She escaped through the same exit her husband had taken.
If something was truly wrong, Rhyden would let them know, wouldn’t he? That depended on whether he knew himself. His tech didn’t make him omnipresent.
President Shin’s attention made her uncomfortable. He inclined his head to Cyrus. "I hear you have finally found your Soulbond." It wasn’t a question.
Cyrus unfolded himself from her back, standing by her side. "She did. I’m sure you know of me, though, Dae Shin. I used to review some of the off-planet correspondences. Your name was always at the top of the list when it came to inquiries about whores."
A muscle in the President’s jaw fluttered as he gritted his teeth. "Well, you certainly live up to your reputation, Cyrus Soltren."
The incubus gave a mock bow. When he straightened, the danger in his eyes erased any trace of the gesture’s playfulness.
Slowly, then all at once, red glimmers filled the air—so faint that no one would notice save for the three of them. Cyrus’s plush lips—still stained by her gloss—curved into a deadly grin, like the large predators that lived on Praed, scenting meat.
"Interesting," the incubus hummed, then the red snapped back into him. He shuddered and rolled his shoulders back, turning to Rin, his nose grazing her powdered cheek. With that singular action, his body language dismissed the President of the Hunter’s Guild entirely.
Rin swallowed a strange giggle.
The President’s face flickered as he covered his ire with a stoic mask. His words were calm, belied by the way he refused to glance at Cyrus—which must’ve been hard, seeing as his face was right by hers.
"This evening promises revelations," said President Shin. "I trust you understand the importance of cooperation, Vesperin. What your parents are doing here is vital to the fate of Earth—and beyond. Do not let childish displays spoil this night."
"They’re not my parents," Rin said softly.
"What?"
"Sabine and Talor, they aren’t my parents," Rin repeated, stronger this time. "Though the legal papers say otherwise, they’ve never been my parents." She spied Xara and Keir at the other side of the room, sitting at one of the tables. She gave a curt nod. "Now, if you’ll excuse us, President Shin."
She laced her fingers with Cyrus’s and led him around the outskirts of the dance floor to the table where Xara and Keir were.
"Took you long enough," Rhyden grumbled.
She felt safe enough to reply, hidden in the dark. "Like you’d have an easier time at it. You try being in my shoes."
"Can’t," the vampire gritted. "That fake innocence wouldn’t suit me." Rin rolled her eyes. "Besides, I wouldn’t bother with manners. If I want to leave a conversation, I simply do."
Cyrus’s nail scratched at her palm. "Where’d Mommy and Daddy Psycho run off to?"
Rin’s lip curled as she shot him a look.Really?she mouthed.
"The targets," Rhyden enunciated, "are outside, by the gates with the guards. They’re arguing, by the looks of it—pretty heated. By the fucking way, those masks give me the goddamned creeps. You rich people really are a different breed."
His words made Rin stall. She couldn’t respond, as Xara noticed them, eyes widening as she spotted Cyrus by her side. Wasn’t Rhyden rich, too—or at least, he had been at one time. She had a flash of opulent jewels heavy around her neck, as his sweat-slicked body covered hers, hips grounding into her. She stumbled, and Cyrus caught her.
Rin forced a smile onto her face; though, she felt it wobble slightly. "I’ve… never liked heels."
Cyrus just hummed, contemplative.
Xara greeted them by popping out of her seat, her emerald dress sparkling. "Vesperin—oh my god. The rumors were true." She covered her mouth with her hand.
Keir stood, movements slow. "So, you’ve been hiding an incubus Soulbond from us?"
"Um," Rin said, so eloquently, "not hiding—just keeping it private. This is Cyrus. We met on that mission I took on Sibeth months ago."
"The one that your... brother died on?" Xara hedged.
Rin’s throat tightened. "Yeah, that one."
Cyrus’s skin seemed to glow as he held out a hand. "Cyrus Soltren, formerly of the planet Sibeth, now of the home of Vesperin Vox." He shook Keir’s hand first, then Xara’s when she snapped out of her stupor.
