“I’ve never sensed so much power in one place,” she admitted.
“I know,” Ben said, grimacing anew. “It’s overwhelming, isn’t it?”
“Maddening! All those people that were downstairs—they’re in on…whatever this is?”
“It’s an arms trade of magical objects and monsters. Very likely fairies, too,” Delilah said. “The things in the storage room appear to be the lowest caliber items and creatures on the premises. Just about every person you saw down in the lobby is either here for an extra dose of power or the money that comes from selling it.”
“If you three are so noble,” Sylvia said, “how did you get an invitation?”
“She’s right,” I said, raising my eyebrows at Delilah. “I’m willing to bet that over half of those people are witches and warlocks—and worse. Friends of yours?”
Delilah smiled around her sip of wine. “Is it a crime to be well-connected? Surely you’re not ones to judge. Do you find every hunter to be entirely palatable?” Her eyes flickered in Lee’s direction and softened. “But if I’m being honest… A lifetime ago, I was less into the whole good girl thing. If you’d told me all it took was a thief interfering with one of my most delicate plans to completely unravel my world, I’d say you were crazy.”
Lee kissed the back of her hand. “Took you long enough to come around to me,” he said. “If I recall, I was only saved from a curse because you spotted Ben backing me.”
“And that’s how I knew what a delightful freak you were. And unfortunately, very much my type.” Delilah let her fingers stay entwined with his as they rested their hands on the table. Her severe beauty was still somewhat softened when she glanced back at us, one brow lifted. “Consider yourselves lucky I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
“Believe me, we’re eternally fucking grateful,” Cliff said dryly. He stalked across the room again in search of another exit, his movements quick and restless, brimming with anxious energy.
I glared at each of the three sitting across from Sylvia and me. “Can you get to the point of why you’re sharing this?”
Lee produced three more ethereal invitations and laid them on the table. “Like I said—common enemy. We’re looking to bring this thing down from the inside out.”
Delilah looked me up and down like she was appraising an object for sale. “Call it fate or whatever you will, but you turned up just in time. Our last muscle betrayed us shortly after we arrived. They tried to tip off our target in hopes of receiving a bigger payout fromhisside.”
The clinking of glass drew my attention away. Cliff was pointedly raiding the minibar.Thosedoors weren’t locked, at least. He returned to the table with an arm full of mini liquors and finally took a seat beside me. “Now who would ever want to betray such normal and reasonable people like you?” He popped one bottle open and gulped.
Delilah proceeded to eye him with the same studious treatment she’d given me, though her nose crinkled slightly when Cliff slammed down the empty shooter a few swallows later. “With your track record, I think you two will be an adequate replacement.”
Cliff gave her a dirty look. “Adequate?”
“You want us to help you after you just had us bound and gagged in your closet?” I scoffed.
“Don’t be such a baby about it.” Delilah waved a hand. “Everyone wakes up in rope at some point in their lives.”
I ground my back teeth, prepared to tell her to fuck right back to the hole she crawled out of, but I hesitated and glanced down at Sylvia. My heart tugged at the sight of her tense shoulders, the urgent furrow of her eyebrows.
Monsters and fairies are being weaponized.
I thought of her mother and sister, left behind in Elysia. Her friends, if you could still call them that. If it had beenmyfamily,mypeople at risk, there would be no question about risking anything for a chance to save them. That was the life of a hunter, after all. How could I look Sylvia in the eye if I dismissedherkind so readily?
Sighing, I plucked a shooter of gin and uncapped it, taking a long swig. The sting of the booze was a comfort, numbing my throat as I slid my attention back across the table.Fuck, I hated the self-assured looks on Lee and Delilah’s faces, as though my hesitation was already their victory.
“People have been weaponizing the supernatural for millennia,” I pointed out, cautiously biting for more information.
“Not like this,” Lee said. “It’s organized. Industrious. I doubt you’ve encountered anything like it—because if you did, you wouldn’t hesitate to burn this place to the ground.” His expression darkened suddenly. “There’s a man here, a seller who goes by Eros. Ever heard of him?”
Cliff and I shared a glance.Find Eros. What were the chances that these people shared the same target as Tammy?
“I’d remember such a pretentious moniker,” Cliff said. Playing dumb—there was no reason for them to know about Tammy’s warning.
Lee smirked half-heartedly at this, conceding. “He’s been on the scene for only three years, and I can tell you he’s already topped the food chain in this market. He started with artifacts: rare talismans, cursed objects, you know the type. Other fences are being devoured by his company, either bought out or washed up under a bridge.”
“He quickly moved onto creatures,” Delilah continued. “Word on the street is that he’s the middleman for some unnerving clients. A source of mine has him documented with La Cosa Nostra, and someone else—some underground scientist with deep pockets. This is far from the first event of its kind, but thescale of the acquisitions this time around is through the roof. If we don’t stop these shipments tomorrow night, it might be too late to stop the forces in motion.”
I almost choked on my last gulp of gin. “The fucking mafia?”
The image of werewolves and ghouls being used as strongmen to accumulate power was laughable—until it wasn’t. And that wasn’t even the part that seemed to have their smug masks slipping. A strange, unmistakable fire burned in Lee’s gaze. I noticed that Ben hadn’t spoken a word, his expression faraway.
