I spun, grinning. “Ri! You made it!” Damn air mage just had to sneak up on me. Most mages only had one elemental designation, but when your father had two and your grandfather was the strongest spirit mage alive, you ended up following in their footsteps. That meant my sister had ended up having both air and fire magic, with a hint of spirit from my grandfather Easton.
Riot’s left brow twitched, her version of a hug. “Finished my job early.” Short, sweet, simple. That was Riot, all right.
“Sure. Totally. Normal scheduling. Cool, cool, cool.” I wanted to make a bigger deal, I wanted to yell at her because this was my birthday, but I settled for hugging her, knowing she’d vanishinto the shadows like some emotionally constipated ninja if I gave in to the urge.
She gave a silent nod to the others and moved behind Ezra like she was her shadow, which not only fit her personality but worked well for her place in the family, the heir to the Devil’s seat. The assassin. The executioner. The fixer of the Syndicate.
Family first. Always.
And now that we’re all here, I wanted to start the night off right.
“Guess what I got for us?” I bounced on my toes, clapping my hands.
Nova opened her mouth, ready to ruin the surprise because I couldn't keep my mouth shut around her.
“Snake Juice!” I cut her off, practically vibrating. “I saw it on Daddy’s top shelf, and it's like when-our-parents-met old. He said I could take anything I wanted.”
Right on cue, a petite redhead appeared beside me with a tray of shots. “Here are the drinks you requested, Ms. Glovefox.”
Ezra flicked her finger. A plume of shadow coiled out, forming a solid hand that lifted the tray from the girl’s hands. “Thank you,” she said coolly. Using her demon powers to exert dominance was very on brand for her.
The girl fled, her face etched in fear.
“E, why’d you—” My protest became a screech when her shadows poured the shots onto the floor.
“Don’t you remember the story?” Ezra said, arms crossed. “That bottle? It’s what Dad used to drug them all. I’m not blacking out tonight.”
The scent of sulfur bloomed, and a demon wearing a butler suit materialized next to her. Someone who’d been bound to her because he owed her money, I was sure. That was the perk of being the heir to the Desmond seat. Ezra was in charge of all the casinos, money laundering, and loan sharking.
Upon seeing her, the demon immediately bowed. “You rang, madam?”
“Six shots of hellfire mixed with lumin berries.”
The demon nodded once before he vanished, and I got excited.
Hellscape booze was one of her best ideas. Normal alcohol? Useless on supes. Our metabolisms killed the buzz in seconds. Drugs, same deal.
Ezra had brought back some plants from the Hellscape for Cal to investigate. He’d run some tests, and they found out the plants contained a low-grade toxin. It gave stronger supes like us a buzz, while some of the weaker ones could become fully drunk. It fizzled out of our system within a few hours, but it was long enough to make a profit.
That was when the human government got their panties in a twist—something about the product conflicting with the treaty—but the parents stepped in and handled it. They whipped up a rune spell that could be used to neutralize the toxin if needed.
Now? As long as no humans died and the bodies stayed intact, no one gave a shit. Party on.
The demon returned with a tray of bubbling cherry-red shots, and I clapped my hands.
Ezra waited until each of us had one, then raised hers toward me, eyes dancing with rare warmth.
“Happy birthday, Niya.”
The rest of them joined in, circling around me.
“Happy birthday, baby sis!”
Ezra, the second oldest, recited the first line of the toast we had made up as kids. “May your enemies die a bloody death.”
“May your business always be fruitful,” Cal added with a wink.
“May your friends be strong and true.” Nova grinned.
