The platform rose above the rest of the club in smooth pale marble, illuminated by the soft glow of lantern-like lights set into the walls behind it. From this angle, I could see almost the entire VIP level stretching out before us. The curved balconyoverlooked the lower floors where bodies moved beneath the rhythm of the music like shadows beneath water.
Demons were everywhere.
Some sat in velvet booths along the edges of the room. Others leaned against the carved railings with drinks in hand, their attention now openly fixed on us. A tall woman with ash-coated skin and silver horns paused mid-step beside one of the tables she had been serving. A tray of glasses balanced effortlessly in one hand as her golden eyes flicked between Wye and me with naked curiosity.
Even the bartender had stopped pouring.
But stares weren’t the worst part of it.
Not when Wye raised a hand and clicked his fingers, creating a spark between his thumb and fingers. Something that sent a kind of mini shockwave through the club. Not only did it cut the music abruptly, but it also ensured that every single head in the club turned toward us.
The silence that followed was heavy enough to feel…or drown in.
“Oh my Goddess,”I muttered under my breath, trying to tug myself free, something he wouldn’t allow. Wye then stepped forward until we stood directly before the throne, bone and obsidian framing us both from behind.
For a moment, I considered making a run for it, but the idea lasted all of about three seconds before he stepped behind me, as if he could sense it. Then his arms slid around me without warning. The sudden contact pulled a small squeak of surprise from my throat as he drew me back against him. One arm settled securely around my waist while the other rested lightly across my stomach.
The position left me facing the entire club, locked into place by the cage that was his embrace. Which meant I now had a perfect view of every demon staring straight at us.
“This… is not what I had in mind when you said date,”I whispered tightly, wondering if he heard the reprimand in this obvious observation of mine.
His response came in the form of a smirk I could feel brush against the skin near my ear.
“Calm for me,”he whispered before straightening to address the room.
“Demons and Angels alike…” His voice carried. It wasn’t loud, but it didn’t need to be. Not when the power in it moved through the space like a command. The simple words were enough to still the last lingering murmurs as dozens of eyes fixed on him immediately. Yet he still didn’t release me as he spoke. No, if anything, his hold tightened slightly. The subtle pressure of his arm against my waist grounded me against the solid warmth of his body as the entire room waited for what he would say next.
“For many centuries, there have been whispers among our kind of a legend long thought lost to time,” he continued, his tone composed, yet unmistakably authoritative. A ripple of curiosity moved through the crowd.
“The legend of the Lost Sirens.”
My heart gave a strange, uneven beat before a single word caught on repeat in my mind… No, no, no, no, no.
“And tonight, I get to announce that the Fates have honored me with a Siren of my very own.”
My breath caught as I remained frozen in front of him. His hand shifted slightly against my waist, drawing me closer as though presenting me to the room. One that I wished would swallow me whole.
As for the room, for long seconds after his announcement, every single person remained perfectly silent. That was until the reaction hit all at once. Coming at us as a wave of sound that erupted through the club as voices rose in cheers and glasseslifted high, applause breaking out across the VIP floor. Even the horned waitress I had noticed earlier grinned openly as she raised her tray like a salute in our direction.
Heat flooded my face instantly.
“Oh my Goddess, what have you done?”I muttered under my breath, wishing I could cover my face with both my hands. Especially if the room wasn’t going to do me the courtesy of absorbing me into the floor any time soon. As for Wye, he leaned down slightly, his breath brushing warm against my ear.
“I have shared the truth,” he murmured quietly.
I flinched at that because I still had no clue if anything he said was right or not. I only knew what the potential problems I could cause were if he was wrong. And that wasn’t even taking into account the feeling of being catapulted into this, headfirst, at lightning speed.
Hell, half of me had expected an angry mob to be waiting the second I stepped out of his office, considering what they had seen me do before I went in. What I didn’t expect was the easy acceptance, despite how scary their Lord could be.
However, before I could think of anything remotely coherent to say in response, he released me just long enough to guide me toward the throne. And I was too numb to stop him.
The chair itself looked even more imposing up close, with its twisted bone and carved stone as dark as night. It also made it clear this seat had been designed for ruling rather than comfort. One that was certainly big enough for someone of Wye’s size as he sat down in it with the easy authority of someone entirely accustomed to doing so.
Which left me standing beside him, suddenly unsure what exactly I was supposed to do with myself now.
My gaze flicked across the platform until I spotted an empty seat near the throne.
Perfect.
