Page 108 of House of Pain
To Blaze’s surprise, Alecto glanced his way, eyeing his bruised-up face with blank, bottomless eyes.
He wasn’t sure what reaction he expected after the incident in the forest.
But the coldness and lack of any emotions in that gaze were not it.
It was like a bucket of cold icy water washed over him.
Alecto turned back to Andro. “It’s nice to see you here tonight. I didn’t think any of you would come.”
“Honestly, you have to thank my father for me being here,” Andro said, lifting a glass in cheers. “If he didn’t have to go out of town at the last minute, I wouldn’t be here.”
“I’ll be sure to remember to send him a thank-you note.”
“So, is there anything we might want to buy at tonight’s auction?” Blaze asked casually.
She once again turned her attention to him, the same dead expression in her eyes. “Nothing that would be of interest to you, Leveau.”
Blaze stole a glance at Andro. There was a warning in his eyes when their gazes locked though.
Something pinched at his chest, and he swallowed the rest of his drink in one gulp. His best friend was supposed to be on his side.
They were fucking brothers.
Why wasn’t his best friend on his side anymore?
Before Blaze could say anything else, the light dimmed, letting the fireplace be the attention of the whole room.
Alatar Black stepped in front of the mantel, and when he spoke, the whole room echoed with his voice. “Welcome to the Black residence. As always, I’m very glad to have you here with us tonight for our annual Black Swan Inc. Foundation auction.”
He paused, letting the crowd cheer. Blaze lazily clapped his hands twice before grabbing another drink from a passing tray.
“Tonight, we have an assortment of glorious treasures for you, witches and warlocks of Avalon Hills,” Alatar continued. “Some pieces have come from the mortal world, and some were scavenged and brought from Hel itself.”
That sent a few awed gasps and a sea of chatter over the crowd.
No better way to entice their kind than with some dangerous, rare piece of old junk rumored to be brought from the deepest pit of Hel.
The crowd parted as the first item was pushed on a golden trolley by a tall woman with ebony skin and eyes darker than the night. A roughed-up antique chest lay on the trolley.
“The first piece we have is the secret treasure box that’s rumored to have belonged to the Imp Queen for centuries before disappearing. The legend says that it hasn’t been opened in centuries, and it houses the secrets of the Imp Queen that would allow the bearer of those secrets to fully control her,” Alatar announced, gesturing a hand over the old piece of trash. “Ten thousand garders is the starting price.”
“Who the fuck buys into this shit?” Blaze downed his drink. “Only a fucking idiot would pay that much for a rusted piece of metal with a good PR team behind it.”
Andro chuckled.
“Twenty,” a deep voice came from the corner of the crowd. Blaze’s father was the one holding the gold stick withthe Leveauname on it for Alatar.
Blaze rolled his eyes as Alecto and Andro exchanged glances and shared a laugh.
“Apparently, a Leveau,” Alecto teased.
Blaze threw her a glance, but instead of getting angry, he found himself relieved.
She spoke to him. Made a joke.
At his expense, granted.
But who cared?
