Page 42 of Expose Me

The House of Spirit and Sapphire and the House of Sea and Serpentine weren’t allies. But they weren’t enemies either. Empress Asbesta, a water goddess and the leader of Sea and Serpentine, was vicious and ambitious. Her House was cutthroat—she was not an easy ally to make and not someone you’d want as an enemy.

Zey and I had made our way through the city as discreetly as possible, blending into crowds and avoiding any sign of House officials. I felt defeated, but Zey had talked me into getting a closer look at what we were dealing with.

We sat on a park bench, partially obscured by shrubbery, across the road from the impressive building where the House of Sea and Serpentine had their HQ. The property sat right on the water, the elaborate gardens stretching all the way to the edge. A high wrought iron fence encircled the entire compound.

“There are no guards,” Zey said. “We could just walk in. Or maybe swim.”

“None that you can see.” I rested one elbow on the back of the bench and readjusted my cap so it was a little lower. “There are at least four sentries on the roof,” I said, keeping my gaze down. “I can only spot two, but I guarantee there are more on the other side of the building. And the water may look calm but trust me, there are dozens of mermaids down there.”

Zey glanced up and hummed.

“It is a place of business and governance, just like my House,” I explained. “So yes, members of the public can come and go through the main entrance. But you bet your ass, those sentries are watching for threats, and in case you forgot, we’re the biggest threats in the world at the moment.”

I rolled my eyes and almost laughed when Zey did the same. Neither one of us was particularly impressed with how we were being portrayed.

“I’ve never been here, but there will definitely be guards inside.”

“You will certainly be recognized,” Zey conceded. “But I can take on the appearance of anyone and walk right by them.”

“True, but that will only get you past those main gates, probably through the main doors at the end of that long-ass drive, maybe into some of the offices on the ground floor. The Onuei is in a room on the third floor on the other side of the building. I guarantee you, access to that area is restricted to members of Sea and Serpentine, most likely those with seniority.”

“Then I will take the form of one of them,” Zey stated like it was obvious.

I narrowed my gaze at him. “And what if the doors are spelled like they were in the building in Melbourne? You may be able tolooklike anyone, but magic knows if the energetic signature is wrong. What if there’s some magical form of security, like a silent alert, or a combination, or even nonmagical systems that require a code or a key. What if someone speaks to you, thinking you’re the person whose appearance you’ve taken? What if—”

“Alright,” he cut me off, “you’ve made your point.”

I folded my arms and dropped it, even though I still had at least a dozen scenarios that illustrated how this could go wrong.

“It’s impossible.” I shrugged, shaking my head.

“I admit, I was a little hasty in my impatience to get to the Onuei,” Zey said, “but nothing is impossible, Sky. There is a way; I know it.”

“How?” I huffed, getting frustrated. “Just because you want something to be true doesn’t make it so. Shit doesn’t work like that here, Zey.”

“You can find a way,” he stated matter-of-factly, like it was obvious I could figure this shit out.

“What makes you so ... sure ...” I trailed off as my gaze wandered down the street, where I knew the mouth of the Amazon River was. The portal to the world of angels and demons was deep in the rainforest. It was under constant watch by the Portal Guard, but not as much as the headquarters of Sea and Serpentine, and it was in No Man’s Land.

“You’ve thought of something, haven’t you?” Zey drew my attention back to him. He was wearing a self-satisfied grin.

“Maybe,” I huffed, reluctant to admit he was right, even as some semblance of a plan started to form in my mind.

“I knew you could do it.” He brushed a stray bit of hair off my neck. The contact made me shiver.

I cleared my throat. “There might be apossibilityof achancethat we could find a way in, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Why?”

“Because we have to get further away from the Onuei to find a way to get our hands on it.”

“How far?” His eyes narrowed.

“A world away.” I sighed, liking where this was going less and less as I questioned my own sanity for even considering it.

Zey followed my gaze. “You wish to go through a portal?”

“I don’t know ifwishis the right word but ... there’s someone on the other side that may be able to get us into the House headquarters.”

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