Page 87 of Gilded Wicked Mirrors
“So, the Royalle Ballet then?” Francois asked Emrys.
The prince nodded. “May I use your rotary phone? I need to call my family.”
“Absolutely, the more vampires, the better!” Francois grinned with far too much delight.
“Wait, what?” Giselle raised her arms with a confused gesture. “That was far too easy,” Giselle said, explaining what Quinn was thinking.
“Emrys and I are allies, even when he doesn’t act like it.” Francois prowled over to the brunette and ran a finger along her cheek. “I definitely don’t trust you two, but I trust the vampire prince.”
A firework of confusion burst in Quinn’s gut. They acted like friends . . . more than friends—confidants. Then Quinn remembered the Russet and the blood bags.
The gang was running a blood ring to feed vampires. That was their main business.
Crimson light was painted across the sky as the group made their way to the Queen’s Royalle Ballet. Unfortunately, they spent most of the day trapped in the mirror and lost valuable time to search the ballet without an audience.
It was the opening night of the winter ballet season, and the show was sold out. The place was filled to the brim with people, and it was the least opportune moment to sneak in and search for the spell-protected mirror. But if the killer had a blessed object that allowed them to observe Quinn and stay a step ahead, then the group needed to act quickly—during the show.
Quinn never thought she’d be thankful to the prince, but hehad the Royalle Box, and it didn’t matter that the show was sold out.
The group—two gangsters, two ballerinas, an acrobat, a prince, and Jevon—entered through the private doors dressed like glamorous stars. The ballet was a place to be and be seen. It was a place where aristocracy, rich, and famous came to flaunt their wealth and success.
It was a game of fake smiles, polite compliments, and vicious gossip.
It was a den of sparkling lions.
Quinn wore a slick blue dress with diamond straps and a choker, and her mirror necklace was tucked into her corset.
The prince, as usual, dressed impeccably. Tonight, he was in a navy-blue suit with a waistcoat, silver vest, and black top hat. The silver accents were meant to match Quinn’s dress. He was officially making it look like he was escorting her—like he wascourtingher.
Quinn didn’t know how to feel about that or if it was even real. Was it for the publicity, or was it for her? And if it was for her, what did it mean? He’d made it so clear before that she was just another one of his girls.
Yet . . .
Was it possible she wasn’t?
Either way, the press was going to have a field day with this story.
The room shimmered with gold and wild dreams. The walls had intricate carvings and crimson curtains. Marble white staircases stood at the center of the room, leading to the balcony seating and boxes. Flanking the room and stairs were giant golden statues.
As the group entered, everyone’s eyes landed on them but specifically landed on Quinn and the prince who escorted her.
Violent whispers broke out, invading the room with toxic gas. The rumors created an almost physical fog that drifted through the room from person to person. Quinn’s back tensed, and sheheld her breath. She’d always wanted to be famous, to have power, to have control, but the aristocracy looked at her like vultures. They wanted to devour her.
Devour the girl who dared to catch the prince’s attention.
“Relax,” Emrys whispered into her ear, his arm firm around her waist. “They mean nothing.”
Perhaps they didn’t matter to him, but they unsettled her—almost like the vultures could see underneath her skin.
“Come, we’ll stop by the Royalle Box and get away from all of them. Besides, we won’t be able to sneak anywhere until everyone is seated.”
When she entered the Royalle Box, she nearly fainted from excitement. She’d only been to the ballet twice in her life. Quinn was too poor to afford it. The first time, she’d saved up all her extra money for three years to get a seat, and the second time, she won a dance competition for a ticket. But neither were box tickets. Both were in the very back, where she was barely able to see.
But now she had the best seat in the house.
The rest of the group filtered in and took their seats as the lights dimmed and the crimson curtains opened.
The group needed to wait until all the guests were settled before splitting up and searching.
