The stone floor chilled my bare feet, making me quicken my step until I found a staircase that led down. Remembering all the rooms, turns, and hallways seemed impossible.
I tugged on the drawstrings hanging from the collar of my hood, skulking in the shadows and searching for signs of life. The first floor was brightly lit, which led me to believe that people were down there.
A burst of laughter echoed from the end of a hall, and I quietly moved toward the sound of chatter. I entered a room through an archway and noticed a wall dividing that room from another. There were booths like you’d see at a restaurant, tucked against a series of arches on the short divider wall. Through the open arches, all I could make out in the dark room was a crackling fireplace.
As I turned left, I stopped dead in my tracks. Several people rose from a long wooden dining table filled with food.
I took a step back when one of them palmed a steak knife.
One man was a giant, and his upper and lower canines punched out in an aggressive display. His Chitah eyes were bright gold, and his predatory gaze made me flinch. It was like looking directly at a lion about to devour you for dinner. Aside from Christian, his was the only Breed I recognized.
I broke the silence. “I’m not sure if one of you was in my room earlier, but if anyone comes into my domain without explicit permission, I’m going to impale you in a way that will give you the very best idea of what it feels like to be a corn dog.”
A violet-haired young woman bubbled with laughter and then covered her mouth when the others gave her scornful glances.
Viktor rose from the head of the table and closed the distance between us. “This is our newest inductee, Raven Black.” He blocked my view and lowered his voice. “Come with me. You can’t be in here.”
“Can’t I?”
He seized my upper arm and led me out. “You’re not official yet. Until you’ve gone through our tests, you can’t sit with us. Those are the rules.”
The talking resumed in the dining room, and I wriggled out of his grasp. “What’s with all the candles?”
“Immortals rely on modern conveniences far too much. I find them to be a distraction. I don’t allow televisions, radios, or electricity in most rooms. This is a large house, and I’m a frugal man. I do not wish to pay thousands of dollars a month so you can leave a lamp on all night. I place electricity where it’s needed.”
We headed down a dark, narrow staircase, and he opened a door to an enormous gym filled with exercise equipment on one side and open space on the other. Unlike the rest of the mansion, there were overhead lights.
“Stay here while I get Niko.”
“Who’s Niko?”
But he was already gone. There were elliptical machines, treadmills, weights, and workout equipment I didn’t recognize. A long rope hung from the ceiling, and I even spotted jump ropes. One section of the wall displayed various weapons and target boards.
Between the estate and everything within, these guys were loaded. Either that or some of them came from old money. Maybe I could work for them just long enough to get a substantial amount of cash and buy a place of my own.
Viktor returned with a man following behind him. He looked about six feet with an average build of lean muscle. Aside from his black hair, which was wispy and long, what stood out were his almond-shaped eyes. The blue was almost colorless—like crystal waters beneath sunlight. He appeared to be of mixed Asian descent with strikingly handsome features, chiseled cheekbones, and skin as pale brown as desert sand. By the looks of his tight biceps and broad shoulders, he was also a man who conditioned his body as though it were a weapon.
Without televisions or radios, I could understand why someone would spend hours down here.
He turned his head in my direction and suppressed a smile. “She’s a girl.”
“How you can tell that I’ll never understand,” Viktor said. “Raven, this is Niko. Niko, meet Raven Black. She’s half Mage, and that’s why I’ve called you down.”
His brows knitted. “Half?”
“The better half,” I said. “Are you a Mage?”
He gave a short grin and inclined his head.
Viktor gestured toward my bare feet and chuckled. “You came prepared. I like that.”
“What’s this all about?”
“I take it that since you’re living on the streets, you’ve never had your gifts measured by the Mageri. Am I right?”
Measuring was something the Mageri did to document the gifts of a Mage brought in the legal way, which I hadn’t been.
Viktor stroked his trimmed beard. “We’re going to test your skills—both strengths and weaknesses. We don’t keep secrets in this house, and it’s important we know what your limitations are. Everything within these walls is kept secret, and that includes what you learn about others. Those who break the rules will suffer the consequences. Since you’re a crossbreed, we’ll start with your Mage skills and go from there.”