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“One hour to midnight!”

Cheers rang out through the claustrophobic hole-in-the-wall bar as the countdown clock hanging over the dance floor chimed the first of eleven ear-splitting gongs. Decorations made from flashy holographic plastic adorned nearly every nook and cranny, streaming down into the flushed faces of intoxicated patrons, who swatted them away with grins of stupefied bliss. Bodies packed the space, sweaty and pressed together like rats swarming over a piece of rancid meat.

The was no elegance here. No refinement to show the value of one’s status, only bedlam surrounding me from all sides. I should have expected this when my “date” for the evening suggested we come to this hovel on the Mortal Row, but it had been so long since I’d set foot outside of Magi society I’d forgotten how those without magic behaved. This bar was absolutely barbarous, and I could only hope that I wouldn’t have to stay a moment longer than necessary.

“Are you certain you don’t want to join me, Tobias?”

I wiped the expression of disgust from my face, swiveling on my barstool to face the reason for my presence in this hellscape. The young man’s brow glistened with perspiration, the strange silver conical hat jutting out from atop his sandy blonde locks pointed directly at me like a unicorn’s horn. He hopped up onto the stool next to me—which I’d been holding vacant during his absence through a blend of surly stares and a touch of magic—and lifted his empty glass to catch the bartender’s attention.

“I’m perfectly content watching you perspire from a distance,” I replied, reaching out and taking him by the shoulder to steer his attention. “Edward, wouldn’t it be better if we went someplace a little quieter so we could talk?”

Edward’s well-sculpted brows drew together. “And miss the fun? Absolutely not! We’ve only got an hour left before the New Year! After midnight, the party really gets roaring.”

I had to exercise a great deal of restraint not to strangle him in the middle of the crowded bar. Mother had told me that the Rothwind sire would be a vain little twerp, but my briefing was nowhere near as detailed as it needed to be. How was I supposed to convince this nitwit that his family needed to align itself with Mother’s latest campaign if he wouldn’t sit still for five blasted seconds?

An itch twinged in the palm of my hand as if to answer the question. The truth was I knew exactly how to bend this waif of a boy to my will. I could mold his very thoughts like wet clay coaxed between my fingers and sculpt them into any shape I desired. Even now, I could feel the pitiful defenses surrounding Edward’s subconscious. It would be almost nothing to crush them.

But that would mean I’d have to forfeit my bet. And I would be damned before conceding to Lynette, even if it meant spending all night in this mortal bar.

I just needed to pour on the charm.

My hand slid down from Edward’s thin shoulder to his elbow, gripping it gently. I pulled him close enough to whisper in his ear, “Are you sure, Edward? I’ve been waiting such a long time for the two of us to share some quality time together.”

I poured as much honey into my words as they would carry, setting the bait to draw in my prey. Now, I’d have to just sit back and wait for him to take it.

Edward looked over at me, the stupid grin fading from his lips. “What about the party?”

“Damn the party,” I said, trying to keep the playfulness of my tone from spilling over to frustration. “Let the mortals celebrate another cycle around the sun. We have more important things to discuss.”

Edward shrugged my hand off, grabbing the drink the bartender placed in front of him and taking a gulp.

Well, shit. That wasn’t the reaction I had hoped for.

“I’m kidding,” I added quickly, doing my best to salvage the mess before it completely imploded. “Of course we can stay for the silly little countdown. Where do I get one of those gauche hats?”

Edward looked at me then, a glimmer of sadness in his eyes. Or was it… pity? I bristled at the idea. Where the hell did this boy get off, looking at me like that?

“You don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?” I seethed, frustration reaching a boiling point.

“Why I want to be here. Why it thrills me to be caught up in the excitement. To be at the center of so many emotions that you can feel them electrifying the air around you. You can feel it, Tobias, can’t you?”

Would he ever shut up? The air in the bar felt no different than any other place packed to the gills with mortals—tinged with desperation and misery. Nothing I would want to expose myself to longer than necessary.

“It’s too bad,” Edward concluded, then downed the rest of his drink as he slid off the barstool. He leaned in close enough that I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “You’re so damn pretty, Tobias. It’s a shame you can’t see past your own misery.”

Edward turned to walk away, but I caught him by the elbow before he could slink out of reach.

“You stupid little shit,” I muttered just between the two of us. With a deep breath, I reached for the magic brimming under my skin, projecting it outward and over the blond. Edward’s magical defenses—the pitifully thin layer of magic that he wrapped himself with—crumpled under the swift assault, and his body went rigid. “Looks like I just lost a bet.”

Edward’s features twisted in confusion for a moment before the shroud of my magic fully engulfed him, his expression then dissolving into blank compliance.

I leaned forward, speaking directly into the man’s ear. “Tomorrow morning, you are going to convince Madame Rothwind to abandon her plans to extend protections to the Unseen. If she does not agree, then you are to use any force necessary to persuade her. Is that understood?”

Edward started back, unblinking.

“Yes.”

“There’s a good boy. Now, take off that ridiculous hat and go home.”

As I withdrew my shroud of magic, Edward’s trembling hand removed the cardboard hat, setting it on the bar. Without another word, he turned from me, weaving his way through the crowded dance floor toward the exit. I lost sight of him from there, but my work was already complete.

I waved to the closest bartender, motioning to close out my tab, but they were too absorbed in a conversation to notice me. By the time I was able to finally able to flag someone down, the barstool to my left had been filled.

“Where are you off to, Tobi?”

I didn’t have to look to know who had taken Edward’s place. She must have been close by, counting on me to break tonight.

I let out a heavy sigh. “I really did put in the effort, Lenny. You have to give me some credit.”

Lynette propped an elbow on the bar, resting her chin on it. Her emerald eyes shined with an amusement that only came from teasing her brother. “Do I now? I’m fairly certain I still won our little wager, no matter how you want to frame it. So, pay up, little brother.”

As much as I didn’t want to admit my defeat, I knew she had me dead to rights. Reaching inside the pocket of my jacket, I retrieved the golden foil-wrapped rectangle and placed it on the bar in front of Lynette.

“To the victor goes the spoils.”

She swiped up her prize, hastily unwrapping the top half with a giddiness that I would never understand. The sweet smell of chocolate wafted into the air, mulling with the stinging stench of spilled alcohol. Lynette snapped off a square of the chocolate, raising it to her mouth and taking a long, exaggerated inhale before biting it. A soft groan rumbled through her chest.

“It tastes so much better when suffused with the joys of winning.”

“You’re disgusting,” I snickered, pulling at the lapels of my jacket to straighten them. “Where is your decorum?”

“Back at the consulate with Mother, where it belongs. Where’s your date?”

“You’ve already won, Lenny. No need to gloat.”

She leaned in closer, her teeth stained with chocolate and her breath sweet. “Unfortunately, you’ve yet to learn your lesson, so I’m allowed to gloat as long as I wish.”

I exhaled, rubbing at my temples. “Our schooling ended ages ago. Why must you torture me with these asinine lessons of yours?”

Lynette didn’t answer right away, taking her time to watch me with eyes that mirrored my own. Although we weren’t identical, Lynette and I shared more features than not. The same warm, coppery curls, though hers draped down to her shoulders while mine were cut short. The same alabaster complexion, complete with a smattering of freckles that burst to life with only the slightest coaxing of the sun. The same arched brows, constantly reaching for the sky as if they were always slightly amused—though that often couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Did Mother tell you to wear that?” she asked, decidedly ignoring my question.

I looked down at the sapphire-colored double-breasted vest, working my fingers under the edge and giving it a gentle tug to make sure it wasn’t riding up. “She might have suggested it. Why do you ask?”

Her hand moved, subtle enough that most wouldn’t notice, but I clearly clocked the golden shimmer of magic ripple along her skin as the buttons burst from my vest, scattering across the floor and disappearing into the crowd. The ignorant bar patrons didn’t notice the magical maneuver as someone across the room erupted in a rallying cry, a gaggle of beverages being raised above heads in response.

“Was that absolutely necessary?” I asked, running fingers down my tie to ensure it wasn’t also a casualty of my sister’s impish game. “Those buttons are sterling silver.”

Lynette snorted a laugh. “And? Since when do you care?”

“Since Mother put me on an allowance,” I snapped, causing Lynette to recoil. “Not all of us have the privilege of being a Successor. I still have to prove my worth to stay in Mother’s good graces.”

Lynette groaned, reaching across the bar to nab a glass and a clear bottle of spirits. The bartender closest to her doesn’t bat an eyelash, too absorbed in conversation with a brunette clad in leather to notice. She poured herself a shot, slurping it down before saying, “Trust me, you have the better deal.”

“Right,” I scoffed. She couldn’t be serious. “Yes, flirting and fucking my way through Adored nobility at the behest of our mother is far better than wielding immeasurable power.” I tipped forward, sliding off the stool and once again trying to get the attention of the bartender. I weighed the pros and cons of leaving with my tab unpaid. It may be worth it to rid myself of this place that much sooner.

“You’re wrong,” Lynette said, pouring another round and sliding it over to me. “We’re both whoring ourselves out. But at least your whoring can be a little fun. Edward wasn’t the worst person to look at.”

“He’s an idiot,” I corrected her, taking the offered drink and downing it in one go. The alcohol burned the back of my throat—a byproduct of cheap liquor—and I coughed before adding, “The biggest idiot of his family, which is really saying something.”

Finally, one of the bartenders caught my eye, and I motioned in the air to pantomime signing the check. The bartender gave me a brisk nod before disappearing around the corner. Maybe this one would actually come back.

Lynette raised her glass to me in a toast.

“To the fucked-up things we do for family.”

She knocked back her drink, reaching for the bottle again.

“You’re in a cheery mood,” I said, grabbing the little black book offered by the bartender. They didn’t even blink an eye at Lynette pouring her own drinks. I stuffed a fistful of bills into the book, snapping it shut with a finality that I hoped Lynette would pick up on. I wasn’t in the mood to tolerate any more of her teasing. I needed to get home and scrub the squalor of this bar from my skin. “I’ll leave to your bottle, then.”

I turned to leave, but she snagged me by the sleeve. “Wait, don’t go.”

Pulling myself from her clutches, I knocked shoulders with the person beside me, but they didn’t seem to care or even notice, for that matter. These mortals were all so oblivious, so wrapped up in their impotent little lives. They clung to whatever absurdity would secure them the smallest fraction of contentment. Which, at this point, meant wearing those ridiculous cardboard hats and blowing on noisemakers that caterwauled like dying animals.

“I need a bath,” I told my sister. “Before the stench of this place seeps into my pores. It reeks of piss and sadness.”

Lynette’s lip curled with a sneer. “Gods, when did you become such a stuck-up prick?”

Her words bit into my skin like thorns, sticking and digging their way inside. How could she sit there, casting judgment on me when I was only doing what Mother required of me? I was the same as her, albeit without a lot of the pomp and circumstance of a position of power. She was the Successor, after all. Being stuck up came with the territory.

“That’s smart, coming from the Successor of the Greene family name. In just a few years, you’ll be the one stepping on people’s throats and pimping me out for your own agenda. So why don’t you come down from your high horse already and admit that you’re no better than I am?”

Lynette held my gaze even as she poured herself another drink, stoicism in motion. But then, she softened, her emerald eyes growing round and the lines of her face smoothing with an exhale.

“I’ve missed you,” she said, soft enough that I almost missed it amongst the noise of the bar. She abandoned the glass on the counter, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around my waist. Lynette buried her face into my chest, her mouth moving to form words that I couldn’t possibly hear above the din.

Any flames of frustration contained within me sputtered out, smothered by the rare sincerity of my sister’s gesture. I sighed, resting my hands on the small of her back.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, my chin settling on the crown of her head as she clung to me. “It’s been a long night, and I’m not myself.”

Releasing her hold on me, Lynette wiped at her face, turning her back to me while she cleared her throat. “I haven’t felt like myself in a long time.” Her hand lingered on the edge of her glass. “Too much time with Mother, I think. Her poison is slow, but it’s powerful.”

“Afraid you’ll turn into her?” I asked in a teasing tone. But when Lynette turned back to me, I knew that I’d struck a nerve. “Sorry again. You’re nothing like her, Lenny. And you never will be. That much evil stuffed into a pair of sensible pumps is a once-in-a-millennia event.”

She cracked a smile. “Thank you, Tobi. I needed to hear that tonight.”

There was more behind her words. Something that she kept for herself. Years ago, back when our lives were simpler, she would never have withheld something from me. But those days were a thing of the past. And, although I was itching to slake my curiosity, I knew that it would be better for both of us if I dropped the topic.

“It’s been good seeing you,” Lynette said, raising her glass to me. “Enjoy your bath.”

And even though I’d been waiting to make my escape since the moment I set foot in this mortal bar, I found myself saying, “Ugh, fine. You’ve got me until midnight.” I snatched the drink from her hand, downing the pungent liquid with a gulp. “Let’s go dance those troubles away.”

Lynette brightened, the creases at the corners of her eyes smoothing as she took my hand, pulling me toward the dance floor and the flashing lights. And there, spinning on that sweat-stained floor, my sister cackling with glee as pockets of colored light washed over us, I found myself happier than I’d been in a very long time.

* * *

I’d never experienced such pain.

The dull ache sunk deeper into my muscles with every step, each movement. A cold sweat slicked my forehead, even as I reclined on the posh leather bench of the town car Lorelei had summoned to take us to the destination I wasn’t allowed to know. The car had been spelled to drive itself, which only added to my suspicions of this so-called mortal. Spelled vehicles did not come cheap and required regular magical maintenance to keep them from driving you off a cliff. She’d have to have connections in the Magi community to even procure one to begin with.

We rolled over a bump in the road, and another wave of nauseating pain washed through my system. It was enough that I had to concentrate on stifling the groans that built in my throat.

It was only pain, I reminded myself. Temporary. All I needed to do was focus on something else. Distractions would prove themselves my savior.

But looking out onto the passing streets only intensified the nausea, so instead, I allowed my gaze to drift over to Bastien. He was facing the tinted window, gazing through at the banal scenery, which streaked by in a blur of greys that refracted across the shine of his dark eyes. The line of his jaw was taut as if he were clenching his teeth. Flashes of memories surfaced in my mind, cycling through like a carousel, all blurred faces, figures, and places in constant motion. With a bit of effort, I was able to sift through for signs of Bastien. I had seen him from so many different angles, it turned out. Watched him from across the room and from beneath his strong frame. From a balcony high above as he traversed the busy sidewalks below and through the window of a car as he drove away.

There was something different about the way he looked now. Something alien in the movement of his body. I couldn’t place a finger on the exact anomaly. Perhaps I had just grown unaccustomed to the melancholy that seemed to cling to Bastien.

Where had it come from?

The car bounced again, and a hiss escaped through my teeth.

Bastien’s trance broke, his attention quickly drawn to me as he unleashed the full intensity of his stare. “Are you okay?”

“Not quite sure how to answer that,” I said, the pain forcing a bluntness I typically strayed from. Exhaling through my teeth, the throbbing pain dulled slightly. “Am I going to feel like this the entirety of my second life?”

Bastien chewed on his response for a moment, then reached out to me.

“Give me your hand.”

“That’s quite all right,” I said quickly, folding my arms across my chest. “I’m not a child. You can just answer my question.”

Bastien didn’t lower his offering, staring me down with fingers outstretched. I would be lying if I told myself that I didn’t want to take it. To feel Bastien’s skin against my own, even in this small way. A shock of electricity ran along my spine as I imagined those fingers wrapped around mine.

But I was certain things would never be what they once were. It wouldn’t mean anything to Bastien. I’m not even sure what it would have meant to me at that point. What I wouldn’t have given to recall the details of the schism between us. Maybe then, my body would calm down around Bastien. But what if I’d never stopped having feelings for him? Bastien could have been the one to call things off. Abandoning me, just like all the others that came before, like all the so-called friends who didn’t seem to care that I was in a grave.

None of them came for me. Only him.

A new heat flashed under my cheeks, radiating down into my chest. Anger, red-hot and building like a wildfire now, raging through my system.

Why was I allowed to die? I was Magi, for gods’ sake. Not only that, I was the son of the most powerful Adored in existence today. Even the most inept of healers should have been able to bring me back from the brink of death. It was so rare for one of our kind to die from anything other than old age. So, why was I left for dead?

Something wasn’t adding up.

I swatted away Bastien’s hand, causing him to recoil, the line of his jaw going taut once more.

“I was only trying to help.”

A cruel laugh bubbled up over my lips. “I’m certain you were.”

My mind—more organized than it had been since the moment I awakened on that frigid desk—raced, grasping any scrap of information I could about the time leading up to my death. It wasn’t that I couldn’t remember what happened. It was more that all of my memories were jumbled together. Like a box containing every bit of my life had been dumped out, piled high enough that all I could do was sort through them one by one and give my best guess at the chronology.

“You’re flushed.”

Bastien’s stupid, smooth voice disrupted my concentration.

“I’m fine,” I assured him, sliding as close to the door as was physically possible. I rested a cheek on the cool window. Water droplets clung to the exterior, the fine mist that had been falling from the ominous grey sky conjoining across the smooth surface until it formed bulbous spheres large enough to streak across the window. I could only hope the fragments of my life would behave the same. Once enough of them emulsify, they would streak through my consciousness, catching the rest and pooling together. Then maybe I’d be able to find some answers before Bastien put me back in the ground.

The ground.

A flash of recognition ensnared my mind, followed by blinding pain splitting my skull in half. I doubled over, sucking in air through my teeth?—

I was falling forward, head over heels, tumbling onto a mound of soft earth, twisted and dazed. I struggled to find purchase on the loamy ground beneath, but couldn’t seem to orient myself, couldn’t figure out which was up as more earth rained down from above. My body was on fire, my limbs twisted in unnatural angles as I tried to claw my way out, but darkness soon overwhelmed me, choking my senses as dirt filled my mouth, my eyes, my lungs. I thrashed in the pitch black, fighting to keep myself above the churning earth, but all too soon, I was pinned, blinded and sputtering under the crushing weight.

Then everything was quiet.

I was alone in the ground.

Surely, someone was coming to save me. They would be here soon, yes?

Gods, someone save me!

“Tobias.”

My eyes fluttered open, the details of the town car coming back into focus as I fought the urge to wretch. I could still feel the dirt in my throat, the grit of it between my teeth.

Bastien uttered a string of words that buzzed in my ears, pressing his palm firmly against my chest. Soothing heat radiated from the gem embedded in my skin, pulsing through my limbs and calming the agonizing ache.

“Your body can’t take this much stress,” Bastien said, his hand lingering on me even after the waves of heat had ceased. “Tell me what’s happening. Let me help you.”

“I remembered,” I choked out the words, hands still clawing at my throat. “The way I died.”

Bastien’s hand retracted slowly. I turned to him, suddenly seeking the weight of his stare. But he was looking down at his hands, his expression stoic. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, tracing the lines of his palm with his index finger. “I know it must be painful.”

“It’s horrible,” I corrected him. “Who did this to me, Bastien? Does anyone even care that I went into the ground? Did my mother even shed a tear for me? Or is everyone too caught up worrying about who will step in if she can’t name a new Successor?”

The questions spilled from me one after the other, a dam of frustration bursting. My mind was only getting sharper by the second, and I couldn’t halt the anger that built along with the clarity. I had been wronged. Murdered. Discarded. And the only ones who seemed to give a damn were the ones who could profit off my death.

What was worse, in the back of my mind, I couldn’t escape the feeling that maybe the murder was deserved. That I must have done something truly awful. But it was impossible to know until my mind was whole again.

The partition between the back and front rows of the town car lowered, revealing Lorelei’s expressionless face. “We’re here,” she announced in a bored tone, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the air of the backseat.

I tried the handle of the door, desperate for fresh air, but it didn’t budge. I looked back to find Lorelei giving me a pitying smile. “It’s probably a good time to mention that if you try and make a run for it, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome here can make that gem in your chest go supernova and blow you straight back to Hell. So, do behave yourself while we’re in public, yes?”

I ground my teeth, glowering between my two captors. “So be it. Just get me out of this fucking car.”

“My, my,” Lorelei tutted, wagging a finger at me. “That language is so unbecoming of someone from your upbringing.”

My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat.

“You wouldn’t believe how wrong you are.”