I stood in front of the mirror, frowning over myself.
“You look fine,” Lochlynn called from his bathroom, as if he could see me still standing there like I had been for ten minutes.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s just so…shimmery.” I looked down at the dress again, trying not to feel too weird about wearing it. I didn’t have any fancy clothes with me, so Lochlynn had a dress delivered. He swore to me that he had asked for a simple black dress in my size. Considering what I had seen Danielle and Danette wearing at the new year party, I believed him.
They had to have switched my order, and now I stood in front of the mirror in a green dress that had some kind of shiny, flowy, soft material. I couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of material, but I liked the way it felt for the most part. I didn’t care for the color at all. A mid-tone green that went fine with my skin, but boy did my hair make it look weird.
I’d done my best to style the pink locks but ended up just putting it up in a bun. That also did nothing to make the hair look better. I touched the bun carefully, frowning over it. “I think this is too much. I look like washed out Christmas.”
Lochlynn opened his bathroom door, coming out. He had on another suit, charcoal gray with a blue tie that matched his eyes. He could pull off a suit nicely, what with his tall frame and wide shoulders. I still liked him better in his casual outfit. I thought he looked more like himself, less stiff.
“You look fine,” he said again, not sounding exasperated at all. “It’s only one night, and then you’ll never have to deal with meddling mothers again. Unless you count Linda, which I don’t.”
“Mothers don’t usually try to pimp out their daughters,” I said. “Not good ones, anyway. So no, I don’t count her. What makes you think your mother chose this?” I touched the fabric again, frowning.
“I just don’t see my sister caring about what you wear,” Lochlynn said, brushing some of the hair out of my face. It had escaped my bun, and I felt too lazy to fix it. “Danielle would be more interested in watching you crash and burn without interference.”
“That makes me feel so much better,” I said. “Here I thought she wanted to actively cause my demise.”
He smiled. “You’d be surprised.”
I turned away from the mirror, because I just couldn’t stand looking at myself anymore. The dress flowed with every step I took. It went down all the way to my feet, but the front of the it had been slit open, nearly down to my navel, with only transparent fabric keeping my skin from being exposed. I hated that too, but since I didn’t have another dress, I’d be stuck with this.
The only thing I had yet to put on were the shoes. I grabbed the box from the bed and stared down at the lid. “What kind of shoes did you order me?”
“Flats,” he said.
I would’ve preferred that but feared that they wouldn’t be in this box. When I flipped the lid, I stared down at a pair of dark green, almost black, heels. I didn’t know shoes very well, but I could tell that the heels had about five inches to them. Running would be…well, I’d try not to get to that point.
I put the shoes on and looked at myself in the mirror again. Frowning, I turned to stare at Lochlynn.
“You look fine.” The third iteration didn’t make me believe it any more than the first one had.
“It feels gross,” I said.
He touched my cheek, brushing that hair out of the way again. “I promise you that you that you look fine.”
“I’ll believe you, because I have no other choice, but just know that if you’re lying to me, I’ll bite your head off.”
“Reasonable.”
The two of us left his room. I half thought that we’d run into one of his siblings or his parents out in the hall, but that didn’t happen. I grabbed Lochlynn’s wrist as we started to head downstairs. “Are we driving with your parents?” I asked, trying to decide what metal state I needed to be in for the rest of this trip.
“No, they’ll take the limousine and chauffer,” Lochlynn said. “My sister and brother will probably take another. You and I can take my SUV.”
“That won’t look weird?”
“I never ride with my parents. Most of the time, I got with my brother and sister, but if Llewellyn makes another comment about how you look, then I’m going to rip his head right off his body. It would ruin the entire night.”
My stomach should not have fluttered the way that it did when he said that. “Ah.”
Several of the kitchen staff turned to stare at Lochlynn, who looked sharp and powerful in his suit. I must’ve ruined the image, what with the colorful display that I had going for me. Even my shoes seemed too loud for what we would be doing.
He opened the SUV door for me, probably because I had to gather up the skirt of my dress to make sure it didn’t get closed in the door. Then we took off, and I felt too nervous to even pay attention to everything around us. I watched the lights flashing by around us, and my chest felt too tight. My hands curled together in my lap, and my mouth felt dry.
When Lochlynn turned the corner, and we came up to gates, it surprised me. I blinked, looking at the house that sat on a hill. It had the same kind of grandeur that Lochlynn’s house had, but none of the style. Everything about it screamed gaudy, flashy, here’s-how-much-money-we’ve-got. It made me uncomfortable just to look at it.
“They’ve got statues,” I said.
Lochlynn smirked. “Yes. Those statues are of the family. The fountains are more offensive in my opinion, because they’re of old gods that most humans don’t believe in anymore.”
I looked at the statues, frowning. “They all look like they’ve got the same face.”
“I didn’t say they were accurate representations of the family,” Lochlynn informed me.
Bright lights shone golden haloes down on the ground, so that the cars would know where to go. We got directed around to the side, where a valet waited to bring the cars to a parking lot. I frowned when I saw the paved area. “Is this not their house?” I asked, looking back at Lochlynn.
“Oh, it is,” he said. “They throw parties so often, they found it worth the investment to put in a parking lot.
“Everything you’re saying right now upsets me.”
He patted my leg, and the familiarity sent a little shiver through my stomach. The day before, we had just stayed in his rooms the entire time, preparing for the party, and talking. We had even ended up play wrestling at one point. I had enjoyed every second of it immensely and started to worry at the same time. My sister said that when it came time, I’d be able to do what was necessary.
I didn’t know anymore. It felt better, every single day that I spent with Lochlynn. I didn’t know if he felt the same way, or if I just waxed poetic about a guy that felt guilty. Maybe he just wanted to atone for everything that happened with his father, and all those souls that he didn’t want to take but had to.
I had no way of knowing but trusting my gut. God knew that hadn’t always worked out in my favor.
Once we handed over the SUV, Lochlynn took my wrist gently, and started to walk me toward the house. I looked up at the façade and noted all floors. I counted six windows up and didn’t feel any better for doing so.
“Remember what we discussed,” Lochlynn said. “Stick close with me, no matter what. Be rude if you have to.”
I nodded. “I’ll make everyone hate me if I have to.”
“Good.”
Doormen stood at the front of the house, looking so similar that I wondered if they were brothers. They didn’t say anything when they saw Lochlynn but opened the doors. They didn’t even ask if we had invitations. I figured Lochlynn must’ve come around here often if they recognized him on sight.
Those thoughts vanished when we walked into the house. I didn’t know what I had been expecting. Something similar to what happened at the casino, I supposed. Something refined, calm, classy. Some of that existed here. They didn’t play loud music, I didn’t see as single beer, but it felt like walking into a shark tank. Everyone looked over with hungry eyes, while mingling with people that had the same expressions.
Some of the younger people danced in one of the rooms, while the older parties did other things. I decided this felt more like a hunting ground than an actual party.
We got about four steps into the house before I heard a girl call Lochlynn’s name. I turned, catching the barest glimpse of a young demon with bright red hair, blue eyes, and a smile sharper than a razorblade. She brushed past me as if I didn’t exist and wrapped herself around Lochlynn like one of those snap bracelets would on a wrist.
He stiffened immediately, having to let go of my hand. “Remington,” he said, his voice sounding as stiff as him. He touched her sides for a bare moment, and then moved his hands away.
She uncoiled and landed back on her feet, that smile still in place. “It’s been forever since I’ve gotten to see you!” the girl chirped. “I’m so glad that you could make it.”
Lochlynn nodded, and then gestured to me, taking my wrist again. “This is Tomorrow,” he told Remington, hauling me in close to his side.
Her smile turned brittle as she stared at me. “Oh, it’s lovely to meet you. I hope that you’re keeping Lochlynn here entertained. Believe me, it can be so hard to keep his attention. A girl practically has to beg for it.” She batted long, fake, red eyelashes at him, her smile still looking coy.
Remington’s hair looked blood red, but not fake. It shimmered every time she moved her head, and since the hair went down to waist, it shimmered a lot. Her green eyes looked so dark that they almost could’ve passed for black. I’d gotten so used to being around Lochlynn that it actually took me a second to realize that her pale skin glowed slightly, like all demons did. Hers seemed different somehow. Maybe because of how pale she looked.
And because I didn’t like her, I offered her my own sharp smile, and answered her with a sugary sweet voice. “Oh?” I wrapped my spare hand around Lochlynn’s arm, running my fingers down it. “I haven’t had any trouble keeping him entertained so far, have I?” I looked up at him.
Lochlynn’s face had shut down again, but he did quirk an eyebrow at me.
Remington smiled, letting out a breathless laugh. “Well, good for you. I got tired of keeping him busy after the four months, personally. Maybe you’ll last longer and get to see a different side to him than what I saw. He’ll probably toss you aside before then, though.” She walked by Lochlynn, touching his wrist on her way out. “If you need anything, ever, be sure to call me. I’ll see you around.” She walked away, making sure her hips swung from side to side in that red dress she wore.
Lochlynn looked at me.
“You told me to be rude,” I said.
“I told you to be rude if you had to be,” Lochlynn corrected. “At least with Remington, she never would’ve liked you.”
“Old girlfriend?” I asked.
“Sort of,” Lochlynn said. “She’s Rosalina’s daughter. If she’s here, that means her mother is running around somewhere, too.”
“How many children does Rosalina have?”
“Four, but her sons don’t usually join her on these outings. Just Remington and Rosa.”
I breathed out. “What about Nigel?”
“He’s got two children somewhere. A son and a daughter. I don’t think we have to worry about them too much, though. They usually view these parties as a hunting ground for new business ventures. If we stay away from that kind of thing, then they’ll leave us alone.”
“Will Remington?” I asked.
Lochlynn didn’t say, which seemed like a good enough answer in itself.
He brought me into another room, with less activity. The kitchen. Demons lurked in there, smiling and chatting with each other. They all wore clothes that looked even more refined than what I had on. They spoke with each other, laughing as we came in. I looked around the party and noticed a few other humans. We were definitely in the minority, though, with demons taking up the majority.
The demons in the kitchen all looked over, their eyes shooting straight to me and Lochlynn. One of them smiled. “Who’s your little friend, Lochlynn? You haven’t brought a human pet around here before.”
This whole pet thing started to really bother me.
He introduced me, and I had to stand there while the demons assessed my worthiness. They spoke about my looks, about whether or not I sounded smart when I said hello, and about how compatible I’d be with him. It felt like I shouldn’t have even been standing there.
Lochlynn brought me out of that room before they even finished.
“I’m starting to understand how a show dog feels,” I said. “If they ran their hands down my sides to check my fat, then I’d have full on sympathy for the poor creatures.”
He patted my side. “I know, they’re not the greatest.”
We came into another room, and I saw Remington sitting at a table with a girl that looked a lot like her. The girl had blue hair, though. The same dark green eyes, but the hair changed everything. I had to assume that was Rosa, the sister. Remington smiled at her sister snidely, and then turned to look at Lochlynn. She took a sip of what had to be demon water, and then looked away, like he didn’t matter.
“She’s trying too hard to get your attention,” I said.
“I know,” Lochlynn told me. “She always does that.”
Before he could continue, Danielle came up behind us. She had a smile on her face as she looked me up and down, and a martini glass in her hand. She upended the martini glass, taking the olive into her mouth while doing so. A passing waiter took the empty glass, and then Danielle looked at me again. “It looks like Mom’s got a new puppet. All dolled up and everything.”
I shifted.
Lochlynn greeted his sister, bringing her attention back over to him. She smiled again. “You are making Mom and Dad so happy, you know,” Danielle said. She cupped my cheeks so hard that it stung. I lifted my hands as if to push her off but stopped myself partway there. Danielle glowed with power, and I didn’t want to shove her away when that power could be turned against me. “You’ve got yourself a little human, and you know what that means?”
Lochlynn touched my back, prepared to haul me away. “What?”
“You’ve given them leverage,” she said, and patted my cheek. Leaning in, she whispered. “You are chaos, and for that I love you. It will be a shame when they kill you to make a point.”
My heart beat faster.
Lochlynn pulled me away, getting between me and his sister. “Why don’t you go talk to Rosa?” he suggested, pointing to where the sisters sat.”
Danielle grinned. “I would love to! If I can get her drunk, the two of us could make out under a table, like at the Christmas party. That was fun and scandalous, you know. I love scandals.” Danielle walked away, throwing her black hair over her should in what she probably though a seductive manner. I hoped that Rosa could handle that girl better than I could.
“Are you okay?” Lochlynn asked.
I rubbed at my face, where she had been touching me. “I’m fine,” I said, not sure if I lied or not. “No offense, but I’ve got to stop coming to these things.”
Lochlynn touched my side, directing me into a room with a closed door. I went in, discovering a bedroom. It looked impersonal enough to be a guest room, with bathroom included. I walked over to the dresser, and leaned against it, shaking my head. “You’re so different from all of them.”
“Thank you,” Lochlynn said. “I don’t much care for any of the people out there.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “I just forget sometimes, what I am to everyone outside. I spent all my time locked in a room with you, and you don’t act like those demons. Then I come out, into a group like this, and it feels like I’m a show dog or a pig for the slaughter.”
“I know,” Lochlynn said.
He couldn’t have known, though. He was a demon, so to them, he would always be acceptable. A real person. Not that I blamed him for that. I just needed a slight break from the craziness out there. A moment to just huddle in this room with Lochlynn, forgetting everything that my sister and I had talked about. Forgetting that soon, I’d have to leave him, and go back to my human life.
Shaking my head, trying to banish all those thoughts, I pushed away from the dresser. “Sorry. I’m good. We can go back out there now.”
“Are you sure?” Lochlynn asked. “We can stay in here for a few more minutes. We’ve got another hour before Nigel starts making his speech, and the two of us can wander off.”
I breathed out. “I’m sure.”
He nodded and took my hand again. It started to feel like a safety net. The only thing that kept me from drowning in all the dismissive animosity that I felt from the demons.
We stepped out of the room, and immediately regretted it. Llewellyn had shown up, and he looked at the two of us with a grand smile on his stupid face. He wore a dark blue suit that only brought out the color coloring that this entire family seemed to have. He drained his glass in one hard gulp before walking up to us.
“You know, Lochlynn, I always thought that you were an odd one. We can everything that we want, and you never take anything. I always thought that you were a wuss, a bleeding heart. Pathetic. But you’ve spent the last several days locked up with that girl, and still go into a bedroom with her at this party?” He smiled, looking around at all the people in the room.
“Go away,” Lochlynn said.
“It doesn’t matter where I go,” he said. “Doesn’t change anything.” He patted his brother’s shoulder so hard that Lochlynn rocked back a step. “You can try as hard as you want, do everything to make your life different, but you’re just like the rest of us. You are just like Mom and Dad. And it’s nice seeing you embrace it.”
Lochlynn shoved his brother’s hand off his shoulder, stepping away. I practically felt him shutting down, his eyes turning so cold that they looked like two shards of ice. “Go. Away.”
Llewellyn pointed at Lochlynn with the hand holding his glass. “You’re only upset because you know it’s the truth. But yeah, I’ll go away. I’ve got an empty here, and that sounds like hell.” He wiggled his glass back and forth, as if we hadn’t figured out what he meant by that.
As Llewellyn walked away, I turned to Lochlynn. “I hope you know that he’s full of shit,” I said.
Lochlynn shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Not maybe. Did you miss the part where I said you’re the only demon I feel comfortable around? Everyone else in this house makes my skin crawl, and it has nothing to do with the magic.”
He rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“We’ve got an hour to kill, right?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Then let’s kill it.” The two of us made a second circuit of the party. Lochlynn directed me on which foods to eat and what to drink. We had to be careful to avoid the demon water, and some of the food had magic in it as well, so I listened to him very carefully. We talked to some more people, all of whom treated me the same way as everyone else had.
The scariest part of that was that I started to get used to it. After a few dozen people ignored me, I started to expect it. I could use it to my advantage even, because they wouldn’t pay attention to what I did. I could watch others, take mental notes on their personalities. Still felt like hell, but I saw no reason to pass up the opportunity.
All the lights in the building changed blue for one second, and then went back to normal. It reminded me of the flashing lights from the casino, but gaudier. Much like everything else in this house.
Everyone started walking, and Lochlynn fell in behind them. We ended up in a ballroom. A legit ballroom, in a house. I just couldn’t be surprised anymore.
As we settled in, I spotted Landers and Danette at another table, with a different couple. One, a woman with short, blood red hair. The other a man with brown hair, tan skin, and a white suit on. He looked ridiculous.
“That’s Carmine,” Lochlynn told me. “Rosalina is the woman. They’re mated.”
I nodded, taking the information in. Carmine glanced around the room, and I memorized his features. He looked Hispanic, aside from the glow of his skin, and he had a tendency to move with large gestures. Very animated.
Then Nigel appeared. He had black hair, brown eyes, and freckles all over his face. None of that stopped the cocky smile from spreading across his mouth. “Welcome friends!” he shouted.
Everyone’s focus latched onto him.
As he started to talk, Lochlynn touched my hand. “Three, two, one…” he said.
I felt the magic swirling around the entire ballroom, like someone dragged sandpaper across my skin. I wrapped my arms around my middle. “Huh?” I asked, eloquently as ever.
Lochlynn smirked. “There’s a reason for the food being magicked. It doesn’t affect over demons, so we still have to be careful. But everyone else won’t notice us doing a single thing.”
He rose from his seat as Nigel started going on about the profit of having friends and family. I ignored him, because he sounded like a self-help coach, and it grated on my nerves.
Lochlynn and I moved to the end of the of the ballroom, and no one seemed to notice. The two of us slipped through a door, easy as could be. I breathed out, relief flooding my system. We didn’t talk as he led me toward some stairs. It seemed that, unlike in his house, the humans were kept in the basement. Which meant it would be easier for us to get caught.
I wanted to ask Lochlynn a dozen questions, but they all lodge din my throat, each seeming dumber than the last. My hand squeezed his so tightly, I almost felt the bones moving around.
He stopped in front of a door that had a keypad on it. Lochlynn typed in some numbers, and the thing swung open, much to my surprise. We were about to step through when someone said from behind us, “What are you doing?”