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Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sebastian
I don’t rush on my walk back to the courtyard. I want anyone who sets eyes on me to see that I am calm, in control. Completely unbothered. It’s essential, in a viper pit of demons who are experts in the art of lies and manipulation, that I seem as unruffled as I usually do.
The key, whenever possible, is never to tell an outright lie.
Half-truths, or even things that hold only a small core of truth, still resonate. If you can put your focus into the part of your words that ring true, the listener hears only that ring. Because we’re all looking for the truth, in one way or another. Even demons.
I run into Jinx and Aza first. Aza is holding Jinx face down in the fountain, a smile on her face as he drowns.
“Is that really necessary, Aza?” I ask. “No one is going to vote for him.”
Aza smirks, looking at the blue nail polish on one hand as she continues to hold Jinx down with the other. “Look,” she says, holding them out for me to see. “I chipped a nail on your fountain.”
“Pity,” I respond with a mock frown.
A moment later she releases Jinx and he rears back, sputtering and sucking in air.
“I’m aware, Sebastian,” she says with her eyes pinned to mine, “That no one will vote for Jinx. Because they wouldn’t dare cross me in that way.” Her gaze swivels to Jinx. “But he had the supremely foolish audacity to challenge me, so that’s why he has to suffer.”
Jinx spins as if to run, but Aza drags him back with a lash of magic and shoves him under the water again. I hear a nasty crack as his skull hits the bottom of the fountain.
“Well. Do enjoy yourself,” I say, striding for the hotel.
“I shall,” she coos, letting out a small gasp as if she’s actually getting off on it.
Night has fallen, and the stars glitter overhead almost as brightly as Aza’s ambition. No one was ever going to beat her. I’m not sure why my brother is even bothering. But then, Caspian always has been delusional.
I stride through the hotel, finding pockets of demons engaged in their worst behavior. Drazos’ demons trying to torture Aza’s by trapping them in some sort of magical cell and zapping them with lightning. Aza’s demons sending Caspian and Drazos’ demons back to Hell by destroying their bodies in an evisceration spell. The other demons are wandering about, watching and deciding who they’re going to vote for. It's all a pageant of the most bloody and visceral behavior.
Finally, I see my brother off in one of the lounges with a few demons from his entourage. When he catches sight of me, he waves me over.
“Took you long enough,” he says, his eyes searching mine.
“You thought I wasn’t going to have my fun first?” I smile. “I always get mine.”
“I’m sorry I had to break the bad news.” He frowns as if he really cares. “I know you liked that one. She was a pretty thing.”
I shrug. “They always are, aren’t they?”
“So, did you get any information out of her before you finished things?” Caspian purses his lips. “What is the Raven Society planning?”
“It seems mostly information gathering.” Another shrug.
Caspian narrows his eyes. “You don’t seem terribly concerned about the fact that you’ve had a spy working right under your nose… under something else… for days now.”
“Should I be?” I sit down in the leather chair across from him, legs splayed and hands laced behind my head. “The winery isn’t exactly some evil empire the Society is targeting. They’ll go after Aza and Drazos first.”
“She said that?”
“She didn’t have to, Caspian. It’s obvious.”
His eyes are still fixed on mine. “I’ll bet she was beautiful when you tortured her.” He shakes his head. “The pain on her face must have been exquisite.”
Caspian is clearly trying to get a rise out of me. “There are about a half dozen little torture parties going on right now if you need to get your jollies off, brother.” I wave a hand for the door. “Take your pick.”
“You wouldn’t mind if I saw her, would you?” he asks. “It would make me happy to see that deceitful little witch’s corpse.”
