“I don’t know what kind of women you’re looking for, but if I have to find one, get her here, and… do whatever else you want me to do, all in three weeks, she isn’t going to be a princess.”
Aurelius smiles. And I don’t know what it means, but I find my eyes dipping to his hands, as if he could be holding a knife. Only a maroon bracelet peeks from the gray of his cuffed sleeve.
“Well lucky for you, we’ve taken care of the first two tasks. She’s already here.”
Aurelius gestures to the unconscious woman sprawled out on the floor. I turn my head toward her, meaning sinking deep into my gut, feeling suspiciously like dread.
“Our primary use for you is not to simply bring us Seraphs. We want you to introduce them to our society’s practices in a positive light as well as teach them to submit themselves fully to our members. You have three weeks to make our chosen Seraph ready for our people. If you succeed, we’ll go by your timeline from then on.”
I keep my head turned, eyes latched onto the girl so they don’t have to focus on Aurelius. Deep breaths pour in and out of my lungs, nostrils flaring with each exhale.
“You’ve seriously misunderstood who I am and what I’ve done,” I say, keeping my tone even.
Aurelius doesn’t miss a beat. “We’ve spent a wealth of time studying who you are and what you’ve done. There’s no misunderstanding.”
I want to laugh in his face.
They read the articles. They watched the interviews.
They don’tknowme. They know what some people with badges and over-inflated egos have said.
“Well, you’ve certainly wasted no time figuring out what to do with me,” I say, tucking my hands in my pockets when they try to clench. Just how long did it take them to start foaming at the mouth after Wilcox reached out?
I should’ve known. They accepted our request too quickly, gave us no hoops to jump through. I should’ve known, but I’m not surprised.
Back turning to Aurelius and the two women, I wander over to the captive on the floor, my shadow looming over her slender, pale form. Very pale. Even shadowed, her long hair stands out as unusually fair. Maybe even white.
Crouching, I run my finger down a smooth lock, free of split ends or breakage, each strand well-cared for.
“Who is she?” I ask, slipping my hand beneath her cheek so I can turn her to face me. Her skin is warm against my chilled palm, despite the utter lack of color. The only indication of life is a whisper of breath my thumb collects as it slides along her bottom lip.
“I’d have to ask Thorne… He’s the one who picked her.”
“Where did he find her?”
A floorboard creaks beneath Aurelius’s weight as he nears. “New York City—as high a crime area as Thorne could find. We’re two hundred miles away. Don’t worry about anyone linking us to her disappearance.”
My eyes travel from her makeup-free face to the tan sweater hugging her chest. I run my hand down her arm, soft cashmerecaressing the scars on my palm. She was home when they took her—dressed casually in quality clothes, face free of scars, blemishes, or paint.
High crime area my ass.
“Can you tell me anything about her? Does she have children? A husband? A career?”
I lift her left hand before I even finish, running my thumb over her bare ring finger, catching on bulky metal adorning her middle digit. I work the ring past her knuckle and hold it up to study. An emerald, square-cut jewel clung to a gold band. Familiar somehow, but when I search my memory, I can’t place it. I know for certain I’ve never seen this woman in my life.
When I look over my shoulder at Aurelius, he’s facing the two women. As if they have the answers. No one offers any.
“You don’t know a thing about this girl, do you?”
The blonde answers. “We thought we’d give you a blank slate, sir. We want you to feel challenged and confident in your abilities.”
My abilities … as a sorcerer?
Standing, I pocket the emerald ring. The room heats as though the candles have multiplied, flames reaching the ceiling, claiming the curves of my ears, the skin at my chest.
“I didn’t catch your name,” I say to the blonde, her cheeks pinkened as if she can feel the heat as well. I don’t look at Aurelius. If I do, I’m afraid my composure will break.
“Zephyr.”
