Through the Fire (Daughter of Fire, #1)(56)

His gaze turned to me, and I had to remind myself not to react—my eyes were blue for the moment not purple. I took a quick breath to steady my voice and looked back at my glass, pretending with everything I had, that I hadn’t just made the startling discovery about who was sitting next to me and how dangerous he was for me.

“Convention?” I asked, playing dumb. I figured Clay’s father could probably spot bullshit a mile away, but I was adept at lying—I’d learned from the best.

He chuckled. “Don’t tell me that you just happened to be walking by dressed like that?”

Taking another swig from the drink in my hand, I quickly thought of a new lie. “Actually, I’m meeting an old boyfriend,” I whispered, hoping half-truths would be convincing enough. “He asked me to meet him here. If I’m honest, I’m a little nervous.” After smoothing the material on my lap, I ran my fingers through the end of the blonde wig. “It’s been a while since I saw him last.”

His gaze burned into the side of my face. I pretended not to notice and drank the dregs of my drink. I could sense him weighing my words in his mind, no doubt turning them over and assessing the truth.

Placing my empty glass on the bar, I picked up a napkin and tore tiny pieces from the edge.

His gaze trailed over my body, violating me without touch. His tongue brushed forward over his lips when he reached the neckline of the dress. “I think he’ll be happy with what he sees. I know I would be.”

I resisted the urge to shudder as my stomach churned. With some effort, I forced the corners of my mouth into a smile.

“Excuse me,” I said after struggling to find my voice. “I’ve just got to go to the ladies’ room.”

He nodded and turned back to the bar. I slid off the barstool and glanced around for the restrooms. All I wanted to do was run, but I fought my instincts. With slow steps, I walked toward freedom yard by yard.

As soon as I was in the safety of the restrooms, I collapsed against the vanity and took some deep breaths. My anger at the situation rose quickly. Clay had promised he’d get me out of the hotel, but instead, he’d forced me into even worse circumstances. Part of my mind, the part that was focused first and foremost on keeping me safe, whispered that I couldn’t be certain it wasn’t intentional. Maybe it was all a ruse to capture me; maybe Clay was the bait.

I didn’t believe that, but that didn’t mean it was easy to push the thought aside.

My hands shook as they tried to support the weight of my upper body. The marble beneath my fingers warmed as my anger flowed through me.

He had you alone upstairs, he could have killed you then. It would’ve been easier than bringing you to a public place.

That didn’t mean that his family hadn’t closed the jaws of a trap around us without his knowledge. Turning on the tap, I ran my fingers beneath the cooling spray. There was a momentary burst of steam before I could calm myself. I held my hands under the water to take away the worst of the sting and left them under the stream until the pinpricks left my fingertips. Afterward, I splashed a little of the water onto my face and took another deep breath.

Flicking the tap off roughly, I reached for the paper towels and yanked a handful from the dispenser, using them to dab my face dry.

Just as I was about to turn away from the mirror and leave, three women entered the room. They were all laughing with each other and joking. I was about to walk past them without a second thought, when one of them whispered to the others, “Do you think the Priestess is right about this place being protected? There’s going to be a crowd in here tonight.”

My mind reeled at her words. Was she a witch? Were they all witches?

I was certain the girls thought I couldn’t hear their conversation when they continued it in hushed whispers. “The priestesses have done what they can, but there’s never a guarantee when it’s a public place.”

I wanted to warn them about what was going to happen, but I wasn’t sure that I should. Maybe Clay had been right when he said that there were evil things in the world. Perhaps some of them masqueraded as sweet young girls.

Wasn’t that precisely what the Rain thought about me?

“There are quite a few strangers out there.”

They didn’t look evil. They looked like regular girls of my age. Girls I was even a little envious of for their ability to have simple, uncomplicated lives.

“You worry too much. It’s safe.”

They didn’t sound evil. If anything they seemed afraid. If they were powerful creatures who could wreak havoc on the human world, why would they worry about strangers?

Knowing I couldn’t stand pretending to dab my face with the paper towel any longer, I threw it in the bin and turned to leave.

One of my hands was on the door when a girl called out to me. “Excuse me.”

I held my breath and turned around, unsure what to expect.

She smiled at me and held out my clutch. “You left this behind.”

Releasing the pent-up stress in a sharp exhale, I thanked her. Just as she turned back to the rest of her little crowd, I reached out to touch her arm. “You might want to be careful,” I said as I glanced around. “There’s a good chance of rain tonight.”

I hoped that even if she was a witch, she was as unassuming as she appeared. It was possible I had betrayed Clay by issuing the warning, but I couldn’t have their deaths on my conscience. Not if there was something I could do to avoid it.