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Delilah squinted. “Huh. Maybe.”
“Look, I’m not going to dash out of here in a blind panic. For all we know, the Aeons have people watching Devil’s Cradle. If I get the sense—or an otherworldly warning—that we need to leave, then that’s what we’ll do. At the moment, I’m not feeling that. And I have to consider that Ishtar could simply be playing mind games.”
“Do you trust Cain to keep you safe?”
“At all costs? No. I don’t trust thatanyof the Ancients will. But there is a strong chance that they’ll back me, even though it would only be to piss off the Aeons.”
“And if they don’t back you?”
Wynter felt her face harden. “I’ll wreak the kind of havoc they’ll have never seen coming.”
*
Okay, so she hadn’t expected this when she walked into the arena. People weren’t ushered into the spectator area. They were guided to the performance space, which had been made into a makeshift gambling area. There were blackjack tables, roulette wheels, craps tables, and roped-off poker games. There were also several stalls scattered around featuring carnival games such as Hoopla, Basketball, Ball and Bucket Toss, and Tin Can Alley. The battle square was once more exposed, and the people surrounding it took bets as others went head to head in the square.
The combination should have been weird, but it worked. There was something for everyone.
Hattie glanced around, excited. “All that’s missing are male pole dancers. That would make my night complete.”
Xavier snickered. “I don’t think George would like watching you ogle other men. But hey, there’s apparently gonna be some kind of Vegas-like show after everyone’s eaten, so maybe they’ll have some male strippers.”
“We won’t have to stay long, will we?” Anabel held her arms close to her sides. “It’s bad enough that the place is packed with people. All the bunnies are making it hard to take a step without crushing something. And why are they wearing top hats? It’s just weird.”
Wynter turned to her with a sigh. “See, this is why we ask you not to experiment on yourself. There are no bunnies. Or top hats. You’re hallucinating again.”
A line dented Anabel’s brow. “But they look so real. Are you sure?”
“As sure as I am that Bruce Willis was not hanging out in our cottage earlier talking to you about herbs, despite what you insisted.” That had been a weird half hour.
“He seemed so real.” Anabel looked at her bare arms. “Just like this hideous rash.”
“Oh no, that’s real.”
She stomped her foot. “Dammit.”
Delilah gently elbowed the blonde. “Hey, on the upside, I don’t think Diego will wanna touch you tonight.”
Anabel brightened. “That’s a good point. He’ll give me space for sure.” Her eyes narrowed in thought. “In fact … ” She let out an experimental cough loud enough to make a few people turn. Spotting the rash covering her face, neck, and arms, they understandably took a step back. Many preternaturals were immune to viruses, but not all.
She kept coughing and sniffling, clearly delighted that the crowd parted like the red sea. “I should really do this more often. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.”
Delilah frowned. “You’dwillinglylook hideous just so people would give you a wide berth?”
Anabel sniffed. “Unlike you, I do not care what others think of my appearance. I reject vanity in all its forms.”
Wynter sighed. “If you convince people you have a rash, they’re going to worry that it’s contagious, and then they won’t come to our shop anymore.”
Anabel looked at her for a long moment. “Xavier’s right, you really do choose to focus too much on logic.”
He smiled at the blonde. “Thankyou.”
Anabel looked off to the side, her mouth curving. “Ah, that’s cute.”
“What?” he asked.
“The pony.”
He cleared his throat. “Not real.”
