Page 84 of Dusk Macabre

“Mm,” I hummed, stepping through.

It was a strange feeling, walking back into the same building that started all of this. This time, I was prepared for war, with seven kitchen knives attached to me. The funny thing was, I’d never gotten into a physical altercation with anyone before. I’d only ever seen knife fights on the television or in movies. I didn’t have a single clue what I was doing.

Walking through the club, we didn’t attract nearly as much attention as I would have thought. But then, upon taking a closer look, we weren’t the only individuals armed with knives and other weapons.

Kiam’s swords didn’t stand out that much compared to the guy with a crossbow slung around his neck or the pretty demon wearing dual shoulder holsters with shiny black guns tucked inside. It all seemed like business as usual, and I wasn’t certain why I hadn’t noticed the first time I was here. I had to chalk it up to being of a different mindset. A lot had changed.

“So, what do we do now?” I asked Kiam, pressing against his side.

He led me to the stairs. “Now we wait. We’ll sit, have a drink and relax, and wait.”

When we reached the upper level, we sat at a table in the back with a view of the staircase. We’d be able to see anyone who came up here. “Okay. Hopefully we don’t have to wait long,” I said.

“You need to calm your heart rate down. I’m going to take care of you, you’ll be fine,” Kiam whispered, rubbing his thumb over the top of my hand and his fingers against my palm. The gesture was calming, just as he intended it to be, and I took several deep breaths.

A waiter came and took our order and after the woman left, I said, “I’m trying. And I know you will. I just really want to get on with it and not have to think about it anymore. I don’t even know why Adrian would get mad. I mean, it was garbage, he tossed the rag on the table. Was he going to try to re-absorb his own blood or something? It's stupid, if you ask me.”

Our drinks were dropped off, Kiam getting something that looked like a thick red wine. I had to guess it was a blood mixture of some type. I had ordered a bottle of water.

He took a sip of his beverage and set the glass back down. “It's the magic that was the biggest issue. Forgiveness, like what you’re used to, doesn’t exist here.”

“Okay, well that makes sense. I had no idea he’d get mad. Well, okay, that’s not exactly true. There was this kinda instinctual thing, I don’t know how to explain it, but I did have some concern he might get upset.” I laughed a little. “But I tried it anyway.”

Kiam smirked at me, running his index finger along the stem of his glass. “I would have, too,” he said.

I smiled at him and popped the cap off my drink and took a swig. “Weird you can’t just get regular water here, but this is good. Tastes good.”

He glanced at me before reaching inside his pocket. My heart skipped a beat. We were finally fucking starting. My anxiety ramped up even more, but so did this other side of me, the side that wanted something to happen. I felt the adrenaline fill my veins.

Kiam gave me another little smirk and took the diamond out of the baggie, waving his hand over it. The gesture dimmed the gemstone’s shine a bit, leaving it just slightly more sparkly than a regular diamond. He rolled it back and forth a couple inches on the tabletop with his finger, and I took another gulp of water.

I was no supernatural being but even I felt the change in the atmosphere. It was like someone had stretched it as tight as a drum. Sound seemed to dim, the overhead lights flickered, and it was almost like we were underwater.

“Kiam,” I whispered, leaning closer to him. “What is happening? What is that?”

Back and forth, he rolled the stone under his fingertip, keeping it a little bit nearer this time. “The diamond. It's affecting the atmosphere.”

His whole being was coiled tight, his eyes shifting between the gemstone and our surroundings. His muscles were tense, ready for action, hidden under a layer of preternatural calm. It occurred to me that I would not want to be the focus of his attention, not like this. He was like a starving but patient tiger, ready to pounce at the first opportunity, and only for a very particular type of prey.

Every time I glanced away from the table and at the stairs, I expected to see Adrian and Leander advancing on us. Nothing happened other than some of the people seated at the closest tables were starting to send intrigued glances our way.

“Should you let the diamond shine a little more?” I asked. I crossed and uncrossed my legs, taking another sip of my water.

He stilled the gem. “We want it to call to the Fae, not to every asshole in this room.”

Okay. I wasn’t the only one going stir crazy. “Just stab them. I want to go home.”

Kiam’s eyes softened, and the edge of his lips tilted into the barest of smiles. “Patience, they’ll come.”

I dropped my forehead on his shoulder and groaned. “Are you sniffing me?” I asked, trying and failing to stifle a laugh. He was rubbing the side of his face against the top of my head like an overly friendly dog.

“Maybe.” I could hear the grin in his voice.

If I thought the atmosphere was tight earlier, I was sorely mistaken. Things changed in an instant, and the suffocating oppression that descended upon the club like a sneaky thunderstorm stole my breath.

Slowly, I lifted my head and grabbed one of my blades from my waistband.

When I turned to look, Kiam’s attention was hyper focused on the staircase and the diamond was gone. I hadn’t seen him put it away.