The Lotus was packed from wall to wall. Only a few hours ago, the place had been barren and quiet, with only a couple of people wandering around, ensuring everything was ready for the grand opening.
Or rather, therehearsalfor the grand opening. Twenty-four hours from then, the main room would be teeming with strangers, unaware of just how monstrous most of the employees were.
Tonight, however, the only people present were those in the know. And with the show being put on, they were busy cheering themselves hoarse.
“Show them, Evie!” Harper’s voice was lost to a sea of shouts. Everyone had put their conversations on hold the moment Evie walked onto the runway stage going through the center of the room.
Harper was lucky she could even see her. If she hadn’t gotten there early to help set up, she would have been confined to the floor, where the only available view would have been of people’s backs. But early bird privilege had afforded her a spot in one of the elevated VIP areas. She had a perfect view of the stage and Evie spinning leisurely around the pole.
She was smiling from ear to ear. Though she had left her career of pole dancing behind, having exchanged it for one where she taught it instead, that didn’t mean she couldn’t visit her old life. And thisvisithad the whole place losing their collective mind as she spun in place with such effortless grace it looked like she wasfloating. If there hadn’t been a lineup of performers right after her, she looked like she could be there for hours.
“You killed it up there!” Harper said. Evie had finished her slot and had ducked under the rope to the VIP area. “You’re even better than I remember. Remind me again why you’re not using those skills to bring home a bunch of trophies?”
Evie’s cheeks pinked, though it was almost hidden by the low light. She’d put on a silk robe over her skimpy performance outfit, and a few strands of hair stuck to her forehead.
“I’ve been considering it, actually. I’ll need a lot of practice, but… maybe.” She looked around. “Where is everyone?”
“Beingboring.” Harper patted the couch cushion next to her, and Evie sat down. “Maya is being held up at the high-rise, Nell needed to take a call, and Patricia is walking around, making sure everything is in order. I’m guessing Natalya is encouraging her.”
Evie snorted, sipping on the drink she’d left on the table before she went on stage. Natalya and Patricia had missed the memo about this being apartyand were micromanaging everything but each other.
This celebration could be as loud as it wanted to, since it was in honor of the people who’d be working there. A majority of the staff were supernatural, with only a handful of the performers being human. Harper and Nell were among them and, whenever the Lotus would put on a show, Evie would be, too.
That night, the members of the Lotus would make this place their own. It might not be as grand or imposing as the Court of Chains high-rise, but it didn’t need to be.
It was theirs. Itfeltlike theirs. That alone made it perfect.
“Oh no, did I miss it?”
Harper turned towards the voice, seeing Nell hurry up the steps, a dejected look in her eyes.
“You missed the warm-up.” Evie scooted to the side, making space for Nell to sit between her and Harper. “I have another slot about an hour from now. That’s when I’llreallyshow off.”
Nell smiled, relieved, but the expression was a little tense. Barely noticeable, but Evie’s brows immediately knitted together.
“Everything okay?” Harper asked, having seen Evie’s reaction. “Is it Casey? Is she going to be late?”
Nell hadn’t stopped talking about the fact that partners of the employees were allowed to attend this party. She’d been excited about showing Casey off for days.
“She can’t make it,” Nell mumbled. “Got pulled away on something. An emergency of some sort.”
Evie’s frown deepened. Casey worked with the Chains patrol teams, and of the three of them, Evie knew most about them. Going by her expression, if there was an emergency, Casey wouldn’t have been the one to handle it.
“That’s unfortunate. We were looking forward to talking to her.” Harper cleared her throat. “Or just meeting her. It feels weird that we don’t know her at all. Since you two are taking pretty big steps, it seems.”
“It was just bad timing.” Nell’s smile came back. “You’ll get to know her soon. I’m not sure when it’ll be, though. Casey’s super busy.”
That dreaded tension returned to Harper’s stomach. A feeling that appeared whenever the woman was brought up, and every time Harper learned something new about her, it got worse. Even though, technically, none of what she’d learned was cause for concern.
Maybe it was just because the only perspective she had of Casey was from afar. Nell had been so happy since they starteddating, so she couldn’t be all bad. If they got to know one another, Harper’s brain could tell her gut to lower the pitchfork.
“Just—” Evie bit her lip and took Nell’s hand. “If something is wrong, you’d tell us. Right?”
Nell rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong. This isn’t like my last few relationships. Casey is different. She’s a woman, for one.”
They waited for more differences to appear on that list. None did. Nell’s eyes just drifted to the stage, shining with excitement as a new song started and another performer came into view.
Part of Harper wanted to stay with this topic. Drill into it, in fact. But Nell’s smile was so earnest. She’d even admitted only a few days prior that she was falling in love with Casey.
