The hall ahead buzzed with low voices, the sharp scent of wine and a celestial aura thick in the air.
Risa adjusted her robe for the third time. "This dress is killing me..."
"Focus," Kumiko said softly, her golden eyes steady. "This isn't a party. It's a hunt."
The girls moved together, slipping through the huge archway into the banquet room.
Above them, soft blue lights glowed along the ceiling.
Rows of round tables packed the floor, shining under gold and silver banners. Faces turned to watch them — vampires in tailored suits, werewolves in sharp formal coats, humans and other races dressed for power.
High above it all, Nikolai sat at the raised table near the front, his black robe catching the light. His red eyes found them immediately, calm and unreadable, like a wolf sizing up the entire room at once.
He didn't move and definitely didn't smile.
But even from across the hall, they could feel the weight of his pride behind them.
