A Crown Of Shadows And Secrets - Sloane Murphy Page 0,78
had a few issues, it still feels like the quickest way to reach the queen.
We make our way through Sin, I'm assuming we're inside some sort of club, or sex den, or just something, when the woman in white stops then shows us to our very own shuttered booth. A round table with a leather booth, with gauze curtains draped on every side. Kain shrugs, smiling at me with heat in his eyes and slips into the booth, with Creek following him. I slide in on the other side of Kain, and Levi and Roman cage us in.
“Well, this isn't exactly what I was expecting,” Roman says, twitching his nose before sneezing. “Fucking smoke.” I grin a little, because that's possibly the most human thing I've ever seen him do.
A man in nothing but the smallest, tightest black shorts I've ever seen heads in our direction. My mouth drops open as he blushes when he reaches the table and I realize he's human.
“How can I help you folks tonight?” He asks with a shy smile, looking between the guys and me. “Drinks anyone?”
“You're human!” I blurt out and his eyes go wide.
“I was,” he says quietly, nodding.
“How are you here?” Levi asks, scanning the room. I follow his eyes and realize this place is full of humans.
“I came here, like the other souls, but once I was transferred to this level, I went from being that corporal thing, back to being this. The human me, just with... upgrades,” he tells us quietly, looking around the room as if he's making sure no-one heard him tell us.
“How is that even possible?” I ask, looking to Levi beside me, because surely this can't be a thing.
“I have no fucking idea. I've never heard of anything like that being possible, let alone even happening,” he tells me, and I can almost see his mind whirring.
“How long have you been here?” I ask the man and he shrugs.
“Only a few days, I'm new. I had my meeting with that Scarlett lady, and ended up, well here. But erm, can I get you guys anything to drink? I don't want to get into trouble for not doing my job. I've seen what happens when you get into trouble.” He gulps and his Adams apple bobs, true fear in his eyes.
What the fuck is going on here?
I shake my head, because I don't have the time, or the authority to do a god damn thing about any of it.
“I'll take a whiskey on the rocks, please.” I smile at him, trying to reassure him the best I can, without letting on that this is his eternal fate. The guys give over their orders and the man walks away quickly, scurrying off into the distance.
“He can't be any older than we are,” Creek says softly, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the low, base music in here.
“There's nothing we can do to help them,” Kain tells him, and my heart hurts for all of the souls trapped here. At least in a corporal state, there's only so much that can be done to them. To be made flesh and bone again? Well, that opens up the door for all sorts of tortures. I guess Ferry did warn us that the lower down we got, the worse the levels would be. And we're only on level five.
I let out a deep breath and paste a smile on my face as the young man heads back towards us, the woman in white from earlier at his side.
“Scarlett will see you now,” she tells us when she reaches the table. That explains the guy not having our drinks. “If you'll follow me.”
We follow the woman in white through the ornate black and red doors at the back of the club, and enter what looks like a small waiting area, with two other doors, one black and one red.
“You can wait here, Scarlett will let you know when she’s ready.” The woman tells us and strides back out to the club. At least there’s no smoke in here, there’s just a warm glow lighting the room from a few lamps dotted around the space. I sit in one of the plush sofas in the room and get comfortable. Once I sit, exhaustion sets in, the day’s insanity finally catching with me.
“You okay, Rem?” Creek asks as he sits down next to me, dropping his arm around my shoulders. I snuggle into him, resting my head on his shoulder.