Page 15 of Daughter of the Ninth Line: Part One

He went on before I could tell him to mind his own business. “Do you know what I really want, though?” he murmured, stepping close until he was towering over me, his sparkling eyes hot with something I didn’t want to name. “What I really want is to invite you to a party.”

I knew the Upper Six partied hard. Sometimes, if I was at the base of the stairs that ascended from the atrium, I could feel the steady thump of drums, even if magic muted the sounds. But that wasn’t for the Lower Six, which included me.

“I’m not allowed at your parties,” I whispered.

“Who says? Vox Vylan? Fuck him. I’m inviting you, and I want you to come.” He said those last five words as a purr, and I could imagine him saying them, in a different time, a different place, making heat pool in my lower belly. “What do you say, Avalon? You can even bring your friend from the Twelfth.”

I wanted to say that Viana wasn’t my friend, that I barely knew her, but admitting to this man that I had no friends was just too embarrassing. “Uh, I’ll think about it?”

His grin made me lose my breath. It was bright and wide and heartstopping. “I’ll pick you up from your floor at ten.”

Before I could argue more, he was gone. I looked down at Braxus, whose tongue was hanging from the side of his mouth, as if he found this whole thing hilarious. “Don’t you laugh, buddy. You’re on my shit list.”

Turning from the library doors, I moved back to the stairs down to the dorms. Studying would have to wait. I had to find something to wear.

Ten

Avalon

Despite Hayle’s insistence that I never go down to the bowels of Boellium, I found myself descending past my own floor and down three more flights to the home of the Twelfth. My first impression was that it was loud. There were people laughing, music was playing, and conversations were being yelled over the top of one another. The smell of food cooking permeated the landing. The whole floor felt like a living, breathing creature.

I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I knocked again, but I doubted anyone could hear me over the noise. I pushed it open slowly, unsure of what I was about to see. Viana had suggested that it was an all-day orgy, but when I stepped in, everyone was wearing pants. Most of the guys were without shirts, though, and I felt a flush climb my cheeks.

I had brothers. I’d seen my fair share of man nipples in my life. But there was something about being surrounded by so many unrelated-to-me man nipples that was freaking me out. Why did I keep thinking about their nipples? That was odd, right?

Fuck, I should just go.

“Are you okay there?” A girl shorter than Viana, with shockingly orange hair, appeared in front of me.

“Uh, I’m looking for Viana?”

The girl rolled her eyes and smirked. “She disappeared to her rooms with Polus and Link ten minutes ago, so if you want to talk to her before tomorrow, we better interrupt now. Wait here.” She strode down a short hall and slammed her fist against a random door. “Viana! Avalon Halhed is here to see you!” Thumping once more for good measure, she walked back toward me. “They’ll probably need a minute. Are you hungry? Sit down; we’ll grab you something to eat. Clancy, get Avalon a bowl of the stew that’s on the back burner.”

She pushed me toward the couch, where two other people were sitting, eyeing Braxus like he was about to pounce and tear them to shreds. I’d say that was preposterous, except he’d done that very thing the day I’d arrived. I gave the hound a raised eyebrow, and he huffed, wandering over to sit by the door.

The people on the couch scooted to the left, giving me a spot, their smiling faces welcoming. Clancy appeared with a deep bowl of thick stew that was golden in color. It smelled amazing, spicy and aromatic, and my mouth watered, despite the fact that I’d eaten less than an hour ago. He also edged toward Braxus with a large lamb bone in his hand, placing it on the ground a good four feet in front of the hound and scurrying away. Braxus just yawned and stretched toward the bone, picking it up and gnawing on it like it was the very least of the tributes he deserved.

Chuckling at the hound’s antics, I lifted a spoonful of stew to my mouth, and despite a soft burn, let out a moan of appreciation. “This is amazing,” I mumbled. We didn’t eat many spices in the Ninth Line lands; they didn’t grow easily in the high-altitude cold weather, and we were too far away to trade with the Eleventh and Twelfth lines, who had the right climate to grow such things. So whatever this stew was, it was a damn revelation. “I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

Clancy looked wildly pleased. “We brought the spices with us. We all know the Upper Six are allergic to flavor, so anything served in the food hall will be tailored to their tastes. We stockpile what food we can from scheduled mealtimes and make dishes from home down here.” He handed me a plate with some kind of fluffy bread resting on top like a cloud. “We do tasks for the kitchen staff to get the leftovers as well.”

I was wondering how I could get a permanent invitation to dinner when Viana appeared, her hair mussed but smiling. Two guys stumbled out after her, giving me a wave, but heading over to a large vat in the corner. They poured what looked like wine into wooden cups.

“Hey, Avalon. I can’t believe you’re here. If Hayle Taeme told me to do anything, I’d say, ‘Yes, sir.’”

“Is this before or after he spanked you and told you that you’re a good girl?” the redhead quipped.

Viana threw back her head and laughed. “Hopefully both.” She looked back at me. “Are you here for the orgy?”

My face was physically on fire at this point. I was just waiting to smell the smoke. “Uh. No. Hayle invited me to a party, and said you could come too, if you want. No pressure.”

Viana actually squealed. It was ear-piercing, and I was fairly sure had damaged my eardrum. “Oh my fucking Goddess. An Upper Six party. I bet they have the good booze, Acacia.”

The redhead, Acacia, screwed up her nose. “Yeah, but it comes with a heavy dose of condescension, and guys who are hot but probably couldn’t find the clit if you gave them a road map and step-by-step instructions.” She gave me an apologetic expression. “Hayle Taeme excluded, of course.”

I shrugged. “I don’t sleep with Hayle. He could be shit.”

Viana snorted. “I’ve heard rumors, girl. I think if your dick is that big, you’re good by default.”

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