Page 28 of Summer's Seduction

She paused, eyes darting between the two of us. “It seems I missed something important.”

“Not at all,” I replied with a grin, making a show of turning my back to set down my glass. It was a test as well as a show of good faith. “I was just about to assure Camilla I’ve had nothing to do with wielding The Sands of Slumber, nor any hand in the messy happenings in The Realm of The Living.”

Megara’s eyes widened momentarily before she turned to Camilla, who still looked ready to fight. “He’s telling the truth. We don’t have access to the sands this far south. Morpheus is helping Lord Hades fightagainsthis father.”

Camilla didn’t move, anger and disbelief warring in her gaze. She wanted it to be me.

“It would be so much easier if I’d done it,” I breathed, unable to help myself. “You could sink that blade into my chest, ending this life for me, and we could all go about our day. War averted. Women saved. And you could rejoin your mistress in The Great Hunt unencumbered by the tribulations of the realms.”

Camilla’s chest heaved as a sheen of angry tears coated her eyes. “Maybe I should kill you anyway. Just in case.”

“It wouldn’t help,” Megara said calmly, her hand coming to rest over Camilla’s.

For a moment, I didn’t think she’d listen, but then she let out a flustered breath. “If this is your father, then where is he? I thought the sands could only be wielded from The Underworld.”

“Hypnos’s power is tied to this realm,” I confirmed.

“Then how? Who’s helping him?”

“That, Camilla, is the question. And I think I know where to find the answers.”

Larkspur

Making sure my golden mask was in place, I banished any doubts of not belonging and set out to get answers. Most of fitting in was pretending that you already did. Megara hadn’t been the source of information I’d been hoping for, but all I needed was a bit of gossip. Someone must have heardsomethingabout a living soul in The Underworld, and I intended to find out what. All I needed to do was find someone who would be easy to persuade despite my being exhausted and my magical abilities diminished.

First, I needed to feed, and the scent of blood all around me wasn’t helping the ache in my fangs, but partaking in The Playground clearly came with a cost.

Megara talked about consent, but I knew how worlds like this worked. The rich took, and girls like me—the ones who learned at far too young of an age that ‘no’ meant very different things to different people—we were the ones stolen from.

There was too much at stake to risk drinking from someone here, especially out in the open. And if what Morpheus explained was true, then feeding from another dark one also meant absorbing part of their memories, or at least the possibility of doing so.

That was a big no-fucking-thank you. I had enough of my own trauma to deal with. I didn’t need to live through anyone else’s. This left me with the one type of target I could always count on: an arrogant, self-righteous man who thought a woman’s greatest desire was to please him.

Subtly stretching my magic, I felt the energy of those nearby, finding one who was trained on me. It felt like desire and entitlement—just the right combination for what I needed.

The music had shifted, becoming more thrumming drums than lyrical strings, and I allowed my body to dip and sway,giving me a reason to search for the presence studying me so intently.

There.

Masked eyes followed my movements from across the room as I delved further into the cavern, gradually making my way over as I scanned those nearest to the man. He was clad in black lace, holding a silver tray, signifying him as one of the staff. Drinks circled among the writhing bodies, and I spotted a few moreintimateitems circulating on golden trays. The ravenous masses welcomed both as the music pulsed.

It was clear all those on the dance floor were intoxicated, drunk from liquor, blood, sex, or a deadly combination of all three. But the man watching me—the waiter whose energy was practically begging me to notice him—remained on the party's edge.

I smiled, testing the waters as I neared, knowing I couldn’t use much more of my power. That small use of magic already left me feeling like I’d been dragged through the desert without water. My skin felt clammy, my pulse too quick and thready. I wasn’t proud of using people, but if I had to, I made sure I took from someone who’d taken far more from others.

Light eyes tracked my movements beneath his black mask, long tendrils of golden hair cascading past his shoulders. A few others approached him, exchanging empty glasses for new ones, but only men. Never any women.

Curious, I kept track of the last pair of men as they took glasses from the waiter. They dipped their heads at him before melting into the sea of sweating bodies.

That familiar sense of unease slithered up my spine as I glanced back, his smile transforming into one of possession as if he thought I was a plump peach ripe for picking. My stomach clenched, but at least I wouldn’t feel guilty for using someonelike him. I’d dealt with assholes before. This one would be no different.

Fixing a smile, I came a little nearer, mixing with the small group of others dancing near him.

“You’re new here,” he said, his voice deep and colored with intrigue.

“How did you guess,” I said, keeping myself far enough away to ensure wandering hands didn’t reach for me. I had a feeling personal space wasn’t a thing for a guy like him.

He chuckled, dropping his tray to the side as he slipped closer. Other men had joined the small group of women, somehow managing to guide the rest of them back while I was pulled forward. “Your smell. It’s different from the others.”

---