At that, the applause became even more frenzied, and bile climbed up my throat. A silver goblet of fizzy pink liquid was thrust into my hands by a ghostly female monster, and I eyed the pink liquid before turning my head to peer at the other newbloods. Nora and the others didn’t hesitate to take long gulps from their goblets, and Lana licked her lips dramatically when she was finished.
I turned my attention back to the goblet in my hands. Did it also have the Acaralia in it? I wondered then whether the newbloods were even aware of what the pink water was, but then I noticed Perene glaring at me from the side of the dais. Reluctantly, I lifted the goblet to my lips. The scent of sweet alcohol burned my nose, and there was no way I was drinking the stuff. Tipping the cup up, I pretended to swallow before moving it away from my mouth again.
And then the newbloods and I were being ushered down a short flight of steps and onto the ballroom floor. Immediately, we were each swarmed with monsters and separated from one another. I stole a look at Nora who was surrounded by a group of human-looking monsters, but she didn’t peer my way as she grinned and began chatting animatedly with those around her.
“Well, aren’t you a delectable creature,” hissed a voice with way too much interest, and I turned to the brutish-looking male who had come to stand directly in front of me. The monster towered over me, and his slitted green gaze roved appreciatively over my body in a way that made my skin crawl. He was attractive in a harsh sort of way, with short black curls framing his face and a square jaw covered with stubble, but his close proximity had me on edge.
“I’m Losak, alpha of the House of Silat,” he hissed, puffing out his chest. “High house of all the shifters save for the wolves. And this here is Quinn, my second.” He gestured toward the male beside him, who had neatly combed brown hair and glowing pink eyes.
“Welcome to the city, newblood,” Losak said, and this time when he hissed, a forked tongue flicked out of his mouth and slid along his lower lip.
I forced a polite smile to my face. “Thanks. Katakin is certainly an interesting place.” He likely expected me to tell him my name, but he hadn’t actually asked, so I wasn’t going to just give it to him.
Losak smiled broadly as if he knew I hated every second I was standing there talking to him, and he loved every moment that he made me uncomfortable. Quinn didn’t do much other than leer at me as if he thought I was his dinner.Is everyone in this damn place a psychopath?
Lana’s flirtatious laughter floated over to me, and I slid my gaze in her direction. She was sitting perched on the end of the dais with one leg crossed over the other and was surrounded by a mass of monsters. The vampires, ghouls, and centaurs stood captivated, as though they thought she was the most fascinating female to cross their paths. One of the monsters closest to her said something, and she laughed louder as if it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.
“You aren’t drinking,” said Losak, bringing my attention back to him. “Do you not wish to celebrate?”
I thought about telling him, “Uh, fuck no,” but by some mercy, Darian appeared on my right side and Asher on my left. Kade stood behind me.
“Ah, Losak, I see you’ve met our lovely Raine here,” Darian said as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close, practically claiming me in front of the shifter alpha. Losak glared at the siren with his slitted gaze, but I leaned into Darian, quite happy for the shifter to think I was off limits. There was something about Losak that had warning bells chiming in my gut.
“We were just getting acquainted,” Losak responded with a tight-lipped smile. “No need to intrude.Rainewas doing just fine here without you,” he added, and I didn’t miss the way he emphasized my name.Great.
Asher stepped up beside Darian with a casual grin on his face. “Ah, don’t be like that. We’re all here to have fun, aren’t we? Why don’t you go speak to one of the other newbloods? We’ll take it from here.”
Irritation crossed Losak’s face and a vein pulsed at his temple, but his lips curved into a wicked smile. “I was surprised when I heard you’ve been keeping the shifter newblood as your little pet. Though, now that I’ve seen her with my own eyes, I quite understand the fascination. Still, I’m sure you must be tiring of her. Why don’t you let someone else have the chance to enjoy her for a while? After all, she might be joining my house.”
Enjoy me?I scowled, and even though I knew it’d likely be a death sentence, the urge to jab Losak in the throat had my fingers twitching.
A warning growl rumbled from Kade’s chest, and Losak’s gaze flitted to him.
Asher’s smirk grew wider. “You know the rules, Losak. Until the Week of Orash ends and Raine joins a house, she’s free to be with whoever she wishes. Luckily for us, she seems content to stick around.”
I’m not sure I would have used the word ‘content,’ but I appreciated what Asher was trying to do.
Losak’s gaze fell back on me then, and his eyes locked with mine. It wasn’t exactly an unkind look, but it still made me uncomfortable. “If I were you, shifter, I’d be taking advantage of my situation. Don’t waste your time with these rejects when you can sample the monsters from different houses. If you want to know what it’s like with a real alpha, come visit me.”
Darian’s arm tightened around my waist, and Kade’s growling grew louder, but Losak and Quinn backed away, disappearing into the throng of bodies around us.
A few surrounding monsters stared at me, and I could tell that some of them wanted to approach, but their gazes were wary as they took in Kade, Darian, and Asher. I was surprised to find their attention mostly focused on Asher, as if they thought he was the most dangerous threat. While the monster was the largest of the four, he was also the one with the most carefree attitude, so it shocked me that they’d be most afraid of him.
Now that Losak was gone, I leaned away from Darian, and he hesitated before pulling his arm from my waist. I knew I should have been annoyed that Kade and the others had come to my side straightaway—I wasn’t going to get any information out of the other monsters with these three scaring everyone off—but I couldn’t help but feel grateful. I was completely out of my depth in a ballroom of monsters, and it was nice to know I wasn’t alone.
“You all right, Sharachi?” Asher asked.
I bobbed my head in response. “Never been better,” I said with an exaggerated smile, and Asher snorted.
“Be wary of that one, lovely. Losak is known to be unpredictable,” Darian cautioned as he peered off into the crowd.
“How the fuck did he know about Raine staying with us?” Kade growled, looking as though he wanted to wolf out and hunt Losak down.
I was about to tell him to calm down, but it was then that I noticed how they were alldressed, and my mouth almost fell open. Each of them was wearing a finely tailored black suit that fitted tightly against their perfectly sculpted bodies and tall, muscly frames. They were all clean, their hair neatly arranged, and if it was possible, their scents seemed stronger somehow, as if they were permeating the air and swelling around me, drawing me to them. While most of the monsters around us were gawking at me, I didn’t miss how many of the females and even some of the males stared at Kade and the others appreciatively. The thought annoyed me, but I couldn’t blame them. Darian and the others looked like gods, and I was just the little human in their midst. Their toy, or so the other monsters clearly thought.
Kade’s gaze roved the area as if he was searching for anyone else who might be a threat, and a moment later, his attention fixed on a figure across the room.Zacal.The alpha of the House of Worzel and a handful of his wolves were chatting with Nora near a stone archway. Though he appeared deep in conversation, every so often, Zacal’s poisonous gaze slid our way.
“What are they talking about?” I asked, tilting my head back toward Kade.
