Deborah stalked down the steps with a huff.
I followed, stopping beside Nathan. “Just curious—are you going to spend the rest of the night needling my companion?”
“Haven’t decided.”
“A word of advice—don’t go too far. I’d hate to lose our friendship.”
“But how else would we prove how strong our connection really is?” Nathan declared innocently as I preceded him down the stairs.
I snorted softly, my attention turning to our surroundings.
Spatial magic was infused into the amphitheater, making it difficult to get an accurate read on the number of people in the stands. From above, the area had seemed smaller. Not this massive colossus that made it impossible to guess where it began and ended.
How were there this many people interested in blood sport?
I’d known spooks were a vicious lot, but I never imagined it went this deep.
A haze drifted through the room, reminding me of the fog I’d seen around Saul. Its color was a little different, closer to a pinkish gray than the night black shade I was used to. Somehow it also gave off a softer vibe. Gentler.
I paid the smoke no mind as we reached the lowest level of the stands. Liam and the rest weren’t far away. Daniel and Eric standing guard along the back edge of the space. Thomas, Ahrunand Liam were seated on the rim with a bird’s eye view of the pit below.
“Ah, there you are, my dear. You made it,” Thomas said, lifting his head at my approach.
“Sorry we’re late. We ran into a bit of a hiccup stepping off the elevator.”
If you considered landing in a different space and time a hiccup and not something deliberate on the part of our hosts.
I took the seat Thomas gestured to beside Liam, doing a quick scan of the nearby crowd as I did so.
The council members were easy to spot. They stood out amongst those seated in the VIP section. Their gazes intent on the pit below, identical looks of faint boredom on their faces. As if they’d seen everything there was to see and they were no longer impressed.
I had a feeling it would take far more than a gruesome death and its equally gruesome cleanup to interest them.
As I watched, Sophia, a vampire who’d been turned as a teenager, leaned towards the attractive Asian man to her right. Tse nodded faintly at what she was saying. By their side, Jabari, the only council member I halfway trusted, focused on the preparations for the next fight with a blankness that made me feel like I was looking at a statue.
Seeing nothing interesting about those three, my gaze moved on, locking on a woman who sat slightly apart from the rest. A motionless doll in a sea of chaos, Navya stared back at me, her eyes deep pools of black.
I went still, feeling very much like prey despite the distance between us. As if sensing my caution, her lips curled. My pulse jumped, fear and wariness icing my veins with the realization that she was enjoying intimidating me.
That, more than anything, helped straighten my back. I arranged my features into unfeeling lines, my face going blank as I held her gaze.
“Be careful of that one,” Ahrun advised, his gaze following mine. “Pretty as she is, she’s a viper in the worst way one can be. Cold. Calculating. With zero remorse.”
That had me turning my attention to him. “I thought you were friends.”
“Live as long as I have and you grow used to even the best of friends one day becoming enemies.”
I looked back at the council member. “Are you sure that’s what she is?”
Ahrun’s face was set, his expression unknowable. “I guess we’ll see.”
“Here she comes,” Liam said in an undertone, training his attention on Navya as she rose.
The vampires seated around her followed. Puppets brought to life by a single tug from their master.
A smile bloomed on Ahrun’s face as Navya reached us. “My dear friend. I didn’t expect to see you here tonight. I trust you’re well.”
Navya showed no reaction to the slight dig, her face placid and calm as she held Ahrun’s gaze. “I see no signs of regression. You’re sane. Will you not share your secret? I’m most curious.”
