Sloane and I peeled away from Poppy and Jessie. Were the bracelets working? There was no chance of knowing until we came across a warlock.
The Elites had tattoos. Runes that acted like a warlock alarm. I needed to get myself one of those, because right now I was clueless. We had no idea how many warlocks were in the building tonight, or how many humans hosting revenants were present. Would the bracelets work on them?
The crowd was thick, bodies moving to the music, making it impossible to get a good view of the place. Sloane reached for my hand and laced her fingers with mine, keeping a grip on me as we wove through the crowd.
I’d never held hands like this before. It was distractingly nice. Like she was taking care of me, which was stupid because she was simply making sure we didn’t get split up, but…nice.
A guy bumped into me, and Sloane tugged me closer, turning me to face her. One hand remained laced with mine, the other came up to rest on my hip. She pulled me close, head dipping so her mouth brushed my ear.
“Warlock at two o’clock. Brown hair, cream blazer, black shirt. Is he looking at us?”
I leaned in toward her and turned my head slightly, gaze flicking over the crowd until I spotted the warlock. His attention wasn’t on us, but on a group of women sipping cocktails. His lips curved in a smirk and then he jerked his head slightly. Something detached itself from the wall behind him—a crimson globule.
A revenant.
It formed quickly and drifted over to the group before circling to pick its prey.
I turned my head back to Sloane and my lips brushed her neck. She sucked in a breath and my pulse sped up.
“Revenant on the move.” My voice was a whisper, but the flex of her fingers on my hip told me she’d heard me just fine.
She pulled back slightly, her cheek brushing mine, mouth millimeters from my lips.
“Let’s go bag it,” she said.
Fuck my pulse.
I nodded mutely and allowed her to pull me across the floor. We headed in the direction of the group of women. There was a bar not too far behind them, so Sloane adjusted her trajectory to look as if we were headed there.
She tucked in her chin and spoke into her comm as we went. “South side, middle bar. Revenant sighting.”
The revenant slammed into one of the women, and she peeled away from the group and headed toward the shadows at the periphery of the club.
“Revenant on the move,” Sloane said into the comm.
We got to the bar and pretended we were waiting to get served. The warlock was still people-watching and we didn’t want him seeing us follow the revenant. Long minutes passed and Sloane’s jaw began to tick. She was agitated, and to be honest so was I. We were in the Order’s territory with only thin leather strips and charms to shield us. The warlock hadn’t noticed us, but that didn’t necessarily mean the glamour was working. He might just have been focused on hunting for prey for the revenants.
I needed to check on him.
I turned so my back was resting on the bar and smiled up at Sloane flirtatiously before allowing my gaze to slide toward the warlock.
The space where he’d been standing was empty.
I tipped my head toward her. “We’re clear.”
She nodded curtly and then led me away from the bar. We made a beeline for the shadows. Where had the woman gone?
There was no restroom or exit here. No…wait… What was that? I moved closer to the wall where a door was built into it so seamlessly it was easily missed if someone wasn’t looking for it.
“Sloane…” I pointed at the door.
“Good catch.”
“What have we got?” Poppy appeared at my side.
Sloane indicated the hidden door.
Poppy sashayed over, bubble-gum hair swaying against the small of her back, and then leaned up against the door all casual-like, drink in hand.
“Won’t open under physical pressure,” she said into her glass.
“No problem,” Jessie said. She joined Poppy, reaching around her to press her palm to the door. Her mouth moved with a spell and then the door popped open a crack.
With a quick look behind us, we hurried through and into the narrow gray corridor beyond.
“Secret space,” Jessie said. “Not creepy at all.”
Sloane pulled a blade from beneath her jacket. “Let’s find the human.”
The corridor led to a short flight of steps that ended in a landing and a door that was slightly ajar. A soft beeping drifted through the gap. Sloane caught my eye, her brow furrowing. That sound, rhythmic and even, reminded me of—
“Heart monitor?” Sloane whispered.
Jessie made a what-the-fuck face and then stepped forward to peer through the gap. She reared back, eyes wide.
“Fuck.”
“What is it?” Sloane shoved her aside to look into the room.
“What?” Poppy and I asked in unison.
Sloane backed up. “We need to leave. Now.”
“Dammit, Sloane,” Poppy said.
I needed to see. I slipped by Sloane and took a peek. My heart shot into my throat at the sight of the row of beds, each occupied by a human hooked up to a machine. Revenants hovered above each bed, pulsing as they fed. If they sensed us, they didn’t give any indication. This was an organized operation. Humans being used as feeding bags, vitals monitored to avoid death, but there was no sign of the woman we’d followed, and these humans looked gaunt and thin.
I backed up and closed the door. “We can’t take on ten revenants. Sloane’s right, let’s go.”
“Lost, ladies?” A smooth voice drifted up behind us. We spun to find a man staring up at us from the steps.
Oval-faced with dark, cropped hair and dark eyes, this was the meat suit from our last visit.
Fuck.
He tipped his head to the side and then his gaze flicked to the door behind us. “Ah, I see you’ve found our medical room. Some people have no idea what
