An engine revved far below the men’s perch, the sound rippling down the street as the suns slowly set, pink light reflecting across the city’s skyscrapers, dusting the horizon in sunset hues that contrasted the stark nature of their conversation.
“For now, all I require is intel. Bring whoever you feel best. You have two weeks to gather as much information as possible on King Lucanus and how he is managing his Quarter. I trust your affinities will get you through The Wall without appearing on any recordings—without alerting their alarm systems. Completely undetected. It won’t be easy, but it is the only option we have for the path set out for us by the Eternal.”
The male stepped forward, expansive wings of gold filling the space as he looked across The Rift, his gaze narrowing in on Solis Quarter, the harsh lines of the limestone slabs of The Wall barely visible in the dusk light as he began to plan his next moves. Questions swarmed his mind, but he asked none as he merely nodded toward his master, the man who’d shaped him for the last 300 years.
“I’ll take Axel with me. We’ll leave at dawn and be in touch once we slip into Solis Quarter. We will be untraceable; you have my word.”
“Do not disappoint me.” Elion’s voice cut daggers throughthe air as he turned to leave the ledge. His footsteps fell away as he retreated, his fingers pressing against a keypad, the sensors scanning his fingerprint, before the glass doors of the Aurelian Guild Headquarters slid open and he reentered the classified area. He stopped just inside the doorway. Turning on his heel, he paused, eyes narrowing as he watched his protégé.
The male of the shadows stood outside a moment longer, his gaze narrowing in on the spot across the horizon. Every muscle in his finely-honed body tensed as he stared into the distance. He wouldn’t fail . . . not this time. Aeternus had spoken—a command that could not be ignored. It was time for the darkness to retreat and for the light to shine once more.
1
RAELYNA
A body droppingto my left caught my gaze, as my heart started beating faster and I tallied the number in my head. That was three this week.
Three.
And yet, nobody in this stars-damned nightclub seemed remotely phased as the female in the shadows collapsed to the ground. But before I could say anything, a member of the Royal Solis Guard stepped into view, collecting the body from the marbled floor of the club and removing it so that the paying members would not be affected.
Glancing around once more, I confirmed that even the other dancers on my team didn’t seem phased by the occurrence. Maybe I shouldn’t be concerned either.
But I was.
Three bodies in one week felt wrong, and that nagging feeling deep in my soul kept demanding that I find answers. It screamed at me to look into it. To find out why certain citizens in Solis were collapsing, and no one batted an eye.
But it wasn’t my place.
Not as a lower.
And especially not after the bargain I’d made.
The music hummed to a heavy beat as I moved my hips in time to the song. Drone cameras flashed in the distance, the small devices recording our performance and projecting it on the other side of the club as we moved across the elevated platform. I felt my skirt rise slightly with each pop of my hip, and I fought the urge to tug the sheer material down, just as I did every night. Neon lights flashed through the club, the hues of blue and purple dancing across the walls in rapid procession.
To my right, Emberly matched my every movement as the choreography embedded in our minds played out with grace. It was the same routine every Thursday night, and I could perform each dance in the set in my sleep if I had to (and I had, if I was being honest with myself).
My cheeks burned from the smile that was pasted across my face as I spun in a circle, my body twisting to the music as my gaze collided with my best friend’s.
The low lighting of the nightclub highlighted the stage perfectly, the drones buzzing overhead as they zoomed in on us. Still, my eyes darted to the corner in the shadows. I could just make out his gaze from here—brown eyes that monitored my every move, watching my body roll with each chord. It made my skin crawl, terror pulsing through me, as I felt his piercing stare roam across my body from the darkness.
It hadn’t used to be this way. There had been a time when his gaze would have melted me to the core, when I would have done anything to feel his gaze rake over my bare body appreciatively. But not anymore.
Not since?—
I forced myself not to think of that day.
The day my fate had changed.
Only three more steps, and we were done for the night.Then I could head home, if only for a few short moments of reprieve.
Gracefully twisting to the side, I leaned with the beat, my back to the audience as my hips swayed, once, twice, before my legs slid out and down, ending the song in a split. I fanned my charcoal gray wings wide, the feathers fluttering as my wings arced through the air on display, cameras flashing as we concluded the dance. The stage went dark as I quickly tucked my legs in and popped back up, my wings fluttering as they assisted the movement.
The music faded into the background as Emberly muttered under her breath, “Thank the stars. I thought the night would never end.”
“You say that every night,” I stated, my lips pursing in a genuine smile as I stated the obvious.
“Well,” Emberly retorted. “Imeanit every night.”
