I’m surprised that she addresses me by my chosen name, let alone uses the traditional witch’s greeting.
The couch is set into the floor, requiring me to step down and slide into it.
I cautiously settle into the seat opposite her before I give her a reserved nod and respond with the same respect she showed me. “Mother Kadris. Blessings on your power.”
She takes a sip of what looks like plain water. I hide my surprise. I picked her for preferring something much stronger.
She meets my gaze. It’s difficult to tell what color her eyes are in the glowing neon light. Every time the light changes, her eyes change color with it.
“I’m sorry I destroyed your ladybug,” she says. “I needed to make sure everything was in place before you reached me.”
Huh. And here I was thinking my spell was simply defective.
I press my lips together and cut to the chase. “You stole the revival spell from the angels. I want to know what it will take for you to give it to me.”
She leans toward me, her gaze passing to the faint glow that grows around my silhouette. She won’t miss my instinctive magic blossoming from my fear and determination.
She ignores my request. “Your magic is as strong as the rumors say. Why do you repress it?”
“I don’t…” My brow furrows. “I don’t control when it surfaces.”
Her lips part with surprise. “Is that what you believe? Interesting.”
The furrow in my brow deepens while she taps a finger against the back of her other hand and considers me for a moment.
“Very well,” she says. “I will give you the revival spell if you do something for me. Something… that is very important to me.”
Oh, this feels too easy.She agreed too quickly.
I brace myself for what her request could be. But then the set of her lips becomes serious, and her confident smile fades. The faintest hint of desperation creases her forehead, and I’m suddenly struck by the possibility that she might need me as much as I need her.
I tip my chin, testing the waters. “What could be so important that you can’t accomplish it yourself?”
Her gaze flicks to the right, and for a moment, it looks like she’s searching for something.
She quickly returns her attention to me, clears her throat, and wraps her arms around herself as if she’s cold. “There are three rubies worn by a man at this Ball. A very powerful man who, like you, does not know the full extent of the power he controls. I need those rubies.” She takes a deep breath. “I need them badly enough to give you the spell I’ve kept safe until now.”
I scoff, “Kept safe? You stole it.”
“From angels who would have succumbed to temptation, dear. Some angels would break any rule to ascend to heaven again. On the night I stole it, the angel Iriel planned to use the spell to revive her lost place in heaven.” She leans forward again, her gaze piercing me. “The revival spell must rest only in the hands of those who would use it for the benefit of others… not for themselves.”
A shiver makes me rub my arms. “You think I’m that person.”
“You might be. Bring me the rubies, and we will see.” She glances to the right again, but this time, she smiles. “Ah. There he is.”
I follow her gaze to the same man I saw earlier, the one who reminds me of Alexei.
He approaches the circular bar, taking powerful steps that emphasize the muscles beneath his dark pants and short-sleeved T-shirt. He’s casually dressed—maybe he didn’t believe the Ball was real and was taken by surprise when he was transported here.
His hair isn’t all that long, but strands of it splash across his forehead, its dark tips covering his eyes and obscuring his face so it’s impossible to identify him. His hair is the biggest clue that he isn’t Alexei. The Master Assassin’s hair is always shaved close to his head.
Leaning casually into a widening gap at the bar, the newcomer draws the attention of the male bartender with long dark hair cropped short on the sides. I pegged this new bartender as some sort of shifter like Barasa, and my guess is confirmed when I catch flashes of his aura between pulsing beats of music.
The tall man on the other hand… I can’t place him at all.
I fight a smile as his mere presence creates a space at the bar. A few glances from the other patrons, and they leave him alone. Even the women, several of whom give his broad chest and muscled biceps an appreciative glance, give him a wide berth.
Alexei has that impact too, but he is never arrogant. It’s a sign of true power that he always remains polite and in control of his actions. I guess that comes from knowing that when he chooses to act… the consequences can mean death.
