Page 26 of Lore of the Wicked Wood
Atlas arched a brow, eyeing his best friend, wishing he could offer him more reassurance. “Veros?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold timepiece he always wore. The chain glinted in the soft light. The face was made of a shimmery blue stone and silver dials spun in multiple directions at different speeds. Runes were engraved along the outer edge, and while Atlas knew Veros controlled time, he’d never quite figured out the complexities of how his magic actually worked.
Veros slid the timepiece back into his pocket and then pulled out a stack of notes, dropping them onto the table.
“One round.” He grinned. “Hope you’re ready to lose those precious cufflinks of yours, playboy prince.”
Atlas laughed. Loudly. Fully.
Those fucking cufflinks were hand-cut sapphires and worth more than all the coins and notes on the table combined.
Atlas smirked. “Bring it on, time lord.”
Nine
Dinner with the demon summoner was…fine.
It wasn’t as though Everinne didn’t enjoy Jarek’s company, on the contrary. He was respectable, made easy conversation, and there was something about his voice that caused her to stare at his mouth more often than she cared to admit. All of which were perfectly acceptable, even desirable, qualities.
And yet…
The way he looked at her left her unsettled. He didn’t watch her the way other males did—there was no leering, no lust-filled longing. He didn’t undress her with his eyes, or act like he couldn’t wait to fuck her against a wall until she forgot her own name. No, Jarekstudiedher. Every movement she made, every word she spoke, she could almost see him committing every detail about her to his memory. From the moment she sipped her firebomb martini and smoke curled around her lips, to when she fiddled with the black diamond necklace dangling at her throat. He tracked all of it.
After dinner, just as Jarek promised, he brought her to the Mystic Obscura.
At least, she hoped that was where he’d taken her.
They climbed out of thevaladeand Everinne found herself standing before a dimly lit alley in the pulsing heart of Starysa. Around her, the city was alive, full of vibrant music and raucous laughter as everyone wandered down the streets in search of the next best party. None of them noticed her standing there with Jarek, hesitant to take that first step into the alley where the filtered gold light from the streetlamps didn’t quite reach. In fact, every soul who passed by them never even glanced their way, as though they were invisible.
Jarek nodded toward the alley, gesturing before them. In the seeping darkness, his eyes burned bright like molten gold. He winked. “After you.”
Everinne blew out a low breath that misted before her as the chill of the night settled into her bones. There was no going back now. And though she couldn’t quite shake the undercurrent of unease humming just beneath her skin, her curiosity couldn’t be silenced. She swallowed the knot of trepidation threatening to choke her and walked forward, stepping right through a shimmer of glamour. Magic coated her skin, the feel of it reminding her of cool satin. Behind her, the sounds of Starysa were muffled. The music was distorted, the voices garbled and distant. Slightly crumbling, aged stone walls surrounded both sides of her, but at the very back end of the alley, a door appeared.
Glossy, midnight blue wood with bronze-dusted whorls and spirals took shape, complete with a curving gilded handle.
Slowly, Everinne edged nearer, aware of Jarek’s closeness to her.
Whether he intended to protect her or lure her in, she couldn’t be sure. She considered asking him as much when a sign materialized above the door.
It was the same shade of blue as the door, with swirling silver edges, and in faint lettering, two words were scrawled in a bold, elegant script.
Mystic Obscura.
Everinne leaned back a bit, taking in the dilapidated exterior of the building and the door that was so shiny she could see her reflection. It was hardly an imposing entrance. If anything, it was lackluster and disappointing.
She cocked one hip to the side, crossing her arms. “It’s not quite what I was expecting.”
“Nothing ever is.” Jarek opened the door, then turned to face her, holding out his hand.
Beyond him, the alluring music of a violin and piano called to the depth of pain she kept hidden away inside her. The place she never let anyone see.
She hesitated for only a moment before accepting Jarek’s hand and allowing him to lead her inside.
The entryway was more like a maze, a confusing pattern of vanishing corners behind silk curtains of deep sapphire and bronze that seemed to move and shift and breathe. Fractured, mirrored spheres glowing with gold fire sent splintered beams of light and shadow flickering across the high ceiling. A faint silver mist curled around her feet, spilling over her heeled boots, concealing the floor from her view. Jarek’s grip on her hand remained firm and steady, then he reached out in front of him, pulling one of the thick curtains aside.
Everinne’s jaw dropped.
He inclined his head, tilting it toward the grandeur glimmering right in front of them.
