“So this is who Max is supposed to meet,” a voice purred from the darkest corner of the room. Smoke curled lazily through the air, swirling in the dim light. The voice was smooth but carried an unmistakable edge. “Max doesn’t know you, and Max never forgets a face.”
As the door clicked shut behind her, Maya’s heart hammered in her chest. She fought the urge to bolt, forcing herself to keep her voice steady. “Austen James sent me.”
The room fell into an uneasy silence. From the shadows emerged a dwarf, his eyes sharp and calculating as they raked over her. He puffed on a massive cigar, the smoke curling around him like a sinister veil. “Max doesn’t know that name.”
“Then you’re not Max,” Maya said, lifting her chin defiantly. “And I want to speak to Max.”
The dwarf’s lip curled into a sneer. He exhaled a thick cloud of smoke in her direction, making Maya cough and wave her hand to clear the air. “If Austen James existed, he wouldn’t send a kid to retrieve anything from the vault.”
“Well, he did,” Maya replied, her voice steady despite the irritation in her throat. “He’d come himself if he could, but he can’t, so he sent me.”
The dwarf’s eyes narrowed as he blew out more smoke, making Maya’s eyes water. “Now I know you’re full of it. Because if Austen James existed, he’d know that the only way to retrieve the package—which doesn’t exist—is to—”
“Use his blood,” Maya interrupted, her tone unwavering.
The dwarf took a step back, his eyes widening in disbelief. “It can’t be.”
Maya met his gaze steadily, her resolve hardening. “So, can I please go to the vault?”
The dwarf hesitated, his eyes darting around the room before he flicked the remains of his cigar onto the floor. The cigar exploded in a cloud of smoke, which enveloped Maya menacingly. The room seemed to vibrate, and Maya felt the ground shift beneath her feet. Suddenly, she found herself descending through the floor. She looked up to see Max staring down at her, his expression inscrutable, as the platform carried her into a small, dimly lit room with three walls and an altar in the center.
As the platform retracted, Maya stepped off and approached the altar, her breath coming in shallow bursts. Austen’s instructions echoed in her mind: get into the vault, spill a little blood, and retrieve the package. It seemed straightforward. Anyone could bleed, right?
Standing before the altar, Maya hesitated. There was no knife or sharp object in sight—just a golden altar with a serpent statue adorning it. Her stomach churned with unease.
She licked her lips nervously, her gaze fixed on the serpent. Austen had said she needed to spill blood, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about this statue. She mentally chastised herself for not asking more detailed questions.
Shaking her head, Maya felt around the pedestal of the altar but found nothing. Her eyes returned to the snake. It had to be connected somehow. Nodding to herself, she began to trace her fingers along the smooth, cool surface of the serpent, searching for a hidden mechanism. The snake’s ruby eyes glittered ominously in the dim light.
She focused on the head, convinced it must be the key. With all her strength, she tried to twist it, but her hand slipped. A sharp cry escaped her lips as her thumb grazed the serpent’s fangs, drawing a thin line of blood. The crimson droplets dripped into the snake’s mouth and down its sides.
Maya instinctively brought her thumb to her mouth, tasting the metallic tang of her blood. The serpent’s ruby eyes glowed fiercely, and suddenly, its body began to writhe. With a deafening ripping sound, golden wings burst forth from the serpent’s body. The once-inanimate statue now hovered in the air, its wings flapping menacingly.
Maya’s heart raced as she stared into the glowing red eyes of the now-living creature. Her instincts screamed at her to run, but she stood her ground, meeting the snake’s gaze with a mix of fear and determination. The serpent’s forked tongue flicked out as it hovered before her, its presence imposing.
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Without warning, the serpent let out a sibilant hiss and vanished, leaving Maya alone in the room. She spun around, her eyes wide with panic, searching for the creature, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Turning back to the altar, Maya’s breath caught in her throat. A package now rested on the golden surface. She hesitated for a moment, glancing around to ensure nothing else was lurking. With a deep breath, she approached the altar and picked up the package, clutching it tightly.
As the door behind her creaked open, Maya hurried towards it. The lift waited, and she allowed herself a moment of relief as she stepped inside, the door closing behind her. The adrenaline began to ebb away, leaving her with the weight of the package and the knowledge of what she had just endured.
Maya didn’t hesitate. She darted to the platform and stepped onto it just as it began its ascent towards Max’s office. Her heart raced, adrenaline pumping through her veins like a live wire. She fought to suppress a hysterical giggle bubbling in her throat as she followed Austen’s instructions, slipping the package into the inner pocket of her jacket. With the package safely stowed, she made her way back to Max’s office.
As she approached, she saw the dwarf standing in front of the platform, his face impassive and a fresh cigar clenched between his teeth. He exhaled a cloud of smoke as she emerged.
“You’re alive,” he said gruffly, sending another billowing wave of smoke her way. “What did you see?”
Maya shot him a puzzled look. “What do you mean, what did I see?”
“What did you see?” he repeated, his tone growing sharper.
Maya’s mind raced, trying to recall every detail of her encounter. She edged towards the door, her fingers curling around the doorknob. “Other than the flying snake?”
The dwarf’s eyes widened. “Flying snake... you saw a winged snake?”
Maya hesitated, remembering Austen’s urgent warning to leave immediately after securing the package. “Have a good night, Mr. Max.” Without waiting for a response, she shoved the door open and bolted into the chaos beyond, the dwarf’s frustrated shouts echoing after her.
Outside, the music was a cacophony of bass and synthesizers, the lights a dizzying swirl of neon and strobe flashes. Maya pushed through the crowd, trying to blend in with the revelers as she maneuvered through the throng. The atmosphere was intoxicating and disorienting, but her focus remained sharp. She needed to get away from Max’s clutches and find safety.
Meanwhile, Jason was scanning the crowd, his senses alert despite the deafening noise and flashing lights. Howard’s description of the girl with the golden cat eyes had set him on edge. There were plenty of girls with long, straight hair, but none with the distinctive feline gaze Howard had mentioned. A part of Jason wanted to dismiss the whole thing as the result of Howard’s drunken haze, but the rest of him knew better. The former leader of their coven wasn’t one to invent details, especially not when it came to something as serious as this.
His thoughts were interrupted when a girl with long, straight brown hair stumbled and fell into him. Instinctively, Jason’s arms shot out, steadying her as she clutched at his shoulders.
The girl looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes. Despite the golden contact lenses, her fear was palpable. An electric jolt raced down Jason’s spine as their gazes locked. He swallowed hard, his hazel eyes quickly taking in her features—the cat-like contacts, her frightened expression, and her trembling lips. He forced himself to clear his throat and focus, mentally chastising himself for getting distracted by his own thoughts.
This was her. The girl Howard had described. The Firstborn, no less.
The girl’s gaze flicked nervously behind her, and Jason heard a distant shout. “No.”
He looked up to see one of Max’s goons scanning the crowd, clearly searching for her. The situation was growing more complicated by the second.
“Follow my lead,” Jason whispered urgently, grabbing the girl’s hand and pulling her into the heart of the dance floor. He maneuvered them through the crowd, using his larger frame to shield her from view. The pulsating lights and swirling bodies made it easier to blend in.
“It’s not smart to make enemies of Max,” Jason said, his voice barely audible over the blaring music.
The girl’s voice was almost drowned out by the noise, but he made out her response. “I didn’t do anything.”
Jason knew he should be taking her straight to Howard, but Max’s goon was still a threat. He needed to shake him off first. As they danced, Jason couldn’t help but wonder about the girl behind the mask and contacts. He dismissed his curiosity with a mental shake. Now was not the time for personal distractions.
Without warning, the girl gasped and reached up, cupping his face in her small hands. Before Jason could react, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. The sudden kiss took him completely by surprise. His heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, the chaos of the nightclub seemed to dissolve around them.
As their lips met, Jason’s mind raced. Was this a ploy? A desperate attempt to evade detection? Or something more? Either way, the kiss was a jarring interruption, and Jason was left grappling with the intensity of the moment while still trying to keep their escape plan on track.