by Bella Klaus
Anxiety skittered up my spine. What was I talking about? Mother had her entire coven here for the Beltane ritual. The combined magic of five powerful witches might detect an intruder.
My stomach twisted. Not only would the coven tear the fur off her back, but they’d make her the sacrificial cat.
“Kora?” someone whispered from behind the trees.
My heart leaped, and the rest of me scrambled off the seat. “Dami?”
She poked out her head from behind the fig tree and offered me a tight smile. “Problems at the coffee shop.”
“Are you alright?”
She waved away my question with a flick of her delicate hand. “Are you ready?”
I smoothed down my gardening apron with trembling fingers. “Let’s put it this way,” I replied, my voice shaking. “Tonight’s been on my mind for six weeks straight.”
“Well, come on then.” She disappeared behind the tree.
This time, I jumped into the knothole without hesitating and jogged through the darkened tunnel with my smartphone lighting the way. A network of knotted roots bulged beneath the soles of my espadrilles, making my stomach feel like it was lined with a hundred butterfly cocoons.
“Thank you so much,” I whispered as the gradient of the floor rose toward the surface.
“It’s the least I can do to help my best friend.”
Warmth filled my chest. This was the first time anyone had referred to me as a friend. “Did you find a costume?”
Dami spun around, the light reflecting in her green irises. “At first, I thought we could go as imps.”
“The red devils with horns?” I asked.
“I thought it might deter the vampires.”
My legs turned to jelly, and I had to brace an arm against the wall of roots. Mother’s warnings about the outside world hadn’t extended to just demons. She had also told me about a race of vampires with voracious appetites who could drain five girls in one sitting.
Dami cocked her head to the side. “I was only joking about the imp costumes. What’s wrong?”
“You didn’t say there’d be vampires at the ball.”
She laced her fingers through mine and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “The last undead vampires were killed by the very people who are holding this party.”
“King and queen vampire hunters?” I asked with a nervous chuckle.
“The Vampire King, and his mate, the Fire Queen.” Dami guided me through the rest of the tunnels, launching into a history of the supernatural city we were about to visit.
“Don’t you remember what I told you? There are eight rulers for each species. Vampire, faerie, demon, mage, witch, shifter, and angel.”
“That’s seven,” I said.
She giggled. “I always forget about the fire users. They’re a new group. Anyway, the city used to be in Richmond Park, but some twat went and told the humans about it. Now only shifters live there.”
I tried to picture a city where all the magical races lived together, ruled by a team of kings and queens. Mother had never given me information on the Supernatural World, apart from what I’d read in the Compendium.
“Who would reveal their location to the humans?” I asked.
As we climbed up the roots, she told me about a Greek god who had risen from Hell to take over the world. He had exposed the hidden city to the humans in an attempt to make them attack the supernaturals, but the king and queen battled him in Hampton Court Palace.
We stepped out of an enormous oak, onto a tree-lined road where all the houses stood several feet behind ten-foot-high brick walls. Tall lamps illuminated the street, creating harsh shadows. I rubbed at my parched throat. This was the first time I’d ever left the grounds on foot, and it was the first time I’d ever left them without Mother.
Dami bent at the base of the tree and picked up a duffle bag. “I think I see our ride.”
A cool breeze brushed against my skin and rustled the leaves overhead, prompting me to check the branches for signs of blood-sucking fiends.
“Why would a Vampire King kill his own kind?” I whispered.
Dami pulled me toward a silver car that was parked in the corner with its brake lights on. “He was a born vampire. They eat regular food and can survive days without blood. Most only need a tiny shot to overcome their iron deficiency, which they either get from their lovers or buy from a broker.”
I was beginning to believe Matura’s Compendium of Magick was biased. It had only mentioned one kind of vampire.
We stopped at the parked car, and she knelt beside it and tapped on the window.
The driver wound down the glass. “I have a booking for Damisa Toyger. Is that you?”
“Are you Wulfie Kenneally from Überwald Achtung?” she asked.
He raised an ID card hanging from a lanyard around his neck. “The very same.”
I nodded my approval. This was what she meant by saying the world would be safe as long as one took precautions.
The car door clicked open, and Dami stepped into an interior more spacious that had it appeared on the outside. On the left were two spacious recliners in cream leather, separated by a foot-long panel containing canned sodas and small bottles of water. Opposite was an empty table that looked like it doubled as a desk.
I entered after her and sank into the nearest seat. “What’s this vehicle?”
She leaned forward in her seat and unzipped the bag. “I couldn’t afford a limo, so this is the next best thing.”
The door shut behind me, and a panel rose from behind the desk, creating an opaque barrier between us and the driver. As soon as it clicked into place, the car pulled out.
“Why did you call the service Achtung?” I asked.
Dami extracted a white unitard. “You might think we’re two ladies sneaking out for a night of fun, but technically, this is kidnapping.”
My lips parted to release a shocked breath. “What do you mean?”
“Your mother didn’t give you permission to leave, did she?”
I bristled. “But I’m twenty. That’s old enough to—”
“I know that. You know that. Everyone else knows most rich young women your age would be living it up at the University of Logris. Your mother’s powerful enough to keep you confined forever.”
My shoulders sagged. I’d never told Dami my time was limited. The subject had never come up, and I didn’t want to spoil our friendship by telling her I would soon die.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “If I had an ounce of magic, I might be able to break through her magical barriers.”
She tilted her head to the side, offering me a sympathetic smile. “Join the club. All I can do is turn from a domestic cat to someone who barely weighs a hundred pounds.” She tapped at her temple and grinned. “That’s why ladies like us need to use our wits.”
The car sped us through boulevards of detached houses a quarter of the size of our mansion, through high roads littered with restaurants I’d only seen in adverts. Fried chicken, burgers, pizza, and sandwich bars—food that made my mouth water.
Everything we ate either came from the greenhouse or the homes of Mother’s coven sisters. Since I had no magic of my own, Mother trained me to tend to the plants.
“Go on then.” She waved the unitard under my nose. “Get changed.”
I glanced at her duffle bag. “What will you wear?”
Her hair lengthened, and tufty ears emerged from the top of her head. A furry tail brushed against my hand, making me gape. Dami raised a curled hand and meowed. “I’m going as a cat girl.”
The driver entered an underground road that Dami said would take us to through the wards protecting supernatural London. I slipped on the unitard, which came with gloves, boots, and a swishing tail.
Dami tied my curls back, and pulled the jumpsuit’s hood over my head. Magic sparkled over my body in a cloud of glitter that made me shiver with the intense tingle.
“Take a look.” She reached into her duffle bag and pull
ed a mirror out.
What stared back at me was a maiden whose circlet of white lilies contrasted with strawberry-blonde curls arranged perfectly around my regular face. I wore a gown with a golden neckline that rested at my collarbones and held together translucent silk fabric that skimmed over my curves.
Gasping, I placed a hand on a golden belt that accentuated my waistline. “Where did you get something so exquisite?”
“That’s a fancy dress enchantment, and it’s only good for one night.”
My brow furrowed. “How can you afford a magical outfit from what you make at the coffee shop?”
The corner of her lips curled into a half-smile. “Low expenses. My package includes free room and board.”
Gratitude swelled from my chest and rose to my thickening throat. Until Dami arrived on the windowsill, my life had been a trudge toward my inevitable end. I flung my arms around the smaller girl and pulled her into my chest.
“Thank you,” I said, my words choked. “You’re so good to me.”
She hugged back, her chest rumbling with a purr. “If tonight goes well, we’ll both get what we want.”
I gave her a playful nudge. “Oh?”
“Let’s just say there’s someone I’m hoping to meet.”
We held the embrace for several moments, not breaking it even when I felt a gentle tingle on my skin from passing a set of powerful wards. Even if the ball turned out to be a disaster and nobody asked me to dance, it would still be the happiest day of my life.
Soon, artificial light flooded the back of the car. I drew back to find the car slowing at the marble entrance porch of a huge red-brick building that could only be the palace. Lantern-shaped lights provided gentle illumination for a pair of guards in black armor.
The divider lowered. “Here we go,” said the driver. “Kensington Palace, Logris.”
After reaching into the duffle bag and extracting the scroll, Dami opened the door. “Thank you.”
Warm air and the scents of night jasmine and freshly mown grass flooded the car’s interior. My heart leaped. Maybe losing my virginity tonight was too ambitious. Maybe I just needed to settle for a kiss from a handsome stranger. Or maybe just a dance. I stepped out of the car on trembling legs.
The door slammed shut behind me, and the driver sped around a courtyard of cobblestones and past a black limousine heading in our direction.
Dami marched up to the guard and handed him the scroll.
He unrolled it, took one look at her, and glared over her shoulder at me with his thick brows raised. “Which one of you is Lady Ceres of Olympia?”
I pulled back my shoulders. “That would be me.”
With an amused snort, the guard turned to his companion. “Test her magic, will you?”
The second guard raised a staff, bathing me in white light that singed my retinas. I squeezed my eyes shut and grimaced. We had the invitation. What more did they want?
“Fraud,” said a gruff voice.
My eyes snapped open, and I glared at the first guard, who shook his head.
“Every few years, we have to turn away one upstart or another who thinks she can crash a ball.” He flashed a pair of fangs. “Now, you and your little cat need to bugger off before you become midnight snacks.”
The guard holding the staff curled his lip. “Little girls shouldn’t venture into places they’re not invited.”
I tried not to flinch, but those leering eyes and sharp teeth told me he meant every word. Or at least that’s what he wanted us to think. If he worked for the vampire-killing monarchs, then he had to be the type of vampire who only needed a little bit of blood.
Channelling my inner Mother, I said, “How dare you talk to me in such a matter. I am a lady of the House of Olympia.”
He unrolled the scroll. “His and Her Majesties invited Lady Ceres of Olympia plus guest. Not the gatecrashing wench who stumbled across her invitation. If you don’t leave the palace grounds by the count of ten, I will detain you both for trespassing.”
“One,” said the guard with the staff.
“Fine,” Dami snapped. “We didn’t want to come here anyway.”
“Two,” he said.
I tossed my head. “This place was probably boring. Let’s go somewhere we’re wanted.”
“Three.”
My heart skipped. For all my bluster, we had no getaway car. I looped an arm through Dami’s. “What now?”
Dami shrugged. “We could go to the Flesh Garden.”
“Four.”
My spine stiffened, and I turned us both toward the courtyard, which was lit up by the limousine’s overly bright headlights.
“Is the Flesh Garden a fast food restaurant?” I asked.
“A nightclub. And I’m sure the men there are a thousand times hotter than these losers.”
“Five!” the guard at the door growled.
“Someone sounds sour,” Dami said.
“Six,” he snarled from the doorway. “Seven.”
The limousine’s driver-side door opened, and a female driver stepped out. I couldn’t see her face beneath her black cap, but she wore the same uniform I’d seen on the driver of last month’s visitor. As she walked around the vehicle, I caught a glimpse of a sheathed sword on her hip.
My breaths turned shallow.
It couldn’t be.
“Eight,” the man behind me snarled.
Dami tugged at my arm. “What’s wrong?”
My mouth opened and closed, but I could make no sound.
The driver opened the door, and a large man stepped out. He was shirtless, save for the diagonal straps of leather that curled around a prominent set of pectoral muscles. Dark hair flowed down to a set of leather plates that curled around his biceps and shoulders, but there was no mistaking the fire blazing in his eyes.
Every drop of saliva left my mouth and traveled south.
It was him.
My beautiful light mage.
“Nine.”
I barely heard the guard through the rapid pounding of my pulse. Barely noticed Dami leaning into my side. Barely moved except to gasp in his presence.
“Te—”
The light mage raised a palm, his magic silencing the annoying guard. Then his eyes slid down to me, and a smile curled the fullest, most kissable lips.
“Good evening, ladies,” he drawled. “May I offer you some assistance?”
Chapter Three
The shock of seeing him again was like a punch in the heart, striking me dumb for several heartbeats. Up close, he was even more handsome than when he had been standing on the mansion’s front steps.
He stared down at us through smoldering dark eyes that shone with mischief, and smiled with lips that looked like they’d just been kissed. My fingers twitched to comb through his tousled hair before sliding down his high cheekbones and the stubble covering his chiseled jaw.
“Admiring the costume?” the man asked in a deep drawl that made my nipples tighten. “Or does something else take your fancy?”
My breath quickened. I wasn’t completely sheltered. Netflix was my constant companion. On days when Mother authorized Pirithous to take off the child lock, I got to watch shows like True Blood, Bridgerton, and 365. Some of them were pretty explicit, and I got to see the most handsome actors in the world half naked.
But this man was far more handsome than any human I’d ever seen, and I wasn’t just talking about his magnificent glamor. The collar of his red cloak was an illusion of three fiery hounds that extended a foot above his crown. Each beast snapped and snarled and emitted yellow flames that streamed out into the night.
His brows rose, and a wide grin spread across his features. “It’s not often I render such a beautiful woman speechless.”
My mouth dropped open, but I could only utter a squeak. Heat gathered in my core, and the pulse between my legs quickened. I hadn’t meant to stare, at least not so openly, but now he thought I was ogling.
I squeezed my thighs together and swallo
wed back a groan. If this was Netflix and I was alone in my bedroom, I would spread my legs wide and rub myself to a shuddering climax. Something in the curl of his lip said that he knew exactly what I was thinking.
For the next few seconds, we just stared at each other, the air between us sizzling, thickening, turning into something physical. If he was waiting for me to say something, we’d be standing here all night.
Dami stepped forward, breaking the tension. “Would you believe those wankers at the door wouldn’t let us in?”
“Indeed?” His brow rose, but he didn’t move his gaze from mine. “And why would these brutes refuse such lovely young ladies?”
“We had an invitation and everything.” Dami waved the scroll for emphasis.
The light mage chuckled. It was a low and deep sound that I imagined a man like that would make before stripping a woman naked, then taking off all his clothes and having his wicked way with her in a four-poster bed.
Heat rose to my cheeks. Did I just imagine him without his skirt?
Dami said something else, but it was lost beneath the roar of my heated blood. The man answered her, but he never once took his eyes off me.
“I could let you in but it would cost you your souls.” He threw his head back and laughed.
My throat spasmed, and I swallowed over and over, trying to break myself out of my stupor. How could I stand there, struck dumb, while Dami had the courage to speak to the handsome stranger?
“Is that costume light magic?” I blurted.
He spread his arms wide, making the muscles across his chest ripple. “I’ve come as Hades, the Greek god of the Underworld. This is based on a picture I found on the internet.”
“Hades?” Dami said, her voice muffled under the roar of blood between my ears. “Like the King of Demons?”
“It’s…” I licked my lips, and the light mage’s eyes tracked the movement. “It’s very impressive.”
He leaned forward, his hot breath fanning across my skin. “Wait until you see the monster I’m hiding under my skirt.”
Dami burst into a peal of giggles, but I flushed at his innuendo.
His skirt was more like a leather kilt that draped to the floor, its ends turning molten red as it mingled with his cloak. A metallic skull held it together at the waist, which matched the ring he wore on his finger. Forcing myself not to let my gaze linger, I clapped a hand over my mouth to hide a gasp.