Chapter 25
A SPARK OF INTEREST
KARTHIK
The masquerade ball was, as always, a study in predictable excess—something he normally appreciated, but tonight, not so much.
Karthik leaned against one of the marble pillars in Vlane's grand ballroom with a glass of something aged and expensive in his hand, watching the glittering assembly with the detached interest of someone who’d seen it all before. Which he had. Multiple times. Across multiple centuries.
The masks were lovely, of course. Elaborate confections of feathers and jewels that probably cost more than most mortals made in a year.
The costumes were exquisite, crafted in silks and satins and velvets in every shade imaginable.
And the guests themselves? Beautiful. Powerful.
Extraordinary in every sense of the word.
Also tedious as hell.
He took a sip of his drink, letting the smoky burn slide down his throat as his gaze drifted across the crowd.
There—a formerly promiscuous vampire and his mate, staring into each other's eyes with that nauseating mixture of wonder and possessiveness.
And there, the shifter alpha and his female, barely able to keep their hands off each other.
Fated mates. Soul bonds. True love eternal.
Yawn.
Oh, it had been entertaining at first. Watching beings who'd lived for centuries suddenly reduced to lovesick fools had a certain dark appeal.
But after the fifth bonding in as many years, the novelty had worn thin.
Vlane and Ana. David and Ryssa. Kristoff and Tedi.
Matt and Jessie. And now, apparently, Brandon and that delicious little witch.
Karthik's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile as his red eyes tracked Brandon across the room.
The mage looked disgustingly content, one hand resting possessively on the small of Muriel's back as he spoke with Armand.
Even from here, Karthik could sense the raw power thrumming through their bond, earthy and ancient and strong.
Such a tragic waste of potential.
He'd felt her the moment she'd arrived in Mythic.
That kind of natural magic was impossible to miss if you knew what to look for—wild and untamed, crackling with potential.
For a brief, entertaining moment, he'd considered making a play for her himself.
Not for anything as pedestrian as a soul bond, of course.
But the Codex she carried would have made an excellent addition to his collection, and her power. ..
Well. A demon could dream.
But Brandon had claimed her first, in that inevitable way fated mates always did. Which left Karthik exactly where he'd been before. Bored, restless, and in need of a proper diversion.
The Collectors Vlane had gifted him had provided some temporary entertainment, at least. Curious little things, designed to trap and preserve magical essence for study.
Karthik had put them to far more creative uses, of course.
There was something deeply satisfying about watching a greedy, power hungry mage struggle against the pull, savoring the slow drain of power, drop by drop, as their minds unraveled.
The trouble was, human minds broke so easily. Even the magical ones. Push too hard and they shattered like glass, leaving nothing but drooling husks. Where was the fun in that?
No, what he needed was someone who could take whatever he dished out when his urges grew too strong. Someone who wouldn't break. Someone who could match him, challenge him, maybe even surprise him.
His gaze found Ryssa across the room, and something that might have been regret flickered through him.
Now there was a female who could have kept things interesting.
As a fallen angel, she'd had the strength and resilience to withstand his particular brand of.
.. intensity. Over the decades she'd worked at Seven Circles, he'd tested her boundaries with the focused interest of a connoisseur.
Pain tolerance. Psychological limits. How far he could push before she pushed back.
She'd been magnificent.
And then David Corrigan—that pathetic mortal, of all things—had summoned her, and that had been the beginning of the end of that. Another fated pair, another potentially fascinating toy claimed by someone else.
Tedious.
Karthik was contemplating the merits of leaving early when movement across the room caught his attention. His eyes locked with Tedi's, and something electric arced between them.
The oracle went utterly still, her hazel eyes beginning to swirl with that peculiar golden light that meant she was Seeing something.
Her expression went blank, slack, as if someone had cut the strings holding her upright.
She swayed slightly, and Karthik felt a pulse of genuine interest for the first time all evening.
Well now. That's different.
He watched as she blinked, the light fading from her eyes, and turned to say something to Masterson’s bride. Ana’s head swiveled in his direction, and even from here he could see the knowing look that crossed her delicate features.
Then she smiled.
Not the polite, social smile she gave to most guests. This was something else. Warm and knowing and edged with just enough mischief to make him wary. She murmured something to Tedi, pressed a kiss to Vlane’s cheek, and began gliding across the ballroom floor toward him.
Karthik straightened from his casual lean against the pillar.
Whatever game Ana was playing, it would be more entertaining than watching another round of mate-bond declarations.
The Fae were unpredictable creatures, and Ana more than most. Vlane kept her abilities carefully hidden, but Karthik knew power when he sensed it.
She reached him, still smiling, and the scent of moonlight and magic washed over him. He inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Ana. You look radiant, as always.”
“Karthik.” Her voice was light, musical. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
He gestured vaguely at the assembled crowd with his glass. “It's a lovely party. Vlane outdoes himself each year.”
“That's not an answer.”
His lips quirked. “No, it isn't.”
Ana's eyes, impossibly blue, studied him with an intensity that would have made most creatures uncomfortable. Karthik held her gaze, curious despite himself. The Fae queen was up to something.
“I couldn't help but notice,” she said, her tone deceptively casual, “that you seem... restless.”
“Observant, as always.”
“Is there anything you wish for, Karthik?” The words were carefully chosen, deliberately weighted. “Anything at all?”
And there it was. The offer. The trap. The opportunity.
Karthik's red eyes glittered with dark amusement. Ana knew exactly what she was doing, and the fact that she was doing it anyway suggested that whatever Tedi had Seen involved him in some significant way. Interesting. And potentially very, very entertaining.
“Now that,” he purred, his deep voice carrying just enough heat to make the temperature around them spike, “is a dangerous question to ask a demon.”
Ana's smile never wavered. If anything, it grew wider.
“Perhaps,” she said. “But I don't ask questions I'm not prepared to hear the answer to.”
Karthik studied her for a long moment, weighing possibilities against probabilities, amusement against caution. Whatever the oracle had foreseen, Ana believed he needed to be part of it. And while the Fae were many things—tricksters, wish-granters, chaos incarnate—they rarely acted without purpose.
He took another sip of his drink, considering.
“Tell me,” he said finally, “what did our lovely oracle See that has you playing matchmaker with a demon?”
“Who says I'm playing matchmaker?”
“Ana.”
She laughed, the sound like bells. “Very well. Tedi saw... a possibility. Something that could be quite beneficial for all parties involved. But it requires certain participants to be willing to explore options they might not have considered otherwise.”
“How delightfully vague.”
She lifted her petite shoulders in an elegant shrug.
Despite himself, Karthik felt a genuine smile tug at his lips. Yes, this was much better than watching more mate bonds snap into place. Ana was offering him something, though what, exactly, remained tantalizingly unclear.
“And if I'm not inclined to participate?”
Ana's expression softened, and for a moment she looked almost sympathetic. “Then nothing changes. Although, I never thought of you as the type to walk away from a challenge.”
He laughed, as delighted as he was offended. A challenge? Surely, she wasn’t serious. He was a demon lord. Nothing challenged him. That was the problem.
“Tell me more about what you think I need, since you seem to have such insight.”
“It’s not so much about need as it is what you want, and as for that, I have no idea.”
The words hit closer to truth than Karthik cared to admit. He studied Ana's face, looking for deception, manipulation, the hidden barbs that came with every Fae bargain.
He found only sincerity. Her soul was nauseatingly pure.
“I’m intrigued,” he said carefully. “Though I notice you haven't actually told me what—or who—this mysterious possibility involves.”
“Because you haven't answered my question yet.” Ana's smile turned knowing. “So I'll ask again. What is it you wish for?”
The air between them crackled with potential. Around them, the masquerade continued in blissful ignorance. But here, in this small bubble of space, something else was happening.
An offer was being made. A door was being opened.
And Karthik, for all his power and all his years, found himself genuinely curious about what lay on the other side.
He finished his drink and set the empty glass on a passing servant's tray. When he looked back at Ana, his red eyes held a spark of something long absent.
Interest. Real, genuine interest.
“Yes,” he said, his voice dropping to a purr that promised both danger and delight. “I believe I do wish for something. Though I suspect I'm going to regret this.”
Ana's answering smile was pure female satisfaction.
“Oh,” she said, “I doubt that very much.”
As Tedi's eyes met his from across the room once more, Karthik felt the first stirrings of anticipation unfurl in his chest.
Perhaps this night wouldn't be so tedious after all.