“Yeah, but…you don’t have a blood oath,” I replied as Daisy opened the side door of the warehouse-residence and waited for us.

Bria straightened up and slung her backpack over her shoulders. “Necromancers are kind of magical cowboys. We’re common enough that Demigods won’t go to war for a level five, and we typically go where we please. The best of us can definitely get placement in an inner circle, but it doesn’t weird people out if we don’t. We’re just the add-ons standing in the back. People try their best to ignore us. I mean, walking dead people around is hardly a glamorous profession. Red’s fighting magic is used for protection. Given her lack of a blood oath, if she came with us, it would look like she was brought along to protect you. That’s not the message Kieran wants to send.”

Everything had multiple layers of meaning in the magical world, something I doubted I’d ever understand. I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

I walked through the door and onto the stone walkway leading into a nice garden setup. A wooden gazebo sat off to the side, its sides covered in prickly vines dotted with little flowers. The chairs within it held bright yellow cushions with cute white buttons to match the flowers. A flamboyant tree lived up to its name, the bright red-orange flowers providing a spray of color. Horseshoe pits had been set up by a round patch of perfectly tended green grass. Multiple seating setups dotted the way along the path, with benches or chairs overlooking the ocean a hundred yards from our back door. They’d put the Demigod of Poseidon near the water, which was a nice touch.

The whole place was a nice touch, actually, spacious and welcoming, with everything we could want and an abundance of subtle luxuries. Only Kieran’s entertaining area was gaudy, if I was being honest. The rest seemed to flow more with the times and our tastes.

I suddenly wondered if he’d made sure that was the case, although that didn’t explain the hideousness of the front room.

The cats slunk out of the door before I could shut it.

“No, no, back in, you two.” I motioned at Havoc as Kieran strolled out past me, looking decadent in a crisp blue suit tailored to fit his perfect body. His black shoes gleamed in the dying light and a cream waistcoat and pocket square gave him a debonair look. He wore his hair in a stylish, messy do, short on the sides and long on top. He paused to wait for me, his stance easy and powerful and confident, as if nothing in the world could ruin his day or his carefully laid plans for world domination. He was the height of trendiness and all things sexy.

In contrast, I wore a loose, flowing number in plain gray that hid all my curves. The new stylist we’d brought, who hummed beautifully and didn’t talk much, had given me a messy, loose curl that made me look half crazy, a smoky eye, and one piece of jewelry—a sort of crystal that looked like it had come from a flea market. My team had gushed about my look, and I’d stood with a confused grin, waiting for the punch line.

Apparently the punch line was me, especially standing next to Kieran.

“The cats are coming,” Kieran said, holding out his hand for me.

The expression from earlier returned to my face, I knew it. Was this the joke? Were they intentionally dressing me up as a crazy cat lady?

“They don’t have leashes. I doubt animals are supposed to come.” I gestured Havoc back into the house. She was the leader—her brother did whatever she did.

“We need to set the precedent that those cats go where you go. They are protection as well as…very interesting. They’ll add to your profile. The cats need to come.”

“But…” I looked down at myself.

“You look beautiful and those cats are cool, baby. I promise, they’ll make you look more badass, not like a pajama-wearing…whatever Harding always calls you.”

“Pajama-wearing cat lady, and I call myself that, not him.” I deflated, knowing a lost cause when I saw one. “And if you think that’s bad, you should hear what he calls you.”

Kieran handed me into the front seat of a white golf cart with a bench seat across the back. He sat in the driver’s seat and Thane climbed onto the back. The kids got in with Zorn and Dylan, and I had no idea who took the cats. Everyone else took their rides and off we went.

Watch out, magical world. Here comes the pajama-wearing Soul Stealer with her overgrown white cats.

4

Kieran

Kieran stepped out of the golf cart as the rest of his people parked, the spacious lot already half-full and alive with activity. The people who’d shown up early would be on the lower half of the status scale. This walk wasn’t mandatory, after all, and its main purpose was to allow leaders to gauge worth in the eyes of those around them. Those of high status already knew their worth, and many of them didn’t bother with the first night’s walk within the gardens reserved solely for this. Or so Kieran had heard.

This was all part of the game. Every movement and action had a purpose. Every slight or smile hinted at what was to come.

Kieran would glean a great deal from tonight, and not just from the way he was received. This was also Lexi’s debut. She was a loose cannon, clueless about many of the protocols of the magical world. They had ensured it was so—preparing her only for certain aspects of the Summit. The people here lived by rules, and the unpredictable threw them off. She would throw them off.