look around, surprised by my surroundings. I expected a dank, dark dungeon, but this is a beautiful room with one flaw - a leaky faucet in the gloriously gold bathroom adjacent to me.
The sleek, white walls are lined with gold satin fabric along the edges. The sheer gold curtains flow in the wind from the balcony doors that have been left open, offering an airy, sensual feel.
Where the hell am I?
"Hey," a soft voice from behind prompts, and I whip my head around to meet his eyes.
It's him. The dark user I so foolishly trusted.
"Where-"
"You're in the council's ward. It's a castle veiled from the mortal world. You okay?"
I grip my head that seems to still want to spin, but other than that, I feel fine.
"Yeah. Why did I-"
"I was worried your conscious state couldn't handle the vaporized pace for the distance I had to carry you, so I rendered you unconscious instead. Sorry, but it was the best way to keep you from dying during the intense travel. This is one of our healing rooms. The council wants to speak to you now."
I swallow hard, suddenly feeling like a lamb spread across a sacrificial altar.
"The Dark Council?" I barely break out in a whisper.
"Yes," he chuckles out. "The Dark Council," he continues, a melodramatic tone carrying out a mock eerie delivery.
"This isn't funny. I'm light. This is suicide."
"Chill out. I wouldn't have brought you if I felt you were in any danger. As I told you before, this is simply a declaration of innocence."
"Fine. Where do I need to go?"
He takes my hand in his, and I follow him, my legs still wobbly. He steadies me by wrapping his arm around my waist, and I ignore his dark beauty as we step through the threshold together.
"You ever going to tell me your name, or should I stick with Mr. Dangerous?"
"Mr. Dangerous?" he asks with amusement. "This coming from a girl bunking with changers and night stalkers?"
Rolling my eyes, I murmur, "I don't mingle with the night stalkers… ever. They creep me out even worse than your kind."
"Ouch," he says teasingly. "And here I was thinking we were starting to get along."
"Your name?" I grumble.
"Fine, but don't mention me to your father, please."
"I don't speak to him… ever."
He seems to relax, making it obvious my father really does scare the hell out of him. Of course, Drackus scares the hell out of everyone… including me.
"It's Gage. For now, that's all you need to know. When you go before the council, they're going to expect you to make eye contact. Otherwise it'll seem as though you're being dishonest."