No, the people I hated were the assholes about to walk in at any moment. The kind of guys who treated the women as less than people. Like their money and family connections gave them the right to do whatever they wanted. And in Ignareth, it was usually—unfortunately—true.
Unless your friend hated your guts, that was.
I stationed myself by the door to the private room reserved for Fontaine’s group, letting my mind wander as I stared straight ahead. Strippers had never been my thing even before I met Sage, but especially now, I couldn’t have been less interested. And if I watched the crowd instead, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hide the disgusted sneer from my face.
One of the waitresses walked by, her tray full of empty glasses she was taking back to get washed. “Can I get you anything?” she asked.
I shook my head, giving her a small smile. “No, I’m good. Thanks.”
She shrugged as she passed, and I widened my stance, preparing myself not just for tonight, but for Sage’s extraction.
Asmodiel had set the meeting for two days from now, so I focused my fires towards finally killing Victor. As long as he was alive, he would chase after Sage, and she deserved her freedom.
Even if it came at the cost of mine.
Tomorrow, I would head to the witch apothecary and find a glamour charm to make sure Victor wouldn’t spot me.
Vamps were the only Magik who could use their own powers to change their appearance, while the rest of us had to rely on witch-made charms and potions.
And now that I was thinking about it, meant witches had the power, too. Their magic just took a different route.
As I went over the roster of my dad’s best guys to bring in my head, a raucous roar of laughter—the kind that just screamed “I’m wearing boat shoes”—filled the club.
Fontaine was here.
I straightened up, nodding to the hostess in the baby doll lingerie who was leading them straight to me, and I wordlessly opened the door.
There were six in total—four alphas and two betas, one of whom was our bachelor. Their pristine wings were tucked tight behind their backs as they whistled at the girls and practically dragged my target inside.
“Come on guys, really? I said no strip clubs,” he whined, the sound nearly petulant.
One of the alphas grabbed his shoulders from behind, giving them a hard squeeze. “We’re in Ignareth, man, of course we’re going to a strip club! Gotta see them demon titties while you still can.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
Assholes, indeed.
“And half of us are single, so deal with it. Can’t make this whole trip about you.”
“But it’s my bachelor party…”
The seraph had a point. He also seemed to have shitty friends, and I was starting to wonder if this plan was going to work. If he hadn’t even wanted to come here, he probably wasn’t the type of guy who was itching to hook up with a stripper.
But his friend was sure this was happening, so all I could do was wait and be ready.
After they filed in, I entered behind them, closing the door.
“What’s with the suit?” one of them asked.
“Security for the dancers,” the hostess replied, setting their drinks on the table. “Or would you rather we turn on the cameras?”
They looked at me, weighing their options. “Yeah, I guess we’ll take the suit.”
The camera would have been easier, but apparently, the friend insisted on photos. “The closer, the better.”
Whatever. Once tonight was over, so was this stupid set of trials.
The group settled into the black leather sofa, and the raised, lighted platform and pole were soon occupied by a demon woman dancing to some rock song that was older than I was.
