Witnesses report he fed openly during the performance, reviving the long-outlawed practice of Blood Consorts.
Several other elite vampire boxes reportedly followed suit, sparking whispers that Corvane may be setting a dangerous new trend among the Noctis upper crust.
“What the fuck?” I growled, my skin heating at the picture of Sage, dressed to the nines, her scars glamoured away aside fromthat bastard’s claim. She was nearly passed out on his lap while he fed directly from her, in front of everybody.
My dad scowled as he took the phone out of my shaking hand and read the article himself.
He then took another long inhale of his roll and sighed. “This is good news for us, Ronan.”
“Good…goodnews? Are you fucking kidding me? He’s parading her around like his own personal—”
“Watch your tone, son,” he interrupted. I bit my tongue, my knee starting to bounce again as my hands flexed and curled.
I needed to keep cool. If I went in there fists blazing, I was going to be sloppy. I would make mistakes. And I wouldn’t be able to save Sage if Victor beat me, because if he did, he wouldn’t finish until I was dead.
“As I was saying,” he continued, his pace languid as he returned my phone. “This works in our favor. I was trying to think of a way to spin Sage leaving Victor after we string him up by his guts tonight that wouldn’t hurt her reputation. This story, though, frames him as nothing more than a wanton creep. No one will think we’re lying when we say he faked the mating bond. We’ll simply say it was a cover for reviving the Blood Consort practice. Why else would he openly feed from her while maintaining his marriage?”
He exhaled, filling the small space with even more smoke. “You’ll be a hero.”
Asmodiel’s eyes lit up, and he began typing on his phone. “Yes, this is actually great PR. By this time tomorrow, Ronan Oniguro will be a household name. I’ll have my office draft a—”
“No.”
Asmodiel paused, turning slightly towards me. “No?”
“Did I stutter?”
“N-no, it’s just… this is an excellent spin and—”
My hand shot out like a viper, snatching his wrist in a bone-crushing grip. “Any and all statements involving Sage will be run by me first.”
Yeah, I didn’t know Sage that well. But deep down, my gut was telling me that all Sage would want after today would be to slink back into the safety of obscurity. The less her name appeared in the news, the better.
I finally let go, and he rubbed his aching wrist. “Understood.”
I could feel my dad’s eyes on me as I faced forward again. Calculating, always calculating.
What had that little interaction added up to in his head?
* * *
City lights glinting off our tinted windows as we pulled up to the Mansion, a black stone fortress softened by climbing ivy, lanterns, and manicured hedges. Even from the street, the place radiated wealth and power.
The gate slid open as guards in dark uniforms stepped forward, their eyes scanning every face in the motorcade, looking for weapons or traces of dangerous magic.
One of them motioned for the Premier’s car to halt while two others checked credentials.
Asmodiel handed over a sleek, embossed badge from Ignareth. The guards glanced at it, then at us, their expressions unreadable.
I’d gotten two witch charms, one for me as well as my dad, since his face was plastered in the news almost as much as Asmodiel’s. They were powerful and completely undetectable so far. A fact I knew immediately when I recognized one of the guards from the penthouse, while he didn’t spare me a second glance.
He lifted a clipboard and ran a hand over a stack of sheets, methodically ticking boxes. I wondered if Corvane was normally this thorough, or if current circumstances had him feeling especially paranoid.
“Security sweep complete,” one guard finally said. “You may proceed.”
Beyond the gate, the driveway curved past clipped gardens and low fountains, the sound of water echoing faintly. More guards flanked us as we neared the front steps. I kept my hands in my blazer pockets, trying to keep my fires at bay, despite the ever-present taste of ash on my tongue.
I was a furnace ready to explode.
