Born To Be Wilde by Jenn Stark

Author:Jenn Stark [Stark, Jenn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elewyn Publishing
Published: 2016-02-22T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Armaeus was waiting for me at the Council’s conference room, but this time, I didn’t come alone.

“Sweet baby Jesus on a tricycle,” Nikki breathed. “Would you look at this place?”

Nikki had taken Brody’s request to heart, and had refused to let me out of her sight, even after I explained that I wouldn’t be tackling Viktor’s demons for at least another day. I had bigger oceans to navigate, quite literally—I couldn’t face a demon horde until I faced Atlantis. But I didn’t have the heart to ask her to leave either. With so many people lining up in the “people I owed” category, I was beginning to lose track. It was refreshing to have someone who legitimately seemed to be on my side for no other reason than that she wanted to be there.

“Miss Wilde. Miss Dawes.” Armaeus stood at the head of the table and had not turned around to face us. Instead, he watched the skyline of Vegas through the soaring penthouse windows. It was an impressive sight. Not merely the glitter and flash of the Strip, but the extraordinary residences of the Council: Scandal’s lava lamp neon show, looming above the Flamingo; the glittering Foolscap above the Bellagio; and the Emperor’s monolithic black tower, crackling with electricity as it soared above Paris. The homes of the Council members shone brightest from this vantage point at night, and Nikki stopped and stared as well, caught by the splendor.

“What is she doing here?” Eshe and I asked the question at the same time, and Nikki blinked beside me, taking a step back as the High Priestess swept into the room. She looked magnificent as she eyed Nikki with withering scorn, and I was happy I’d brought Nikki along.

“She shouldn’t be present,” Eshe said, turning to Armaeus. “She is nowhere near skilled enough to contribute.”

“She walks, I walk,” I said, shrugging. I’d been able to help Mercault on my own. How much worse could Atlantis be?

Armaeus remained standing but lifted a hand to stop the argument. “I have asked Eshe to join us to assist with your travel, and Simon for mapping purposes, based on what you find. I trust that’s acceptable. Kreios will arrive later.”

“Yeah, well, all the more reason to keep Nikki here.”

Eshe groaned. “This is insufferable.”

“You’ll get used to it.” I gave her a smile with more teeth than necessary.

Nikki had long since gone silent beside me, and I thought about the scene from her perspective. She’d seen each of the Council members before, of course, but I wasn’t sure if she’d seen them all together in their joint magnificence.

It was an impressive sight. Armaeus was sporting one of his trademark one percenter suits. Eshe, on the other hand, struck a pose in her favorite fashion style, the gilt-edge toga, with gold bangles around her wrist and what appeared to be gilded flip-flops on her feet. She was made up heavily enough for Halloween. “You got a hot date tonight, Eshe?”

“C’mon, c’mon, I can’t wait to begin.

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