Lock yanked me forward into his blue glare. “What did we say about looking?”
He didn’t let me answer.
Every society has a hierarchy—a caste. It wasn’t hard tosee where people fell if you took a moment to look. Even in the Underworld, people betrayed themselves.
The important people, whoever they were, stuck to the balconies, veiled and much less crowded.
And then there were doors, stuck behind massive Grecian pillars. Those were guarded. The very important people must be behind those.
The Horsemen walked through the doors, and we entered a circular room featuring a raised floor with an ornate, black wingback.
“Stay here and don’t move.” Before I could say anything to that, Grim gripped my neck, forcing my eyes to his. “If you don’t act like you’re mine, I’ll have toshowthat you’re mine. Got it?”
“Am I?” It slipped out before I could stop it. “Yours, that is.”
He thumbed my tattoo, his brush sending a shiver of sweet pain. His eyes softened slightly, and I saw something in his eyes, a glimpse of the boy behind Grim. As quickly as the softness came, it vanished back into iron.
They left, disappearing back into the party.
Not after Vander?
As I sat against the wall with nothing to do, Zabby’s words came front and center.
Andwhydid Grim still have my book?
The room was packed, but no one was mingling. In fact, it was eerily silent. The sensual music from outside muffled. I heard something, though—moans.They seemed to seep from the walls.
In the center of the room was an empty chair. That wasn’t quite right—athrone.It was breathtaking, ghostly, and ornate. It was made of black scales. Onyx snakes wound up the arms, arching over the cresting back, their eyes abrilliant white. There was also something written along the back crest in gold, but I couldn’t read it from so far away.
“How’s that tattoo treating you?”
I turned at the familiar voice.
Prince HSOG—who, I realized, I still didn’t know his actual name—leaned casually on his arm against the wall, like this was normal.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I tilted my head. “It’s great. I’m getting out, meeting new people.”
He smiled. But it was like he knew something I didn’t. I wanted to ask him so badly what he knew, but I worried that if I did, I would give up all my cards.
So I kept playing pretend.
“Are you going to tell me how someone like you keeps showing up in a world like this?”
“How do you know it’s not the other way around? Maybe someone like me keeps showing up in your world.” He stepped closer, my back against the wall. Over his shoulder I saw heads had turned, watching us.
“I don’t think you’re allowed to touch me,” I said.
He put his hand beside my head. “That so?—”
“This looks cozy.”
From behind the prince Grim’s smoky voice edged. The prince stared at me a long time,toolong for when someone like Grim is at your back. He gave me a wolfish smile, then stood up.
“Grim.” The prince turned to face him, all playful humor gone.
I slid along the side of the wall, trying to put distance between me and HSOG. I braced for whatever Grim was going to do. He’d nearly killed someone for just speaking to me.
Instead, Grim just smiled, a deeply vicious andterrifying smile. “I’m trying to figure out what part ofoff fucking limitswasn’t clear.”
