Page 28

“Shit,” Mia whispers. “That’s what you get for hanging out with vampires.”

I turn slightly toward Ezra. “What are blood witches doing lately? I thought they were running low.”

Ezra grimaces. “They’re weird. Nobody really hangs out with them except vampires. You know, all the blood stuff. At some point, it’s just disgusting.” He catches himself and winces. “Shit. Sorry, Lara. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No offence taken.”

I was never into that anyway. My mother came from a blood coven line, but no one really talked about it. She didn’t have magic in her, not the way witches meant it, and I only had enough blood magic to pass as supernatural. Not enough to draw Red Coven attention, which I preferred.

I leave the table to sell the rest of the stardust I have left, but the red-haired girl stays in my head. A blood witch dead in Julian’s suite. Her body gone, and the prince missing. Maybe she wasn’t just some random girl he fed on. IF he fed on her. Right now, I’m not sure of anything. But what could a newly turned vampire possibly want from a Red Witch beside blood and entertainment?

Piro appears in front of me and snaps me out of my thoughts. He kisses my cheek in greeting, smelling like smoke and trouble.

“Hey, Lara. Haven’t seen you tonight. You all right?” His smile softens slightly. “Sorry about Nero last time. He shouldn’t… I didn’t know he would do that.”

“You could’ve told me you had a brother.”

Piro looks across the room toward Vito and Nero who are speaking with Silver elders. Alexa stands with them too, looking like she’s already been promoted into management. But Vito looks like the one calling all the shots.

“Nothing to brag about,” Piro says.

“What was that thing at Le Vertige? You made a little mess on the floor.”

“Pack stuff. Nero fucked up a guy from Fifth Pack, and their leader came to show off. You saw how that ended.”

“Impressive.”

“Yeah.”

Nero appears behind him like a summoned demon and places one hand on Piro’s shoulder. “The deal is done. Father wants you to escort him back.”

Piro frowns. “Why? I just got here.”

“Because I’m telling you.” Nero’s voice leaves no room for argument. “You can find girls to fuck later.”

He kisses Piro on the head, almost affectionately, then pushes him away.

Piro leaves, clearly disappointed, while Nero turns to me, hands slipping into his pockets.

“Your brother is nicer,” I say.

“Yeah, but he has a smaller dick.”

“I wouldn’t know.” For one brief second, Nero smiles despite himself.

I walk toward the balcony because the atmosphere is starting to claw at my nerves. On my way through the crowd, a waiter carrying a tray of champagne nearly crashes into Alexa. A glass tips, gold liquid splashing across the floor and catching the hem of her silver dress.

“Watch where you’re going, you useless piece of shit,” Alexa snaps. “You human cattle can’t even do this right.”

The boy goes pale, and a hex smoke starts curling from Alexa’s fingers.

“Hey,” I say, stepping between them. “Leave the kid alone.”

I touch the boy’s wrist lightly behind my back, a silent signal to run. He takes it and disappears before Alexa can decide which organ of his she wants to rot first. She stands in front of me like a goddess of vengeance, beautiful and poisonous in a silver gown, straight black hair falling over her shoulders. The magical smoke around her begins to reach me, and I feel the burning discomfort of the spell. But Alexa gets herself back under control.

“Lara,” she says, almost snarling. “Again. I don’t remember inviting you here. This is supposed to be an elite party, not some degenerate rave.”

“I came as a plus-one.”