Page 49 of Smoke, Mirrors, & Misdemeanours

Cassia raised a brow. “Do you attend these events often?”

“Only when I have to.”

“And yet you brought me to one. For our first date.”

“It’s a strategic venue. Everyone who matters in the Echelon rank is here. No better place to debut a relationship.”

“How romantic.”

A male voice, smooth as polished glass and just as cold, stopped them. “Arkenoth.”

Cassia felt the subtle shift in Ark’s posture—a minute tightening. He turned, and her gaze followed his.

Agmon Alderrath stood beneath a gleaming archway, a vision of calculated elegance in his Daemaric-blue tailcoat. His jagged black horns gleamed as if freshly buffed, and his smile was a masterpiece of restrained insult. Cassia’s stomach tightened.

Beside him stood a woman she could only assume was his sister. They looked so much alike—the same pale, silver-haired good looks. Her gown was the same official blue, but her stance held a subtle lean toward warmth, and her eyes, fixed on Cassia, held not condescension, but a keen, quiet curiosity.

Ark’s tone was a flat, neutral plane. “Alderrath. Lucindra.”

Cassia straightened her spine on instinct. Ark could probably feel the tension coiling through her, but she refused to let it reach her face.

“Miss Aura Cassia, isn’t it?” Alderrath’s gaze swept over her—a lazy, dismissive inspection that made her skin prickle. “What a surprise.”

She smiled at him. “Is it?” She layered her tone with pleasant sharpness. “Perhaps, after tonight, you will get used to seeing me where I don’t belong.” She felt Ark’s arm tremble with suppressed laughter.

Alderrath’s chuckle was a low, unpleasant sound. “I do admire your persistence. Still fighting for those poor souls at Starlight, are you?”

“Always. Some of us prefer to pick fights that matter.”

“What one considers important is exceedingly subjective, Miss Aura. Surely, you understand.” His silver eyes slid from her to Ark. “Though your little display at The Ivory Club seems to have . . . earned you an interesting connection.”

Before Cassia could retort, Ark tugged her closer. The move was fluid, almost casual—but the gentle possessiveness in it stole her breath.

“Ah, that’s right.” His voice was warm and fond. He glanced down at her, and the smile he gave was so genuine it made her heart stutter. “I’ve been meaning to thank you, Alderrath. If you hadn’t invited me to The Ivory Club that night, I might never have met her.”

He held her gaze a beat longer before turning back to Alderrath. “And thanks to that, I’ve found my Chosen.”

A flicker of shock crossed Alderrath’s face before he smoothed it flat. “Chosen?”

Ark nodded, his expression settling into something simple and unshakable. “She impressed me.”

He gave neither elaboration nor justification—just that statement, absolute and final.

Alderrath’s mouth slowly curled into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “A Chosen. Within days, and just in time for Yulefrost. How utterly serendipitous. Your mother must be beside herself with delight.”

Ark tilted his head, the picture of casual grace. “I imagine she will be. I haven’t told her yet. I thought I’d save it for the ball.” He gave a conspiratorial shrug. “She’d enjoy the surprise.”

Alderrath’s jaw tightened, a tiny crack in the polished surface. But a quick glance to the left revealed something very different on Lucindra’s face. Unlike her brother’s, her features relaxed into something that looked almost like . . . relief.

“I look forward to it,” Alderrath said, the words a promise that hung in the air long after he had turned away.

Cassia shivered, her nape suddenly chilled. Centuries past the Convergence, Sanguine Demons had learned to survive on other sustenance, but bone marrow still gave them power. Whatever the reason, being near one always sent a tingle down her spine.

They continued to their table. Cassia expected to be seated somewhere discreet. A tucked-away alcove on the upper tier, perhaps. A quiet corner, somewhere shadowed and comfortable. Instead, they were escorted straight to the centre of the floor—to a round platform framed by twin columns, perfectly lit and impossible to miss. Eyes shifted toward them the moment she stepped into view.

Ark looked unmoved by the attention. He pulled out her seat and took his place across from her, casual, composed.

Of course he wanted them to be seen; that was the point.