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Chapter Sixteen
Sebastian
“Don’t do that again,” I whisper tersely to Luciana. “You’re just going to stir them up even more.”
She steps back and looks up at me. “Are you kidding me? I’m not some piece of meat to be fought over by a pack of savage dogs.”
“That’s actually exactly what you are,” I growl. “At least for Aza and my brother.” I stare into her hazel eyes a moment before tearing my gaze away. “It was a mistake bringing you tonight.”
Her magic flares again. “Why, because I’m not going to smile and stay quiet while a bunch of demons talk about my fate right in front of me?”
My eyes narrow. I remember the day before when I’d asked her which of her parents was a demon and she’d lied, for reasons I can’t fathom. “You say that as if you aren’t one of us. At least in part.”
Luciana blinks and goes still for a moment. “That’s not the point. The point is that I’m not interested in belonging to Aza or your brother or anyone else here for that matter. I don’t belong to anyone, including you.” She makes a gesture with her hands, spilling her champagne. “This isn’t even something that should be discussed!”
“Including me?” My anger and my magic flare out to meet hers, crackling like heat lightning between us. “You came to my winery and asked for a job, remember? You practically threw yourself at me.” I slide my hand around the small of her back, pulling her close to me again. “You offered yourself up to me on a silver platter.”
Luciana shivers. “There’s a big difference between wanting someone and being possessed by someone.”
Now it’s my turn to go still. I’m so used to people throwing themselves at me, wanting to be used by me, all for their fifteen minutes in my orbit. And I have used them. I’ve used them all, and never thought twice about it.
Until this moment.
“A million people would die to trade places with you,” I say softly. “To belong to me.”
“Well, then,” she says, her eyes burning into mine. “I guess that makes me one in a million.”
I take a deep breath and let it out. “No one is forcing you to stay, Luciana.”
“That’s precisely my point.” She runs her hand up my chest. “I’m here because I want to be.”
I’ve never met anyone so infuriating and alluring in my entire life. Which is not something I’m prepared to contemplate in the middle of a cocktail party.
“We should mingle,” I say. “More guests have arrived.”
I shove aside my swirling thoughts and force a smile as Luciana and I make our way around the room. Putting on a façade comes naturally to me. I’m a demon, after all. I’ve been putting on a show for centuries now. Jockeying for power. Making nice with my enemies. Not a single person in this room likes or trusts anyone else. They all want one thing: to be in control of it all.
It had come as quite the shock when Darkness was imprisoned by the Raven Society. Did a single one of the demons here tonight go looking for her? Not a chance. No loyalty amongst liars and cheats. Darkness being out of the way just means there’s a bigger piece of the pie for the rest of us.
Of course, I’m here to support Caspian, since that’s my job. And for the most part I’ve been content with that. Not because I like doing Caspian’s bidding—he’s a giant asshat most of the time—but because I’m perfectly happy making wine and hosting parties and sleeping with beautiful people. I’m not hungry for power because I have everything I want already.
“And what about you?” Luciana asks one of the demons, breaking through my thoughts.
We’re standing with Lux and Drazos, two of the more cutthroat demons in the room. Lux has green skin and antlers coming out the top of her head, having dropped the glamour she usually wears in front of humans. Drazos looks human, except he’s absolutely enormous. Nearly seven feet tall and ripped like he bench-presses mini-vans. Maybe he does.
Drazos chuckles. “I work in the import-export business.”
Which is code for highly illegal drugs, even by supernatural standards.
“And I’m an investment banker,” Lux says.
Which means she creates global financial instability. Her favorite thing is tanking the economy of small third-world countries.
“Ahh, like Aza,” Luciana says with a bright smile.
Lux casts a sharp gaze across the room at Aza, who’s her steepest competition in the financial field. If looks could kill…
“Yes, I suppose we do work in a similar arena.” The demoness smiles, showing her fangs.
