She turns back to the mirror, tugging at her neckline one last time. “Ready to knock some fangs off with your killer suit?”
I glance at my reflection again, the woman staring back at me equal parts stranger and soldier. My mouth quirks, my pulse steadying. At least on the surface. “Yeah,” I say, grabbing my bag. Which, incidentally, is killer. I make a mental note to thank Belvedere later. When all this is over. “Ready.”
The word feels heavy, and the lie tastes bitter.
We head out together, heels clicking down the hotel corridor. Two women dressed to kill, walking straight into a den of vampires like we own the damn night. My pulse drums high in my throat, but I keep my chin up. If I let them smell nerves, we’ll be finished before we even get inside.
By the timewe regroup in the lobby, Marcus is already there. And holy hotness. He’s waiting like he owns the space, like he was carved for this exact moment. Royal blue suit tailored within an inch of perfection, silver accents catching the dim light, black vest stretching across his chest in a way that makes it hard to look anywhere else. At least for me. Min is busy drooling—I mean, staring at Serafina in an elegant forest-green gown.
Like a magnet, my gaze is drawn back to Marcus. His hair is slicked back—something that should scream pretentious, arrogant even. On anyone else, it would. But on him? It makes him look more lethal. More untouchable. More… mine, if I let myself think it.
My mouth goes desert-dry, heat licking up the back of my neck. I force myself not to linger on the way his shoulders stretchthat jacket to perfection, not to picture my hands smoothing over the fabric—or under it. Dangerous thoughts, in all the wrong ways. At the most inappropriate time.
Then he glances at me. Quick, almost careless, his eyes skimming over my suit like it’s nothing. But I feel it. Damn, do I feel it. Like a spark snapping against dry tinder, quick and merciless, and suddenly I’m burning in places I shouldn’t be thinking about right now.
I adjust the strap of my bag to give my hands something to do. Gods help me, I’m supposed to be preparing for war, not staring at him like he’s the last man alive.
Belvedere looks smug as ever when he takes us in, like we’re all paper dolls he dressed up. The velvet getup he’s wearing makes him look every bit of the drama queen he is. I guess he figured dressing to match the vampires would score some points. I kind of hope it does. He twirls once like the lobby is his personal runway, then claps his hands. “Perfect. We look like power walking into the room. Let’s go.”
I roll my eyes, but part of me knows he’s not wrong. We do look like power. We look untouchable. Marcus in his royal blue, Leonard in classic black, Minerva poured into silk, Serafina gleaming in green. And me, in a suit that makes me feel less like prey and more like someone who can bite back.
Still, it grates. Power. It makes me think of Maximillian, of the games he plays with lives like they’re pawns on his board. Power is what ruined everything in the first place. And yet… when Belvedere says it, when Marcus stands there looking like every dangerous fantasy I’ve never admitted having, a spark lights in my chest. For a heartbeat, I believe it. We look like power. Maybe we even are.
The coven’s front is,of course, a nightclub. Neon lights strobe against the dark, painting everything in garish blues and blood reds. Bass pounds so hard it rattles up through the pavement, vibrating in my ribs like a second heartbeat. The line snakes down the block, a mess of bodies, overpowering perfume and smoke, everyone eager to hand themselves over to the dark with a smile and a cover charge.
“Really?” I mutter, crossing my arms as I eye the glowing sign overhead. “A nightclub? Isn’t that a little… stereotypical?”
Minerva doesn’t even blink, just arches a brow. “Please. You were expecting what? A library?”
I snort, though the sound comes out tighter than I mean it to. “Would’ve been less obvious. At least then they could claim ‘exclusive book club’ instead of… whatever this is.”
Her lips twitch like she’s trying not to laugh, and I glare at the flashing neon again.Bloodlust. My stomach twists at how obvious they are being. Because it’s too easy. Too obvious. Hide in plain sight with cheap liquor and bad decisions, and no one asks questions. Clever, sure. But clever has a way of turning into deadly.
Belvedere grins, teeth flashing. “Darling, the best place to hide is always in plain sight.”
At the door, the bouncer doesn’t even bother to look at us properly. “No reservation. No entry.”
Before I can snap, Minerva glides forward like a ripple in a stream. Slow, steady but threatening a current. She lays her hand lightly on the bouncer’s arm, leaning in close. Her lips brush near his ear, whispering something too low for me to catch, and wow—he blushes.
His chest puffs, his jaw slackens, and just like that, the mountain of muscle guarding the door is reduced to a flustered puppy. He waves us through with a dopey grin, like he should be thanking us for the privilege.
I bite back a laugh, falling into step behind her. This Minerva doesn’t just walk into places—she makes the doors want to open.
Belvedere arches a brow. “I didn’t know you could perform compulsion spells.”
“I can’t,” Minerva replies smoothly.
Serafina smirks, lips curling in a teasing grin. “She just has tits.”
Minerva turns her head slowly, smile languid and deliberate, like she’s savoring the line. Her gaze trails over Serafina with unhurried heat, a slow drag that feels more like a stroke than anything else. “I’m glad you noticed.”
The air hums, turning electric. Flirtatious and sensual. Teasing. Dangerous in an entirely different way. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning. Leave it to Minerva to turn danger into chemistry.
Serafina doesn’t look away. Minerva definitely doesn’t.
I think it’s time for a little retaliation. I clear my throat loudly. “Are we going in, or are you two going to eye-fuck each other all night?”
Minerva grins, unapologetic, and slips past me. Does it bug me that it doesn’t faze her? A little. But the fact that she’s grinning like she won all the power in the land makes me happy.
