That was a common sentiment among mage shifters, especially those who preferred the larger animals. Like dragons—Sera looked at Kai, then her gaze shifted to Ares—or tigers.

“You shift into a tiger,” she told him.

Ares nodded his head slowly, a smile curving his lips. “You’re good. But it’s not just tigers. I’ve managed all of the big cats.”

“So that makes you one of the most powerful mage shifters in the world,” she said.

Ares winked at her.

“Flirting with Sera will not convince me of your trustworthiness,” Kai declared. “Tell me what Alden is up to.”

Ares grew serious. “Alden has turned people on the Council. I don’t know which ones. He’s keeping things very compartmentalized. I just know that each day he turns more, stealing their loyalty right out from under the Magic Council’s nose. He has this power over people, this power that’s hard to resist. It’s so easy to fall for his lies, to want to help him. It’s like a narcotic, the way he makes you feel. It’s a constant magic high. Being with him, you feel this silent promise to give you powers you’ve only dreamed of. His followers worship him. It’s painful to be in his presence if you’re resisting. It’s like fighting happiness, embracing hopelessness. Horrible.” He shuddered.

“Alden is too dangerous,” Ares continued. “Too powerful. I’m not even sure he can be stopped, but we have to try. I have to try. The Council Summit starts on Monday. He’s going to make a move there.”

“What is his play?” Kai asked.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t share the finer points of his plan with us. At least not with me. But I did overhear him talking to one of his squad leaders. He is targeting a few key members to abduct. You remember the Council members who were kidnapped in Munich? The ones who miraculously escaped? Well, they didn’t escape. Alden let them go.”

“They are in his pocket now?” Kai asked, looking at Tony.

Tony began typing rapidly on his phone.

“Yes,” said Ares. “For every supernatural who has publicly declared for Alden, there are two more who are supporting him in secret, waiting for the day they can emerge from the shadows to stand by his side. He will abduct more Council members at the Summit.”

“Do you know which ones?” Kai asked him.

“Jonathan Middleton.”

“Check it out,” Kai told Tony.

Tony nodded, his fingers dancing even faster across his phone screen.

“Will you be there at the Summit?” Kai asked Ares.

“Yes. I’m expected there. And Alden wants me to be there. He wants us all to be there.”

“Why?” Sera asked.

“I don’t know.” Ares looked at his watch. “I shook my tail, but I have to get back to my normal routine before the guards Alden set on me get suspicious.”

“He set guards on you?” Kai asked.

Ares nodded. “I’ll see if I can learn anything more about Alden’s plans. I’ll send you a message with anything I find.”

Callum and Dal showed him out of the office.

“Do you believe him?” Sera asked Kai.

Tony snorted. He was still messaging away on his phone.

“I find it hard to,” replied Kai. “Ares has always been good at keeping his magic calm, no matter what he’s feeling. Did you feel anything in his magic?”

“I can smell Alden on him, like a lingering perfume,” she told him. “But that could be explained by being close to Alden’s people. He’s nervous, which is understandable if he’s really crossing the Grim Reaper. Your sister told us we can’t trust him.”

“And I’m not sure we can trust Lara,” said Kai.

“So where does that leave us?”

“One of them could be lying. Or both of them,” he said. “We’ll just have to watch them until someone screws up. And hope it’s not too late by then.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Born from Chaos

SERA SAT OPPOSITE a big table from the Grim Reaper, a huge chocolate birthday cake painted in layers of pink icing sitting between them. Yeah, it was pretty obvious from the first second that this was a dream. Sera realized that even before the Mad Hatter and the March Hare waltzed together across the plastic polka dot tablecloth to the tune of Happy Birthday. Blue and purple confetti and potpourri exploded from cannons angled over the table.

“Sera, you’ve been avoiding me,” Alden said.

“Yeah, I tend to give psychopaths a wide berth.”

He smiled pleasantly, not a wrinkle forming on his young face. “I do enjoy these conversations of ours.”

“Well, that at least makes one of us.”

“But I really wish you wouldn’t run from me, Sera. We could accomplish so much if we just worked together.” He pressed his hands together for emphasis.

“World domination, subjugation of humanity, god-worshipping?” She shook her head. “Nah, I prefer to think small.”

“And yet your power is so great, so magnificent, so perfectly pure. You are destined for great things.”

Sera shrugged. “Another mercenary once told me I’m destined for an early grave.”

Alden laughed. It was a sweet, innocent laugh, but there was something wrong with it. Sera just couldn’t put her finger on what.

“Those of us with great potential suffer from such duality,” he said. “We either die young or live to change the world, all depending on the whims of fate, that fickle mistress.”