“I had a lot of fun tonight,” I said pressing up against my man. Despite being summer the winds coming in off the Puget Sound chilled me.
“Me too,” Alex rubbed my arm, warming it. “It was nice to get out of Thorn’s place. Away from business, adventure, and you know, saving the world.”
“Us and our little hobbies,” I joked. We walked a ways more before I broached the question I figured we were both thinking. “So what are we going to do with ourselves now?”
Alex stopped before a door, barely noticeable in the side of a warehouse-type building. Hunter had discovered the hidden speakeasy earlier that week and had been dying to go ever since. “Don’t you mean what are Hunter, Eva, and I going to do with ourselves now?” Alex asked lightly. “I have a feeling that after you spoke with Will, you’re brewing a plan in that beautiful brain of yours.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“You know me well, babe,” I said, helping him to push the door open. “But first, drinks and good company.”
I stepped inside the clandestine bar. Jazz played, making me tap my feet. The speakeasy was decorated as if they’d plopped it straight out of the 1920s. Art deco accents sparkled from every nook and cranny. There was a gleaming golden gramophone in one corner, raised so that everyone could admire it. Dark green and black colorings dominated. Adorable fringe lamps topped every circular table.
I spotted Eva in the far back corner waving, and we went to join her and Hunter. We’d just sat down and barely had a moment to greet them when the server arrived to take our drink order. Alex and I scanned the sparse menu, and chose a cocktail each.
When we were alone, I turned to Eva. “How was the restaurant? Did you find it?”
Hunter had claimed that the restaurant he’d booked was one of the best hidden gems in Seattle.
She threw a wave. “Please! It’s tucked away, but its little pink door beckons people like a siren. There’s a line down the alley because the place is so popular.” Her eyes shone as she glanced at Hunter. “It was great though. Amazing food. You guys should try it. Apparently, their reservations book out months in advance, but I bet Tiberius could pull some strings.”
“How do you think I got us in?” Hunter said. “He’d get you a spot for sure, cuz.” Hunter punched Alex on the shoulder, and the guys exchanged boyish grins.
The server arrived with our drinks, setting down the artisan cocktails with a flourish before disappearing back into the crowded bar.
“One thing’s for sure.” I glanced around at the amazing decor again. “You Wardwell guys definitely have a gift for wining and dining your ladies.” I lifted my glass to my friends. “To many more nights like this, where we’re together, happy, and healthy.”
They echoed my toast and our glasses clinked. We took a sip and set the drinks down. There was a brief silence before Eva turned to face me once more.
“So, Alex mentioned that Will told you something about the godlings.” Eva gave me a pointed look. “We said tonight was all about fun, but I’mdyingto hear all about it. And your plans.”
I snorted out a laugh. My friends were as bad as me. They were always thinking about the next big thing, never able to truly relax.
My eyes cut over to Alex. He was trying to hide a smile and failing. “Do you mind? We said fun and easy . . . ”
“Of course not,” Alex said. “Hunter’s been wanting to hear about it too.”
“Damn right.” Hunter’s green eyes gleamed in the light from the fringed lamp on our table. “So spill it, Odie. What did Will say?”
I leaned over the table, ready to divulge all that I knew. “They imprisoned him because he discovered that godlings do exist. More than just me. He actually found a book, leading to some sort of enchanted object. It will allow the descendants of the gods to access their powers.”
“You mean someone else can’t just fill them with aether?” Hunter countered. “Like Ayla and Lyon did?”
I shook my head. “That was only temporary, anyway—a workaround of sorts. I haven’t been able to access my own aether magic, although I sense it churning inside me now.” When I focused on it, the sensation was actually almost overwhelming. It made me wonder how it had stayed muted for so long. “Apparently, the hidden objects will unlock the powers of the godlings and usher in a new age of magicals. One that will turn the supernatural world on its head, and the darkness will disappear.”
“That must be why Ishtar wanted to kill you or have you join her,” Eva said, her blue eyes wide. “Keep your enemies close.”
“Yep,” I said. “Godlings and royal demons are equally powerful. And even though hundreds of people are on the hunt for the Furies right now, that doesn’t mean this is over. They could create more demons and probably will.”
“Not to mention now they’repissed,” Alex said. “We halved the royal’s numbers.” He stirred his drink with the decorative stick speared with crystallized ginger. “I hate to say it, but I don’t think anyone will find the Furies. The godlings will be the ones to take them out.”
I agreed with him. The only reason we beat the demons at Spellcasters was because Eva and I had leveraged our dark magic against them. Now, however, the Furies knew all our tricks. They understood what they were up against, and Ishtar herself had said that everyone underestimated them.
I couldn’t make the same mistake.
“So these objects,” Eva said. “Any idea where they are? Or what they are?”
I heaved a heavy sigh. “No. When the crooked PIA agents discovered that Will had learned about godlings, they not only imprisoned him, they burned the book he found referencing the godlings. He claims that it was a small book of clues leading to one of the objects, but he thinks that there are more. One for every major god.”
