Luxury cars glittered along the drive like jeweled offerings. Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and Jaguars lined the house, leading into a large hangar big enough to fit them all. We circled thefountain, its water spilling silver in the moonlight. A valet was already waiting, posture crisp, eyes sharp.
“Miss Rossey?” he asked as I let the window slowly roll down.
I gave him a nod, savoring the pause. “Yes.”
“Mr. Mecariee was expecting you. Keys, please. My colleague will escort you inside.”
I flicked my gaze to Zeth, who side-eyed the man, acting like he was going to pull a knife on me, but I wasn't nervous about being around a bunch of rich humans. They bled and broke so easily.
Pushing the door open, I took the outstretched hand of the valet and got out. Zeth left the keys in the ignition and joined me. Another tux-wearing man approached, gloved hands folded, bowing with theatrical precision.
“This way.”
The air inside was rich with perfume and aged liquor, every surface gleaming. I leaned toward Zeth, whispering with a curl of my lips, “Humans like their underground draped in diamonds.”
He smirked. “Supes are too messy for all this. Hard to scrub blood out of silk.”
True enough. Where humans had rules, we had appetites.
The butler guided us to the living room, where a marble fireplace dominated the space. Pale stone with a faint blush, two mermaids were carved into the sides, their figures twisting free from the block. Their torsos arched, lips parted, tails curled like dancers caught mid-pose. It was decadent, obscene, and perfectly on brand.
For the first time, the butler’s mask cracked with a smile. “Imported from an Irish castle. Mr. Mecariee insists his guests feel transported into an old world.”
I tilted my head, lips curving. “Then, congratulations. He’s succeeded.”
“Downstairs, to the left,” he said, pressing something behind the left statue’s head. The marble shivered and split, revealing a stairwell of dark stone.
The stairwell was cool and narrow, lit by thin torches that made the shadows cling. Zeth muttered, “Humans and the fortunes they burn.”
I shrugged. “We spend just as much on compounds and training halls.”
“Yeah, but we’re professionals.”
I stopped, letting my boots echo on the stone. One hand on my hip, I pinned him with a look sharp enough to cut glass.
“Zeth, we’re criminals. We don’t need to dress it up. We write the rules, then we break them. Money’s just the smoke we throw over the bloodstains.”
He scoffed, eyes gleaming. “And you think any of these rich humans don't cheat, steal, and kill to keep this circus? To keep what it is they have in their tight little grasp?”
“Of course, they do.” My smile became feral as I hooked my arm through his. “But they’re little fish in the massive ocean, while we’re the great white sharks. They mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.”
His chuckle rumbled low, his grip tightening around me as if he liked the sound of that. “Come on. Let’s see the show.”
The staircase spiraled forever until the thunder of voices rose to meet us. A few more steps, and the dark gave way to a golden hue.
The cage spread wide at the heart of the room, the fighting ring gleaming under spotlights, circled by around sixty golden chairs. Every one was filled. Men in designer suits barking bets, women in dresses like the fabric was poured over them, gemstones draped over their arms, diamonds dripping from their throats. The air smelled of money, lust, and champagne fizz.
And me? In ripped jeans, boots, and a crop top under a moto jacket, I was the wolf that had walked into their glittering smoky parlor. Understated. Dangerous. Exactly how I liked it.
Two more butlers in tuxedos stepped forward, offering seats and cocktails. My eyes slid to the bar at the side, all gleam and glass. I slipped free of Zeth’s arm.
“Go on,” I told him, my voice velvet. “I’ll get my own drink. You know I’m particular.”
He didn’t argue. He knew I wasn’t after the liquor. I was after the pulse of the room, the secrets humming under the bright lights and bubbly.
I made my way toward the bar in the back, watching as Zeth was led to a pair of golden seats right up front, close enough to catch sweat and blood. Two chairs, empty and waiting. That told me all I needed to know. Mecariee not only knew who I was, but he’d placed me among the important ones, and at the last minute, no less.
This was going to be interesting.
