ora

ed from the balcony, rich with the effortless arrogance

n only by the soft clinking of the auctio

knuckles were white. "Aurora... that's sixty thousand. Even if we liquidate three of our dead-drop vaults i

his small hand gripping the fabric of my black

f tight frustration. "We lost it, didn't

s perfectly steady. "We didn't lose anything, Silas. A ston

ked with adrenaline. "Sold! To Commander Damien

gavel cr

obsequious nods. Damien remained standing at the railing, holding his cut-crystal tumbler. He raised the glass an inch in

e with a cold

just spent a small fortune on a r

ding up and smoothing do

s she slipped her wand back into her sleeve. "He just

as's hand. "Sixty thousand is three times its worth. I know another

directed our way. To the high-society elite, we were just ambitious social climbers

stepping out of the warm luxury of the Vaul

mist that clung to the cobblestones. The streetlamps ca

ath. "Arrogant, over-privileged military prick. Sixty thousand! My bl

magic," I s

palm-sized communication slate, a custom-built enchanted terminal

glowing glass, unlocking

Freya asked, pausing

lient registrie

away by sheer pureblood arrogance was irritating. If the commander wanted to thr

ouble-headed serpent crest, was Damien Carlisle's private account. Over the past two years, Aegis command had used the

d his p

ntly set at the standard premi

f my finger, I altered

en times st

r Aegis priority reques

l administrative notes visible only to the Sha

t. Overcharg

owing text, and let out a loud, breathless

ictive genius! He just spent sixty thousand on a rock, and now every single intelligence disp

said, sliding the slate back into my co

ng up with a sly little grin. "Can we

, kid." I smiled,

f the Forsaken mentioned an alternative catalyst, a lunar-essence extraction combined with purified silver-moss from the deepest reaches of the Whisperwo

parking courtyard at the end of the private lane. "I ne

the arched gateway before a voice cal

Leaving so