Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
PARTIES AND PURCHASERS
Everywhere I look and the very air I breathe is infused with the energy of the full moon. I swear it’s doing weird things to me.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Orion asks quietly as we wait in line.
In all honesty, I feel like I’ve been alternating between expensive champagne and caffeine drinks while putting no food in my stomach. It’s making me giddy and jittery with excitement. Something is at play, but I don’t know what. It might be the moon, or perhaps it’s nothing more than my anxiety.
“Yeah. Nervous is all,” I say quietly, keeping my eyes locked on the Noms in front of me.
The small group of Noms ahead of us shut down any attempt at conversation, after once again blaming me for everything, and are now refusing to acknowledge our presence.
It came as no surprise that while the shifter, celestials, demons, and magikals get welcomed through the gates like celebrities, the Noms are forced to line up to one side and wait for a staff member to check their names off the list—when they come back from wherever they’ve been called off to.
The time we wait gives me the chance to get used to the ridiculous notion that nearly everyone attending is clad in full prom regalia.
I’m glad I stuck to my guns on not wearing a dress, and I don’t care at all that I’m apparently the only one in jeans tonight.
The simple truth is, no matter what I wear, someone is going to give me shit about my choice of practicality over fashion.
Plus, there was no way I could have run in the strappy mules Orion’s sister left behind.
Waiting also gives my vision more time to clear.
As soon as I stepped out into the moonlight, the gold strands that are happening more and more these days started dancing across my vision.
It is something I’m getting used to, but when you throw in the growing excitement of the attendees and the power of the full moon, beings’ auras are even more pronounced and it’s like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope.
The line moves again, and our attendance check is relatively painless if you discount the blatant disdain rolling off the teacher given the task.
As soon as we make it through the tent, we walk into a wonderland, but I search for the exit. Yet when I peer at the map thrust into our hands at check-in, it takes a second to realize the only exits are at the opposite end of the field.
Of course, they’re making us run the gauntlet. If we survive making it past the crowd, we get to leave. How generous of the organizing committee to think of us and our welfare.
“Let’s go.” Orion grabs my hand and leads us in the right direction.
The full moon party is both lavish and over the top.
One side of the field has been set up with food and drink booths.
Seeing the booths and smelling the yummy goodness of hot sugary donuts and fried food should invoke a trip down memory lane, but all I can focus on is the putrid scent of entitlement wafting off the students.
There is over-the-top extravagance as far as the eye can see, and like pretty much everything else at Thales, it’s done to remind us Noms of their superiority and our place under them.
The first group of students we pass pay us no attention, caught up talking loudly about the upcoming hunt. Because, of course, that’s how shifters celebrate a Hunter’s Moon.
“Did you hear them?” Orion asks as soon as we’re past their huddle.
“Yeah. All the more reason we need to get out of here.”
“I’ll have to let the others know,” he says as he points over to where several Noms stand. I recognize a couple of them, but the others must be from the floor above Orion’s at Nomina.
We weave as innocuously as possible through the gathering of mystikal beings, both of us ignoring the way we’re being tracked.
Orion slows as we come to an area less crowded by shifters. There are still a lot of students around, but they are mostly magikals. The look he gives me is easy to decipher.
“You have to warn the others. I’ll wait right here,” I say, trading places with him, so my back is to the empty space and I’m facing the guests.
He goes to take a step away, and I can feel his conflict as if it were my own. With a last check that I’m fine he leaves me, but not so fast that he draws attention.
Except someone is always watching. What surprises me, though, is that she doesn’t bring an audience.
There’s no denying Seraphina is beautiful. Tonight she’s leaned into her designation, radiating ethereal glory. She stops in front of me, and I can’t help but think how the cost of her pearlescent gossamer gown would probably be able to feed a small country.
Her eyes don’t lift to my face as she takes in what I’m wearing, so when she meets my eye and doesn’t mention my clothing, it’s as impactful as if she used her words to rip me to shreds. But I knew she couldn’t help passing judgment, so I’d already prepared and drawn my shields tighter.
Unease kisses me from behind, and Seraphina can’t mask her shock fast enough, though she tries to hide it behind a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
As odd as the timing is, a part of me latches on and enjoys her uncertainty. Seeing her like this makes me think her connection with Bael in the dining hall was an act. I find peace in that.
She recovers quickly, her attention shifting behind me. She changes her body language and her whole demeanor to suit. “Good, you’re here.”
I don’t turn around, since I instinctively know Bael’s darkness like I know her cruelty.
“I am.” His gravelly voice is soothing like honey.
But the honey is still in the hive, and it contains a huge swarm of irate bees.
I hear an odd sound, a metallic clink, before she moves quickly to snatch something spinning through the air.
“Payment in full.”
She opens her palm. The small onyx coin sitting there amplifies her pale complexion.
I’m not great at math, but Seraphina, plus an auction, plus Bael, plus a coin equals enough. I don’t bother adding my reaction, since neither of them is worthy. Her more so, though.
“Off you go,” he hisses, as soon as she sees the coin.
I move to race away but am stopped by his touch. My wrist burns from the weight of his sinister claim.
“Not you.”
His snarl against my ear makes my pulse stutter and scrambles my insides. It’s because of him, but also not. He releases something deep within me, sending gold threads sparking like fireworks across my vision. A wave of fear follows, gripping me tighter under his control.
I lock up as he steps into my periphery, and I understand now why Seraphina was freaking out.
Bael is decked out in black, head to toe.
He wears the midnight-black tuxedo like a second skin.
I knew he was hauntingly beautiful, but seeing him now definitely has me questioning if there is anything actually sinful about being immoral or amoral.
“Your lust is like the annoying buzz of a mosquito.”
I burst out in laughter at the absurdity of a demon talking about bugs, and he has to wait until I’ve got control of myself before he can speak. But before he can, I interject. “I take it you won the auction?”
“It seems like.”
“Why?”
“Someone once told me I need a hobby, so I started collecting.”
“You piece of shit.”
He presses a finger against my lips, moving so fast I can’t stop him from touching me.
A tingling sensation spreads from where his index finger lies. Apprehension makes me take a step back, which he doesn’t miss. The grin he gives me in return is nothing short of nightmare-inducing.
My heart rate hammers as my body catches up with my brain. Bael is a slut for emotional turmoil, and tonight he’s set his sights on mine.
I lock down all my emotions, slamming my shields up and praying that Orion stays away a little longer. Considering Bael’s menace, it’s better if I’m the only one with him.
He draws out the awkward silence before his features twist and fall away. The mask left behind is as hollow as his eyes. He slides his hand into his pocket, looking suave and fatally dangerous, finally responding to my name-calling. “If anyone is a piece of shit, it’s you.”
“Right, because that makes sense.” I don’t hold back on the sarcasm, because I think that’s seriously the most dumbass thing I’ve heard him say.
I get that I’m being more argumentative than I should be—all this will be over if I can just keep my mouth shut—but the effects of the Hunter’s Moon and Bael’s ability to infuriate are apparently catching me off guard.
Although I think he feels the same agitation I do. His jaw ticks, but he swallows his emotions, which amuses me on one hand and sends a slither-like warning down my spine on the other. Listening to my instincts, I grit my teeth, hoping to lock away any more smartass rebukes.
“All I did was buy my friends the protection they deserve. See, here’s the thing, new girl,”—he overemphasizes the name Emrys uses—“I’ll do anything to protect my brothers.”
I try to stay quiet—I really do. But there’s something about him, about them, that pushes all my damn buttons.
“From me? You’re kidding, right? I’m a Nom, Bael. Jesus, don’t tell me you missed the memo.”
He flinches at my blasphemy. Barely, but still. He recovers faster than a snake can strike. “What you are is of no concern to me.”
“Apparently not. You just implied I’m some sort of threat.” But he ignores me and the roll of my eyes.
“What worries me above anything else is how Emrys’ energy has waned, Arlan’s hunger is now insatiable, and Cane is wrestling with his wolf for the first time in his existence.
And though you’re most certainly right—Noms don’t have the ability needed, but I’m not taking the risk, even if you’re barely a Nom. ”
His eyes lock on mine and they’re bottomless black, full of not only warning but consequences. I don’t get the chance to figure out what the hell he’s going on about now because he keeps dominating the conversation.
“Your soul is mine, let’s call it a precaution. Trust me, though, I won’t wait until your heart has stopped beating before I rip your soul from your body if you so much as look at my brothers the wrong way. You will not be my ruin.”
As he talks, my mind races a million miles an hour. There’s an important piece missing in what he’s saying. My mother comes to the rescue once again: Your soul is your free will; a demon cannot legally claim what you do not sign over to them.
“I made no deal with you, Bael.”
“Let’s test your theory, shall we? Your death will save me a lot of trouble. Tonight is the perfect night, a Hunter’s Moon and all.”
The way he grins victoriously makes me question my hard line of never raising a hand in anger—punching demons and vampires in fear is another matter.
He must see my struggle because as he walks away, he laughs.
Much like everything else that is Bael Morningstar, it’s that mix of malevolence and filthy promise that is equal parts attractive and off-putting.
I rub my eyes, trying to scour my brain of the last few moments of my life, and when I open them again, I see Orion bursting free from the crowd. He embodies pretty much everything that is the opposite of Bael, and I latch onto his light with both hands.
“Are you okay?” we offer at the same time, our words crisscrossing as our hands join.
Despite the hideous standoff with Bael, I can’t help but grin back at Orion when he jinxes me. Admittedly, I’m happy to try anything to put an end to my bad luck curse.
Our getaway timing is impeccable, since the center stage sparkles like a diamond tiara as the live entertainment explodes in a blast of light and sound.
The glimpses I catch as Orion and I race past are enough to know it’s going to be an incredible show.
But I also know what’s coming up at the end of the night; a fucking actual hunt where anyone is fair game.
We’re not the only Noms taking advantage of the distraction, though there are a couple of Noms who get caught up in the spellbinding spectacle. Orion does all he can to snap them free, clicking his fingers or calling their names, but he’s also focused on getting us out of here.
When the lead singer takes to the stage, the crowd roars, the shifters howl, and our pace picks up to an impossible speed.