Page 5

We hold the silence. The air between us hums, and I can’t tell if it’s magic or just the particular pressure of a room where things could go very wrong very fast. Lucky for me, the stardust is still moving through my blood. Without it, my heart would be halfway out of my chest.

“I said no.”

“Sixty.” Now this price is too high, which means the body is probably butchered. I’m not touching that.

“We’re done here.” I stand up and move toward the door. The guard steps into my path.

There we go. My hands go tight at my sides. I’ll walk out of this room on my own, or nobody walks out.

“A shame.” The man behind the desk sighs. “Well. I can’t force you. I’ll find someone else then.”

“Good luck with that.”

I say it over my shoulder and don’t look back.

I move fast through the corridors, looking for Ezra. I find him at the bar, but I don’t make it to him. A silver peacock steps into my path.

Alexa. Black hair, angel face, demon where a soul should be. I hate that bitch. She’s the new darling of the Silver Witches, ten generations of bloodline, mother and grandmother both former coven heads. We went to school together. Halston Academy. She spent four years looking down at everyone and is apparently still at it.

I manufacture a smile.

“Alexa. Lovely to see you. I thought you were still in Europe.”

“Lara.” She looks surprised to see me. “I didn’t know you got invited. I thought you didn’t like coven parties.”

“Just here for work.”

“Oh yes. I’ve heard. You’re selling stardust now.” She lets that sit for a beat. “Well, I suppose we all saw that coming, didn’t we?” Her fake smile barely moves. “Ambition was never really your thing. Always a party girl.” Her eyes drag over me from head to toe, full of quiet contempt. “At least now you’re getting paid for it.”

She walks away, and her peacock tail drags across my face. I let out an irritated breath and watch her go. My eyes meet Ezra’s.

“Are you ok?” he asks.

“Who the fuck was that guy?”

“What do you mean? I think someone from Silver Coven, from London maybe. They keep a very low profile. What did he want?”

“Not stardust.”

“What then?!”

“He knew my name. He knew what I could do.”

Ezra goes quiet. “That’s odd. But not impossible. What did you tell him?”

“No! I’m not doing that. But the money was insane.”

“Stay away from it.” He pulls on his cigarette. “These European guys are weird. You staying?”

“I have to. I need to move everything.” I pause. “I saw Alexa. Didn’t know she was back.”

“Yeah.” He exhales slowly. “She came back to join the Silver Coven Council. Somehow, she’s even more annoying than I remember. But you know her… She will stop at nothing to get what she wants. And Silver Witches want more power now.”

“Maybe she’s just showing off.”

“Maybe,” he adds.

“I need to keep moving. Be careful tonight. And don’t sleep around too much.”