Page 76

Kierse adjusted the elaborate mask on her face. “Is it right?”

Lyra turned to her, and Kierse got a full look at Lyra’s mask—a half face of gold with a turquoise gemstone between her brows and brushed turquoise metallic paint along her cheekbones.

It had golden wings from either side, made of a wired tulle that shimmered with the same turquoise glitter.

The whole thing matched the fitted turquoise dress she’d had designed for the theater benefit tonight.

“It’s not tight enough,” Lyra declared and twirled her finger.

Lyra retied Kierse’s mask, which was black metal that almost molded to her features.

It was filigreed with rose gold along the edges and had rose-gold beaded fringe dangling from the bottom of the mask, obscuring the bottom of her face.

One side had black feathers splayed out up and over her dark hair. It was beautiful but deceptively heavy.

Lyra tightened the string to the point of pain across Kierse’s temples, but she held back any complaints. This was the only way inside the building during Monster Con. The security for the conference was too tight.

“Better,” Lyra said, adjusting a string on Kierse’s sumptuous, rose-gold gown. “You fit right in.”

It was the first night of the con, and all three theater companies were here for the charity benefit to raise money for the arts. And, unbeknownst to them, make it easier for Kierse to sneak in unnoticed. Which was key. She was hiding in plain sight.

The previous night, she and Graves had dined with Kingston on Isolde’s delicious cooking.

Kingston had left for the museum in the morning to restore his magic—persuasion was his main power, but he had portaling as a secondary magic, and it took almost all his reserves to travel the Atlantic.

Graves hated the ability. Kierse coveted it.

But it was convenient in this case to have Kingston out of the way while they got everything in place for the heist.

She needed to keep her head in the game. This wasn’t like last year when she and Graves had singlehandedly broken through King Louis’s defenses. This was an entire operation by a talented team. Every person had their own part. She was in position, and now she just had to wait.

A voice crackled to life on their shared channel. Isolde said, “Cake delivered.”

Kierse resisted the urge to tap the earpiece in her ear as Walter fired back, “Acknowledged. Laz, you’re up.”

She could practically see the multi-tiered cake that Isolde had created for the event.

Nate had convinced a friend who worked for the con to hire the faux bakery, Cake & Cake, off of the advice that they were making the cake for his wedding.

Isolde was baking Nate & Maura’s cake, but there was no Cake & Cake business.

Isolde only worked for one person. And now that cake was in an enormous box with the faux Cake & Cake logo Gen had designed printed on it in baby blue.

There was also a second, smaller cake in a second, smaller box that was being held until closing. A little decoy box, if you will.

“Cake in my possession,” Laz said over their earpiece.

“That’s our cue,” Kierse said.

Lyra adjusted her basket of roses and then looped her arm through Kierse’s as they headed together toward the ballroom.

“Let’s try not to get held up by some handsy monster.”

Lyra’s eyes were dark and piercing. “I was trying to get held up by you .”

“I know.”

“We still could,” Lyra offered under her breath. “I don’t bite.”

Kierse laughed softly. “I think you do.”

Lyra grinned, showing off her elongated canines. “Only if you ask me to.”

Damn Lyra for being 1,000 percent her type.

A throat cleared abruptly on the line. Graves was clearly listening in on their conversation. Lyra bit her lip and then pulled Kierse toward the exit.

“Hurry up, girls,” a manager said as he yanked open the door that led into the ballroom. “You’re missing a basket.” The man stuffed a basket full of masks into Kierse’s hand. “Hand those out and don’t come back until they’re gone.”

Lyra waved her hand. “Of course, Jeremy.”

Then they were through the door and into the mass of people.

Kierse’s jaw dropped. She had known from the start that the Curator was showcasing his collection of famous artworks, priceless jewelry, monster artifacts, and magical objects—including the cauldron, which would be unveiled after the dinner—and while she’d memorized the layout of the showcasing room, it was nothing to the actual display.

The Curator had earned his name honorably.

The pieces on display were beyond stunning.

Kierse had walked the halls of the Met with Graves and Kingston not six months earlier, enamored and a bit overwhelmed.

The Curator’s was nearly as splendid. They passed a towering renaissance sculpture, crown jewels in a glittering necklace and earrings set, and a long, golden staff from an Egyptian monster hunter. Each item more dazzling than the next.

“How did they even get him to show all this stuff off?” Lyra asked.

“He volunteered,” Kierse said. “Guess he was tired of living in the shadows with his prized possessions.”

“How do you think he even got all of it?”

Kierse shrugged. “He’s a Druid. Long lived.”

Lyra wrinkled her nose. “Thank fuck my parents aren’t like this.”

“Can we focus?” Graves said over the line.

Nate appeared then, taking a black mask out of her basket and covering his face. “All set here,” he said with a wink.

“Noted,” Graves said.

“See you soon,” he told Kierse before blending back into the crowd.

Kierse glanced across the room full of bespoke suits and custom gowns.

Her eyes found Graves at the edge of the party with Kingston gesturing wildly next to him.

She would have rather had him watching her back, but they needed Lyra for an alibi.

With the arrival of Kingston, it was more imperative than ever that Graves be seen in public at all times.

The last thing they wanted was for anyone to get suspicious.

Graves seemed to feel her gaze and looked up with a dangerous smile on his face. The one that said his enemies would not bend but break under his gaze. She loved it. She loved him .

“That’s the last attendee,” Walter said in her ear. “Doors will lock soon. Kierse, Lyra, get moving. I’ll give you a countdown.”

Kierse would have known someone had just entered even if Walter hadn’t told her.

If she was honest, she had known for a while that Lorcan was getting closer, and now that he was in the room, her hand itched to press against her chest. It felt like a lightning strike as his attention shifted fully to her.

That kiss had altered something. Clicked something together that made her want to run across the room right this very minute.

Lyra tugged on her arm. “Come on. We need to duck out.”

Kierse resurfaced as if coming up from a deep swim. They meandered the enormous ballroom, bypassing enchanted swords and sneak cloaks and a black-and-white photograph of the city from on high. Lyra paused with her mouth agape.

“How did he get this?”

“What is it?”

Lyra blinked. “It’s a photograph my father took before the first vampire war. I thought he had all of them.”

“Maybe he sold one.”

“I don’t think he did,” Lyra said contemplatively. “I’ll have to ask him.”

The line in their ear came alive with a burst of static before Laz said, “Box secure.”

Kierse and Lyra veered to the exit when a throat cleared over a microphone. “Thank you so much for coming to the first official Monster Con since the war.”

Applause rose up from the spectators, most of them hidden behind the masks the theater performers were handing out. Half of Kierse’s basket was empty, and she could see black-and-gold masks everywhere.

“I’m happy to present to you our first keynote speaker. You may know him as a Midtown businessman, the man who can make anything happen. But what you may not know is that he is also the new head of the elusive society, the Men of Valor.”

Another roar of approval. Kierse jolted to a halt.

“Please give a warm welcome to…Gregory Amberdash!”

Kierse’s jaw dropped as her former employer strode onto the stage, taking the microphone seamlessly from the presenter.

She knew that this place was for all monsters, regardless of affiliation.

That was sort of the point, to allow discourse without repercussion.

But how in the hell had Amberdash taken control of the Men of Valor and then been given a platform?

What else had he accomplished silently in the background all these months?

“Welcome!” Amberdash said. The wraith held an arm wide as if he could truly welcome the group before him and not like the soul-sucking wraith he really was. “What an honor to be speaking today before all of you and to have the distinction of announcing my new role within the Men of Valor.”

“Wren, move,” Graves said in her ear.

Kierse wanted to march up there and demand answers from him.

He was the one person she trusted after she’d gutted Jason and left him for dead.

Amberdash had continued to work with her.

He’d sold her out to the Druids, sure, but he’d given her a warning first about how deep in shit she was.

She might have died without it. He wasn’t a good monster—there were no good monsters—but she was surprised how much she hadn’t thought him capable of this.

Power ruined everyone.

“Kierse,” Lyra said, tugging on her arm.

She couldn’t. She couldn’t go up there. Least of all because she couldn’t blow her cover.

“I’m moving,” she said finally. She let Lyra lead her away from the crowd of monsters.

“While I’m pleased to bring in all monsters of character who were guaranteed a spot at this convention, I’d also like to welcome those who are not members of the Men of Valor into our ranks. Join us!”

Kierse ground her teeth together. Cut off the head of a snake and another one sprang up.

Killing King Louis hadn’t meant the demise of the Men of Valor, despite how good it had felt to slice his head off with the spear.

The spear that she was desperately missing right now.

With it in her hands, she wouldn’t have been able to resist the call to finish Amberdash’s bullshit reign.

“You know our values. They’re yours as well. Monsters should rule themselves. Humans should rule themselves. The problem lies in treating us the same,” he said, his gaze shifting across his captivated audience. “When we all know that we are far superior.”

A cheer ran up at those words. She didn’t know which way the wind would blow for them, but none of it was good.

Amberdash continued his speech over the cheers. The last thing she heard before slipping from the room was, “Which is why I put forth my name—Gregory Amberdash—for consideration to be your voice at the Monster Treaty Convocation.”