Kaiden’s confession stumps me because instead of being horrified—like a normal person would—warmth spreadsthrough me at his possessiveness. I should be concerned about him threatening to kill Noah, right? I don’t know why I can’t find it in me to care all that much, though. There’s no point in mentioning the fact that he asked me not to lie to him anymore, so I say instead, “Just one. Another date, but at a charity event.”
Kaiden’s knuckles turn white under the pressure. “Then you’re done with him?”
“I’m done with him anyway, because I decided not to go to the gala.” Even though Noah might retaliate and rat me out for killing Cain, I stand by my decision. Not only because of his sleaziness but also because he represents everything I moved on from.
A flicker of relief sparks in his eyes, and the tension threading his shoulders seems to loosen a bit before he stands. “C’mon. The bar opens soon.”
33
Iris
Jazz music spills all over Bourbon Street as we weave our way through the crowd. Honestly, I was expecting it to be busier—just like Raven district in the summer—but here, the heat is oppressive, and the air so dense it’s borderline unbreathable. So, I guess this time of year is not too appealing for tourists.
The onyx stone in the choker around my neck warms up, and my muscles tense as I scan the perimeter for danger. Theethereal sightlets me know there are three possessed humans across the street, their tainted auras pulsing around their bodies. I exhale in relief, but my hands still itch with the need to free them of the possession. However, we don’t have time for that. Maybe later, after we hopefully find Rhett. The only consolationI have is that they’re possessed by lesser demons.
“Sorry,” I mumble as I try to sidestep a woman who seems to almost be floating rather than walking. It’s futile. She passes right through me.Gah. I shiver. I’ll never get used to that.
Kaiden throws me a confused look. “Did you say something?”
“I wasn’t talking to you. A ghost passed through me.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” Well, this isn’t awkward at all. After our talk on the bench, neither of us has said much.
Nestled between two neon signs, right on the corner, is the Drunken Owl. I stop in front of the door. Kaiden, however, keeps walking until he notices I’m not next to him anymore. He turns around. “What are you doing?”
“What areyoudoing? The bar is right here.”
His eyebrows furrow. “I see nothing aside from a rundown building.”
“But…I don’t understand,” I mumble as I take in the large green wooden door, the bar’s name painted over it in black letters. I glance through the window at the people inside while nibbling on my lower lip in thought. There’s no way only one of us can see it unless…“Wait. Do you think it’s somehow concealed by magic?”
Kaiden closes the space between us. “Maybe it’s the tarot card. You have it on you, right?”
I pull it out of my pocket. I asked Kaiden to look for it in the nightstand drawer before we left for the airport, because I couldn’t go inside the apartment. It’s theWheel of Fortune, which depicts a wheel covered in esoteric symbols and surrounded by four different winged creatures: an angel, an eagle, a bull, and a lion—each in a corner. There’s also a sphinx that sits at the top and a devil at the bottom. In my quick online research, I read it represents the turn of time, made of good and bad moments, which you have no control over. It seemsstrangely fitting to everything that has happened to me since the umbra attack. Of course, there could be infinite interpretations of the card.
“Here.” The second I hand it to Kaiden, the bar disappears, and a ramshackle building with boarded-up windows takes its place.
“Give me your hand.” Tingles bloom at the touch as I slide my hand into Kaiden’s. “Can you see it again?”
“Yeah,” I murmur.
The second he opens the door and pulls me inside, every head turns in our direction. Conversations and raucous laughter halt. You can hear a pin drop. We look at each other, and I shrug before tilting my head toward the bar. About thirty eyes follow us as we stride toward it, the sound of our soles hitting the floor like a shooting gun in the deafening silence. As we pass the patrons, their pointy ears catch my attention. They’re all fae.
The lanky bartender, who can’t be older than sixteen, studies us with a deer-in-the-headlights expression. I take back the tarot card before dropping Kaiden’s hand to lean on the bar, immediately missing his warmth. “Hi. Can we get something to drink?” I ask casually, even though the eyes drilling holes in the back of my head make all my hairs stand on end.
His voice shakes as he says, “You need to leave.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Well, that’s not very welcoming, is it? Listen, we’re looking—”
I’m interrupted by the man rounding the corner holding a crate full of whiskey bottles. “What’s with the sile—” His shrewd, peridot eyes cut to me and Kaiden. He bends to place the crate on the floor, and I don’t miss the stiffness in his shoulders when he straightens. “You don’t belong here,” he grits out through clenched teeth.
“We’re looking for Rhett.” I raise the tarot card but don’t get the chance to slide it on the mahogany bar top because the man snatches my wrist in a punishing grip.
His nostrils flare. “Where did you get this?”
Kaiden disappears from his spot next to me and appears on the other side of the bar, holding the man in a chokehold. “Drop her hand. Now. Or I’ll snap your fucking neck,” he growls. Collective gasps fill the air, followed by panicked shrieks. The lanky bartender scurries away.
