Page 57 of Dark Souls

“Right. I’m going. I’ll meet you back here in three hours. If I leave earlier, I’ll call you both.”

“We’ll be able to see when you leave on the camera, anyway.” Sienna pointed at the necklace.

“Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, see you guys in a bit then.”

“Stay safe.” Sienna smiled. Raiden watched the street suspiciously, his silver eyes scanning for any sign of danger as I climbed out of the car.

“You sure you got this?” He asked once more as I moved the wig back in place for the last time.

“Yes. Stop worrying. I’ve got this.”

He nodded once, and I walked away before he could freak out again. A few minutes later, I stood outside a rundown Chinese restaurant and double-checked the address Heathen had given me. This couldn’t be right. I hung back, standing on the opposite side of the road and scanned the street. It was a rough neighbourhood, with a few dodgy looking men loitering on the corners looking for trouble. They cat-called me and I gave them the finger. But apart from them, there wasn’t much action for a Saturday night. There were a few customers eating food in the restaurant minding their own business, but no sign of any type of supernatural event.

A taxi pulled up outside and a brunette girl climbed out. Immediately, I detected she was a werewolf. She paid the driver through the window and flung her handbag up on her shoulder before she spotted me across the road. She gave me a full head-to-toe stare, taking in my dress, boots, fake black wig that reminded me of Lord Farquaad from the movie Shrek but with yellow eyes.

Instead of going inside the building, she tottered across the road on her red heels.

“Are you going in or are you still deciding if you fancy a different cuisine tonight?” she asked with a slight French accent. Her brown eyes narrowing on me, but her smirk said she was speaking in code.

Playing along, I glanced up at the shabby exterior of the restaurant and replied, “No, definitely feeling this tonight. Just trying to work out when the specials start.”

“Oh.” She checked the watch on her wrist. “In about fifteen minutes. You’re just in time.”

“Excellent,” I said with no enthusiasm and moved my gaze to her eyes. “I’m famished.”

“Me too.” She smiled while suddenly doubting if I was seriously here for a Chinese takeaway or the illegal event happening in the basement.

“It’s my first time at the club. Can you tell?” I said, answering her concern without letting on that I had read her mind.

She laughed a little, her brown eyes twinkling as she pulled a lip gloss out of her bag and started coating her lips in a deep shade of red. It made her lips look sticky and way too shiny.

“I could have guessed, yeah. I’m Sammi.” She held out her hand and I shook it firmly.

“Rebecca.”

“So, you’re a newbie. Interesting. It’s been a while since I’ve met any new members. How did you even hear about it?”

Okay, so the turnaround wasn’t quick in the club then. Or maybe they really were super selective about who they let in.

“I was invited.” I wasn’t sure how anyone even got into a club like this, but that wasn’t far from the truth. Heath had technically invited me to attend.

It seemed to be the right answer because she nodded, glancing back at the club. “Well, you have picked one hell of a night as your debut. I hope you’re not squeamish.”

“Not at all,” I answered, though my stomach flipped and dipped with a mix of excitement and dread. “But the invite never mentioned what kind of event it was tonight. Wanna fill me in so I don’t look as clueless as I feel?”

She smiled, and I realised she was actually quite an attractive girl under the harsh make-up and untamed hair. She seemed friendly enough, too. I wasn’t sure what to expect the members to be like, but she seemed almost… normal.

“It is one of the most popular events of the year. Well, technically, there are two events happening tonight. The Labyrinth of Torture and The Arena of Death. Which was your invite for?”

Ah, shit. Neither of those sounded good.

“Arena of Death.” Because why the hell not? If I was going to jump, I may as well jump in at the deep end.

Her brown eyes lit up with a flash of something sinister and, for the first time, I saw the depth of her darkness. “That is what I’m here for, too. Awesome. Wanna stick together tonight? Or are you here to prowl?”

“Prowl?” I frowned.

“Most of the women who come to these events aren’t here so much for the entertainment. They are here for power. They like to sink their teeth into a certain member, if you get what I mean. Hunt for the lion, so they can become the lioness.”

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