Page 95 of Claim the Light
I tell myself that I didn’t come here for her. Not to save her or convince her to come back to the Dread. But—dammit—there are things I need to say to her. Closure I need to reach. I find myself pivoting my plan, plotting out a detour that will take me to her.
Wiping my expression clean, I crook my finger at the Scorn with the pink hair, beckoning to her before I blow her a kiss, Beatrix-style.
A dark scowl settles on the woman’s features, and I picture the bullet she’d love to put between my eyes.
She won’t, though.
Tyler wants me hurt and groveling at his feet, not dead, so my fear levels are low right now.
It looks like she’s shouting orders at the others as she leaves the edge of the loft and hurries toward the elevator at the back. I can’t hear what she says—the balcony is soundproof—but I’m sure I’ll find out soon. The small, glass foyer will slow her down, but the elevator will soon bring her to the dance floor.
I’m already on the move.
“Out of my way, please,” I whisper quietly, pushing at the sweat on the bodies of the humans so they drift aside and open up a clear path directly ahead of me.
I quickly make it to the staff-only corridor, where several of the human staff recognize me.
“Good evening, Ms. Dalton,” one of the men says, his greeting forcing me to pause. He’s wearing black-rimmed glasses and I recognize him, although I don’t remember his name.
“It’s nice to see a familiar face,” he says, appearing relieved to see me.
The human employees have been taught to respect Tyler, but they aren’t stupid. The tension around their mouths and eyes tells me they know something isn’t right. Callan is a good employer and always treats humans well. I imagine the Scorn are exactly the opposite, and the staff must be wondering what’s going on.
I’ve already pivoted in my mission, and I tell myself another small diversion won’t hurt, so I stop beside the human.
“Thank you…uh…” I scan his name tag. “Mark. It’s nice to see you again, too. I’m sure you’ve gathered that there’s been some upheaval, but things should be back to normal very soon.”
Thinking fast, I add, “In the meantime, I have Callan’s authority to ask you to close early tonight. You’ll still be paid for a full night’s work, but it might be best to get all of the patrons out of here.”
I don’t plan on causing problems inside this building, but I can’t predict what the Scorn will do, and human collateral is the last thing I want. Now that the opportunity to clear out the club has presented itself, I’m taking it.
Mark looks relieved and so do the other human staff who have gathered behind him. “Thank you, Ms. Dalton,” he says. “It’s a strange night tonight. We’d like to get home to our families.”
It’s clear from his words that the humans are feeling the darkness too, although they won’t have an explanation for it. I give them a quick nod and that’s all I have time for before I need to hurry toward the elevator.
It opens just as I reach it.
The Scorn woman stiffens when she sees me standing right in front of her. Her hand tightens on her gun, which rests at her waist, while she gives me a quick onceover.
It’s obvious that I’m unarmed. My slinky dress is so skin-tight that it’s impossible for me to hide any weapons under it. I didn’t risk wearing my new gold belt because other dragons would sense its nature.
“Sophia Dalton.” She curls her lip at me. “If you wanted our attention, you’ve got it.”
“Such an honor to see you again,” I say sweetly. “But it wasn’tyourattention I wanted.”
I slip into the elevator beside her, making her eyes widen with surprise. I imagine she expected me to either fight her or try to run.
“Going up, yes?” I ask.
She rapidly sidesteps to avoid contact with me, her hand tightening on her weapon.
Before she can speak, I arch my eyebrows at her. “We can fight it out just for the fun of it, but I was sure you were on your way to apprehend me, so I thought I’d save you the trouble.”
I jab the button for the balcony floor and the doors close.
“What the fuck are you playing at, Sophia?” she asks me.
“Nothing,” I say, looking her firmly in the eyes. “No games. I assume Tyler’s looking for me, so I’m giving myself up. All I ask is that you allow me to speak with my mother before Tyler drags me away.”
