Page 19 of Goldsin

“Good.” The voice breaks, fading back into the wind as the dream shifts.

And I find myself in yet another nightmare.

I’m back at tonight’s fundraiser. Both Julian and Adrian are standing frozen in front of me. Their gazes scorch every part of my body as they stare at me.

But there’s something else lurking beneath the surface. Something I can’t quite identify. Something that freezes me to the spot.

Valentine’s earlier words echo next.“Stay away from them, Aurelia. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Maybe I do.

CHAPTER FIVE

AURELIA

Istep into the Harrows’ penthouse, looking for Valentine, and immediately sense something is off.

I’ve spent most of my life in this place. When I was younger, it was because Valentine couldn’t—or rather, wouldn’t—trust a babysitter to look after me, so he took me wherever he went. Since his work consists of being at arm’s length from the Harrows at any given moment, we were here a lot. Then, when I grew older, it was because of Julian. Later, it became because of Adrian.

Whatever the reason, this penthouse has become a second house to me. Not home—there’s no warmth here.

The place is usually pristine. Its dullness is the reason I get goose bumps whenever I come here. There’s no personality, no color. That’s how I know something must be happening.

This is an unusual form of unsettling.

Petals are scattered on the marble floor, the vase the flowers were in now lying on its side on the round tablein the center of the foyer. With a gust of wind it could roll off, meeting the petals with a crash.

I make my way to the formal living room and freeze.

Something is seriously wrong!

Papers fall from between the hands of the scattering guards as they hurry in different directions. But no one makes a sound.

It’s like sitting front-row at a silent play. No one dares to speak. Their expressions are enough to convey the disarray. If I had to guess, I’d think they were afraid to attract Lucian’s anger.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years spent here, it’s that Lucian hates turmoil. Especially when he isn’t the instigator of it.

“Hey!” I shout at a passing guard. “What’s going on?”

“Vincent DeMarco is dead,” he pants, recoiling at his own words. “The Consortium’s in chaos.”

A thrill spikes through me, but I feign shock.

I wounded the Inferno Consortium with just one kill. Imagine what will happen when more die.

Is this what Valentine was talking about last night? Could this be an opening for me to slither in and cause more damage?

I need to find him.

“Thanks.”

Nodding, he disappears down the corridor.

“Looking for someone?” A smooth yet sharp voice stops me, stirring whatever he awakened within me at the fundraiser.

I steel myself as I turn to face him.

Guards rush past him and he remains unbothered,leaning against the wall as his gaze darkens. Julian’s features sharpen as he stares at me, making it impossible for me to understand what’s going on in that head of his.

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