Tempted | Kai Parker

seventy eight: pleasantries

The meeting hall, from the outside, didn't look too dissimilar to a church. Except it was a lot larger and somehow grander and lacked the display of any religious symbols. Though, I wouldn't have been surprised if the Gemini Coven did have their own religious symbol. They always did seem a little cult-esque from what Kai had told me.

Around the gigantic stone building were gorgeous green gardens which were remarkably large and filled with shrubs and trees packed with fruit and flowers. In the warm late-afternoon sunshine, I did have to admit it looked rather lovely. And splitting through the grass at the front, was a cobbled path leading right up to a beautiful arching doorway made out of mahogany wood, with a heavy-looking brass knocker attached.

"You ready?" I asked Kai, as we walked side by side down the pathway, Phillip a few paces in front.

He shrugged casually, looking at me out of the corner of his eye and giving me a small grin. "It's me." He said. "Of course I'm ready."

I chuckled with a small shake of my head, wishing I could have just a fraction of the confidence that he had. Although, perhaps he had more than enough for the both of us.

Phillip turned slightly as he pushed the door of the meeting hall open, giving both of us a reassuring glance with his warm hazel eyes. I couldn't tell if Phillip's kindness was actually comforting, or if my nerves had just grown so intense now that I couldn't feel a thing, but I was somehow evading my usual nervous tremors.

The doorway opened into an entrance hall, which was still very large, and was illuminated by giant candlelit chandeliers. The stone walls had arches carved into them, and each arch held a massive, beautiful painting, all of them dark and gloomy looking. The room was scattered with plush armchairs and sofas, with leather upholstery and tarnished gold arms.

Everything from floor to ceiling looked expensive, and old, like they were priceless antiques handed through many generations. And the air was filled with the sound and scent of a cracking log fire from a gigantic fireplace on the right-hand wall.

"The council are already in the conference room, but the rest are waiting in the library." Phillip informed. "We'll show Andie along."

"Why aren't they waiting in the main hall?" Kai asked.

"It's still being dressed for tonight's celebration."

Kai gave his uncle a short nod, before turning his gaze to me with a faint grin. "You ready to go?" He asked.

I smiled with more confidence than I felt, reaching down, and giving his hands a gentle squeeze. "I'll be fine." I assured. "Just focus on your meeting, okay?"

He nodded with a little reluctance, but he and Phillip led me towards the library all the same. The hallway which took us there ran down the side of what I assumed was the main hall and was decorated similarly to the entrance hall which we'd just come from. And just before we reached another heavy mahogany door, I felt a little jump in my chest. Time for my first introductions.

Phillip pushed the door open, and it moved with a small creek, allowing us to see the room inside. From the gap in the doorway, I could see ceiling high bookshelves, crammed full of leather-bound books with foiled letters on the spines. The floor was covered with a deep red jacquard print carpet, and I could just see the arm of a large armchair, sat next to a huge brass coloured globe. However, as we took our first step into the room, it quickly became impossible to focus on the decor.

There were only seven other people in the library, but every one of them went perfectly silent as Kai walked in the room. Each of them straightened their spines, some of their mouths gaping as they stared at him. Seeming to be thrown off by the attention, Kai quickly cleared his throat, and the stares seemed to stop, as if they'd all been caught.