Page 31 of Veil of Death and Shadow

If only Aidan knew the kind of luck I brought to the people that I cared about.

It would instantly sour whatever crush he still harbored—and far more swiftly than any rejection ever could.

5

MAREENA

Present Day

The line to Incendiary was wrapped fully around the block.

“This is wild.” My jaw slacked at the impeccably dressed clusters of beautiful people, all impatiently waiting for their chance to get in. I hadn’t seen this many people together since before The Undoing.

“The wild thing is that only a handful of them will make it inside tonight.” Sora’s eyes were bright, her body trembling with contagious excitement. “From what Rex said, most of them come here on the off chance that one of the demons inside will grab someone on their way out to help dispel some of the . . . energy.”

“Rex?”

My stomach clenched at the thought. Humans were largely split when the demon world was revealed. Some hated them instantly, others feared them, and then there were just as many bound up in utter fascination—a desire to become one of them. Or die trying to get close.

Other than the humans who were hit with backlash from The Undoing, I hadn’t heard of any being straight up turned into a demon by another demon. That didn’t mean it wasn’t possible—and that didn’t stop the cult-like obsession many harbored. They gave up everything they had for the small chance of becoming a vampire or some other mythical creature. Most of them just settled for living on the outskirts of the supernatural world, becoming blood donors for vampires, or offering whatever other services they could think of.

The thought of their idol fascination always confused me, but for the first time, I could almost understand it. The energy out here was palpable, the people looking more alive and eager than I’d felt in years.

“He’s the one who got us in. Met him recently.”

“And he is . . .” I pressed

My skin tingled with waves of energy, like there was an electrical current buzzing in the air. Even from outside, I could feel the thrum of power emanating from Incendiary. The building felt like it was alive—just as, if not more, than the people flocking to it.

Instinct told me to run, but when I caught sight of the smile carving across Sora’s face, I swallowed it back. She was right. I needed to fucking relax.

I refused to live in fear for the rest of my life, not after everything we’d done to ensure we’d have a life at all to live. Anything less would be just as tragic as death.

My body relaxed into the energy pulsing around us.

One night of fun, I could do this.

“A friend,” she said, ending the discussion there. She grabbed my hand in hers and tugged. She was surprisingly strong for someone so small.

I let her guide me to the front, where a bulky man stood with a clipboard, his beady eyes like lasers as they shifted from us to the cluster of girl’s staring daggers at Sora for cutting the line.

“Sora and Mareena,” she said, her voice clear and confident. “Rex had us on the list for tonight. He told me not to wait in line.”

A girl behind us snorted, and I shifted closer to Sora, as if I could shield her from the woman’s glare, her anger like a blade against my back.

“We can wait,” I whispered to her.

“We can’t.” Her stare was locked on the man’s, her brow arched in challenge.

He grunted, the trace of amusement a singular crack in his mask—there and then sealed back up again—as he studied his clipboard, flipped the top sheet over and scanned down the back. He paused, his eyes lingering on words I couldn’t see.

I fidgeted with my ring, sending up a silent prayer that he’d just turn us away or send us to the back of the line where we could wait for hours, pretending like there was a chance we’d get in, only to pack it up for a quiet night at home. Now that we were here, the heat of the club pulsed around me. I felt it burrow deep into my stomach, an invitation—a dare. One that I wanted to run from just as much as I wanted to take.

“Humans.” The man’s dark eyes darted from me to Sora, assessing, his brows lifting slightly in curiosity, like he expected to read the word printed across our foreheads. “Head over to the front desk, they’ll get your paperwork ready and explain the rules.”

“Seriously?” The girl behind me whined. “We’ve been here for over an hour.”

Her long blonde hair was curled to perfection, not a dust of her makeup out of place. It made her large blue eyes pop; the dark pink on her lips a shade that highlighted their natural colorwhile adding a juicy sheen. Her dress was midnight blue and accentuated every curve. She looked the way women looked in movies and magazines—too perfect to be real, like she’d been photoshopped before my eyes.

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