“He has a new woman every night in his club, if not more than one. He has no feelings for anything other than himself, his cock and his daughter,” I reply and steel my back. “We should head to this ball so we can get it over and done with.”
“He has a daughter?” Poppy questions in shock. “How old is she? How old is Seth?”
“Erm, I think she is twenty-three now, and Seth is very old. Very, very old,” I mutter. “And thinks he knows everything because of that fact.”
“Don’t most men think they know everything?” Poppy questions. “My mum told me that once.”
I laugh and bump my shoulder into Poppy’s. “See, you do know something about the opposite sex.”
“Did someone say sex?” Mossy questions, jumping onto my shoulder as we walk to the lift.
“Maybe. What’re your plans for tonight, my little monkey friend?”
“After pouring green dye into Catherine’s shampoo bottle, I’m tired,” he says so normally that I don’t clock onto what he actually said until Poppy bursts into laughter.
“Oh my god. You are the best, Mossy!” Poppy says as we both laugh. I can’t wait to go to the ball now and see Catherine’s green hair.
Mossy stands up proudly on my shoulder. “I am the king of petty revenge.”
I grab Mossy and pop a kiss on the top of his head. “Yes, you are. Have fun with Sword.”
“By the way, you both look pretty,” Mossy tells us. “No sex though. We don’t need men around.”
“Great,” I mutter as I press the lift key. “A monkey is in charge of my sex life, and I literally can’t even argue with him as he is right. We don’t need anyone getting close to us right about now.”
“Unless they already know our secret like Finn or Sebastian,” Poppy comments. Or Ryker and Seth, but I haven’t mentioned that one to her yet. “Do you think the gods know our secret because Finn does?”
“I don’t know. This game was created by them, and they must know who plays in it,” I say, shrugging a shoulder as the lift opens. We both step in, and the interior starts glowing as the doors close. The whole lift goes super warm for a moment, but it doesn’t move, and then the doors bing before opening up.
Instead of our apartment, it’s a ballroom. Every wall of the room is a mirror with large silver arrows in the corners of the room that stretch all the way to the ceiling. The ceiling itself is a giant mural of angels, wolves, reapers, dragons, witches and so much more painted across it, all of them fighting a battle with a gold antler crown right in the centre of the painting. The ballroom has silver floors that are so shiny they reflect the many, many colours of the dresses the women wear inside the room. The men stand out with their black tuxes, but there are so many people in this ballroom, so many that I’m not sure where to look first.
I step out into the room with Poppy, both of us silent in shock and wonder of the magic it would have taken to make that lift work and the sheer number of guests in this room. There must be a thousand people here, easy, and not one of them is human, I suspect. Demons. This is a demon ball. I glance behind me to see a wall of lift doors that are magically appearing and disappearing as people walk out. Nifty magic, that is right there.
“This place is so dreamlike,” Poppy sighs, her eyes lapping up the room like a kid in a candy store. I look around and see the Cherished Five in the corner, nodding at anyone who comes near them, the queen nowhere to be seen. The Cherished Five, known as the Queen’s Knights to other races, are meant to protect the realm no matter what. They will die for the queen if she asks it of them, and it is unheard of to walk away. I’m almost interested why Alun walked away and why the queen allowed it.
“I’m going to the bar. Have fun,” I say, shooing her away, but it doesn’t take much. She sees someone in the distance, and then she is off like a shot. Chuckling to myself, I find the bar on the other side of the room and sit down, waiting for the bartender to come out of the back. The bartender steps out of the door behind the bar, and I try not to flinch. It’s an Unseelie fae. Who knows what her age is, the Unseelie being as close to immortal as they are, but she looks about twenty. Her bright blue eyes find mine, and she pauses for a second before walking to me. Silver bracelets dig into her wrists, but other than that, you wouldn’t think she was a prisoner. Her dress is white and simple, matching the many other servants I’ve seen in the crowd. But none of them are Unseelie fae like she is.
“Do you wish for a beverage?” she asks me.
There is so much I want to say to her, so many questions on the tip of my tongue, but before I can say anything, Seth slides into the seat next to me.
“Syn here will have a dirty martini, and leave a bottle of whiskey on the side for me,” he instructs. The fae woman nods, stumbling back, and I pull my eyes to Seth.
“You remembered my favourite human drink,” I comment, but he doesn’t meet my eyes for a long time. Instead, his eyes run down my body ever so slowly, worse than before because it’s no longer a passing interest; he looks like a wolf hunting his prey when he finally meets my eyes.
“I’ve never seen you in a dress before,” he murmurs, leaning closer. “How exceptional and sensual you look.”
“Don’t get used to it. Won’t you be leaving tonight when this is all over?” I question as the fae places my drink in front of me and a bottle of expensive whiskey in front of Seth with a tumbler. He pours his own drink as the fae girl serves someone else.
“No,” he simply answers. “My brother and sister-in-law have sent me here, and I will not be leaving until the academy is over unless they call.”
My heart pounds in my chest as I try not to react to that news. “By the way, your fight with Evie was impressive and sexy. My brother showed me the footage. Now tell me how you got in that predicament in the first place.”
“Blood magic,” I tell him.
“Why the fuck would you make that deal, Syn?” he questions, stepping into my space and grabbing my arm. “You could have said no and come to me.”
I humourlessly laugh. “Things have changed in the years you left me. You know nothing about me, Seth, and don’t pretend for a moment our year together was a real glimpse into my life, as it was not.”
“Your favourite colour is purple, you sing as you cook, and the songs are enchanting if not banned here. Your hair always smells like coconut, and you cry when someone loses a parent in a film you’ve watched or a book you’ve read. Your favourite drink is coffee, and you can’t stand a day without a cup, and when you eat, you eat the things you dislike the most and leave the best thing to have last. I know you, Syn,” he whispers to me, and I glare at him as I tug my arm from his hand. “I know you, and I’m not leaving this time.”
“Sorry if I don’t believe you, Seth,” I snap, and I walk away before I say anything else I might regret. Someone breaking your trust is like a sour taste in your mouth you can’t get rid of, and the taste comes back every time you try to trust that person just one more time. I’m so lost in my thoughts I don’t look up until I realise the music is louder and I’ve somehow walked right to the edge of the dozens of dancers. I turn around, and Finn is right in front of me. Wordlessly he picks up my hand and places it on his shoulder, his other hand settling on the middle of my back, and then he moves us into the crowd.
“I’m not a good dancer,” I warn him, and he smiles at me.
“With this, you only need to let go and let me lead you,” he smoothly suggests. “Relax, Daesyn.”
And I do.
Finn effortlessly moves us in circles, our bodies moving to the deep notes of the music until I can only relax, and I almost forget that it’s Finn I’m dancing with. I almost forget where exactly I am.
Finn’s thumb presses into my academy rune on my wrist, and I feel a jolt spreading through my body. “What was that?”
“These runes are markings of the gods, as are all runes,” he softly explains to me. “The Protectors believe their runes are a result of angels and demons, but this is not true. See, the gods made all supernaturals, and runes are their creation after all.”
“So a god gave me this rune when I got here?” I question.
“In some way, yes,” he answers. “Many objects in the worlds are bursting with the magic of the gods, and that makes them alive in a sense I could not explain. The gate is one of these objects.”
