𝔸𝕧𝕒

With Zane's hand rested on the small of my back, we follow Kami down the dimly lit street to a large, white concrete building with towering columns and dark, wrought iron doors. Kieran trails close behind. We step inside and a man in a fancy tux leads us down a corridor with white marble floors and light stone walls. As we walk, the low hum of music grows louder until we reach a sign that says 'Celebrating Alek and David'.

Another man in a tux opens the door for us and the sounds of jazz piano and crowd chatter fill the air. Before us is a gorgeous ballroom lit with soft red lighting. There's a platform in the center of the room with a live jazz band playing. Above them hangs a large, gold chandelier where a half-naked man is performing aerial acrobatics. Ladies in feathered white showgirl outfits hold trays of champagne and men in top hats pass out hors d'oeuvres.

"Whoa," I say, taking in the spectacle before me.

"No shit," Kieran says. "This is fucking dope."

"Is this normal?" I ask Zane. "Are Immortal parties always this extravagant?"

"No," he replies. "This is all David. He's really into the themed party stuff and it's their anniversary so I'm sure he wanted to go all out."

"David is the heir to a pretty massive railroad empire," Kami chimes in. "Big fancy parties were the norm for him growing up."

"Dayum!" Kieran says. "You think they're looking for a boyfriend?"

"I think you might get your ass kicked if you suggest it," Zane says with a chuckle.

A man in a top hat approaches us and offers to take our coats. I slip off mine and hand it to the man as the others do the same.

"Wow," Zane says, his eyes flashing green as he passes the man his own jacket. Of course he looks flawless in his black tux and bowtie. "This dress is something else."

"You saw the dress before," I say, feeling my cheeks heat up under his intense gaze. He did see the dress earlier on the hanger while I was getting ready, but by the time Kami had finished my side-swept hairdo and pinned my peacock-feathered headband into place, he had given up on waiting and was hanging out with Kieran in the living room.

"I didn't see it on you. Probably a good thing, too, as we never would've made it out of the house."

My boobs do look pretty fantastic in this.

"Come on, let's find a table," Kami says. This is the first time I've seen her outfit, a stunning, floor-length, glittery silver dress with art-deco detailing. She told me she was going to wear something she already owned, and from the looks of it this dress may actually be from the 1920s.

We weave our way through the crowd, grabbing ourselves champagne on the way, and find ourselves an available booth close to the stage. The booth is probably wide enough to fit eight people, so it easily accommodates our group of four.

As we sit, we're greeted by Alek in an impeccable all-white suit and a gold tie. David is at his side in a three-piece tweed ensemble complete with pocket watch. They may be the cutest couple I've ever seen.

At the very least, they're the cutest gay Immortal couple in complementary Gatsby outfits I've ever seen. That I'm sure of.

"So glad you could come!" Alek says in his low, buttery-smooth voice. Between his looks and his voice, he's so obviously unreal that it would be a miracle if he wasn't supernatural.

Alek and David exchange hugs with the group and Zane introduces them to Kieran. He seems to have gotten the message not to flirt with either of them, because he is surprisingly well behaved. After a few minutes of small talk, they excuse themselves to welcome their other guests.

We all sit and chat as we listen to the band and watch the aerial performer twist and contort in the air.

"How long is he gonna be up there?" Kieran asks.

"Aiming to shag the acrobat?" Zane asks.

"Look at him, Z-Man. His muscles have muscles. That man was sculpted by the gods. It would be a crime for me to not at least attempt to fuck that beautiful creature."

"You're a poet," he says sarcastically, laughing into his drink as he takes a sip.

"You guys want drinks?" Kieran asks. "I mean, other than champagne? I'm heading to the bar to grab something a little more demon-friendly."

"Beer, whatever's good. Cheers."

"I'm good," I say.

"Me too," Kami says. "I'm actually going to go mingle a bit anyway."

As Kami and Kieran exit the booth, Zane pulls me onto his lap. A devious smile spreads across his face as his eyes begin to glow.

"You look incredible tonight, love," he whispers into my ear, dipping into the curve of my shoulder to plant a kiss on my neck.

"You're not so bad yourself," I say. "Is this new or something you already owned in the twenties or something?"

"It's new. The gray houndstooth set that Kieran's wearing is an old one of mine, though. Lent it to him for tonight."

"Why didn't you wear it?"

His eyes shift and he looks down bashfully.

"Maybe I wanted to look good for my girl." He gives me a shy smile and I kiss him on the cheek.

I cuddle into his chest and listen to the jazz band play. My eyes scan the room and I'm almost overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of every single person in this room. I'm guessing there's a lot of Sirens here, because not only are they all absurdly gorgeous, but I also catch several eyes gleaming in the dark. One woman's eyes seem to even glow purple.

I guess I'm not in Kansas anymore. Or America, for that matter.

"Ten minutes," Kieran says as he hops back in the booth with drinks in hand.

"What?" I ask.

"Ten minutes 'til that stallion finishes up his routine." He gestures toward the aerial dancer. "I hope he hasn't used up too much energy, 'cause there's more gymnastics in store for him."

"TMI."

"Kieran is the human embodiment of TMI," Zane says with a laugh.

Good point.

"Heyyy!" a woman's voice rings, and I turn to match the voice to the face.

Tara approaches our table in a black mini-dress covered in gold, tinsel-like fringe. Her hair is slicked back into an immaculate ponytail and her golden skin glistens in the light.

Crap.

I was pretty sure I could handle this, but my insecurities are quickly bubbling to the surface. This woman is perfect, and I am so not perfect.

"Hey Tara," Zane says in a monotone voice, wrapping his arms tighter around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Hey there," Kieran interjects, giving her a slight wave as she smiles back.

"Mind if I sit?" she asks. Kieran offers her a seat beside him and she joins us.

Traitor.

"How do you know Zane?" he asks, apparently oblivious to the drama going on beneath the surface.

"Oh, we dated for a while." She shoots Zane a smile and bats her eyes.

"Yeah?" Kieran takes a sip of his drink. "That's crazy, I've known Zane for, like, half a century and he's never mentioned you."

Okay, I take that back. He's not a traitor, he's a friggin' legend.

"Huh," she says, poorly masking her irritation behind a forced smile. "Well, it was a long time ago."

"So what do you do, Tara?" I ask, trying to play the role of nonchalant girlfriend who is definitely not intimidated by the ex.

"I'm a model," she says with a smirk.

Of fucking course she's a model.

This is my chance. I just need to be super sexy and seductive with Zane and show this bitch who's boss.

"Oh cool," I mumble, shuffling off of Zane's lap. "I'll be right back, I need to run to the ladies' room."

Or—I could run and hide like a wimp.

I step out of the booth and make my way to the restrooms.

Great. Good job, Ava. You are literally running away from your problems.

I lean on the sink and stare in the mirror for a moment.

My makeup and hair were perfectly done by Kami. My dress is killer and my boobs look amazing. This is probably the hottest I've ever looked—and I'm still self-conscious.

Damn it.

It's impossible to be surrounded by precisely sculpted super-humans and not notice all the little things wrong with yourself.

Okay, nope. You know what, I'm done with this. I can't control my body, lord knows that's a battle I've lost, but I can go out there and kick ass.

I just may need to grab a shot on the way back.

As I exit the bathroom, I run into Kieran giving me a knowing look.

"Wha-... what are you doing here?"

"I'm checking on you," he says. "I kind of expected you to show that girl up but you bailed."

"Yeah..." I mumble, my eyes falling to the floor.

"Ava, you're a million times better than that chick. You don't have to take her shit."

"I know, but I feel so awkward. Trying to be all sexy and 'claim my man' in front of a literal Immortal model? It's intimidating."

"Was that your plan?" he asks with a laugh.

"It's apparently what Sirens do to tell other Sirens to back off. It's either that or a fistfight, which is definitely not going to go in my favor."

He smirks and narrows his eyes in a way that tells me he has a devious plan.

"Well you're in luck, Ava. If you need seduction tactics, you've come to the right man. Now take a sip of my drink and head back into the bathroom."

"Wha-... why?"

"I figure you don't want to take your panties off out in the open."

*****

I can't believe I'm doing this.

I take in a deep breath and head back to our booth.

Here goes nothing.

Zane is standing beside the booth while Kami and Tara are seated next to each other chatting.

"Hey, baby," he says as I approach, grabbing my waist and pulling me toward him. "You okay? I was just coming to check up on you."

"Yeah I'm fine," I say.

My heartbeat begins to quicken, so I distract myself by pulling him in for a kiss. When I pull back, his eyes are a vivid green.

"Are you trying to torture me?" he asks, his gaze scanning my body. "You and this dress are certain to give me a heart attack before the night ends."

"Well, the dress isn't the only part of this outfit you'll enjoy." I bat my eyes at him and bite my lip slightly.

"Fuck," he hisses.

"Zane," Tara calls. "Come sit back down."

He doesn't respond and he takes in a shaky breath as his eyes stay locked on mine.

"You are trying to torture me." He smirks and licks his lips. "Naughty girl."

I reach my hand into his suit pocket and slip the lace thong inside, leaning into his body.

"Here's a preview," I whisper into his ear.

"Zane?" Tara calls.

He reaches into his pocket and looks down briefly at the fabric before his eyes go wide and snap back to mine. He grabs the back of my head and, in a swift motion, his lips connect with mine. I kiss him back with equal force, my tongue sliding teasingly between his lips. I feel his hands migrate to my ass.

That's right, Tara. Get a good eyeful.

I hear her voice, but it's muffled as if it's far away. Kissing Zane has taken away both my anxiety and my ability to hear anything this woman is saying.

"Wow, okay," she huffs.

"You doing okay there, Tanya?" Kieran says. "You seem a little flustered."

I tune them out as I grab Zane's lapels and deepen the kiss, hearing a whine and mumble from Tara behind us. He moans against my mouth and I take the opportunity to nibble at his lip.

With a loud, frustrated grunt, Tara storms off and I turn to see Kami and Kieran laughing hysterically.

I think that means I win.