Chapter 26

ASH

I"mbloody glad I dressed in a suit tonight, otherwise I would stand out amongst the beautiful, stylish people passing in and out of the vast hotel entrance. I sidestep a couple who"ve handed their keys to a valet, my eyes bugging at the expensive red Porsche.

Okay. I"m now feeling underdressed—I"m not an expert, but people arriving in a car like that are wearing designer clothes. Maeve"s hand tightens in mine, her palm damp.

What else would I expect from one of the most exclusive hotels in the city, where a night would match a week"s rent for those living at homes in the street we currently share?

I"ve never felt so out of place in my life as I step through the glass doors into an expansive lobby. Polished marble floors, adorned with intricate gold patterns shimmer in the soft glow of crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling above. I catch the subtle fragrance of the fresh lilies on a nearby table, bemused that they"re real. That and the intricate artwork that adorns the walls places me a world away from the Holiday Inn I last stayed in.

Ethan rests against a pillar beside one of the velvet upholstered chairs and sofas arranged throughout the space to invite guests. Although the man with hands casually in his trouser pockets doesn"t look as inviting.

If he weren"t an unmissable person, I would"ve needed to look twice to be sure this is Ethan. He"s one of the scruffiest guys I know, always wearing faded T-shirts and worn pants. Now? Ethan perfectly matches the others walking by him towards the casino. The guy even tamed his hair.

Some guests veer around him, Ethan"s size and stance warning people to stay away. Or behave—do some believe he"s hotel security? His jacket and shirt entirely cover the usually visible scales, and someone would need to get close to see any of the tell-tale ones uncovered. No human walks in here expecting to see a dragon, so anybody who stood too close would presume Ethan has an unusual neck tattoo.

Ethan lifts his chin as he sees us, and we cross the grey marble floor to reach him. Pulling on his bottom lip, he looks between us, no greeting.

"Is Zeke alright?" asks Maeve. "Why isn"t he with you?"

His eyes settle on her—a normal colour today. Contacts? "Zeke didn"t want to come."

Which prompts the question why, but Ethan"s look tells us not to ask. I"d query if they"d heard anymore from the First but would probably get a worse look than the one he has now.

"The man we"re meeting—Callum—owns the hotel and casino, but makes his fortune from illegal activities." Ethan takes a slow look around. "That"s why we"re positive that Gabriella approached him—he runs a business with expertise in moving rare items from place to place. Since the dragons have the biggest network in the country and, of course, contacts with others around the world, they"re the logical choice for Gabriella."

"I"ve explained some of this to Maeve," I say.

Ethan scrutinises me silently for a moment. "And I am reminding her."

Maeve"s fingers grip even harder. "I understand. Be careful."

"How are we getting this information?" I ask.

"Gentle persuasion," Ethan says, deadpan.

"I hope you mean threats and not violence."

He looks at me. "Whatever is necessary."

Crap. I exchange a look with Maeve. But this dragon guy we're meeting isn"t likely to hand over information readily.

"And my mind-reading," adds Maeve. "I"ll let you know as soon as I"ve picked up something, and then we can leave."

"Which is why we should"ve brought Tobias," I grumble. "Safer."

"Ash. Part of the reason you"re here is to show these dragons that you"ll live by your own rules—with Maeve, a witch, as your partner, and that to gain your loyalty they must accept and respect this."

"Their loyalty?" I blink. "To me? You didn"t mention I"m here to butt heads with an alpha."

"We"ve shown Declan not to screw with you and that you"re powerful enough to disrupt their hierarchy." Ash opens his mouth to protest. "Mate, deny you"re a dragon all you want, but you can"t escape the dragon bonds. The difference is, you"ll be part of the new order I"m creating."

"You"re taking over as leader of dragons?"

Ethan scoffs. "No. I"m not a dragon. I"ll merely keep the bastards in check. Once the Confederacy fall, the shifters are likely to splinter back into their societies again. The small influence the Confederacy had over them will disappear, and me, Zeke, and you will fill the gap."

"This is as bad as what Declan wanted!" I protest. "I won"t be a part of all this."

"You"re helping me dismantle their empire, that"s all. You saw some of the shit they"re involved in," he says gruffly. "Remember the girls at Declan"s place? Trafficked."

"I know but?—"

"Ash, you often forget how much power you have due to the people you surround yourself with," Ethan interrupts.

"This is about Gabriella," he says stiffly. "I"m here to get information about Gabriella."

Ethan"s expression sours. "Yes, Ash, and also to make your mark on these people and demonstrate why they"ll need to cooperate with us. Callum is curious about you; that"s how we can get close enough to investigate more."

"I am not fighting," I say firmly.

"And we"re safe?" interrupts Maeve cautiously.

"Oh, yeah. Dragons hate me already and might attempt to take me down, but if they"ve spoken to Declan about our visit to him, those we meet tonight know that"s a bad idea." He gives a tight smile. "But I"ll stay calm."

Without another word, Ethan strides through the sliding doors leading into the hotel"s casino. My eyes widen again. This isn"t the rows upon rows of slot machines I pictured. The casino area sprawls out before us, lit by overhead chandeliers to match those in the lobby. I"d expected bright lights, loud machines, and louder people, but although the air buzzes with excitement, voices are quiet amongst the weirdly opulent gambling area.

Ethan pauses, and we halt, Maeve exchanging a look with me. "Is this where we"re meeting Callum?" she asks.

"Hope not." I look to the nearest roulette table where the couple who tossed their Porsche keys to the valet outside now sit with drinks and looks of concentration as a ball bounces around.

"We could sit in the hotel bar first and figure out if Dominion are around?" whispers Maeve.

"Maybe later, I"m more interested in whether any Dominion are with Callum tonight," says Ethan.

Maeve frowns and looks around the casino. "Can the owners identify the mind readers in the place? Because I can sense a few."

Ethan snorts. "If a witch or vamp does use magic, they"re careful how often they win. Dangerous game to play since the dragons catch them, eventually."

Like the security by doors leading between rooms, and outside a partitioned bar, some wandering amongst the tables? They"ve earpieces, and one bulky guy in a black suit speaks into an attached mic as he watches us.

"Where are we meeting this Callum guy?" I ask.

Ethan gestures upwards. Cameras. "We"re on-screen. I"m sure someone will approach us in a moment."

"Callum will?" Ethan glances at me but doesn"t speak as security stride towards us. "Ethan. Callum is expecting us, right?" No response. I swear beneath my breath and draw Maeve closer, an arm around her waist. "Ethan! Callum doesn"t know we're coming here, does he?"

"And give dragons who"re helping Gabriella the heads up? Don"t be stupid." He crosses his arms, biceps bulging and revealing the black scales on the back of his wrist, as the security guy studies us.

"You said you"d arranged a meeting, Ethan," I snap.

"I"m early." He pulls out his phone and checks the screen. "A day early."

Maeve looks at me, her face paling despite the make-up. If Tobias knew this, he"d never have allowed us to go alone.

I guess all of Dorian"s gang operate at a less than honest level.

The guy with the crew cut hair who communicated our presence homes in on us and glances at his shorter, wider colleague. Still furious with Ethan, I straighten as the imposing pair walk over.

"All witches must register with us in order to use the casino," he says gruffly and stares at Maeve. I catch him studying parts of her way too closely, and my teeth clench.

"All witches?" asks Ethan. "What about Dominion?"

Around us, humans cluelessly gamble money they probably can"t afford to lose, and neither guy"s expression changes.

"All witches have to register," says the other, as if we didn"t hear his buddy.

I hate to admit that if Dorian had accompanied us, we wouldn"t face any challenge at all—but then things could go wrong very quickly if he was here.

"We can"t be too careful when allowing magic users into the casino." The first guy now looks at me with undisguised disgust, especially where my arm wraps protectively around Maeve, who"s dwarfed between four men twice her size.

Yeah, we"re a witch and shifter couple. Deal with it.

Maeve holds his gaze when he switches to her. "Sure. Where do I register?" she asks lightly.

"This way, ma"am."

That "ma"am" couldn"t sound anymore disrespectful if he tried. As the shorter of the two turns to lead us away, Ethan snatches his sleeve. "If this "registration" involves anything that"ll harm or make my friend uncomfortable, I can guarantee the same will happen to you."

The guy pushes his tongue against his teeth and looks up at Ethan. People like this shifter hate to look up to others.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" he asks.

"No. Simply informing you of the facts."

Okay, Ethan isn"t much better than Dorian at diplomacy, but I knew that already. Has the security guy figured out that Ethan"s a mid yet? Or is he someone who believes mids wouldn"t dare show their faces in human public?

Neither man appears to recognise any of us. We dutifully follow the pair to a set of black doors, where a gold plaque pinned to the wall informs others that the area behind is private.

We"re led through. Maeve looks around, fingers squeezing mine, and despite her casual stance, I"m picking up on her nerves. Even with the magic Maeve has at her disposal, this isn"t an environment she"s comfortable in. Me neither.

The hallway to Declan"s rooms matched the dingy, low-ceilinged club. At Callum"s hotel, we"re in a wide and tall area, matching the lobby with its artfully placed abstract pictures and small tables with flowers along the way. The gold and red carpet muffles our footsteps as we head along.

The men pause by an elevator, requiring a key card to enter, and once inside, they use the same one to enable us to reach the top floor. The further we move from the public part of the hotel, the greater my chest tightens. At least Declan"s place had less staff and an easy escape route close by.

The elevator doors open to an area with low leather chairs arranged as if a waiting room, the glass table they circled was empty. With one more swipe of the key card, we walk through doors into a room with windows that stretch floor to ceiling, offering a panorama of the London skyline.

A sharply dressed man sits behind a desk, laptop open on the table in front. He"s older than Tobias, but matches a man of Declan"s age and attitude—suave demeanour and confident smile, although he exudes a greater air of sophistication than Declan as he leans back in his chair, surveying us. His impeccably groomed brown hair and chiselled features take away the rough edge dragons usually have.

No visible scales but unmistakably a dragon—not only due to his aura, but he wears a ring with a symbol I recognise—the one branded on my skin.

"I wasn"t aware you intended to visit this evening, Ethan," he says. "But your visits to our organisation are rather unpredictable. You should"ve at least made an appointment."