1. Raelyna
RAELYNA
A body dropping to my left caught my gaze, as my heart started beating faster and I tallied the number in my head. That was three this week.
Three.
And yet, nobody in this stars-damned nightclub seemed remotely phased as the female in the shadows collapsed to the ground.
But before I could say anything, a member of the Royal Solis Guard stepped into view, collecting the body from the marbled floor of the club and removing it so that the paying members would not be affected.
Glancing around once more, I confirmed that even the other dancers on my team didn’t seem phased by the occurrence. Maybe I shouldn’t be concerned either.
But I was.
Three bodies in one week felt wrong, and that nagging feeling deep in my soul kept demanding that I find answers. It screamed at me to look into it. To find out why certain citizens in Solis were collapsing, and no one batted an eye.
But it wasn’t my place.
Not as a lower.
And especially not after the bargain I’d made.
The music hummed to a heavy beat as I moved my hips in time to the song.
Drone cameras flashed in the distance, the small devices recording our performance and projecting it on the other side of the club as we moved across the elevated platform.
I felt my skirt rise slightly with each pop of my hip, and I fought the urge to tug the sheer material down, just as I did every night.
Neon lights flashed through the club, the hues of blue and purple dancing across the walls in rapid procession.
To my right, Emberly matched my every movement as the choreography embedded in our minds played out with grace. It was the same routine every Thursday night, and I could perform each dance in the set in my sleep if I had to (and I had, if I was being honest with myself).
My cheeks burned from the smile that was pasted across my face as I spun in a circle, my body twisting to the music as my gaze collided with my best friend’s.
The low lighting of the nightclub highlighted the stage perfectly, the drones buzzing overhead as they zoomed in on us.
Still, my eyes darted to the corner in the shadows.
I could just make out his gaze from here—brown eyes that monitored my every move, watching my body roll with each chord.
It made my skin crawl, terror pulsing through me, as I felt his piercing stare roam across my body from the darkness.
It hadn’t used to be this way. There had been a time when his gaze would have melted me to the core, when I would have done anything to feel his gaze rake over my bare body appreciatively. But not anymore.
Not since—
I forced myself not to think of that day.
The day my fate had changed.
Only three more steps, and we were done for the night. Then I could head home, if only for a few short moments of reprieve.
Gracefully twisting to the side, I leaned with the beat, my back to the audience as my hips swayed, once, twice, before my legs slid out and down, ending the song in a split.
I fanned my charcoal gray wings wide, the feathers fluttering as my wings arced through the air on display, cameras flashing as we concluded the dance.
The stage went dark as I quickly tucked my legs in and popped back up, my wings fluttering as they assisted the movement.
The music faded into the background as Emberly muttered under her breath, “Thank the stars. I thought the night would never end.”
“You say that every night,” I stated, my lips pursing in a genuine smile as I stated the obvious.
“Well,” Emberly retorted. “I mean it every night.”
The two of us followed our team as we walked off the stage, and I released a breath as we finally escaped the ever-monitoring drones for just a moment.
The doors to the right of the stage slid open as we approached, and we passed by the next set of dancers, who were already taking our spots.
I retracted my wings as soon as we were out of sight from the main stage of the nightclub, breathing a sigh of relief as I pulled them in, grateful they were no longer visible.
“Did you see the female who collapsed in the corner of the club during our last dance?” I questioned under my breath as we walked into the side room, heading to our lockers. “Her wings just crumpled under her as she fell onto the marbled floor.”
“Yes, Rae,” Emberly responded with a weary sigh as she met my inquisitive gaze. “And before you say anything else . . . I also saw the Royal Solis Guards escort her off the dance floor.”
“And you didn’t think anything of it?” I asked as I entered my number into the locker keypad that secured my belongings. A faint whirl filled the air as the lock sprang free, and I tugged on the worn handle before it finally gave way, freeing my items.
“For the love of the gods, Rae,” Emberly retorted. “You’ve got to stop reading so many mystery books. She was probably just some higher-marked angel who abused her patron membership and passed out from one too many ambrosia shots.”
“What if it wasn’t? What if it was something else? What if the Aurelian Guild has infiltrated us? You’ve heard the rumors of what the Shade of the Aurelian Guild has been known to do,” I retorted, my mind racing at what the explanation could be.
“The Aurelian Guild?” Her voice went quiet as she looked at me. “Don’t let him hear you saying anything about the Guild. I don’t need my wings clipped for talks of treason—of spies.”
“I’m just saying . . . bodies dropping, disappearing. I wouldn’t put it past Aurum Quarter to send the Aurelian Guild in to slowly pick us off, one by one.”
“For the love of Astara.” Emberly sighed in exasperation as she glanced at me from her own locker, the shadows flickering across her face.
“I’m just saying,” I replied as I caught my reflection in the mirror at the back of my locker. Unruly brown curls were slipping free from my updo, and the silver glitter I’d dusted my cheeks with mixed with the natural scattering of freckles across my nose, creating a constellation.
“Well, if it isn’t the two finest dancers on this side of the Quarter,” a low tone joked as a male stepped into view. Dusty brown hair with hints of gold came into the light as Finnick walked into the room, his green eyes glowing with amusement.
“You say that to every dancer on our team,” Emberly replied mockingly. “At least save the flattery for the next victim you drag to bed.”
“Victim! I would never,” he exclaimed, his hand grasping his heart in jest. “You wound me, Emberly. The next female I bring home could be my starbound . . . you never know.”
“One can’t be wounded if they have no heart,” I chimed in as I nudged Finnick’s shoulder, brushing past him to change out of my outfit.
“Your starbound? Seriously?” Emberly laughed, her brown eyes twinkling as she stared at Finn. “You’re telling me you think one of those females is going to be your gods-gifted match for eternity?”
Finn glared at Emberly, opening his mouth to refute her statement, but I beat him to it.
“Even if finding a starbound wasn’t a rarity—which it is—I don’t believe you’re going to find your starbound at the bars you seem to frequent.”
“You’re one to talk,” Finn replied, shooting a dimple grin my way. “But you never know, the legends claim it just takes one touch to find the one the gods have destined to be yours . . . So who knows, maybe even you will find yours one day.”
“We both know that starbound matches are of the past. They don’t exist,” I replied, ignoring his teasing as I began removing the sheer layers of clothing, knowing he was right about one thing.
I didn’t have a heart, or at least, not in the way it mattered.
Those pieces of me had been shattered long ago, and now, the only thing that mattered was my family’s protection—their safety in this stars-damned Quarter of Aurelia.
“And what were you two discussing before you decided to mock my search for my starbound?” he inquired, eyes glancing between the two of us as he grabbed his own clothing from his locker and crammed it into the duffel bag in his hand.
“Rae’s had her head stuck in her books for too long once again.”
“I have not!” I protested as I tugged on my shirt, even as my best friend tried to continue. She spun around, her blonde hair swinging over her shoulder as she stuck out her tongue at me.
“Have too,” she proclaimed, as though we were children.
“Let me guess . . .” Finnick paused dramatically while wagging his eyebrows in jest. “She’s at it again with the mystery novels.”
“I’m not at anything.” I sighed in frustration as I glanced between my two friends. “I just think it’s awfully strange that three different bodies have dropped with no explanation. And no one seemed concerned—not even the two of you.”
“Not to point out the obvious, darling.” Finn’s voice was a rumble as he shut his locker. “But we dance . . . at a nightclub . . . Drinking is a common activity in these places.”
“You don’t know they were drunk,” I protested.
“Again . . .” Finn paused teasingly. “It’s one of the wealthiest nightclubs in all of Solis Quarter.
Nearly every patron who sets foot in this enchanting building is wasted.
Stop overanalyzing drunken buffoonery. You’ve just been stressed lately with your sisters’ marking coming up, that’s all.
And no one can blame you after how Orela’s marking went, but you need to find another way to let the stress out. ”
“He’s right, Rae. Stop looking for trouble,” Emberly added.
I sighed heavily, looking between my two friends as I tugged on my pants.
Perhaps they were right (though I would never admit it).
I had, after all, been overly consumed with my sister’s upcoming Marking Day ceremony.
But I had a right to be. Marking Day was the day each angel in Aurelia was gifted their magical affinities by the gods.
After my middle sister’s marking had gone poorly, I was far too stressed for my youngest sister’s markings to appear.