Page 10 of Wolf Queen Ruin
“Your dedication is commendable,” Damien said, returning to his book.
“Yeah, yeah.”As I stood to stretch, something caught my eye in a nearby corner—a glass case I hadn’t noticed before, containing what appeared to be invitations, programs, and other fancy social stuff.
“Felix collects party invitations?That’s…exactly the kind of weird hobby he would have,” I said, already moving toward it.
The case opened at my touch, recognizing me as someone Felix had authorized.Inside, arranged chronologically, were hundreds of elegant cards and papers, some so old they were barely holding together despite preservation spells.
Damien appeared next to me so quickly that I jumped.
“Gah!”I slapped my hand over my heart to keep it contained.“Don’t make me put a bell on you.”
“Sorry.The Wolf Queen’s creations often passed through the hands of collectors before disappearing from history,” he said, excitement lighting his eyes as he studied the collection.“Supernatural social events were—and still are—where such items change hands most frequently.”
“So you think there might be records of the Shadow Fang changing hands at one of these fancy parties in the past?”I asked, sorting through the older items.
“It’s possible,” he replied, searching with his gloved hands too.“At minimum, we might find connections to those who would know its whereabouts.”
His fingers paused on a particularly elegant invitation, its paper heavy-looking and cream-colored with silver embossing that seemed to shift under the light.Felix’s name was written elegantly at the top.
“Madame Selene’s Equinox Gala,” he read aloud, a note of surprise in his voice.
I moved closer to peer at the invitation.“Happening in…holy shit, three days from now.”
Damien’s shoulder nearly touched mine as we examined the invitation.I caught a hint of his scent, something that reminded me of snowstorms and warm, spicy…spices.I couldn’t tell what it was exactly, but I found myself inhaling until I couldn’t anymore.
“This is fortunate timing,” he said, his voice carefully neutral.
Too carefully neutral.
I turned to face him.“You knew about this already, didn’t you?”
He met my gaze then shook his head with a rueful smile.“Not the invitation specifically, no.But I’d heard rumors about Madame Selene hosting an event.I just didn’t know the exact date.”
“Uh-huh.”I studied his face, trying to read past that expression of mild amusement.“Quite a coincidence.”
“Sometimes the universe aligns in unexpected ways,” he said with a slight shrug.
“If you knew about the event, then why didn’t we just start with the invitation collection?”I asked, my patience wearing dangerously thin.
As soon as I reached the hangry stage, I had about five minutes to feast, or I might go murdery.
“Because I’ve never looked through Dr.Morgan’s collection before.”He looked around in awe once more.“I had no idea that a doctor would have such a variety of texts in his basement.I’d love to talk more with him someday—“
“Sorry, the Bibliophiles Geek Out meeting has been canceled.Get back on track with this Madame Selene.Who is she, and why does she have such expensive taste in invitations?”
“She’s one of the most connected artifact brokers in the supernatural world,” Damien explained, his expression animated in a way I hadn’t seen before.“Her collection rivals museums, but she’s notoriously selective about who gets to see it.
“She hosts a major event twice a year, not necessarily on the exact date of the equinox, bringing together collectors, hunters, and those with items to sell.It’s very hush-hush and elite.If anyone has information about the Shadow Fang’s current whereabouts, it would be Selene or one of her guests.I’m sure of it.”
I studied the invitation more closely.The venue was a historic mansion outside New Orleans, and the dress code statedMasks and formal attire required.
“So we’d need to secure invitations to this exclusive party, convince this Selene person to share information about an artifact that may not even exist, and do all this without alerting other potential seekers?”I summarized.“Sounds straightforward.”
“Sarcasm noted,” Damien said, his lip curling.“But yes, essentially.”
“So how do we get on this exclusive guest list?”I raised an eyebrow at him.“Pretend we’re both Felix?”
“I have connections who could secure invitations,” he said, absently running a hand through his dark curls.“With some effort.But Selene’s gatherings are closely monitored.Security is supernatural and extremely thorough.We would need ironclad covers to gain access.”
