I glared at him, meeting his eyes over the shoulders of my friends. “If you tell them, Assassin, I will…” What could I even threaten him with? “I will tell Bane to steal all of your treasure.” It was a lame threat, but Enzo’s eyes narrowed.

  “Are you threatening an assassin, Pretty Darling? I thought you’d know better than that.” He winked at the twins. “It’s tomorrow, ladies.”

  Both twins rounded back on me.

  “I don’t want to celebrate,” I insisted, giving Enzo my best death glare as I stood. “I never do.”

  “But why?” Nelly demanded, eyes wide with exasperation.

  I shrugged with forced nonchalance. “It just doesn’t matter to me.”

  “Why do I get the sense that your bitchy mother is behind this?” Lulu unerringly guessed the truth with a slow twirl of her blonde hair around her finger. “Do your men know? Surely, they can’t agree that your birthday is insignificant? The church will probably declare it a public holiday when you’re finished with the Syndicate.”

  “My mother hated giving birth to me,” I admitted. “She always spends my birthday recounting how horrible it was and how I caused her pain. Then she always rants about how the priests dared to declare me a Carazor instead of a Braxion during the ritual of naming. It’s never been a good day for me.”

  “And you didn’t think that maybe now you’re independent you could reclaim it for yourself?” Nelly swooped in and hugged me. “She can’t reasonably blame you for being born. Demons don’t have accidental pregnancies, so it was her choice.”

  “I know, but…”

  “Let us spoil you before you go tomorrow,” Lulu suggested. “If you still hate it we’ll all pretend you don’t have a birthday, but if – Strange God forbid – you actually enjoy yourself, you have to let us celebrate from now on.”

  I rolled my eyes, bit my lip and sighed. “Fine. But nothing ostentatious.”

  “My middle name is discretion.” Lulu smirked.

  “No, it’s not. It’s Mabel,” Nelly stage whispered to me. “Our mother had an obsession with ‘vintage’ names.”

  “Mock me at your peril, Cornelia Phyllis Drabos.” Lulu was grinning as she grabbed her twin and headed for the door. “Come to our room when you’re ready, we’ll get your stylist and plan for tomorrow whilst you two… talk…” She winked at me, snagging the garment box with my dress on her way out.

  When the door closed, Enzo grinned.

  “You are in so much trouble,” I snarled.

  He moved closer to me, and I took a step back. “Are we playing this game again, Pretty Darling?” He asked, taking another step.

  “You just told them about my birthday!” I countered.

  “I just stopped your mother from stealing the day when all of your mates should be able to spoil you rotten.” He gave me that grin, the one that made me wet and scared all at the same time. “Don’t you want to know what I’ve gotten you?”

  Curiosity and stubbornness warred within me and, despite everything, I couldn’t make myself shake my head. My legs hit the dresser behind me.

  “I thought so.” He was so close that I could feel his breath. “Close your eyes.”

  I thought about it for a second. “It’s not a dead body, is it?”

  “You make it sound as though you don’t trust me…” He smirked, and a shadow wrapped itself around my eyes, taking away any choice I had and surrounding my vision in a ring of darkness.

  His cool hands took hold of mine and I felt the unmistakable sensation of a ring being pushed onto my right hand.

  When the shadow disappeared, I looked down to see my new accessory. The band was black, and I smirked because some things would never change and my assassin’s cliched love for black was one of them. The ring was set with a stunning black diamond, the heart of which seemed to swirl with darkness in the flickering candle light. The spiralling effect started to entrance me the longer I stared at it and I started to wonder if it wasn’t just the light.

  “Wear it tonight?” Enzo suggested, distracting me. He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles just above the ring.

  I smiled and nodded, my fingers tingling from his kiss. “Will you be there to dance with me?”

  “Of course, Pretty Darling. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The way he purred the words sent a slight shiver down my spine, but I shrugged the feeling off. “Go and have fun with your friends. I can’t wait to see what you look like… I will even attempt to refrain from murdering the woman who called you ‘malformed’.”

  I grimaced. “Can you not kill anyone today?”

  He gave me an enigmatic smirk that made my hackles rise in wariness. “I make no promises.”

  He faded into the shadows and I waited for a few seconds before I also left the room in search of the twins.

  Chapter 39

  When Lulu, Nelly and I left the Carnal Tower we looked and felt amazing. Our three stylists had happily worked together to turn the twins’ room into a beauty parlour and had showered us with attention and compliments. Of course, it had taken all three of them to figure out how to strap me into my mother’s latest creation, but eventually they had wound the two crystal embellished straps around my torso in a revealing but classy pattern that covered my breasts and left my wings free. The dress was a two-piece, as was required, leaving my midriff completely bare to proudly display my Sigillary. The skirt was comparatively plain, layered deep blue tulle that matched my feathered mask perfectly.

  I looked and felt like a sex goddess, and I think the twins felt the same way.

  “You’re going to give your mates heart attacks, the both of you.” Nelly grinned at the two of us.

  Lulu beamed. “I can’t wait till you find your mates,” she told her sister earnestly. “I want this happiness for you too.”

  “Oh, shut up. I need to be the exciting, badass aunt for all the hell spawn you’re going to have.” Nelly grinned at the sight of the approaching doors. “Everyone knows that kind of aunt is destined for the single life forever.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever you say, Nelly.”

  We reached the entrance hall, but instead of the loud, excitable crowd of last year, the students milling around almost seemed muted. People were talking amongst themselves, but it was a hushed, quiet chatter that gave the impression they were all trying not to draw attention to themselves. Nelly and Lulu stiffened subtly beside me, and I instinctively searched for Aeron among the sea of men in black frock coats. I felt our bond buzz at his nearness but, before I could follow it, a woman in a deep purple mask, almost identical to my own stepped directly into my path.

  “Lady Carazor,” Vendra nodded politely, and the room went even quieter when she spoke. “It’s good to see you wearing my mother’s mask.”

  “Lady Braxion,” I extended the same courtesy to her. “It’s an honour to wear such a precious family heirloom.”

  I felt both Nelly and Lulu hesitating at my back, but I was confident I could survive my grandmother. I subtly grabbed Nelly’s hand behind my back and squeezed to let her know her I would be fine, and they both moved past us towards the milling first-years and fourth-years.

  “May I introduce Prime Craven.” My Grandmother moved to one side, and a man with pale short hair and a deep-set frown took her place in front of me. His coat had small accents of a nearly luminescent green, indicating he was also gifted, and the colour clashed violently with the orange of his Gluttony cummerbund. I curtseyed low, knowing that he was the reason for the subdued behaviour of the room.

  “Lady Carazor, it’s a pleasure to meet the newest member of the High Chamber.” He bowed slightly.

  I pasted a soft smile onto my face as I met his eyes and was struck by a strange sense of familiarity. Something about his navy-blue eyes made me pause, but I quickly looked down again and the spell was broken.

  “And this is Senior Judge Abrosiax,” Vendra continued.

  A hand extended toward me, and I automatically grasped it.

  Outwardly, Constantin Abrosiax looked the same as he had in my vision, and if he was grieving the death of his daughter, his face didn’t show it. He didn’t shake my hand as I was expecting, instead he pulled my knuckles up to his mouth and kissed them in an eerie mirror of the way Enzo had just hours earlier. When he rose, and our eyes met, I inwardly cringed at the hatred barely concealed within his.

  I reached for my mating bonds for reassurance, relieved to feel all seven of my men close by, and they gave me the strength I needed not to buckle under the weight of Abrosiax’s glare.

  “Lady Carazor, I’ve been waiting to meet you for a very long time.” His smile was as close to a sneer as it could get without being outright hostile, and it made me feel ill.

  “Now that we’re all here, shall we go in?” Prime Craven asked, his words breaking the staring contest I hadn’t even realised I’d been having with Abrosiax.

  “Yes, yes of course.” Abrosiax extended an arm towards Vendra. “Lady Braxion, might I have the absolute honour of having you on my arm for the evening?”

  Vendra actually smiled slightly. “I’d be delighted, Senior Judge Abrosiax.”

  “Lady Carazor, shall we?” Prime Craven asked as the other two swept towards the doors.

  I eyed his arm suspiciously, but I recognised that it wasn’t a wise idea to offend the Prime. “Of course, Prime Craven.”

  The announcer, a young Envy demon bedecked in Vice livery, visibly gulped as he saw the four of us approach.

  “Prime Craven, Head of His House and of the Assembly. Senior Judge Abrosiax, Lady Braxion, Head of Her House and Lady Carazor, Head of Her House.”

  The brightness of the great hall combined with the loudness of the applause that greeted us made standing in the entrance almost unbearably overwhelming. I stood, frozen like a deer in the headlights, as masked demons cheered from all sides. We lingered in the doorway, allowing the crowd to continue and the longer we were there, the more out of place I felt. My wings started to shuffle against my back, and my free hand clenched, hidden in the voluminous folds of my skirt.

  “Whooo! Go Sunshine!” My head snapped up and I spotted Kain, jumping up and down at the back of the crowd, his voice booming over the top of all the other noise. His Pride crystal flashed in the light, almost as eye catching as the bright grin plastered across his face.

  Strangely, Kain’s ostentatious display distracted me enough that everything began to feel okay. I started to smile for real and focus on the people I knew in the crowd. Jin was beside his friend, shaking his head at his antics, and Daron and Bane were both grinning shamelessly a few feet away. Blaze stood behind the Elders, decorated in his uniform. He was supposed to be watching the room, but his eyes were glued to me as Prime Craven finally started to lead our group down the centre of the room towards four empty chairs set just to one side of the seven Elders.

  A tug on my final mating bond had my gaze rising to the beams across the ceiling. There, hidden in the shadow and lazing on a thick wooden beam, high above the crowd, Enzo smirked down at me. His lascivious darkening gaze was a tell-tale sign that he was shamelessly enjoying the view of my cleavage from above.

  All of them were here with me. I was not alone.

  My breathing slowed, my wings stilled, and an unseen hand seemed to pull my back a little straighter. My walk smoothed out, my hips swaying sensually as a newfound confidence filled me.

  When we reached the dais, we paused before the Elders, and both groups exchanged nods. Ruelle and Vrosis both nodded slightly deeper than the others, the former smiling as she met my eyes. There was no exchange of pleasantries before we took our seats to one side of the seven elders. Vendra subtly positioned herself between both men, leaving me on the end beside Prime Craven, but he didn’t even bother trying to converse with either of us. Instead he waved a hand at Professor Saxon, lazily telling her to get on with it.

  If possible, the Headmistress looked even more radiant than she had last year. The citrus yellow of her dress clinging to her subtle curves like a second skin. A single, modest slit in the side displayed the burnt orange lining of the skirt, and I once again wondered what gift she had been given as she waltzed onto the dais with her easy grace.

  “Elders, Prime Craven, Senior Judge Abrosiax, most honoured guests and students.” She smiled as she surveyed everyone gathered. “It is my pleasure to present our first-year students for consideration by the Elders.” She took a deep breath, and her smile widened. “It is also a great privilege to announce that this year, for the first time in living memory, no first-year student has failed to go through their Showing.”

  The applause that followed was loud enough to shake the room.

  The long procession of first-years began, but by the end I wanted to run away. My hands stung from clapping too much, and my cheeks ached from smiling.

  I had the oddest feeling of gratitude when Professor Saxon returned to the centre of the dais and began her speech about life after graduation, if only because it allowed my hands and face a rest.

  Then the first fourth-years started to climb the stairs, and it started all over again. As each one bowed, and their name was called, the Elder of their Caste was presented a small gift by a waiting page. Then, instead of kissing the student’s cheeks as they had with the first years, the Elder would rise and present them with the gift, announcing their career as they did so.

  I wasn’t really paying attention until Professor Saxon called out Lulu. “Lucrecia Drabos, Promiscuity demon of Caste Lust.”

  Lulu skipped happily across the stage with a wink at me, curtseying before the Elders like so many others had.

  Vrosis stood, holding a small box which he presented to Lulu as she rose.

  “Rise, Scholar-in-Residence, and bring honour to your Caste.” He passed her the small box and murmured something that made Lulu grin even wider before she skipped off the stage.

  “Cornelia Drabos, Desire demon of Caste Lust,” Professor Saxon said, just as Vrosis had sat back down.

  Nelly’s walk across the stage was more purposeful than her sister’s, and when she rose, Vrosis passed her another small box.

  My curiosity only grew as she also smiled and left the stage, but I couldn’t go and join them in the crowd to interrogate them about the boxes, so I bit my tongue and adjusted myself on my seat.

  It didn’t take long before Professor Saxon called the next name I was waiting for.

  “Aeron Saxon, Aphrodisia demon of Caste Lust, gifted with aerokinesis and atmokinesis,” she announced.

  Aeron climbed the stage onto the dais and a strangely cold look passed across his mother’s face. Aeron’s mouth thinned in response, the expression so miniscule that I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been watching him.

  Surely, no matter the circumstances of his birth, no mother could look at her child that way on one of the proudest days of their life? I wanted to jump up and throttle her, but I settled for clapping harder instead.

  Vrosis rose and was handed an ornate bow and matching quiver by the page. When he reached Aeron, he spoke the same ritual words.

  “Rise, Combat Professor, and bring honour to your Caste.” The bow, a beautiful piece of polished dark wood changed hands and Aeron held it reverently, testing its weight for a second before accepting the quiver of arrows as well.

  Applause broke out, and Bane’s voice rose above it all, cheering for his brother.

  I glanced at the Headmistress, appalled that she wasn’t even clapping.

  I peeked into my pathokinesis, arrowing the empathy it gave me at the Headmistress.

  The glowing pride she was feeling slapped me in the face, the emotion so strong I couldn’t understand how she was suppressing it.

  I wanted to go over there and shake her. Couldn’t she see how much her faked ambivalence had hurt her son? Who in their right mind wouldn’t at least have smiled and clapped a little? My hands fisted at my sides as my Lust mate descended into the crowd and was pulled straight into a hug by Bane.

  At least his brother wasn’t afraid to show he cared.

  Only two other students remained after Aeron, and I sat through them impatiently, waiting for the moment I wouldn’t have to be on the dais anymore. But the moment Professor Saxon declared the formal proceedings were at an end, Prime Craven turned to face me.

  “Lady Carazor, might I be so bold as to request one of your dances this evening?”

  Disappointment flared bright within me, I couldn’t turn this man down, but I didn’t want to leave out one of my mates

  “Of course, Prime Craven,” I replied, reluctantly as we both stood.

  “I’ll find you,” he promised, and it sounded almost like a threat.