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Zane moved from the table and stood in front of us. “By the seasons, the elements, and celestial divine, gift these chosen and let them shine. It is above as it is below. So mote it be. My will is done.”
The roiling cloud spread out and slammed into each of us with the force of a hurricane pummeling the coast. I stumbled back, and it took all my control not to collapse. Power flowed through my bloodstream, scorching every cell within me. The courtyard blurred and swayed.
Most of the novices hit the ground, some of them hunching over or grabbing their heads. Roxie crumpled next to me, but I gritted my teeth, determined to keep my feet firmly planted on the stones. Hawk also remained upright, the tendons and veins popping out of his neck as he fought the urge to collapse.
I found Captain Coltrane within the crowd of black blurs, and for a moment, a broad smile pulled her lips apart.
Fire erupted within me, and a groan clawed up my throat. And then the pressure ceased.
Air rushed into my lungs, my muscles loosened, and my body sagged. Hawk angled in my direction, resting his hand on my shoulder.
“We made it,” he panted as a slow grin unleashed those dimples. “And we’re going to bring hell to the nightworlders.” He tapped his fist to mine.
Roxie cursed. “That hurt like a son of a bitch.”
I reached out and grabbed her arm to help her stand. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“You might as well be a terminator while I’m a flesh and blood woman who wants to keep all of her parts intact.” She grabbed her boobs to ensure they were still there.
Zane wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Congratulations. You’ve all been given a gift. Use it wisely.” Shadows darkened his violet irises like threatening phantoms haunting the night. “And never forget where you got it.”
A chill snaked down my back as his words sank in. Witches liked to remind us where our special abilities came from—and how easily they could snatch them away.
Applause and cheers rippled through the courtyard, and Roxie crashed into me, forcing me to stumble into Hawk.
“We finally did it!” She jumped up and down, her hair flicking my face. “Tonight’s going to be awesome.”
Hawk’s thick arms wrapped around us. “I can’t wait to let loose after all this training.”
Let loose?My partner had still managed to have plenty of fun while training. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“A club,” Roxie said over the cheering.
Tension returned to my muscles, stiffening every inch of my frame. “Whichclub?”
She pulled back as a toothy grin spread her mouth apart, and the glint in her gaze had my spine snapping straight. “Wrath & Ruin.”
My stomach dropped like I’d plummeted over the edge of a giant cliff. “I amnotgoing to a demon nightclub.”
ChapterFive
Brash techno musicpounded through the club, rattling my bones. The smoke drifting in the air changed colors as a rainbow of lights bounced from the ceiling and spilled over patrons lounging in a booth that looked like it had been carved out of a cave wall. I used my new abilities to push beyond their glamours and found their true forms. A guy’s purple mohawk morphed into a row of horns sliding down the center of his head, and a luminescent sheen eerily lit his vibrant blue eyes.
Mostly dux and a few high demons mingled with humans and other types of nightworlders. Red irises flashed as vampires sipped crimson cocktails, and a few shifters flirted with anything except the bloodsuckers. A group of witches hung out under an outcropping of rocks.
None of this would have been visible to me yesterday, but now, if I wanted, I could see through all the glamours to the nightworlders hidden within the city.
Just how many had I unknowingly encountered on the streets?
“Isn’t this great!” Roxie yelled from beside me at the chrome cocktail table where we stood, her hips swaying to the music. “The whole place looks like the inside of a mysterious cave.”
“Yeah, real cool.” My muscles tensed as a shifter strolled behind me, nodding when he noticed my stare.
Out of all the nightworlders, shifters were the most human-like and considered the lesser evil of all the supernatural species. They didn’t use magic or glamours, and they didn’t live off souls or blood like vamps and demons. They could still transform into animals and tear your throat out, though.
“I don’t know why you guys thought coming to a demon club was a good idea.” My fists tightened, ready to fight anything that so much as looked at me wrong. “Especially you, Hawk.”
He pushed dark blond waves out of his face and frowned. “It’s not like I’m going out of my way to hang out with any nightworlders. Plus, we’re in this world. We should, you know, get to know our enemy.”
