“Whispers say the elders grow weak, and when they fall, something else will rise to devour what’s left.” I swear he stares straight at me, but I push the thought away before paranoia starts.
A warrior at the edge of the crowd clamps Quenric’s shoulder. “Hittin’ the brew already, huh Quenric?”
He pulls the librarian off stage and cuts Graven a look, the kind that saysdo something.Graven catches it immediately. “We need to keep them entertained until the music starts so they don’t get riled up. Anyone have any ideas?”
“On it!” Sable rises from his lap and sashays her way to the platform, curves and confidence on display. Dammit, she was born for the stage. I can almost see why Zarreth dated her.
But then she opens her mouth to sing, and it is magical…well, it’s magical for me, anyway. Her voice is pitchy and strained, and almost makes my ears bleed. But it is worth it to watch the smug smile fall off her face when she notices the crowd covering their ears and booing.
She stops singing, and the boos finally die down as she runs off stage. I know I should feel bad for her, but finding empathy after the way she’s treated me is nearly impossible.
Clearly we need a different kind of distraction. Jess must think the same thing because she stands, digging in her pocket, and flips a coin to me. “Think fast.”
I catch it as a grin spreads across my face. “Quarters, anyone?”
CHAPTER 18
Zarreth
“Drink up!” My mother’s voice carries to where Macen, Ronin, and I are standing outside the tent. A demon with bone spurs along his jawline stands on the other end of the table, shaking his head and pouring back a shot. Frankie and Jess have been reunited for less than an hour and they already have a group of demons playing drinking games.
“My turn.” Beleth pushes the large demon out of the way. “You’re going down, Anatha.” She holds the quarter between her thumb and forefinger, her eyes shifting between the shot glass and the coin. She throws the quarter on the table, but instead of bouncing, it shoots off to the side and lands on the ground.
Frankie giggles, placing a hand over her mouth as she bends over to pick up the quarter. “I can’t lie…that sucked.”
Beleth playfully slaps her arm.
“Here let me help you.” Frankie grips the quarter, angling it slightly. “You want the back edge of the coin to hit first so it bounces better. She bounces the quarter and it goes right into the glass. “Like that.”
Ronin groans. “Oh Gods, They’ve only been reunited for an hour and they're already corrupting our mothers. We better hurry. I don’t know if I can handle four of them.”
I laugh. He’s not wrong.
Watching Frankie laugh with my mother has me hopeful. If she’s this at ease, maybe she’ll let me make up for being an ass earlier.
Her eyes light up the moment they find mine, and the pull between us slams into me like it did the first time. Fuck, I hope that feeling never goes away. If she can look at me like that, maybe she’s not angry with me anymore.
“Zarreth!” she exclaims, weaving her way between demons grinding against one another to the music.
“I’m happy to see you enjoying yourself,” I say as she leaps into my arms. I smell alcohol on her breath and am thankful it’s not demon brew. That stuff would’ve leveled her.
“It’s impossible not to when hanging around Beleth and your mom,” she laughs.
Her expression quickly changes. She must’ve remembered this morning’s fight. Dropping out of my arms, her hands fall to her hips. “Oh yeah. I forgot I’m mad at you.”
I give her the smile I know she loves but pretends to hate. “I can help you forget again.”
Her tongue slides over a fang, eyes narrowing, hitting me with the one thing she knows will undo me. “Oh you think so, huh?”
That mouth of hers has my fingers sliding to the side of her throat, right where she likes them. Her pulse jumps and the world narrows. All I want is her mouth. Her body. The way she folds for me when I tell her to. “Careful. If you want my focus on you, you’ll get all of it.”
Her lips part, already waiting. I tighten my grip enough to feel her breath shift.
“Seriously? Do you two ever quit?” Ronin scoffs.
Frankie steps back, but her eyes stay locked on mine. The tiny curl at the corner of her mouth tells me she knows exactly how fast I would’ve taken her behind the nearest tent if Ronin hadn’t opened his mouth.
Jess joins us, followed by an annoyed looking Graven. “I think we need to hand the title of Quarter Queens over to the moms—they’ve earned it.”
