Grabbing a bottle of top-shelf whiskey, Jaci poured them each a shot.
“To the fun stuff,” she said, lifting her glass, and Charley rose from her barstool and followed suit, both of them grinning as they clinked glasses and polished off the drinks.
No sooner had Jaci set down her glass did the air change—a hot and sudden shift that crackled with a strange electric charge, like the warning of a storm you’d never be able to outrun.
Something was coming.
Across the crowd of customers lined up at the bar, Jaci sought out Gabriel, their gazes locking instantly. He blurred into her space and grabbed her, crushing her against his chest, mouth close to her ear.
“We need to get out of here,” he whispered urgently, but it was too late.
The obsidian mirrors lining the club’s elegant walls shifted from gleaming black to a bright, bone-chilling red.Bloodred. Viansa’s face shone out from every one of them, a beacon of terror.
Her red lips parted in a menacing grin, and when she finally spoke, the entire club fell deadly silent.
“Hello, my loves. Have you missed me?”
Chapter Sixteen
Viansa’s image vanished from the mirrors, but the damage was done.
Her very voice had cast a dark enchantment, freezing the entire club full of supernaturals in place, locking their minds and bodies in stasis. For as long as the spell lasted, they’d be aware of nothing. When Viansa broke the enchantment, they’d awaken, feeling only a vague sense that something was off.
It was an old trick—one she used to play on Jaci when she was just a toddler. Back then, Viansa would relocate her to different hell realms before breaking the spell, confusing and terrifying her at every turn.
Now, Jaci was the only one who remained conscious and mobile.
Light spilled in through the entrance, and she pulled out of Gabriel’s frozen embrace to see Viansa, awash in a golden glow, sauntering into Obsidian like a wayward Hollywood starlet.
The succubus was draped in a sleek black satin dress that matched her glamorous hair and hugged every curve, a stark contrast to her pale skin and red lips. Tall silver heels, a stunning diamond choker, and a vintage red leather handbag finished off the look. The effect was breathtaking—the perfect mix of haute couture and dastardly horror-movie villainess.
“Shot of Fireball, please,” Viansa purred, shoving a vampire patron off a barstool and taking a seat. “Developed a taste for them last night at NYU. Nowthoseboys know how to throw a party.”
Not sure what else to do, Jaci grabbed the cinnamon-flavored whiskey from the shelf and poured the shot. “Nine dollars.”
“Seriously? You’re making your sister buy her own drinks?”
Jaci held out her hand, saying nothing.
“Someone’sgetting a little big for her britches.” Viansa reached into her purse, fishing out a twenty and handing it over. “Keep the change.”
Where she’d gotten the cash, Jaci had no idea, but she wasn’t surprised to see it—just like the outfit. Viansa was resourceful and adaptable and had a way of persuading anyone to do anything.
Case in point: mass public orgies.
Jaci slid her hands into her back pockets and leaned against the liquor shelves, mind racing to come up with a plan. With the entire crew completely immobilized, a physical attack was out of the question, and a magical one probably wouldn’t get her anywhere either. Her best shot—assuming Viansa wasn’t going to roast her the instant she finished her drink—would be to pump the demon for intel, hoping she let a few juicy tidbits slip.
Tidbits they could later use to nail the bitch to the wall.
The thought infused her with a deep sense of purpose.
“Done with your tour of the city?” Jaci asked. “You should head back home. I’m sure Mom misses you.”
Viansa practically snorted. “Please. That demonic sideshow probably doesn’t even know I’m gone.”
Beneath the insult, Jaci detected the barest hint of rejection in her voice.
Good,she thought. If Viansa and their mother were on one of their many “breaks,” maybe this scheme was all Viansa’s doing, which meant one less original demon for her and the others to worry about.
