A few moments later, the sleek car pulled to a stop outside an enormous, ornate building. Golden lights lit up the marble facade, and a fountain shot sparkling water into the air. An aura of incredible wealth and danger gleamed around the place, and my heart raced, hope flaring.
With any luck, we were going to save the kidnapping victims tonight.
5
Grey
I climbed out of the car first, scanning the ornate courtyard for Anton’s guards. Immediately, I spotted eight of them. I cataloged their weapons and species—what was visible, at least.
“Hey, let me out.” Carrow’s voice sounded from behind me, where I’d blocked her into the car on purpose.
Satisfied that it was safe, I turned and reached for her hand. She laid her palm in mine, and satisfaction surged through me.
No.
I couldn’t feel those things anymore.
I shouldn’t. The bond was broken.
My heart and body didn’t seem to care, but I tried to shove the feeling aside anyway. I helped her stand, forcing my eyes off the way the glittering golden silk clung to her curves. Her eyes gleamed with interest as she looked around.
I turned, tucking her hand into the crook of my arm, and tried to see it through her eyes.
All around, people in glittering finery strolled up the stairs, looking beautiful and bored. It was an obscene amount of wealth on display, and distaste flickered through me.
“Is this not your scene?” Carrow asked.
“Hardly.” I turned toward the massive entryway where Anton’s goons guarded the doors.
They couldn’t have looked more like a mob boss’s henchmen if they tried. Big shoulders stuffed into tight suits, slicked back hair, and their magic on full display, the way humans would wear their guns visible.
I could feel their magic from where I stood, a billboard of a threat that was meant to keep the supernaturals in line. Not everyone in the crowd was magical, however, and the humans had no idea.
Sheep.
As if she read my thoughts, Carrow leaned close and whispered, “Are there humans here?”
“Yes. So no magical fights on the casino floor. Anton has a spell blocking most powers, especially around the gambling tables, but the goons are here to keep order as well.”
“Ah, I see.”
I caught the eye of one of the bouncers and raised two fingers in a clear signal. We wouldn’t be entering through the normal way.
The man snapped to attention and turned, leading us to a side door.
“This way,” I said. “We need to go through a different type of security.”
“All of these wealthy people tolerate security?” she asked.
“To get in here, they do.” I nodded toward the crowd we’d left behind. “Humans and low-power supernaturals go that way. More powerful supernaturals go this way.”
“What is Anton looking for?”
“Any kind of threat. Magical weapons or particularly dangerous powers. If we tried to sneak through the human entrance, the sensors would catch us, and we’d be evicted.”
She shivered. “You were right about this place being heavily guarded.”
“We’ll be fine. But we won’t be able to use a transport charm until we are out of the building, so keep that in mind.”
She nodded.
We neared the hulking guard, and he turned to open an enormous golden door for us. I led Carrow into a spacious lobby. Crystal chandeliers gleamed overhead, shedding a sparkling light on the gold and velvet opulence of the interior.
It was Anton.
Like a petty king with too much money and no taste.
Two guards stood waiting for us, each at least seven feet tall. It was rare that I met someone taller than me, but it was immediately obvious that their size slowed them. Each wore a suit and held a slender black wand.
I leaned down to Carrow and whispered, “These men will check you for magical weapons, but they won’t touch. Try to suppress your power as best you can.”
She nodded, and I could feel her trying to draw it into herself. She’d become so much more proficient over the last few weeks, but her power had also grown. I could feel it inside her even now, expanding. Could she tell that it was doing that?
I had to assume so.
I did the same, making sure my magic was under lock and key. The men approached us, hovering their wands over our chests, then moving them around our bodies. I waited for the telltale vibration that indicated it had sensed something and was gratified when there was only silence. We didn’t need to draw any attention to ourselves.
“They’re clean,” one of the guards murmured to the other.
One of the guards nodded. “You’re done.”
“Thank you.” I took Carrow’s hand again and tucked it into my arm.
We left the men behind, strolling into the main part of the casino. As we entered the enormous space, Carrow gasped. “Wow.”
“I suppose it does make quite an impression.” A lofty, vaulted ceiling was hung with even larger crystal chandeliers than the lobby. They were the size of cars, in fact. The gambling tables were gilt-edged, along with everything else in the godforsaken place.
“You really don’t like it here, do you?” Carrow asked.
“No. It’s an obscene use of wealth. And beyond that, in poor taste. Too much gold, too fussy, too ornate.”
“Yes, I can see how you might not like that.”
I looked down at her. “Know me so well, do you?”
She shrugged. “A bit.”
I found I wanted her to know me better. I shouldn’t want that now—our bond was broken. But I did.
A server in a small black cocktail dress approached, a tray of champagne glasses carefully balanced near her head. She smiled at us. “Drink?”
I took two. “Thank you.”
She nodded and disappeared into the crowd. I handed one glass to Carrow. “Don’t drink.”
“No?”
I shook my head. “We need to see them made to be sure they haven’t been spiked with something. But we want to carry one, so we blend.”
Even now, I could see two crime bosses that I recognized—one from the Chicago Dens and another from New York. Either would like to have me incapacitated and willing to spill my secrets.
“They aren’t just meant to make us gamble more?” she asked.
“That’s their purpose, yes. But they could be spiked. Either with something to lower our inhibitions or something worse.”
She grimaced.
“Come.” I drew her toward the bar. “We need a drink in hand so that people will lower their guards around us.”
I was aware of her every movement as we walked toward the bar. The crowd parted easily to let us pass, and I stopped at an open spot at the long expanse of gleaming wood. At the far end, Mac appeared briefly, speaking to someone who looked like the manager. She blended perfectly, her hair darker and her face slightly different, thanks to Eve’s potion. When she found her mark, she’d transform entirely to look like them.
Carrow and I both made a point not to look at her.
I leaned down and spoke at Carrow’s ear, unable to help getting closer. It was unwise, but such a small thing could surely be forgiven by fate.
“What can I get you?” I asked.