“All right. I can respect your wish, but Zeth... you have to help me here. I can’t have a panic attack in front of the Kyzers. Can you hang on for me tonight? Just another hour or two, and then we’ll be free of them. He paid me handsomely. We’ll go to a nice hotel, unmerge and talk about it. If you want to. If not, I’ll just be there for you, I promise. But right now, I really need you to–”
“Yes, I will behave. I’m sorry I put you in this position.”
I feel him dragging a deep breath in, and it forces my lungs to expand as well. We’re breathing together.
“I won’t ruin this for you. You’re doing great, the mission is advancing beyond our hopes, and I’m sorry. I lost my mind for a minute. It won’t happen again.”
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to go back?”
“Yes.”
I walk out of the stall and go to the mirror, checking my reflection. I smooth down my hair and adjust my blouse, making sure everything looks professional and put together. When I exitthe bathroom, Roman is leaning against the wall, checking his watch with obvious impatience.
“You’ve been in there for ages.”
“I’ve only been in there for five minutes.”
He scoffs and walks me back to the terrace without another word.
The next thirty minutes are an absolute nightmare. I sit on the couch with a glass of champagne, sipping from it without tasting it. Viktor and Olivia are all over each other, touching and kissing, whispering like newlyweds instead of crime lords in their seventies.
Two more women join the party, approaching Lucien and Cesar, and their familiarity makes me guess they’re the brothers’ wives. They’re not as openly affectionate as Olivia, but there’s warmth and genuine connection there. Everyone talks and laughs like this is a normal family gathering.
Roman resorts to drinking whiskey and pacing the length of the terrace, staring out at the city below us.
I feel like I’m trapped in a den of vipers, and all I can do is sit here with my fake smile and nod whenever someone pays me any attention. Inside me, Zeth is coiled so tight I’m afraid he might snap. Every second feels like an eternity.
Finally, the door opens and Garrett returns carrying a small ornate box. Viktor snaps his fingers, and everyone goes quiet. Roman abandons his pacing and rejoins me on the sofa as his father opens the box and places it on the table, sliding it over to me.
Inside is a phoenix feather, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It glows in the firelight like it’s made of flame itself, orange and red dancing along the barbs. The feather seems alive, pulsing with an inner heat.
“May I?” I ask.
Viktor motions for me to go ahead.
I hold the feather in the palm of my hand, feeling the warmth radiating from it, and I carefully pluck a single barb with just the tips of my fingers. Then I place the feather back in the box and uncork the vial of Crimson Haze. I drop the barb into the red liquid.
The Crimson Haze catches fire. Flames dance inside the vial, and everyone leans in to watch. The fire burns for several seconds before settling down, and when it does, the color has shifted to orange like molten lava.
“Now what? Is it done?” asks Viktor.
“Someone should try it,” I say.
Garrett takes out his smartphone and makes a quick call. A few minutes later, the golem guard walks in. I notice, not for the first time, that whenever they need someone to test a drug, the golem is their candidate. It’s probably because he’s an addict, but also because his physiology processes drugs differently than humans and most monsters. His body burns through substances fast, leaving him functional. Doses that would kill others barely affect him.
I stand and hold the vial out to the golem, but before he can take it, I pull it back slightly.
“Don’t drink it just yet. First, scrape a bit of your skin off and add it to the mixture.”
I turn to Viktor to explain.
“It’s easier with hair, but our friend here doesn’t have any.”
Everyone laughs, and the golem just shrugs.
“Skin cells will work, too. Maybe a fingernail. The idea is that the person’s DNA should be added to the mixture.”
The golem holds his massive fist over the vial and grinds his fingers together. Fine dust falls into the orange liquid, pieces of his stone skin breaking away. The liquid swirls once more and settles into a silvery color. I hear several people gasp.
