“If you need someone interrogated, protected, beaten, or scared into talking, you call me,” I said. “You want someone’s life ruined, their social standing tarnished, every asset gone, every cent in their account bled dry? You send it to Ezra.”
A dark laugh slipped free. “She’ll make sure that when I call that man, he won’t be able to afford a private fight, let alone another ticket to my event again.”
Conrad’s tone became cold. “And that, Nick, is why the Syndicate’s feared. They can be your best friend or your worst enemy. People either bow to them or burn themselves trying to bask in their light.”
I turned my head toward him, brow raised.And which one are you?I asked silently.
He stepped closer, forest-green eyes locked on mine, his confidence rolling off him in waves. “Lucky me,” he said quietly, the vibrations of his voice rolling over my skin, “I like the warmth.”
Beside me, Zeth scoffed as he rolled his eyes, but my lips twitched. That was the perfect answer, and he damn well knew it. My mind drifted back to that car and what this man could do with his mouth.Nova! Not now. Work. Then play.
Twisting away from him before I did something embarrassing, I stepped through the doorway of the massive three-story mansion packed with people. Music blasted, but you could still hear the buzz of people chattering over it. Everywhere I turned, women were in their glittering finest, showing off their goods, while men pounded shots and boasted about their latest exploits. All of it looked like a whole lot of work just to search for one man. Made me glad I brought extra help today.
“It's time to go hunting, boys.” I could feel them circling around my back. “Zeth, you take the perimeter. Nick, you take the first floor. Conrad, you take the second, and I’ll take the third.” We broke away in unison, with Conrad and I heading up the stairs, Zeth out the door, and Nick moving into the thick of the first floor, all of us in search of our little target: Frank.
Going up the stairs turned into its own kind of obstacle course. Every few steps, someone stopped me to introduce themselves, trying to make small talk I had no interest in. Conrad helped until he got to the second floor and peeled off. By the time I reached the third floor, the press of bodies had thinned and the hum of voices below faded into a low, steady murmur.
Enough people had seen me to confirm I’d made an appearance, which meant I needed to blend in. Plus, I wanted to take Frankby surprise if I found him. The catch was always sweeter that way.
I slipped into an empty corner, tapped the finger reader on the side of my watch, and waited. The faint vibration beneath my fingertip told me the spell was activated, so I closed my eyes and pictured the woman I wanted them to see me as. The image formed of a mid-forties fire mage with chestnut hair, unremarkable brown eyes, and a sharp nose, the kind of face you forgot the moment you looked away.
A shiver of magic rolled across my skin, spreading from my wrist to my shoulders, then down my back to my heels. My reflection in the nearby glass blurred before snapping back into focus, the plain stranger I’d imagined staring back. I waited a few more seconds, giving the rune magic time to settle, then stepped back into the hall.
Gods, I loved my brother. He might be a menace half the time, but when it came to creating things that shouldn’t exist, he was a genius. These watches were proof of it. The sleek little devices clung to our wrists like shadows until we called them forth. They were communicators, trackers, and, in the right hands, weapons. But my favorite feature? The cloaking spell.
For people like us, with our rose gold eyes and pale, ashy hair, it was impossible to blend in. We were walking beacons, just like our mom and Tata Ternin, but with one press of a button and a clear image in our mind, we could be anyone. The rune magic didn’t just change how we looked; it could wrap us in the energy of another species entirely.
Now, invisible in my fake skin, the crowd’s attention slipped right past me. No lingering stares. No interruptions. Just silence and space to move. Perfect for searching the floor in peace.
At first glance, the third floor looked to have several hallways, each with their own set of doorways and openings, which was exhausting. Why did someone need this many damn rooms?
Scanning each hallway, I listened for anything odd, and when I got to the last corridor, the air turned frigid and empty, as if the house had exhaled and forgotten to breathe again. Intrigued, I went down the hallway, seeing the difference in the heavy drapes and rugs that shimmered with magic with each step. The magic was swallowing the sound I was making, which created an eerie sense of silence. The shadows all around didn’t feel empty so much as expectant. Hollow.
Quickly, I moved from room to room, pressing my ear to each door, listening for voices or heartbeats before I opened it and searched the space. A dark rosewood bedroom with a chest of sex toys. A study that yielded shelves of books on various rune magic and an old whiskey decanter. A guest chamber smelling of lavender gone stale. Room after room, yet no Frank.
Getting to the end of the hallway, my nose tickled when I closed the door. A thick layer of fine grey residue coated the tabletops. I ran a fingertip along the surface, narrowing my eyes on the thin layer of grime that appeared on my finger.
My eyes flicked around, seeing that the film covered everything. Every door knob, table, and door frame held the same untouched dust… except the second-to-last door on the right. Its brass handle shone bright.Bingo.
As I made a beeline for the door, something rolled over me, and my instincts began to scream.Turn back. Nothing here.My wolf growled at the intrusion, letting me know it was all false, something conjured with rune magic to steer people away from the door, and I smiled.
Smart, but also telling.
With my mind trained for this kind of magic, I pushed through it and pressed my ear against the door. No movement, no sound, so I cautiously eased a hand toward the knob. A powerful sound rune spell could muffle everything, even if you were having a battle on the other side.
The hand not on the knob shifted into claws, and I crouched low, listening again, searching for the subtlest of signs, but silence was all that answered. Time ticked by with my patience wearing thin.
Fine.I shrugged.I can handle whatever is past this door. No problem.
Standing up, I took a step back, rocking my weight back to kick. but my peripherals picked up movement at the mouth of the corridor. I turned to face it just as two shadows slid into the light and broke the hush.
If it was some idiot partygoers, then I just needed to get rid of them. Killing the illusion magic with a tap, I readied myself to tell these two to beat it, but a familiar set of turquoise eyes cut through the dim. Alongside my second was Nick, his brows knit with concern. Great. Backup.
Lifting my index finger to my lips, I pointed to the door I was about to kick. Zeth came in close, his voice low enough that only I heard it. “Conrad’s holding the entrance.”
Giving him a thumbs up, I pressed the button on my watch again, letting the disguise shimmer back into place. Nick’s nostrils flared; he inhaled the room like a hound catching a new trail, eyes narrowing at my illusion.Oh, don’t like that you can't smell me?
Ignoring his questioning eyes, I turned back to the door. It was time to find out who was inside.
