Sebastian and the others lucked out. They found another bus that would take them into Las Vegas with minimal stops and transfers. After a little persuading from Remy, and a little help from Imogen, they snagged another four tickets and were on their way.

Unlike the drive out of Montreal, this one was much less eventful. No Redfangs on their tail-as far as he knew. No Shades popping up out of the shadows and attacking them. None of that. The ride went by as smoothly as possible.

Sebastian was surprised. Surely his father hadn't given up.

Wishful thinking.

Even in the face of defeat, Thorian Tedorof never gave up. He'd never stop until he completed his mission.

That meant Sebastian had to stay ready at all times. While his companions spent the bus ride talking, joking, and sleeping, he stayed up-eyes glued to the window as he searched the landscape for anything out of the ordinaire. He only let himself rest his eyes for a few hours of their twenty-six-hour journey into Nevada.

He could sleep when he was dead.

Before he knew it, they had arrived in the land of vagrants and thieves. Or stars and extras. Of heroes and villains.

Sitting smack dab in the center of an arid desert was Las Vegas. The city stood out like a Tenebrian magician amongst the bright-eyed battlemages of House Brynjir. High mountains loomed in the distance, towering over the pristine skyline ahead.

Sebastian had never been before, but he'd heard stories from Jasper and the other Rooks. He wondered if they were just stories or if the city was truly as crazy as they claimed. There was only one way to find out.

As the bus delivered them into the city, Sebastian studied his surroundings.

Neon lights-somehow still noticeable despite it being in the middle of the afternoon-glowed on the fronts of the buildings lining the streets bustling with life. Interesting characters populated the sidewalks, no doubt heading towards the nearest hotel, casino, or shopping center.

Sebastian turned his nose up at all the ordinaires. They were so oblivious to everything. It made him sick.

He glanced at Makaela. She had her hands and face pressed against the window, her eyes wide with awe as she took in the sights.

"Hey, look it's the Eiffel Tower," she joked, pointing at a much smaller replica of the famous French structure.

"Cute." Sebastian rolled his eyes.

Out the window opposite of him was a huge fountain surrounded by a lake of blue water. A fancy hotel with Italian architecture stood behind it. Gushing water shot out from the small pool, turning different colors as the geysers corresponded with the techno music blaring out speakers in the background.

He groaned into his hand, averting his eyes from the window.

The city was one huge cliché. He could see why Jasper liked it so much.

"This place looks like fun," Remy said from the seat behind him.

"Yeah, it is," Imogen said. "If you're twenty-one and older, that is. For us, there's almost nothing to do here."

Sebastian paled. He almost forgot.

Makaela frowned at him. "What?"

"I forgot to mention this earlier, but Jasper's nightclub is for adults only," he revealed. Rubbing the back of his neck, he smiled sheepishly. "I'm not sure how Remy's going to get in." He glanced at Imogen. "Hey, how old are you?"

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to ask a lady her age?"

He replied with a deadpan look.

"I'm eighteen, asshole."

Great. Now they just had to worry about getting Remy inside.

"Can't you just get your friend to let us in?" Makaela asked him.

"I mean, I can try, but he's not an easy guy to get ahold of," he said. "Worst-case scenario, we're going to have to sneak inside."

Imogen rubbed her hands together. "I like your style."

"Calm down," Sebastian said. "It won't be nearly as exciting as you think it'll be."

The girl shot him a suggestive look. "Then we can make it exciting."

He was well aware of her flirting. She had been trying to get his attention since he met her. He would've been lying if he said he didn't find her attractive, but he didn't have any time for that right now.

Besides, his eye was on someone else at the moment.

He stole a glance at Makaela. The girl had fixed her stare outside, her jaw taut.

She's cute when she's jealous.

Keeping his thought to himself, he peered at the digital clock at the front of the bus. It was only ten in the morning. Jasper's club, Nightfall, wouldn't open its doors until ten that night. They had a whole twelve hours to burn in a city they knew nothing about.

His brow furrowed.

What the hell were they going to do for twelve hours?

The bus came to a stop. "Alright, everyone. We've arrived," the bus driver announced. The doors opened. This time, a gust of hot, dry air entered the vehicle. Sebastian could already feel himself starting to sweat. Peeling off his jacket, he tied it around his waist and rose from his seat.

"Well, alright then," he told his group. "Welcome to Las Vegas."

❁

"Does everyone know the plan?"

After getting off the bus, Sebastian created a strict schedule for them all to follow. In exactly ten hours, they were to meet back up at the bus station before heading over to Nightfall to find Jasper. They were free to do whatever before then, so long as they arrived at the rendezvous point on time.

He couldn't stress that last part enough.

Had it been up to him, they would've camped outside the nightclub until the sun went down. But Makaela, Remy, and Imogen wanted to explore the city. He kept reminding them that they weren't on vacation, but it was clear he was outnumbered. Relenting, he figured a couple of hours roaming around wouldn't hurt them.

He hadn't seen any sign of Shades or Redfangs around in the last few hours. They had likely lost their trail back in Chicago.

He could've done with a little relaxation himself.

"Yeah, yeah," Imogen said. "Meet back here at nine, watch out for murderous magicians, yadda yadda." Draping an arm around Remy's shoulders, she dragged him off down the sidewalk toward a row of bustling shops. "We'll be fine!"

Remy turned, his eyes wide with worry. "Save me!"

Giggling, Makaela waved him goodbye as he and Imogen disappeared into the crowd. With a huge smile on her face, she turned to Sebastian.

"Are we going to go explore or are you just going to stare at me like you've been petrified?"

"Explore," he responded shortly. He stepped in front of her, making sure she couldn't see how red his face was getting.

Women didn't tend to make him nervous, but there was something about those golden eyes and full lips of hers that made his knees buckle. The typical confidence usually found in his voice dissipated whenever he was around her. He hoped she hadn't noticed.

"Where are we headed?" she asked as they walked.

"No clue." He pointed up ahead. "Let's start there."

"Good idea."

The more they walked and immersed themselves in ordinaire culture, the more Sebastian longed to go home. While he had been around them more than a few times, it had never been like this before. Everything about them felt wrong. Their buildings were modern, their fashion strange, and their food choices were extremely unhealthy. Technology and pollution were everywhere he looked. Cars clogged the streets, their noises filling his ears and their emissions choking the air. Everything and everyone was loud. Too loud. His father might've been a genocidal maniac, but he was onto something when it came to his views on the ordinaires.

Something needed to be done about them.

Their buildings were modern, their fashion strange, and their food choices were...unhealthy. She didn't understand how they lived the way they did. Cars clogged the streets, their noises and emissions fogging up the air. And everyone and everything was loud. Too loud.

His face scrunched up at the sounds.

"You look like you want to die," Makaela pointed out.

I do.

She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You're sucking all the fun out of this. This is supposed to be fun."

Fun?

He pondered her words. The concept was a little foreign to him. Growing up with his father, and eventually the rest of the Order, didn't leave him with many opportunities for fun. All he knew was eat, sleep, train, and magic. For years, those were the only things that mattered to him.

That was his past, though. Things didn't have to be like that for him anymore. Makaela was right-they were supposed to be having fun. There wouldn't be many more opportunities to relax after the day ended; he decided he would enjoy their short detour to Hodvekt while he still could.

Grinning, he grabbed her hand. "Fun. I'll show you fun." She tilted her head at him, lips upturned.

Before she could reply, he pulled her behind him like an eager dog on a leash in search of the first thing he could find. As they went, a sweet smell-reminiscent of the cinnamon treats his mother made him as a child-met his nose. His feet moved on their own as he made a beeline for the source. Makaela laughed behind him as she struggled to keep up.

Eventually, his nose led him to a cart boasting red and white flags and a glass container full of sweets. A man in an apron stood next to it, waving at people as they passed by, doing his best to attract attention to his goods. There wasn't a single person lined up to buy anything from him, though.

That was about to change.

Sebastian walked right up to the man with Makaela at his side.

"What are those?" He pointed at the sugary treats.

"Cinnamon rolls, my friend." The apron-clad man grabbed a pair of tongs before retrieving one of the frosting-covered treats. "Here. Try one."

Sebastian took it with caution, examining the circular-shaped roll drenched with sticky, white frosting. Breaking it in half, he handed the other piece to Makaela. They shared a wary glance before taking a tentative bite out of the cinnamon roll.

His taste buds exploded with pleasure as he devoured it. To his surprise, it tasted just like the sweets his mother used to make. The memory of her baking in the kitchen with her favorite purple apron tied around her waist filled his head.

For once, he didn't want to cry when he thought of her.

Pleasant memories of the woman didn't come to him often. He was going to hold onto this one until he couldn't anymore.

Beside him, Makaela wiped the sugar from her mouth. "Wow, that was really good." She turned to the man with a huge grin on her face. "Thank you so much!" Her face fell. "We don't have any money, though-"

"Oh, no, don't worry about it!" The man shrugged. "First sale of the day is always free."

Makaela thanked him again. As they walked off, Sebastian noticed more people lining up to buy his churros. Perhaps all he needed was a few people to help drum up interest.

An ordinaire had never done something like that for him before. Kindness wasn't a common trait amongst Tenebrian magicians and Shades. Before Imogen, he had never even had a conversation with an ordinaire. His father always told him to keep his distance. In the man's eyes, they were lesser beings. They were lowly pests on this planet deserving of extermination. Inferior in every sense of the word.

Maybe he was wrong.

Maybe ordinaires could be good too.

Beside him, Makaela liked the sugar from her fingers. He couldn't help but stare as she did so. She didn't stop after she caught him staring. A coy smile settled on her mouth.

"Wanna take a picture? It'll last longer."

"I prefer looking at the real thing."

She blushed.

"Who know you could be so smooth?"

He shrugged.

The two of them roamed the city for the next few hours, taking in the sites Las Vegas had to offer. They stopped to watch buskers on the street perform tricks and dances for a small audience. A man dressed in a suit sitting at a small table on the sidewalk stopped them, urging them to take part in his magic show.

Sebastian knew the man wasn't a magician. He bore no mark on his palm and was quite obviously trying to con people out of their money. Yet, in the spirit of fun, he obliged. With Makaela standing behind him the entire time with a cheeky grin on her face, the two of them beat the fake-magician at his own game. They made out with a few American dollars, which they spent on more ordinaire pastries.

He was actually having fun.

They continued to walk, passing by countless stores and shops, occasionally stepping inside to take a look. Almost every worker they saw gave them looks that indicated they weren't welcome.

Did they look that out of place?

But after Sebastian caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror, he realized he looked a little worse for wear. Dark bags pulled the skin beneath his eyes and the heat was starting to cause him to sweat through his clothes. He had already taken off his jacket. The only thing left for him to remove was his shirt.

He couldn't do that. Not in public, anyways.

As they passed by a few hotels, he noticed the sun dropping from the sky as it journeyed toward the horizon. The lights draping across the high rises burned brighter as more people poured out onto the streets. If he thought the city was crowded before, he hadn't seen anything yet.

Las Vegas was waking up.

Makaela stayed close to Sebastian. She squeezed his hand gently now and then as she looked around. Her other hand was pressed firmly against her duffel bag. The Illumio was hidden safely inside. Sebastian, on the other hand, had to fend off several scammers and thieves as they attempted to swindle him out of the ring he wore.

The Obscurio wasn't for sale. Not for anyone.

"What time is it?" she asked after a while.

Sebastian squinted at an advertisement board built into the front of a hotel. "Almost eight. We should head back to the bus station. Remy and Imogen will be waiting for us soon."

"Right."

Above them, the sky gradually shifted from a bright azure to a gradient of oranges, marigolds, and magentas. Sebastian was never one to admire sunsets, be he couldn't help but marvel at the sight around him. Out the corner of his eye, he spotted couples holding hands and embracing beneath the setting sun. He shifted his feet uncomfortably before looking down at Makaela at his side. She held a smile on her face as she watched the sun sink beneath the horizon.

"Hey," he said.

She faced him. "Yes?"

"This was fun. Thanks."

"For what?"

"For showing me a good time."

She squeezed his hand again. "Anytime."

As they stood beneath the sky, bathing in the warm sunlight before it vanished for the night, he stared into her brilliant eyes. She looked up into his, her eyes half-open. He leaned forward, and she did the same.

Just before their lips could touch, someone bumped into him. Scowling, he spun on his heel to address the culprit.

"Sorry, man," the person slurred. Their breath smelled of cheap booze. Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Watch where you're going, idiot."

"Hey, dude, chill."

Makaela patted Sebastian on the shoulder before steering him away from the day drinker. It wasn't even night yet and people were already wasted. He couldn't say he was surprised. Back at Castle Braexus, Igor-one of his father's knights-spent almost every waking hour sipping from a flask. He never knew what was in it, though. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Alright, tough guy," Makaela said with a laugh as they walked off. "Let's go meet up with the others."

Shaking his head, he followed behind her.

They had been so close. A few more inches and they would've kissed. He wondered what was going through her head right now. He would've done anything to just get a glimpse inside. His face well.

What if he didn't get another chance?

He clenched his fists.

No, he'd get another chance with her. He was sure of it.

It would have to wait, though. Nightfall awaited them.