Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 857(@200wpm)___ 686(@250wpm)___ 572(@300wpm)
“Be safe,” Graves repeated.
She didn’t know what it cost him to let her pull away from him. To see her at Lorcan’s side. To trust that Lorcan would take care of her until he arrived. But his expression remained the same, and she had to guess at his distress.
When she stood next to Lorcan, it felt bad. Like she was drawing a line in the sand. Even though she was only walking in with him because she and Graves had a different plan for tonight.
George narrowed his eyes at Lorcan as he reached for the umbrella. “If you mess up one hair on her head, you won’t just answer to him.”
Lorcan’s grin wavered for a moment at the threat. “Understood.” Then he hefted the umbrella over their heads and said, “Shall we?”
Kierse met Graves’s eyes one more time before turning toward the entrance to the building.
“I like the dress,” he said.
She ignored him. “Just watch my back.”
A white-gloved attendant opened the door for them, taking the umbrella before they entered. They handed over their invitations and were escorted past a row of paparazzi-style cameras.
Kierse had been here hundreds of times over the years. A wave of nostalgia that she wasn’t anticipating hit her. For so long, Amberdash had been one of the few people in this world that she—if not trusted—respected. He’d always looked out for her even after she’d thought that she killed Jason. Amberdash had been there. There were few people in her life more influential than the wraith they headed to meet.
“Security check, first,” a grizzly looking pair of guards ordered.
The invitation had warned that no electronics or weapons would be allowed inside. They’d figured with so many enemies all in one place, it was rampant for violence. If Amberdash wanted them to get through the evening, he was going to need to be vigilant.
A metal wand ran over each of them, coming up empty. Still, they patted them both down to check for any kind of electronic devices.
“We’re clean,” Lorcan growled.
“As a reminder: No weapons. No electronics. No monster transformations, and no magic.”
“We know the drill,” Kierse said.
“If there is any fighting, you’ll be kicked out,” he added.
“Understood,” Lorcan said, pulling Kierse away from the guards to the elevator bank.
The door slid open, and another white-gloved attendant pressed the button to the penthouse for them. The doors opened again to a dimly lit penthouse apartment. Gregory Amberdash had always had a flair for the dramatic, and his dark aesthetic was shown in the massive party room on the top floor of his headquarters. Everything was draped in black and white and silver. The curtains hung low and dark across the side windows while the doors onto the massive balcony veranda looked out across Manhattan.
As the elevator closed behind them, Kierse felt a pressure on her chest as if suddenly her magic was somewhere very far away. Her gaze snapped to Lorcan’s. “What did you just do?”
“It wasn’t me,” he said with cold-laced fury in his voice. “It’s a dampener.”
“That shouldn’t affect me, should it? My absorption was up.”
“It’s not magic expressly. I would guess a magical artifact. Like how you can handle the spear and take tonics,” he said evenly. “No one is performing magic for you to absorb. It’s the nature of the object.”
“Great. So when they said no magic, they really meant it.”
“Unfortunately, it looks like yes. We can probably speak mind to mind, but much more than that would not be recommended.”
Kierse felt wobbly without any magic at her fingertips. She’d gone to all that trouble to get her powers back from Lorcan, and then she couldn’t even use them at the party. Just the bond there beating in her chest like a lifeline to her powers. And for the first time, she grasped onto it in panic.
Lorcan took her shoulders in his hands. “Hey, breathe.”
She closed her eyes. “It feels wrong.”
“Your magic is still there. It’s only buried.” His voice steadied her. “Just focus on me. Breathe in and out. Nice and slow.”
She did as he said, letting his words sink into her as she tried to relax. This wasn’t forever. It was just a few hours. She had to play nice with the rest of the partygoers so that she could steal from Amberdash and get out of here. Finally, she relaxed her grip on their bond and exhaled.
“I’m fine.”
“One more breath.”
She did another slow exhale, her heart rate coming down with the terror. “I’m good now,” she said, stepping away from him.
“Good.” His voice was low, only for her as he dropped his hands to his sides. His expression flattened. “Let’s get something to drink.”
A flowing tower of champagne was off to the left, and Lorcan snagged two glasses, handing them to her. Already the place was filling up with monsters.