Maleficium: Duo (Devil's Playground 2)

“What is all this?” Mel questioned, releasing her death grip on my arm.

“Looks like a Gatsby swingers party for rich psychos,” Grace replied stiffly.

The atmosphere of the room was on par with her assumption. People were standing around holding glasses of undoubtedly expensive alcohol, dressed to the nines in glitzy gowns and well-pressed suits.

Selena relinquished her grip on my other arm and came closer. “The man standing beside Charon, who looks to be very much alive for the record, that’s Kyle. He’s who my mama is supposed to marry.”

I skimmed over our families and the four assholes who’d led us here. One hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I’d walked in.

I could feel his stare burning holes into the side of my face. I ignored him and focused on an older man that had salt flaked in his once all black hair, dressed in a navy suit. His gaze was trained intently on Selena, almost like he was sizing her up.

“…And it’s because of your generous contributions that Moloch Enterprises will soon be ubiquitous within all areas of society. A new society.”

The mention of the company had my attention returning to my abuelo. It was the only part of his speech I understood. Everything else he was spewing made no sense to me. Our family was already a key part of an elite, smarmy world. It was something the Serpines prided themselves on. So, what was this ‘new society’?

His dark eyes settled on me directly, causing a fresh wave of tumultuous emotions to crash into my chest. The list of people I knew I could always count on had never been anything to brag about, but my grandfather always held a spot at the top.

How could he do this to me?

To us?

I capped my feelings before they could overflow and glanced to the left of him. Both my mom and dad had a nearly identical look on their faces. There was once a time I did whatever was necessary to see them look at me the way they were now, like they were proud. Mel and Graces’ parents had similar expressions.

I wished one of them would fill me in on what there was to be prideful about. We hadn’t done anything but survive. The only other option was to die.

My abuelo cleared his throat and smiled.

“I know you’re all eager to move on, so I’ll make this as brief as possible. First, I’d like to wish a congratulations to my Liliana for making it through the first part of her initiation. Another to our dear Melantha and Gracelyn, I knew you two would be the perfect match for my granddaughter.”

Initiation?

“That’s your grandpa?” Selena hissed in my ear.

I internally cringed. They couldn’t even humiliate me like a normal family. I opened my mouth to reply, losing the thought when nearly every head in the room swiveled in our direction. I could’ve done without the creepy superficial smiles to officially acknowledge our presence.

As my abuelo continued his not so brief monologue, the four of us banded together as if it would make all the stares less penetrating.

“In just a few moments, the doors located on the east side of the ballroom will open to the viewing area. Head in and look at the new additions, politic, or grab a bite from the buffet. For those of you having issues with the betting system, there will be designated areas to help you get those submitted.”

I glanced at Ciaran, unintentionally, finding he was still watching me. His unwavering stare prodded at one emotion I refused to acknowledge and threatened to knock me further off balance. The connection we had was dangerously convoluted. I began to look away, and I swore it felt like he tugged on an invisible string.

Our gazes remained in a deadlock. Even from this distance I could tell how shockingly blue his eyes were. His posture was relaxed, like he didn’t have a care in the world.

I would’ve loved to see him flip over the damn bannister and plummet to the marble floor below. The thought must have reflected on my face. His head tilted ever so slightly, and he had the audacity to smile at me, adding bruising insult to fresh injury.

“Lana,” my grandfather called out to me.

Brows furrowing from the unmistakable gentleness in his tone, I returned my focus to him.

“It’s going to be rough, but I know you won’t let me—us--down.” He cleared his throat again and returned to addressing the room. “As for the rest of you, never forget what we stand for. Death to the weak?”

“And wealth to the strong!” the room echoed in unison, lifting their glasses in the air before tossing back the contents.

“What the fuck is happening?” I murmured.

Suddenly, the room went dark.

Every television screen blanked, snatching away any hint of light. I took a step backward, unsure what was about to happen next. There were a few small gasps and some amused laughter.