Page 52 of Expose Me

There were a few moments where I actually forgot ... everything. Who we were, why we were there in the first place, what was waiting for us back on Earth. But then I’d catch Zey with that pensive, uneasy look on his face, or I’d start thinking about what was happening back home while we were gone, and it would all come flooding back.

On the morning of the ball, I was startled awake by a knock on our door. Zey was already opening it by the time I shot up in bed and summoned my knife from across the room. He spoke softly with whomever was in the hallway for a brief moment and closed the door again.

“Abraxos has issued orders for everyone to be ready to go through the portal in a few hours. They’re sending up food and servants to prepare us, whatever that means.” He frowned at the floor as he spoke.

When I didn’t respond, he looked up. He looked as dejected and conflicted as I felt. The bubble was bursting. Our time together was coming to an end, and something inside me was breaking at the sense of cold hard reality invading our happiness. I realized I’d made a colossal mistake letting my guard down with Zey. I was a fool to think I could just have some casual fun with him. I’d already been starting to feel more for the complicated creature before we’d even got here, and now ... yeah, I was screwed.

My distress was surely written all over my face—I’d stopped hiding from him at some point in the last few days. Zey crossed the room, crawled onto the bed, and pulled me into his arms. This embrace wasn’t sexual—it was so much more. We drew each other close, grieving silently for what would never be.

I held on to my dagger even as I clung to Zey, my knuckles going white with how tightly I was gripping it. It was the only thing making me feel like I had any fight left in me.

* * *

The dress Abraxos’s people put me in wasn’t my usual style, but I had to admit it was pretty. It was all shades of purple, its shimmery, gauzy fabric cinched at the waist and slits far too high up to conceal a dagger. I would’ve been irritated if I couldn’t summon one with barely a thought.

The contouring done by an expert makeup artist made me look like a completely different person, which was good because my gods-damned hair was still pink.

As we approached the portal, I kicked myself again for forgetting to ask the guards to get me some hair dye. I’d had three whole days to do it, and I’d been so distracted by Z’s D that I completely forgot. It was a good thing that most people with us wore bright colors or even had crazy hues in their hair. At least I didn’t stand out.

Zey’s hand wrapped around mine, and I squeezed it tightly. This was the first hurdle—getting us back to Earth unnoticed.

While it had taken a team of people several hours to disguise me and make me look like I fit in with a bunch of insanely beautiful creatures, Zey had simply picked an angel who would not be coming with us and shifted to look like him—complete with iridescent wings and everything. Typical.

He was a little shorter and Black, with short dreadlocks, but I knew it was him. I could feel him nearby, regardless of what he looked like.

My soul recognized his.

Which was something to worry about later because we were passing through the portal.

Abraxos had timed things well. There was a lot of traffic from Celestia/Soleil to Earth, angels and demons heading to the ball at Sea and Serpentine. As we stepped through, I did my best to look casual and carefree while scanning the scene.

The area was crawling with portal guards, but they were clearly run ragged by the rush. Our group was so large, it doubled the crowd passing through. Several people in our group were half-drunk already and causing a ruckus, laughing and joking and completely ignoring the guards.

Several guards glared at us and barked instructions.

Zey ruffled his wings and pulled me into his side, turning so he was shielding me from view. At the front of our group, Abraxos was speaking with the guards, his voice barely carrying over the noise.

After a few tense moments, they let our group pass. They were probably just not in the mood to deal with Abraxos’s entitled, pompous attitude, which I was sure he was exaggerating just for the occasion. I’d bet my favorite dagger he even asked “do you know who I am?” at one point.

Once we were clear of the guards and past the netting, a few of the angels took off, flying ahead. The rest of us piled into several carriages. There were no horses or other animals in sight, or even any of the equipment you’d expect to see at the front of a carriage to attach it to a horse. They all took off at the same time anyway, powered by some kind of magic.

We were in a carriage with two humans and a shifter of some kind. Abraxos had been ignoring us since we left his prison—sorry!Manor—which was totally fine by me.

The trek through the rainforest to the dock was much faster than it had been going the other way on foot. We crowded into a large boat and sped down the river. We slowed almost to a stop at the edge of Sea and Serpentine territory, and I felt the distinctive barrier magic press against my skin as we passed through. There were dozens of mermaids in the water and shapes moving in the tree line on shore. But those in the boat and those in the water were all Sea and Serpentine members and recognized each other as such. Zey and I stayed out of sight, and they waved us through.

At the dock in Macapá, we disembarked and got into more of those horseless carriages. In procession, they ferried us through the bustling streets of the city and right through the gates of the Sea and Serpentine headquarters.

The main building came into view as we passed manicured gardens and an obscene number of water features. It practically looked like it was glowing with all the magical lights decorating the building and the surrounding area. Music wafted out as we rounded the massive fountain in the middle of the circular drive and stopped. People dressed in elaborate, stunning evening wear were talking on the drive or making their way in.

I tapped into my power briefly, triple checking that the Onuei was still there. The ribbons twirled out and straight to the same room on the third floor.

Zey gave me a meaningful look, like he knew what I was doing.

I nodded. “It’s still in there.”

As we rolled up, he whipped his head around and looked hard at the front of the building.

“So are my friends, apparently,” he muttered.

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