CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Simon stood in the corner of the party, people watching. Apparently, parties like this were rare in the panther clan, and when it did happen, everyone went all out—a fact that was obvious with how well-dressed everyone was and how the food piled up high like mountains on the long tables.
He didn’t like dressing up, but coming from a wealthy family in New York, he was used to affairs like these. He might have even expected it, hence he had an outfit prepared just for the occasion. The pressed black slacks and the silk maroon dress shirt weren’t much, but adding shiny shoes and a casual blazer made him look presentable and allowed him to blend in with people that were practically strangers.
They had a different culture at home, and this party showcased it well. Instead of having the party inside the cave or a closed function area like most would have done, the panther clan held it at the back entrance of the cave spilling into an open field, with bonfires planted all over and giving the whole area an illuminating effect. He could spot guards scattered around the perimeter, just as dressed up as the rest, and knew that despite the openness, no one would dare attack here.
The panther clan leader was already in attendance, conversing with some important people he invited that looked like humans to Simon. He spotted Isabella a few meters away with Dylan, and Dylan had his arm around her waist like it was the most natural thing in the world. Right. The pretend courting thing.
Dylan had briefed him and Robin about that, saying that it was an option he needed to take to get Isaac out of his comfort zone. It was a strategy Simon understood well, considering how many people spilled secrets when taken out of their comfort zones. He’d witnessed enough prisoners under interrogation during missions who let go of their pleasant masks when properly aggravated.
And based on the looks Isaac shot Dylan when he wasn’t looking, the panther shifter was aggravated.
Robin had been briefed to get her magic ready in case they needed to make an emergency escape. Speaking of the witch, she didn’t seem to be around yet. It worried Simon that she’d been too tired to join him for a proper meal earlier, and how her tiredness seemed to be lasting too long. Usually, a witch recovered after a few days—and Simon suspected that this had to do with her using more of her powers than she let on to heal.
She was so stubborn when it came to matters like that. Maybe he could give her a little scolding. He was older, after all, and had more experience.
Simon was already thinking about checking up on her when he heard her voice through his sensitive ears just a few meters away, right by the cave’s back entrance. Relief coursed through him, and he looked up to acknowledge her presence.
Time froze, and all other voices faded into nothingness.
The world took a step back.
Robin was being escorted by one of the guards, and she was smiling at the guard graciously. She was wearing a dress that was probably lent to her by one of the women here, because unlike him, she admitted that she wasn’t ready for any parties in this mission. The dress was a combination of silver and white, the sleeves resting just slightly off her shoulders and showing off the color of her skin perfectly. It cinched at the waist naturally, then fell down in a soft trail past her ankles, where he got a glimpse below of silver shoes and painted nails. Her hair was down and loose on her back, where some pearls were arranged to glint whenever they caught the light. But it was her face that made the difference—glowing, luminescent, and simply gorgeous, her lips looked plumper and her green eyes looked bigger and darker than ever.
His thoughts suddenly making him uncomfortable, Simon shook his head slightly. At the same time, she turned her head in his direction and caught sight of him. She moved in his direction right away, though her eyes were busy looking around, probably observing already.
“My head itches,” she hissed under her breath. “And my feet hurt.”
Simon’s lips twitched as he tried not to smile. That was the sarcastic Robin he knew underneath all the glamorous façade, and it made relief course through him.
“Part of the job,” was all he said before he decided to turn his attention back to the crowd. “Where did you get the dress?”
“Isabella lent it to me,” she muttered. “And had her darned friend Lana do my hair and makeup. Seriously, next mission with a party, I’m calling in sick.”
“Hmm.”
Robin tugged on Simon’s sleeves and led the way towards the food, where they spent a few minutes filling their plates and commenting on how much they missed New York food. The food here was good—it was just too exotic for Simon’s tastes, though he couldn’t complain. She didn’t seem to mind, either, as she worked her way through her food, paying particular attention to the desserts that were mostly delightful chocolate concoctions.
Dylan, Isaac and Isabella were now in the same spot and looking pleasant enough, with no tense undertones. Simon took that as a good sign. But there was something else he noticed.
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing, Rob?”
“That my scalp is practically showing in this hairstyle?”
Simon half-choked on his chicken.
Robin snorted. Then she stopped chewing and glanced in the direction he subtly indicated, fluttering her mascara-filled lashes and making him almost choke again. She ignored him and started chewing on a chocolate ball again.
“Odd,” she commented. “This should be a big sibling moment.”
“Exactly,” he murmured. Simon looked around again. Jason had to be around here somewhere, and he intended to find out where. It was more worry for the guy than anything, considering what he’d been through on that horrible island…but then again, one couldn’t be too sure about anyone these days. “Let’s investigate.”
Some dancers came, taking the middle of the clearing and twirling sticks with fire in the air. The crowd cheered, and Robin took advantage. She used a spell to mask their presence, and in less than a second they were both invisible except to each other. Impressed at her growing abilities, Simon put a thumb up.
She nodded in the direction of the cave entrance, where Jason had just shown up in his party attire. They both stood by as they watched Jason watch the dancers, then look to his siblings, then Dylan. Then he went back inside, leaving the show unannounced.
Simon and Robin took that as their cue to follow. They slipped through the crowd and guards and back inside the cave, with Robin removing her heels and the two of them keeping as quiet as possible. Jason kept walking until he reached the other end of the hallway, where he entered an inner courtyard and bypassed it. He took out his phone and called his sister, telling her that he was headed to the library and thought it would be best to lure their older brother there for a heart-to-heart talk without the intrusion of their brother’s men.
The two teens looked at each other. This wasn’t part of the plan—at least, not any part that Dylan had told them. And their clan leader basically told them everything that had gone on in their closed door meeting.
Just as the puzzle rolled around his mind, Jason turned to the left and disappeared from their sight. Simon inwardly cursed himself for missing the turn, knowing now they were going to have to find that library and find out what Jason was up to.
Robin signaled at Simon, insisting that they had to separate to find the panther shifter. Simon shook his head, knowing that wouldn’t be effective when Robin held the invisibility and Simon the strength. He was about to signal back at her that they needed to stick together when something happened—too fast for him to notice, and too late for him to stop.
Simon felt a blunt object hit the back of his head, at the same time he saw Robin crumple to the ground. There were claw marks on her dress. Then a second hit came, and pain reverberated.
Then the pain was gone as darkness took over.