“We’re underground,” I realized, noticing the absence of windows.
“The Deep,” Coral said, motioning to the sign. “LA’s hottest club for the Gifted Ones. Very exclusive, almost impossible to get in, even among the Gifted Realm. You should consider yourself lucky to get to see this.”
Her words dulled the wonder of the club, reminding me that despite the slinky dress and amazing decor, I was still here as a prisoner.
Fae and werewolves danced on a small dance floor next to a horseshoe-shaped bar. A few monstrous figures stood around the bar, and I sucked in a breath—hulking beasts with red skin and black horns.
Demons.
Coral noticed me staring. “Oh, them. I’d keep my distance if I were you. Some of them can be tamed, but not all of them.”
As if on cue, a dancing werewolf girl accidentally brushed against one of the demons. She immediately cried out and backed away. The back of her arm where she’d touched him was covered in burn marks. The demon she’d bumped into gave a cruel laugh but then offered to buy her a drink.
We made our way through the crowd. It was filled with monsters and sprites, and yetIwas the one who turned everyone’s head. As far as I could tell, I was the only human in the club, and the patrons looked at me with either condescension or a feral kind of hunger. I was thankful for the dress—the only thing that helped me blend in even a little.
Once we’d passed the dance floor, the club opened into intimate seating areas. Coral led me to an alcove where werewolves and a few fae congregated. I stopped, surprised to recognize a familiar face. Jack Meruvis was sitting at the head of the lounge table, holding court.
“Jack?” I asked. I hadn’t expected ever to see him again.
He grinned and motioned for the werewolves next to him to make room. Once they had moved, Coral and I sat down around the table. “Glad you see you still in one piece,” he said and slid me a drink. “Don’t worry; it’s soda. We humans have to stick together, right?” He motioned to himself, me, and a blonde woman sitting next to him.
She was human, too. She had shoulder-length hair and was wearing a black tank top and black jeans, and I noticed a small Peter Pan tattoo on her wrist. She was pretty but notfaepretty. I was instantly filled with curiosity over why another human was here.
“Coral, give us a minute?” Jack said, tipping his head in the fae’s direction.
Coral narrowed her eyes. “You promise this will work?”
He gestured to the blonde girl. “Helena is the best at this. If anyone can do it, she can.”
Coral reluctantly stood from the table but leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Don’t try anything, human. This club is filled with creatures who could rip you limb from limb if you disobey us.”
Once she left, it was just Jack, me, and the mysterious woman.
“You’re human,” I said, feeling instantly stupid for stating the obvious.
She gave me a kind smile. “Yes, a witch. I’m Helena.”
The first thought that entered my head was to wonder if she knew Zara. I glanced around, wondering how I could get some time alone with her to ask.
Jack leaned across the table in my direction. “They don’t let many witches into this place, but Helena gets a pass. She’s the most gifted fortune-teller on the entire West Coast.”
Helena placed her hand palm up on the table. “May I see your hand, Willow?”
I squeezed my hands together tightly in my lap, shaking my head.These people are my enemies.Just because Helena was human didn’t mean she was here to help me—in fact, it was probably the opposite.
“It’s okay,” Jack explained, seeing my reluctance. “Coral took your advice and looked into your claim that you and Severn broke up. It appears that you weren’t lying, and Black Ember wasn’t exactly pleased when he heard. So, he asked me to bring Helena here to meet with you.”
“To read my palm?”
“No, Willow,” Helena said softly. “To read your heart.”
I knew there was no way I was leaving the Deep without giving the fae what they wanted. And since I couldn’t sense any immediate risk in doing as they asked, I extended my hand and placed it palm up on Helena’s waiting one. Candlelight flickered around us, mixing with the swirling club lights to make me feel like I’d slipped into some sort of underwater vortex.
Helena tracedher fingernail down the lines of my palm as she explained, “Black Ember asked me to do a consultation with you. He wasn’t happy when he learned you and Severn had broken up, but he still thinks the situation can be salvaged.”
I shifted anxiously on my chair as the music throbbed around us. If Black Ember couldn’t use me against Severn, that was good for Severn—but what would it mean for me? I doubted it would be as easy as him simply releasing me back to New York.
“Marriage, boyfriend, girlfriend, those are just labels,” Helena explained as she examined my palm. “Black Ember doesn’t care about labels; he wants to know if you can be used as Severn’s weakness. And if you love each other, then that’s just as powerful as if youweremarried.”
