“Do we get any jackets?” Despite still being in the car, goosebumps had formed on my arms. Even I, a winter fae, was affected by the cold.
McKenna snorted. “Nope. Wouldn’t want to cover up the goods.” She nodded at my chest. “Now, get out.”
“What about hair and make-up?” Peony shrieked, smoothing out her blonde locks.
McKenna shrugged. “You had plenty of time to do that at the academy.” She got out of the car and threw open Peony’s door. Since mine was locked, I had to wait for Peony to slide out before following. Thorsten walked next to my left, McKenna flanking our group on the right side. Running would be pointless on ice and heels, even without two vamps guarding us.
I squared my shoulders and held my head high. The cold wrapped around me. My own element made goosebumps rise on my exposed flesh. After the Wild Hunt, I had enough humiliation for a lifetime. I would not go into this party cowering. I was Onyx Logan, a descendant of the Winter Court.
Peony almost slipped on the walk across the unsalted parking lot. I managed to keep my footing. I turned my focus away from the cold, which helped, while Peony’s teeth chattered.
Thorsten reached the warehouse door first and held it open like a gentleman. Peony walked in first, and I followed, not having much choice, even though I hated having McKenna at my back.
As expected, the inside was much fancier than the outside. The wide space was decked out with velvet couches and dark wood tables. A fae sat at the piano, playing a complicated, classical piece. Bartenders that looked like models concocted cocktail creations while juggling and performing tricks. Fae waiters swirled through the room, carrying trays of canapes and bottles of blood.
And vamps were everywhere. The younger crowd hung out by the bar. Kassius and Kayden stood amongst guys and girls who looked like the hottest, most dangerous college students in the universe. They had a fae in their midst, one slightly older than me, and passed her around like a bottle of wine. Kassius bit her first and sucked on her for a few seconds before pushing her at Kayden, who greedily reopened her wound. And all the while, she forced a smile. She had bite scars all over her neck and wrists.
Bile rose. If I got unlucky that would become my fate. I glanced away, toward the fancy tables that were occupied by older vamps who hopefully had more self-control and decorum. Many were going over some papers. It looked like they were doing business, but then a vamp turned to his courtesan, a black-haired fae in a low-cut, see through dress, and bit her neck hard. He suckled for a few seconds before returning his attention to his business partners. Great, we were nothing more than food and entertainment for them.
Someone like Virgie might be okay with that, but there was no way I would be able to hold in my ice if I was treated like this, day in, day out.
“Don’t stand around. Line up.” McKenna shoved me, making me stumble. Thankfully, Thorsten stepped forward so that I could grip his shoulder, instead of falling face-first to the ground.
“Go up the stairs,” he said sternly.
“What is going to happen?” My pulse quickened, and I no longer felt cold, but rather hot.
“You’ll be fine. They just want to look at you first.” He refused to look at me.
Like at a display of cows or horses. I swallowed hard.
“You’ll survive,” Thorsten’s voice vibrated with sincerity. My gaze dropped to his lips, and I wished I could taste them. When I glanced back up into his arctic eyes, his pupils were huge. Was it the vampire in him, reacting to my accelerating heartbeat? Or was it the man in him? Did he find me attractive too?
“Are you deaf? Go!” Peony sashayed past me and up a metal staircase that I had missed.
Not needing any more reprimands, I turned away from Thorsten and followed Peony to discover that the other fae were already upstairs. There were too many lined up for me to see Lily or Virgie and it was dark. Another guard took my shoulder and guided me up another small set of stairs, as if I were going onto a stage. The lights in this room were dimmed, but I could see over a railing to the first floor and most of the party. A vamp guard walked the line of us, checking off our names and glancing over our attire. Once he checked Peony and I off his list, he spoke into his walkie talkie. “Everybody’s here. We’re ready.” The speaker on the other end mumbled something I didn’t catch. “Copy that. Lights in five.” He smiled at us. “Fae, get ready.”
I opened my mouth to ask what we were getting ready for, but clearly, Q&A wasn’t part of the equation because he started to count down. “Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”
A bright light came on with a click, blinding me. I had to blink several times to adjust my vision, and that’s when I realized that each of us was standing on a round pedestal. In fact, we were on a catwalk, on a giant U that surrounded the vamps below us. How else would they fit a hundred fae students?
“Please welcome the latest class of Nocturnal Academy!”
The vamps turned their gazes up at us eagerly. I waited for the host guard to say something, but he didn’t. The vamps continued staring. Were we supposed to perform? I glanced around and that’s when I spotted the electric boards behind us. Each one read Attributes at the top. Wonderful. This was getting better by the moment.
“Stop turning. They want to see your face,” the host hissed.
I gritted my teeth, but then I remembered who liked the feisty ones—the creeps. I needed to come across as average and boring, so that what was considered a fairly normal vamp, and not a psychopath, would purchase me.
When the vamps went back to talking amongst themselves, losing interest in staring at us or our scoreboards, the host said, “Please feel free to mingle with the fae for purchase.” He looked expectantly at me. “Go.”
Oh great, because I was nearest to the staircase, I got to be the first one to talk to the buyers. What a joy. I turned and took a quick peek at my board before descending.
Onyx Logan:
Status: half fae, magic-less
Major: Courtesan
Placement Tests ranking: 1
Attributes: Strong-willed, capable, intelligent
I felt a flash of pride at the last line, even though I knew it made me more interesting to the buyers, and thus, my fate more dangerous. As I neared the bottom of the stairs, Thorsten gave me a tiny nod. I took it to indicate that I got this, even though he might’ve just been telling me to hurry up and make room for the other fae.
“Onyx. The girl who crushed the Placement Tests,” a dark-skinned vamp slurred as he ran his fingers up and down my arm. My skin tightened at his touch. “Why does a pretty girl like study so much? What a waste.” He threw back the remainders of his champagne flute and grabbed my hand. “Dance with me.”
He pulled me onto the center of the dancefloor and began to waltz, making me glad I had paid attention when Thorsten had taught us the dance. I could keep up and this vamp was so drunk that if he tried anything, I could probably escape without looking too rebellious.
Being on the dancefloor wasn’t half bad. It allowed me to study the enormous room and get a feel of the situation. Several vamps were talking to my classmates and some were caressing them, uncaring how unwanted their approaches were. I was glad that all the vamp next to me wanted to do was dance, for now. So far, he hadn’t even tried to cop a feel.
“Don’t get your hopes up, beautiful. I’m not really in the market this year,” my dance partner said.
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. Did he really expect me to be disappointed? “Thank you for dancing with me.” I allowed him to rest his arm on the small of my back while I scanned the room for Thorsten, who had vanished somewhere. I still couldn’t see Lily or Virgie.
“Please welcome our special fire entertainer of the night,” the host boomed nearby.
The dancers all stopped. A few feet away from me, a black, velvet curtain fell to the ground to reveal a cage on an elevated platform. I swallowed hard as I saw the fae inside. Her red pixie-cut was still the same, but the rest of my ex-roomi
e and friend, Blair, was different. Her green eyes were dull, and her skin was marred with long scars, some of which were still pink. Chains wound around her legs and waist.
“Start the show,” a guard next to her yelled, and let his whip crackle through the air.
Time seemed to stop. My mouth went bone dry, and my stomach heaved. My former roommate. My friend. The one I had let get sold after our failed escape attempt. It had only been just a few months since I’d seen her, but she looked like an eternity of torment.
Blair didn’t even shrink away from the whip. Her pupils were dead. She brought her hands together and created a fireball that whooshed to life and floated above her palms, and then another, and another until she had five. She threw them in the air and began to juggle them.
My dance partner released me as the music changed.
“See you around, Miss Onyx.” He winked, but I didn’t reply, my attention glued to Blair.
Two female vamps walked past her. One of them laughed. “Eat the fire. Juggling is lame!”
Her friend tossed her drink at Blair, extinguishing one fireball, and making Blair lose control of the others. They fell to the floor, burned for a bit, and went out to the eruption of laughter. Blair looked straight ahead and didn’t react. Her spirit was crushed. She was no longer a person, but a circus bear in a cage.
“Don’t stop!” The guard let his whip crackle through the air again, and Blair took a deep breath, focusing again. Black ice built under my heart, begging for release. I couldn’t watch this torture any longer. I needed to figure out how to get her out of here. I turned around only to come face-to-face with a vampire with oily hair combed to the side and a crooked nose.
“Onyx, are you enjoying the display my servant is putting on?”
I swayed on my feet. I was finally meeting the king of the monsters, Gregory Vulthus. I remembered all too well he’d been the one to purchase Blair’s contract. This had to be him.
“I…” I started, too choked with anger and disgust for words. A cough escaped me as my ears rang. I’d never seen Vulthus this close before or even out of the shadows.
“Is this the young lady who was supposed to go into Independent Studies?” A second man joined us, sweeping out of the crowd. Besides his dark hair, he was the opposite of Gregory. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and his pointed ears gave away his fae heritage. He wore a dark suit as if he was trying to blend in with them. Another wannabe. Maybe a fae who had succeeded in Independent Study and won some degree of freedom.
“Yes, what happened with that?” Vulthus stroked his goatee and chuckled. “Never mind. I thought from the start that you should be a courtesan, Onyx. It was Steinberg who insisted we give you the Independent Study major. I’m glad you saw the proper sense to change it.” Even his voice was oily. I shuddered at the mere sound and didn’t want to imagine what this vulture was thinking right now.
Behind me, more fire blazed to life. Light danced on the two men before fading. The air crackled with strong magic that made my hair stand on end. The other man narrowed his eyes at me, and I felt uneasy. He reminded me too much of Ms. Rutherford. Powerful and hanging out with the vamps. He might be fae, but he was not my friend. Hopefully, he wasn’t the uncle or father of Preston and also here to investigate the prince’s death.
“I’ll bid on you, Onyx. I liked your dancing.” Vulthus eyed my cleavage with hunger. “Then you could be reunited with your friend.”
I gripped a tall table next to me for stability, the strength fleeing my knees. I wanted to help Blair, but I needed to get her out, not join her in her hellhole.
“Onyx!”
Relief darted through me, and I turned to the stern voice. Thorsten grabbed my arm roughly and wrenched me away from the two men.
“Excuse me, but this fae needs to make her rounds. Our outing time is nearly over, and all buyers need to meet all fae.”
Chapter 10
Thorsten
I gritted my teeth. Gregory Vulthus. I hated that man as much as Onyx did. I needed to get her as far away from him as possible. Most of the Elites were ruthless, but Vulthus was on a whole new level.
His twisted smile and air of arrogance told me that he still had my family backed into a corner. Lady Cardinal might be on our side, but the other Elites listened to Vulthus. As long as I remained on probation, Vulthus would watch me like a hawk.
I shot a glare at Onyx before turning it to him. I licked my lips as if in hunger. For now, I had to play the role of the drooling heir, determined to rise to the top. I tightened my grasp on Onyx’s bare arm, maintaining eye contact with the two men in front of me. Behind them, the fire fae continued to juggle while vampires in dresses and suits crowded around her.
“There is no point in taking Onyx to the rest of the party since I’ll be the one buying her once the school year is over.” Gregory eyes flashed as he looked down his crooked nose at me, reminding me of his superior status. Next to him, the dark-haired fae man’s magic made the air crackle, and I wondered if he would lash out at me. I had never seen him before. Whoever he was, he was my enemy if he hung out with Vulthus.
I inclined my head slightly to Vulthus, searching for the correct words. “Lord Vulthus, with all due respect, I’m just following the orders of Nocturnal Academy. As you know, I may not disobey them. Are you trying to sabotage me?” I hated playing the subservient card, but I had no other choice. My status wouldn’t help me here. My family might be wealthy, but the Steinbergs were on shaky ground with the Elites. And while Gregory treated Griffin Steinberg with respect to his face, the hatred in his gaze promised that he wasn’t done punishing us.
“Boy, if you cannot learn how things work in this world, you will never survive,” Gregory said haughtily. “Do you want to end up like some other members of your family? Surely you haven’t forgotten about that little tidbit so soon.”
Onyx snapped her gaze to me. I turned, giving her my shoulder, as if she were a drooling fan. Vulthus’s words sliced through me, reopening wounds I had tried so hard to seal. Iciness prickled at my scalp from his menacing stare, or perhaps that was from Onyx. Behind Vulthus and the fae man, the red-haired, fire fae stopped and sank to her knees, chains clanking, only to have one of the partygoers throw wine all over her. She didn’t react as the crimson liquid stained her clothes and dripped to the metal floor of the cage.
But Onyx’s arm muscles tightened as she balled her fists. Her arm turned icy underneath my hand, barely containing the blizzard I knew swirled within her. I had to get her out, and fast. “Thank you for the advice, Vulthus.” I forced another bow. Then clenching my teeth, I snapped at Onyx. “We don’t have all night! I will ensure Nocturnal Academy gets the highest possible amount of cash for you.” With that, I dragged her away.
I had played my role. Gregory Vulthus smiled in the corner of my vision. “Perhaps there’s still hope for you, boy. I don’t mind a bit of competition. It makes things more exciting.”
I hauled Onyx away as fast as I could and toward the gentry at the round tables. Many other fae were there, guards hovering over them as the vamps, some of which were Elites, interviewed them. We passed Virgie, who held her shoulders back as she spoke to a vamp couple.
Onyx pulled against me. “What are you—”
“Pick up your feet!” To blend in, I marched beside McKenna, who hauled Peony by the arm to one of the many round tables. Other guards did the same, urging fae around the room now that time was getting short. I didn’t dare breathe a sigh of relief. I was to be the manhandler. At least it was easy to keep my face in a scowl. Like Onyx, I was falling into a pit of snakes that I could never hope to escape, and it was all my doing.
“Let go,” Onyx said, angry, but I detected the plea underneath. “I have to get to—”
“That fae’s fate is sealed. There’s nothing you can do for her!” I searched the room for someone, anyone, besides Gregory Vulthus who would buy Onyx’s contract for a greater sum. Money meant everything here. But instead, I spotte
d the Wus seated at their table with Lily and Peony standing before them. Two guards stood behind the fae. The Wus were drilling them with questions, and Peony was answering with a big smile while Lily trembled. The space in my chest darkened. They’d taken the place of the Steinbergs in the Elites temporarily, and I knew they were trying to make their stay permanent.
“Why are you such a bastard sometimes?” Onyx didn’t bother masking the hurt in her voice. “The mood swings are getting old. That’s my friend back there. We have to get her out.”
“We can’t help her right now. And you should be thanking me for getting you away from that creep.”
Her gaze softened, and I wanted to pull her in, smell her, run my hands through her purple strands. I clenched my jaw. What an idiot I was. Tearing my gaze from her, I searched for an exit, hating every second of this temptation and torment.
“I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” Onyx whispered, and the air around us grew warmer as her ice and my walls melted.
I swallowed hard. I had to get her out of here, not just this party, but the whole society. She wouldn’t survive. I wouldn’t survive watching them break her.
The piano music stopped and left the air clear of extra sound. As I stood there, clutching Onyx’s arm, the conversation the Wus were holding with the fae floated over.
“...so, do you have any skills in translation? Do you know any Mandarin whatsoever?” the man at the table asked Lily, clearly impatient.
“Oh, she chose German. Quite useless, if you ask me,” Peony said. “Lily can fold laundry. But you don’t need that, do you?”
The man looked down his nose at Lily, his face scrunching up with disgust. “An Independent Study fae should have a comprehensive view of their future. I don’t see any ambition or talent here. Get out of my sight.”
Lily gaped at him. Tears shot into her eyes, and she darted into the crowd. Her guard chased after her, grabbed her arm, and dragged her to the next table for interrogation. The Wus quickly waved Peony away as well, only to have the next guard haul Virgie to the table. That option was gone, not that I had been keen on taking Onyx to them.
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