Wingless (The Lia Hunter Chronicles #1)

Our car pulled up outside The Waterlily’s entrance. Charlie, the driver, a stoic Seraphim guard, quickly jumped out of the front, moving smoothly around the car to open the door. Accepting his offered hand I slid off the leathery seat, my heels clicking as they touched the concrete. Stepping to the side, I waited as Levi unfolded himself from the vehicle. His large wings pressed tightly to his back as he ducked through the door frame.

Dressed in a classic tuxedo, complete with a perfectly neat black bow tie, he looked utterly gorgeous. The sight, coupled with the memory of that mind-melting kiss, was enough to make me think I’d accidentally swallowed a ton of Madame B’s little spies.

“Thanks, Charlie, I’ll call to let you know when we’re about to leave,” Levi said.

Giving a dutiful nod, Charlie hopped back in the car, driving away. It had been a relief to discover not all Seraphim were insane drivers, merely Jake.

Levi focused his gaze on me, his eyes starting at the tips of my toes and working their way up. By the time they reached my face, they were burning with an intense heat. Raising an arm, he offered it to me.

“Shall we?” His voice was like gravel.

Repressing a shiver, I carefully linked my arm through his, determined not to touch him any more than necessary. That idea flew out the window as he gently tugged me closer to him, ensuring with each step up the stairs our shoulders touched and the edge of his wings brushed against my exposed back. The sensation both tickled and centered me. The soft whisper of wings reminded me of who exactly I was dealing with and why we were here in the first place. My free hand caressed the silver knives strapped to my thigh, the cool metal helping cement my thoughts further. I’d wanted to take my gun but unfortunately, it was too bulky underneath the dress. Instead, I’d had to settle for the three silver daggers. They were light weight and unbelievably thin but I was deadly with them.

“If you keep on touching your weapons people are bound to notice them.” Levi murmured in my ear.

I smiled nonchalantly as we strolled through the front doors and into the opulent lobby. Without missing a beat, Levi began to guide through the massive hotel.

“Then I’ll just be one of the only guests openly declaring that I’m armed,” I replied although I did remove my hand from my thigh. No point in laying all my cards on the table just yet.

“True,” Levi conceded, “but remember we’re walking into a room filled with Jaxai royalty and their weapons aren’t always in the form of silver.”

His eyes flashed with magic for a moment, as if I needed a reminder at the massive amounts of power that would be waltzing around the ballroom tonight. One of which would be my date for the evening.

“Trust me, I never forget,” I said steadily meeting his gaze.

We reached the ballroom doors, Levi quickly handing off the invitation to the slick looking hotel worker manning the doors. Given the way the guy was no so subtly shooting glances at Levi’s wings I doubted the invitation was necessary. Which was made evident from the way the guy barely glanced down at the expensive card before opening the doors for us.

“Have a lovely evening.” He told us as we swept past.

Inside the ballroom was chaos hidden underneath a thin veneer of polite manners. Jaxai, hybrids, and humans filled the room, mingling together in small groups. A group of musicians played a light tune, the melody winding throughout the room. Laughter and drinks flowed freely and at a glance, it all seemed as if it were a completely different world. One where the rich and the powerful existed in joyful peace with one another. From our position at the top of the stairs, I could see differently. It was carefully choreographed perfection. The laughter and smiles hiding ice cold calculation.

The powerful people circled throughout the room, sniffing around for signs of weakness. The weaker folk either hid in fear or bent themselves over backward trying to butter the powerful ones up. I scanned the room for Quinn but couldn’t spot him amongst the throng of people.

At our entrance heads turned, while some looked away others locked on like vultures scenting fresh meat. We descended the stairs slowly, knowing that to show any signs of intimidation would be akin to throwing ourselves to the wolves. I felt the burn of a dozen eyes on us, watching our every move. Levi’s arm tightened in my hold and he subtly squeezed it against his chest in a gesture of comfort and reassurance. I smiled wanting to tell him not to worry.

I’d once infiltrated an underground fighting ring as part of a case. It had taken me deep into the underworld of New York, a place where you always watched your back and slept with both eyes open. I’d posed as a fighter for five months, winning fight after fight, integrating myself into the community, until finally, I’d been granted an audience with the top boss. Hugo Buriga. It wasn’t long after that I managed to take him in, shutting down the whole operation.

Compared to that, this charity ball seemed like a cake walk. When backed into a corner and surrounded by enemies I didn’t lose my nerve, if anything it only helped make me more determined to show them I wouldn’t go down easy. I was a piranha in shark infested waters. Their teeth might have been bigger but mine were just as sharp. Besides even if they were disguised with fancy pearls and shiny dress shoes I could spot a predator from a mile away.

As we finally reached the bottom step the first of many descended upon us. Stuffed into a tight three piece suit, the man looked mighty uncomfortable. Sweat beaded at his brow, his overhanging gut was barely restrained by his vest and his bow tie looked like it was strangling him. Still, he somehow managed to hold himself with an air of arrogance.

“Lord Leviathan I’m so glad you could join us.” He said, his voice filled with sickly sweetness.

“Of course Mr. Westbrook. My king sends his regrets that he, himself was unable to attend.”

Westbrook waved a hand through the air, “No matter, no matter.”

So this was Daniel Westbrook, wealthy businessman and tonight’s benefactor. I was surprised that such a man was holding a charity ball for sick children but taking a look at the gathered guests I doubted that was the real focus of the event.

His gaze swung my way, perusing me slowly. “And who might this lovely lady be?”

“Lia Hunter,” I said holding out a hand for him to shake. Rather than accept the gesture, he raised my hand to his lips placing a wet kiss on the back.

“Charmed.” He breathed, still clutching my hand.

I had to force myself not to gag or punch him in his slimy face. Levi quickly solved my dilemma by tugging my hand free and placing it on his upper arm. Disappointment passed over Westbrook’s face before amusement quickly replaced it.

“Like that is it?” He asked Levi. “I can’t say I blame you.”

Annoyance flared but I let the comment slide off me, now was not the time to start a fight. After we located Quinn maybe, but not before. Thankfully someone called Westbrook’s name and he quickly said goodbye, trotting away.

A young waitress paused in front of us, balancing a dozen drinks on her tray. Half of them were bubbly champagne, after extracting myself from Levi’s grasp I deftly plucked one off the tray thanking her. Levi chose the other drink, a pale blue liquid as clear and as flat as still water. Lux was an extremely potent alcohol created specifically for Jaxai. With their fast metabolism normal alcohol barely even affected them and so they’d manufactured their own kind. Humans who drank lux were often rushed to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped, some even dying from alcohol poisoning.

I’d tried of a glass of it once, it tasted like pure fire and burnt going down but within half an hour I was well on the way to being smashed. The next morning I’d woken up with a splitting headache and swore never to drink it again.

I watched as Levi raised the glass to his lips, taking a smooth sip. Watching his mouth brought back memories of the war room and I quickly focused on my own drink, taking a large gulp. The bubbles tickled my throat as I swallowed.

I was just lowering my glass when the next person approached. Another snooty rich man. We went through the same song and dance as we did with Westbrook. After he left a steady stream of guests approached us. Some of them were humans, others members of Jaxai royal courts, even the odd hybrid. Levi conversed with them with the skill of a politician, easily dodging questions and dealing out vague answers. I tuned out the majority of the conversation, scanning the room for signs of Quinn. He still hadn’t appeared yet and as time wore on worry began to niggle my brain. If he didn’t show up we were pretty much screwed.

“Don’t worry dear, he’ll be here.” A voice said softly from behind me.

Turning I beheld the magnificence of Madame Butterfly. Her elaborate ball gown was made of the finest looking silk I’d ever seen the rich black of the fabric making her white tattoos stand out even more. But what was most interesting were the flowers covering her dress. Real life flowers that seemed to be growing from the silk. A flash of movement on one of the flowers caught my eye and I watched as a butterfly concealed itself between a few petals.

“You do realize this isn’t really the place to be releasing your spies?” I whispered to her, conscious of all the enhanced hearing.

Tilting her head back she laughed, “Oh Lia, it’s the best place.”

Shaking my head, I glanced over my shoulder to see Levi still fending off the vultures. Feeling a little bit guilty, but definitely not enough to make me stick around I moved to Madame B’s side.

“How do you know he’s coming?” I asked softly.

“He told his secretary to have his tuxedo dry cleaned.” She replied easily and I snorted.

“Of course you know that.”

“Of course.” She replied with a grin.

A hand landed on my shoulder and I felt a puff of air against my ear.

“Thanks for ditching me to handle the swarm alone,” Levi grumbled.

Chuckling, a somewhat forced sound, I stepped out of his grip, ignoring the disappointment I saw on his face.

“You seem like you had it covered.”

He grimaced before giving Madame B a nod.

“Madame Butterfly.”

She returned his gesture elegantly, “Lord Leviathan.”

From across the room, I saw a woman detach herself from a group and begin to make her way in our direction. Levi grasped my hand, tugging me towards the dance floor, where a few other couples swayed.

“I need a break.”

Following him, we paused for a moment on the dance floor, assuming the position before we joined in the steady sway. I tried not to think about how close he was, or how if I just tipped my head back a little we’d be in the perfect position for another kiss.

“We seem to have a thing for dance floors.” He whispered in my ear. The tingle of his magic against my skin was definitely not helping my mental state.

“So you seem good at all this.” I blurted out desperate for a change of subject.

His smirk let me know he knew what I was doing, but he went along with me anyway, “All this?”

“You know,” I said, waving a hand around the room before placing it back on his shoulder, “this. The charming small talk, the subtle double meanings.”

“Ah, so you think I’m charming.” He grinned, exposing pearly whites.

“Of course you pick that to comment on,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

Laughing he twirled me before pulling me back into his arms. The smile faded from his face and he sighed.

“I grew up around all this. Being the son of a duke doesn’t really give you many options. You either learn how to swim with the sharks or you’re eaten alive.”

“Sounds pretty rough,” I said quietly and it truly did. As a PeaceKeeper sometimes I had to deal with the occasional political bullshit and absolutely hated it. I wasn’t one to mince words and imagining having to do that on a daily basis made my skin want to break out in hives.

“It wasn’t that bad and since becoming the captain of the king’s guard it’s come in handy quite a bit.”

“When did you and Jehiel become friends?”

His eyes flashed and his smile returned, “Picked up on that did you?”

“It wasn’t that difficult to notice, he trusts you a lot, more than just a king and his subject,” I said with a shrug.

He gave me a considering look, no doubt wondering what other things I’d managed to pick up on during my short visits to the Aviary. A smirk twitched my lips.

Oh if only he knew the revelations those trips uncovered.

“We grew up together.” He finally answered. “Although he’s a few years younger I was always by his side, watching over him. Even as a child I knew I was destined to be the captain of the guard and that it was my duty to look after him. Duty quickly turned into friendship.”

This man was fascinating, his sense of honor stronger than anyone I had ever met before. The more I learned about him the more I felt myself falling deeper under his spell. Most surprising of all was that other than the night we broke into Quinn’s office I haven’t felt unsafe around him. If anything I’ve been comforted by his presence, knowing that this honorable man wouldn’t hurt me.

When on earth had that happened?

Reeling from the realization I swayed in silence with Levi, who didn’t seem to care our conversation had abruptly ended. Instead, he simply watched the room with a disinterested expression that belied the alertness of his gaze. It was then that I realized many interested eyes watched us. They didn’t even pretend that they weren’t avidly watching the two of us dance and I wondered what we had done to catch their attention so thoroughly.

The song came to an end and I quickly excused myself. Rushing as fast as possible to the restroom, needing a break from all the attention. Slipping inside I splashed cold water over my wrists, taking in my flushed appearance. My eyes were sparkling and a small smile tipped my lips. Frowning, I lifted a finger pointing at my reflection.

“Stop it,” I commanded.

Just then one of the stalls opened and a young woman walked out, eyeing me like I was insane. I guess talking to your reflection wasn’t exactly sane behavior. The woman quickly washed her hands, practically running out of the bathroom.

Sighing, I straightened my appearance, brushing stray locks of hair from my face before pointing at my reflection one final time.

“Stop.”

Turning, I left the bathroom intending to slowly – very slowly – walk back to the ballroom when something caught my eye. Hunched over slightly and grasping at the hallway wall was an old man. His head turned this way and that as if he were searching for something.

“Excuse me, sir, do you need some help?” I asked, walking over to him.

Craning his neck he stared up at me blearily, his eyes were a strange milky white and it took me a beat to realize he was blind. His already wrinkled face creased further as he frowned.

“Who’re you?” He snapped.

“Lia Hunter,” I replied easily, used to dealing with crabby old people who came into the station demanding all sorts of things.

“Never heard of ya.”

“That’s unsurprising, I’m nobody important.”

“Hmm.” He hummed vaguely, casting suspicious looks in my general direction. “Well Miss Nobody, I’ve managed to drop my bloody cane and I can’t find it.”

Looking around the area near us I couldn’t spot said cane. “I can’t see it anywhere.”

“Yeah, that’s my problem too. Damn things always vanishing.” He groused.

“Are you headed for the charity ball?” I asked

“If I had a choice no, but my wife would rip me’ balls off if I didn’t return.” He said grunted.

“I’m going the same way, I can take you.” I offered.

He considered it for a moment before nodding. “Alright then, hurry up I ain’t got all night.”

Rolling my eyes, I placed his outstretched hand on my arm and began a slow shuffle down the hallway.

“So what’s a nobody like you doing at this damned ball?” He asked.

“Now that I can’t tell you. But I definitely won’t be back next year.”

“Why, all the fancy shit not to your taste?”

“Spending the night surrounded by a bunch of gossiping leeches isn’t really my idea of a good time,” I replied honestly, something about this shockingly blunt man compelling me to speak my mind.

He cackled in glee. “I’ve been telling my wife that for years, yet Marissa still drags me to these things.”

“You must love her very much.”

“Yeah.” His face softened but a mischievous smile curved his lips, “plus she more than makes it up to me.”

His meaning was clear and I burst out laughing, his own cackling joining in. Entering the ballroom I surveyed the crowd of people, some of which eyed us curiously.

“Alright, which ones your wife?”

“She’ll be the one stuffing her gob full with all the finger food.”

“I heard that Corbin.” A voice said nearby and I turned to see an old lady, I assumed was Marissa marching towards us.

She was elegance in motion, her gray hair curled into a simple twist, a demure but beautiful dress draped across her plump figure. Everything about her appearance was understated but still, she managed to outshine many of the women in the room. She turned her stern gaze on me, softening into a smile.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with this old coot here.”

“Oh it was no trouble,” I insisted, “in fact, our conversation was the most interesting one I’ve had all night.”

“Finally, someone who has good taste.” Corbin grinned.

“Oh shush you,” Marissa said but a smile curved her lips as she said it.

Across the room, I could see Levi staring at me over the head of another person who’d latched onto him. When our gaze met he arched an eyebrow.

“I have to go, it was lovely meeting you two,” I said as Corbin transferred his hand from my arm to Marissa’s.

“Thank you for helping him out,” Marissa said.

“Like I said it was no trouble.” I turned to Corbin, “A word of advice, I find the open bar helps events like these move much faster.”

Throwing his head back he cackled loudly, drawing the attention of nearby people. Offering Marissa a parting smile, I slipped through the crowd, making my way towards Levi. By the time I reached him, the person he was talking to was gone.

“I was wondering what was taking so long. I was just about to consider calling up your colleagues to come rescue you.” He teased.

“Hutch would read you the riot act for calling over such a small thing, besides I wasn’t about to leave the guy blindly searching the hallway for his cane.”

“Do you know who that man is?” Levi asked curiously and I blinked in response.

The doors to the ballroom swung open interrupting our conversation and in strode Quinn. Somehow he looked even worse than he did when I last saw him. His blonde hair was a disheveled mess around his face and he looked like he’d lost five pounds, his tuxedo clearly hanging off him. His face was gaunt, eyes sunken into his face, his mouth and brow were lined with fatigue.

“Show time,” I said quietly.

Levi straightened his face blanketing of all expression. Quinn grimly descended the stairs, ignoring Westbrook and heading straight to the bar. Claiming on of the seats there he slumped into it.

Together we negotiated our way through the crowd, trying to find a position where I could use my second sight on Quinn without anyone else noticing. Something told me if the people in this room noticed me using it things would get ugly. Seeing someone’s magic signature was akin to seeing them naked for some people.

We settled on the wall parallel to the bar. Levi positioned himself in beside me blocking the view of everyone else in the ballroom. Closing my eyes I channeled my power before snapping them back open, allowing myself a moment to adjust to my new view. Turning my head slightly I couldn’t resist peeking at Levi’s electric blue magic, the close-up view even more fascinating. I barely restrained myself from reaching out for those blue tendrils, instead, I forced myself to focus on the bar.

It took less than a second to confirm, but I stared longer, desperately hoping that Quinn’s magic would change. But no matter how much I willed it the rusty orange cloud swirled inside Quinn’s shadowy figure. I let my magic fade away, barely noticing the sting of my headache.

“Well?” Levi asked, though he probably already read the answer on my face.

“It matches,” I said quietly.

It felt like the world was falling to pieces around me and no matter how hard I tried to keep it together it continued to slip through my fingers. I didn’t need to ask what this latest revelation meant, the grim look on Levi’s face was answer enough.

It meant the Seraphim were going to war and I had no idea how to stop it.