Page 114 of House of Pain
Val’s lips curled as she shook her head.
“He wouldn’t dare to invite her when he has her chest.”
Now, Blaze’s curiosity was piqued.
“How do you know about the chest?” he asked. “You weren’t at the auction.”
“I have my sources, Blazy.”
Indeed. After all, Val was close and intimate with the Imp Queen herself.
“So, does it mean that the legends are true?” He didn’t like the picture forming in his mind.
Val didn’t answer, her gaze scanning the crowd while her palm rested on his thigh.
“You are using me,” Blaze mused, and his words drew Val’s attention away. He tipped his head back, glaring at her down his nose. “I don’t mind, not at all. I let you use me willingly.”
“Poor little Leveau boy.”
“But entertain me, at least a little bit,” he continued, nudging her gently with his shoulder. “I’m just so fucking bored.”
Val regarded him as if she was considering something, weighing the options.
When she spoke, it was so quiet, Blaze had to lean in to hear the words.
“Everything you hear is true,” she whispered. “Demons have many abilities. They’re capable of things our kind doesn’t even dream of. And while they’re the perfect tricksters, they can’t lie.”
“How fascinating.”
“It is when you think about all the stories and lore about them, and you know that none of them could have been forged.”
Blaze looked down at her for a moment, considering what that meant for them.
What was his father doing with such things? Surely, business came with risks, but risking pissing off the Imp Queen herself to buy another piece of this city seemed to be rather dangerous.
Even for Galliermo Leveau.
“Shall we go explore?” Val asked.
Blaze glanced around the room, unsure whether it was a smart move to sneak out. Surely, his father would notice and come looking for them.
“Oh, come on,” Val insisted, rising to her feet.
Blaze regarded her outreached palm for a moment before lacing their fingers together.
They had the perfect excuse to sneak out.
An excuse that none would dare object to.
So, Blaze let Val lead him out of the lounge, letting the wondering guests read into their laced fingers however they wished.
When Blaze’s eyes met his father’s, his gaze dropped to their hands before coming back up, and there was a smirk on his face that made Blaze’s stomach drop.
They left the party behind, walking down the corridor to the dark foyer.
“Where do you think he keeps it?” she asked once they stopped by the stairs to the second level.
In his father’s study, Blaze was sure.
