Page 18 of The Arbiter

He directs the question at no one in particular, so Raphael answers, "We're trying to track them down, but the IP was untraceable."

Saul growls again behind me. "So, what are you planning on doing about this, Rite?"

I turn back to him again. "It's not just his problem. We all have a hand in how this plays out now."

"Do not for one second think that it’s okay for you to even speak to me, girl," he snarls. "It may have been a Damned that was killed, but for all we know, the Rites had a hand in it. That was their blade in that video, and he said it himself that you'd have to kill them to come by it. So, either they have people dying too and are withholding information, or they are the scum supplying them with the weapons."

Larkan’s power pushes against my back as he moves closer, but it's Enoch who speaks. "Do not speak to the Arbiter that way, Lupin. You are a guest here and will do well to remember that."

When Larkan speaks, I feel his breath hot against my neck, and it makes me shiver. Thankfully, no one shows signs of having noticed, except for Monroe. A smile lights up his face so bright that I can see it out of the corner of my eye. There's something wrong with him, seriously. "We know nothing of your accusations, Infernal," he says to Saul.

"Not like you'd tell us if you did," he snaps back. "Never can trust men who hide their faces."

Larkan steps up against my back as if I'm the only thing standing between him and stabbing the Lupin straight in the heart. "I have no problem showing my face to you, demon, if only you were worthy. I didn't come here for a fight. I came to see about a problem that seems to be plaguing us all."

When Saul opens his mouth to spew more nonsense, everyone starts trying to talk over each other again.This is fucking ridiculous. How the fuck do they ever get anything done or decided?

I slam my palm down flat against the table as I feel a rush of power come out of me. "ENOUGH!"

All of them rock back in their chairs, almost as if I’d punched them all at the same time. Huh? Who knew I had that much power? At least it shuts them all up and hands the floor over to me.

Turning to face Larkan, who is even closer than he was the last I checked, he slowly lowers his hood to his shoulders. I have every intention of giving the floor to him in hopes that he will actually have something to share with us, but I come up short. Whatever my power did to the rest of the room affected him as well. His power pushes back against me, and I’m stunned silent as I get my first look at him without his hood.

His dark-blonde hair is shaved barely an inch to his scalp. A square jawline is marked by hints of stubble while his nose is wide and Romanesque. Those full lips are set back into a thin line again, giving off neither a smile or smirk. It's the eyes that are truly breathtaking. Crystal blue in color with a dark ring of black around them, they are now locked straight onto mine as if daring me to be the first to back down.

Ok, for Creator's sake. What is up with all of these men and their intense stares? Is there some kind of pissing contest that I wasn't aware of? I'm going to end up a permanent hot mess if they don't stop. It wasn't enough that I’m being stalked by an ex-lover from one hundred years ago and slept with a Strige Infernal on the first night of meeting him; now, I've got this insane attraction to a Rite as well. Technically, he came first if Enoch isn't taken into calculation. And now I’m talking to myself. Fabulous.

Pushing all of that to the back of my head, I motion for Raphael’s phone. He hands it over, and I push play. I don’t want to watch the whole thing again, but I need to know. When the masked man walks in front of the camera, there’s a clear view of the blade that he’s using. I quickly push pause and turn the phone around to Larkan. “Is that or is that not a blessed blade?”

“No,” he says without hesitation.

I had already been prepared for him to say yes, so when the answer is no, my head cocks to the side while my mouth pops open. To say I’m surprised is an understatement.

“If you look on the blade just there, you’ll see that the Divine marking doesn’t go all the way down. It was the same with the humans who attacked you the other day,” he says. “Once they exceeded their purpose, we erased their memory and sent them on their way.”

The confusion must show on my face, and before I can voice my question, his hand whips out to capture mine. I drop the phone to the floor as his power lays itself like a blanket on top of me. It’s like a caress from a forbidden romance, and I bite my cheek to keep from moaning like an idiot. There’s fire and ice at my back, letting me know that Enoch and Monroe are now flanking me. But they aren’t needed. Larkan won’t hurt me.

Even as he draws his blade with his other hand, I don’t flinch. Laying the handle parallel with my palm, the thumb holding my hand slowly travels up my new Arbiter marking. The strangest feeling passes over me, and it feels as though he claims me in that one touch. Anyone who isn’t standing close enough would never be able to see it, but as the fire behind me becomes an inferno, I know that Enoch has. I’ll have to face that fire later, quite literally.

“As you can see,” Larkan says to me, “the marking on the blades that are being used do not extend all the way down. They are nottrueblessed blades.”

Quicker than a flash, he snaps it back to his side and drops my hand. Then he directs his words to the rest of the room. “As I said, we guard our blades with our lives. These are imposters but none the less dangerous. I’ll be reporting back to my superiors, and I expect you to keep us updated with any news or information you may have on the subject at hand.”

I can’t be sure, but it feels as though his eyes land on Saul longer than any of the others. As fast as he waltzed in here, Larkan’s hood is back up, his robe billowing out behind him as he leaves.

“I still say they are responsible,” Saul snarls quietly.

My fingertips massage my temples. The force of Larkan’s power has left me not only feeling drained but with a headache and quite bitchy.

“It’s best that this meeting be adjourned until we have more information,” I say with a frustrated sigh.

Without turning around or waiting for anyone’s reply, I head toward the stairs leading up to my loft, letting the door click shut behind me. Neither Enoch or Monroe follow, which I’m grateful for. I need some time to clear my head. Taking a deep breath of cold air, I start up the stairs. One would think that after everything that has happened in the past few days that I’d be on guard and watching around me, but no. I won’t cower in fear. Especially in my own home.

A shadow steps out from the landing as I’m two steps away from it ,and I scream like a little girl who just saw a spider. So much for not cowering in fear.

A hand covers my mouth and cuts off the sound. I’m not sure if it’s the flesh not allowing any sound to come out or if it’s Larkan’s power forming that blanket over me again.

His hood is still hiding his face, and I find myself wanting to run my hand underneath to see if he would let me. Before I get a chance, he spins us and presses me against the wall.

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