Iron Inheritance (20 page)

Nate nodded to her, then looked at me again. “Do you feel any different?”

It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. I blinked several times, but still couldn’t see essence fully. There were glimpses here and there, but nothing more. I shook my head. “What were you saying about a party, Ria?”

The hand holding her phone twitched, and she shook her head. “You owe me a graduation party, Evey. You’re going tonight, ’kay?”

I nodded, wanting to explain why I was alone, holding Nate’s hand in a dark library when she walked up. But how could I start that explanation with him still standing right next to me?

Ria glanced at Nate before she turned to walk away. “You can come too, if you want.”

Nate and I followed her out without saying another word.

The beach house grew out of the cliff as the Jeep’s tires crunched over the gravel between the road and the driveway. A modern, angular mansion of concrete and dark glass sprawled out before us. Carefully placed palm trees and stainless steel statues of angels stood in the center of the expansive driveway that had already fit twenty cars and had room for more.

“I think I’m going to like college parties.” Ria stepped out of the Jeep as Nate turned off the engine.

Josh’s shoulder bumped into mine as he leaned back to clamber out of the back seat. I leaned into the two inches of space Miranda had been given to sit. As all six of us got out, I couldn’t believe we’d fit in there at all.

“You’ve never been to a Patron party, have you?” Josh asked as I followed him out.

“I think it’s safe to say I haven’t been to most Patron anythings.” I flattened the silky folds of my knee-length red dress I’d meant to wear for graduation. It felt odd to be wearing it—something meant for a different time, a completely different part of my life.

“Ok, here’s the plan, team,” said Ria, turning around to face us like a general before battle.

Josh exchanged a much-needed smirk with me as we lined up. I returned it and waited to see if his gaze lingered on any part of my dress.

It didn’t, as much as I wished it would.

“First, we scout the food and mingle. Then, we dance our asses off and wait for word of the after party.” She paused at the look on my face. “Don’t test me, Brooks. You’re having fun tonight. That’s the end of it.”

Did that mean she was over whatever she thought she’d seen in the library? I’d tried to talk to her when we were getting ready, but she’d just pretended like she didn’t understand what I was saying.

It was certainly the fastest I’d ever seen her let go of something, especially something involving Nate.

Josh and Freddy saluted her. Josh wore a suit jacket over his typical black V-neck shirt. Like Nate, I seriously wondered if he owned seven sets of the same outfit. Freddy was quite the opposite. He wore a black suit with a silky yellow tie and handkerchief.

Ria smiled and locked her arm in Nate’s. A green tie was clipped to his neck to match the sensuous, dark green dress with a slit up to the middle of her thigh.

Miranda stepped up next to Ria, her pale yellow evening gown cascading down her slender form, white embroidered dragons licking up her hips.

“Miranda, after this thing’s over, you have to tell me where you got a dress like that so quick.”

“My mom worked for a fashion magazine. She used to send me all the leftovers after the shoots. My closet’s full of them.”

“For real? Like, you’re not joking right now?”

Miranda giggled, her honey brown hair tickling her shoulder. Not seeing her in purple plaid with paint brushes holding up her hair was almost too much of a change for me. “I use most of them for art projects, but you can take whichever ones you want.”

Ria’s expression was like Christmas morning and a rabid boy band fan wrapped into one. I thought she might cry.

“Consider it Mir-mir’s way of saying thanks for getting us invited.” Freddy locked his arm in Miranda’s.

“The whole school’s going to be here. Of course you’re invited.” Ria waved the comment out of the air.

“We aren’t usually,” Miranda said factually, not a hint of sadness. “Last time, I burned down a barn. That was at the beginning of my first year.”

Ria shook her head and inhaled, squeezing Nate’s arm tighter in hers. “Well, that’s in the past. Tonight, we’re just going to forget everything, and it’s going to be great.”

I watched the four of them walk arm-in-arm and waited for Josh’s presence to come closer to mine, his forearm to graze past my elbow.

Instead, he just stood next to me, his eyes narrowed at the front door.

The door swung inward, and a wave of dance music tumbled out before I could look sideways. As we stepped into the hallway, a deep bass rumbled up through my heels, rattling my bones all the way up to my molars. Ten steps later, the entire living area of the house unfolded before us. A chic living room with white leather sofas had about fifteen people lounging in a stupor of smoke and sound. Straight ahead, a long galley kitchen ended in a ten-foot peninsula of white marble and liquor bottles three rows deep. To our right, beyond a horde of people with drinks clutched to their chests like life preservers, an infinity pool rolled off the back deck and the cliff that the entire house was perched upon.

“Jeez, the least they could have done was sprung for a caterer.” Josh coughed behind me.

I smiled and turned around. “I know. Something like that really could have classed-up the joint.”

“Hey, baby.” Someone tapped me on the other shoulder.

I raised an eyebrow and turned around. What had he just called me?

“Oooh, baby.” Mr. Misogynist bit his knuckle in apparent disbelief, his shirtless, sculpted chest flexing as he leaned in closer. “Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?”

Beer breath shoved itself up my nose.

I clenched my fist and took a deep breath before my blood pressure rose. See, this was why I hated Ria’s parties. Everyone turned into an idiot.

“Ah, an angel joke.” I tilted my head to the side. “How original for a party full of Graced. Tell you what, you go and try that out on every girl in here. By the end of the night, you’ll get a glimmer of what it feels like to fall that far.”

He looked at me dumbly, my words too fast for his sluggish mind.

I rose a fist and stomped my foot on the floor as I stepped forward.

He blinked, scowled, and stumbled away.

I sneered at him. Last year, some guy had used that same line. It grated my nerves raw, but I didn’t say anything. Just smiled. I’d gone to parties like this with Ria all the time and simply nodded my head, laughed at stupid jokes, danced with guys too drunk to stand. All of it to get back at Grandpa for never letting me go out in the first place.

And now I was disobeying Morales’ rules. Hadn’t she just told me to stay on campus?

I shook my head and turned around to have Josh share my exasperation.“Can you believe this?”

He was gone, and when I faced forward again, so was the rest of my group.

“Josh?” I turned around again and squinted with a deep breath of effort to see his essence.

A puff of smoke blew past my eyes.

“Eve. Where’s Eve?” Nate’s frantic voice called over the music.

I shoved my way through the crowd and wiped my eyes as they started to water. Maybe Josh went to the kitchen? Why would he leave me there with Mr. Beer Breath?

Nate slipped through the crowd’s entangled, dancing limbs and stood in front of me.

“Have you seen Josh?” I said.

He shook his head and stood on his toes to look. It didn’t help much.

“He was just behind me,” I said, looking around.

Ria was already dancing on the deck, continually glancing our way. Freddy and Miranda were sitting on some bar stools flipping a coin, happy, but out of place. Everyone who had to pass by gave them a wide berth and nasty looks. But Josh, it was like he’d disappeared.

Nate tugged on my hand gently. “Come on, let’s stick together.”

I slipped my hand out of his, took a deep, calming breath, and leaned in so he could hear me. “Go take care of Ria, and lay off grabbing my hand. Do it again, and she’s liable to come over here and rip your head off.”

Nate looked back just before Ria could look away, his eyes narrowed curiously. “Affirmative,” he said, watching Ria walk away. “Are you sure you’ll be ok?” He scanned the room like we were in enemy territory.

“If Babylonians come bursting through the door, I’ll scream the code word before I punch anyone. Good enough?”

“One word of that spicy sauce and my whip’s coming out.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Still with the Indiana Jones kick, eh?”

Nate grinned. “At least now you get the connection.”

I turned back toward the front door and continued to look for Josh. What was going on with him these days? He didn’t come to classes. He received secret missions from Denisov. He always looked so happy to see me, and yet he ditched me now?

No one was in the driveway.

Bedroom number one was locked.

Bedroom number two held five people jumping on a bed.

Bedroom number three had a couple making out.

Every step forward sent my opinion of Patrons farther down the pit. I knew they could be every bit as pretentious and judgmental as any other human, but I’d hoped it didn’t extend to crazy parties like this.

When I came back into the kitchen, Freddy and Miranda had a crowd around them. They still sat on the same stools and flipped the same coin, except at the top of the arch Miranda seemed to be making it levitate for a few seconds longer than it should have. Several people I recognized from Duke’s class seemed impressed. I guess it wasn’t every day they saw what a Miracle could do.

Not that I had either…

“Seems like quite a daring trick to do indoors,” said a deep voice to my right.

I turned and met a soft cloud of cologne dressed in a white-collared shirt and blue slacks. “Why do you say that?”

“Miranda’s nickname. Frederick’s disposition to always up the ante on the trick.” He raised an eyebrow. “I thought they came in with you.”

“They did.” I nodded. “I just—who are you?”

He shook his head and smiled. “Don’t worry. My father’s insured everything down to the silverware. Care to hear each other talk?” He extended his hand toward the back deck.

I nodded. “You’re the host. Ara?”

He took my hand and kissed it, dry lips brushing against my skin. “Charmed.”

Ara steered me to a tall, candle-lit table at the edge of the deck. The soft thunder of waves colliding with the cliff echoed up from below. A few seconds of silence passed before he said anything, his eyes trained curiously on me.

“So tell me, Evelyn, how are you liking Patron society so far? I was sorry to hear about your grandfather,” he added.

“It’s—” I paused as several girls in neon bathing suits stepped out of the pool. “Interesting, to say the least.” I smiled politely.

“You truly are every bit as beautiful as you’ve been described. Have you ever thought about acting?”

I blushed a shade deeper than my dress and looked away, even though part of me gagged over how cliché this was turning out.

“I’m serious. You should be in my next movie.” He cupped his chin in his hand as he leaned on the table.

“You’re in the movie business, are you?” I raised an eyebrow.

He nodded, a blinding smile spreading between his lips. “I could make it happen.”

I squinted at the rest of the people on the deck, trying to get a glimpse of their essence. How could I know that they were even Patrons? “Don’t the Babylonians have that industry pretty much locked up? That’s the reason there hasn’t been an overt attack in so long—they prefer other means of corruption.”

“Until a week ago when a certain someone met one of their extras in a subway.” He winked. “I’d say they’re shifting strategies. Besides, Patrons own at least a quarter of that market as well, and we’re expanding. Just last week we bought out a Babylonian production company in downtown.” The more he talked of business, the less his suave expression seemed to exist.

“Wait, so you know who all the Babylonian companies are? Where they are?”

“Sure.” He nodded. “The most influential is in Hollywood. They have large production stages and a suite of offices. Why? You thinking about going with them to launch your career?” His sweet smile swiveled back onto his lips.

“Incoming!” someone yelled above us.

I looked up in time to see a girl in a neon green bikini cannonball from the second-story roof into the pool. A monsoon of water splashed out toward everyone in the vicinity. They all shouted props to the girl who’d jumped as she swam toward the end next to the cliff and started a splashing fight, her hair the same shade as Ria’s.

Ara laughed. “Pesahs are always the first. That reminds me of your friend. What’s her name? All the Pesahs call her Cap, short for Captain. They say she’s organizing a rebellion this fall. Too hot during the summer.”

“Her name’s Ria. She—” My eyes widened as another girl cannonballed into the pool from the roof. She barely missed the first girl. “She could’ve really gotten hurt.”

“Danger is part of being a Patron.” Ara smiled. “Pesah or not. Matter of fact, Pesahs are probably more daring than most of the Warriors I know.”

I breathed heavily and turned back toward the house, making my way straight for the stairs. What if Ria was up there? This was definitely something she’d do on a dare.

I raced up the stairs two at a time, maneuvering between lip-locked couples in desperate need of some privacy. When I got to the top, the music was quieter than in the main part of the house below, but there were just as many people.

I saw Miranda and Freddy on the dance floor leading a small group of their fans in a wacky version of the electric slide.

“What happened?” said Nate when I stammered up to him in the back corner of the roof as he snickered at something Ria was doing on the dance floor.

“We should go.”

“What happened?”

“No, it’s just—” I looked over at Ria doing her signature move—tiny punches that made her look like an epileptic.