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Opening the glazed-crystal door, I slide in and turn up my glamor. I rarelyloveglamouring myself, but I need this deal to go well if I am going to ask for time off.
My palms, which were sweaty a minute ago, are now dry, and I know from experience that the wild look in my eye has turned to a tenacious glint. My glamor is exactly what rich Aranthians want to see in their shipping broker.
I paste a smile on my face. “My absolute warmest welcome to each of you, esteemed leaders. It is a pleasure to see factions of the Were, Mer, Fae, and Vampire sitting at one table.” I pause momentarily, taking the time to look them all in the eye, even if they scare the shit out of me.
“Each of your delegations possess highly valuable commodities that we are hoping to take to the larger market. Historically, many of your groups have warred against each other or even hidden access to these items. We hope that with your help, everyone at this table will become very, very rich.”
I pause for effect, taking time to walk leisurely around the room. A few greedy huffs of laughter ripple around the group.
I motion to the left, and a row of assistants who had been waiting by the southeast wall spread out, placing crisp white papers with pristine black script in front of each leader.
Papers in hand, I continue. “In front of you, you will find an NDA. Please sign before we begin. Your privacy is just as important to us as your money.”
Flashing my teeth in the most alluring way I am capable of, I wait. The Mer leader, Esmeralda, is an aquamarine female with long, green-gray hair is seated near me. She turns, the water in her electronic aqua chair splashing softly, as pupil-less teal blue eyes meet mine. She smiles, revealing razor sharp teeth, before winking at me.
My heart skips a beat, and I choke back a cough. I quickly recover when I realize everyone has finished. “Thank you for your cooperation. We will begin.”
The billionaires sift through the packets full of detailed lists of commodities that will be discussed alongside their estimated value in gold, silver, and copper.
The Vampire leader, Garret Thorn, makes his eyes go wide enough to match his thick, designer glasses. There’s something about it that feels excessive, but the action seems to match his personality. Thorn has an aura of absolute violence around him, and Boss already warned me of the danger he poses.
The Were leader, Dante, is the only one whose expression remains calm and collected throughout the meeting. I would go so far as to say that he is disinterested, even. It’s as if the amounts listed don’t amount to enough money to bail out every Northern refugee.
Dante is... interesting. He’s wearing a puff jacket and jeans, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. If I hadn’t been to meetings like this before, I would’ve thought it was a grunge look. Now I know that this type of relaxed, curated outfit costs more than my studio apartment rent for an entire month.
Taking out the tablet from a drawer under the mahogany desk, I pull up the presentation on the big screen so that we can begin.
The Vampire locks eyes with me, his navy blue suit adjusted to fit over his large body. I can see the blood lust in his eyes. Or maybe greed.
It is hard to tell these days.
Chapter11
Black Opals
NATHANIEL
The negotiations have lasted nearly a week, and they have been every bit as cutthroat as I imagined. Yesterday, Boss stopped in briefly to announce the big-ticket item of the trade talks. Half the room shifted nervously in their chairs. Sure, talking about importing pearls the size of boulders to carve into furniture was appealing, but nothing compared to what we are talking about now.
Black Opals.
The most expensive commodity in Aranthium.
These gems, veins of dazzling color, are impossible to find and worth a hefty price of 10 million gold per carat. Despite their name, they are brilliant and swirling shades of blue and green that Fae eyes burn slightly when looking at them.
The real value of these gems, though, is not their insane price tag or their blindingly beautiful appearance. It is the magic that runs through them.
Anyone who possesses magic can use them, giving the user powers ten times their Fortuna allotted birthright. The problem is, in order to use the magic for more than a few moments, you need an actual gemstone, not just slivers of the material.
It is said that these are the gems of DemiGods. Several reports of dubious validity state that High King Hades created them from darkness.
I don’t like fictitious tales.
Impossible as they may be to find, they are even harder to mine as they are prone to breaking. To top it off, if there is too much sedimentary rock around them, the magic is suffocated, giving them an even shorter shelf life once they are wielded.
“We have an entire storeroom filled with samples,” Dante says. “We’ve been accumulating them for about two hundred and ten years.” There is a smug gleam in his eye as he looks at Garret, as if this is him getting back at the vampire for centuries of oppression and bad blood.
“What?” Thorn yells. “You’ve been doing this in secret for centuries?”
