“No, no, and absolutely not!” Raen was shouting at me for the third time. “Forget it. It’s too dangerous. He’s a Supreme!”

  “But Raen, this is the fastest way to get to Fogan and figure out whether he had anything to do with Lizbeth’s death. You’ll be there. You’ll be watching his reaction. You’ll have my back.”

  “Alice, do you not understand that we have nothing to counter a Supreme with? If he’s involved in the murder, he’ll get rid of you before we can even blink!”

  The vampires, uncharacteristically, stayed silent. They were locked in a long, unreadable staring contest with each other while Raen paced furiously across the office. I sat there, arms crossed, refusing to budge.

  “Alice,” Andreas finally said, “there’s one more issue. Aside from, you know, the whole lethal danger thing.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “There’s no point in casting an illusion on you,” he added.

  Raen stopped mid-step, looking at the vampire with sudden hope. Thomas picked up where his twin left off.

  “You’re too tall. Sure, it’s easy enough to tweak your face, hair, and, uh, curves. But not your height. Even a very good illusionist can’t shrink a person by a head. And you’re taller than the original by at least that much. Fogan would notice the difference instantly.”

  I winced. Unfortunately, the twins were right. Strange that neither I nor Raen thought of it first. I must’ve gotten too excited by the idea, and he… well, he’d gotten way too agitated. Honestly, it was a little surprising—such a strong reaction over my potential danger.

  “But the general idea of getting close to him at one of our casinos isn’t bad,” Andreas added. “Given his fondness for gambling, I think he’d be interested. I’ll talk to our father, see if he can prepare an invitation for Fogan. It won’t be easy though—his casinos aren’t open to just anyone. Our father personally vets every candidate.”

  “A Supreme vampire isn’t ‘worthy’ enough?” Raen asked, clearly intrigued now that Alice was out of immediate danger.

  “There are a lot of rumors about him,” Thomas explained. “And our father hates trouble. He doesn’t tolerate criminal types. But we’ll convince him. Worst case, we get Mom involved.”

  “And then what?” Raen asked skeptically. “Fogan shows up and you just ask him where he was during Lizbeth Vemund’s murder?”

  Andreas let out a frustrated sigh and said nothing.

  “Alright… but what if we don’t use the illusion on me?” I said more quietly this time. “I have a friend who’s closer in height. And she’s better at slipping into character.”

  Raen looked at me like I’d just proposed marrying Fogan.

  “Alice, are you out of your mind? Involving civilians in an active investigation? That’s not just reckless — it’s a direct violation of protocol.”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “She’s not exactly a civilian,” I replied calmly. “Lillian’s a succubus and a licensed attorney. She’s registered, arcane-credentialed, and authorized to participate in certain legal proceedings—especially if granted provisional access. And her charms work on men of any race. He won’t touch her.”

  Unless she gets interested in him first, I said to myself.

  The twins exchanged a glance.

  “So she’s not just a friend, she’s a friend with credentials?” Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “At least this idea sounds halfway reasonable,” Andreas muttered.

  Raen’s gaze flicked sharply between me and the twins. He rubbed his forehead, visibly torn.

  “This is madness,” he finally said, resignation battling anger in his voice. “But I suppose if anyone could handle a Supreme vampire…” His eyes snapped back to mine, narrowed and intense. “It would be a succubus. Alice, are you absolutely certain your friend can handle the risks? And would agree to all this?”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” I said with a grin, pulling out my comms amulet. “She lives for chaos.”

  An hour later, the door swung open and in walked my friend.

  Lillian had traded her usual seductive flair for a white tailored suit and a sharp ponytail, but she still looked like she belonged on the cover of Arcana Vogue. Both vampires visibly stiffened. I could swear Andreas’s jaw dropped. Even Raen's eyes flicked over her figure with more interest than I liked. That last part bothered me more than I wanted to admit, and I felt a flicker of unease.

  “Good afternoon,” she said, voice smooth as satin. “I’m Lillian Tront. Alice, what a charming way to introduce me to your coworkers.” Her eyes found Raen, and her smile turned deliberate.

  I saw that look. I'd seen it before, when she swooned over his arcanegraph in the newspaper. But seeing it in person made something twist hard in my chest. I hated the feeling—unexpected, irrational, and definitely unwanted. Shaking myself mentally, I forced my focus back onto the mission, ignoring the uncomfortable twinge that lingered.

  Lillian sauntered to my desk, sat right on top of it, and crossed her legs—flashing just enough confidence to silence the room.

  “Lilly,” I hissed under my breath, “this isn’t one of your games. We actually need your help. So knock it off!”

  She glanced at me, then at Raen, then back again. A smirk tugged at her lips… but then her expression shifted. Focused. Professional. She slid off the desk and onto the chair beside mine, surveying the room.

  “What exactly do you need from me?” she asked, cool and composed. “Also, introductions, please? I don’t like being rude.”

  I exhaled in relief and shot her a grateful smile.

  Once introductions were made, we brought her up to speed. As I expected, Lillian lit up at the idea of this new escapade. The twins hovered like enchanted idiots, trying everything from offering tea to suggesting dinner at the White Orchid. She ignored them with polite indifference. Definitely not her type.

  Raen, though… I glanced at him. He was watching her with wary curiosity. I didn’t like that, either.

  “I still don’t like any of this,” muttered the source of my nerves.

  “Don’t worry, Arcanis,” Lillian replied. “I know my way around powerful men. And dangerous ones. He won’t lay a finger on me unless I allow it.”

  Raen stared at her long and hard. She met his gaze without blinking.

  Then, slowly, he nodded.

  Before we could get down to planning, the door banged open once more—Tyler, with a skinny teenager in tow.

  “Sorry to interrupt the… whatever this is,” Tyler drawled, “but I brought the illusionist.”

  The kid gawped at Lillian, nearly tripping over his own feet. But Tyler, on the other hand? Nothing. No smirk, no fluster, no double-take. Just a brief, professional nod her way—as if she were anyone, not a succubus in killer heels.

  Lillian blinked, caught off guard. I bit back a smile. Of all the men in the room, only the wolf seemed immune. Lillian raised an eyebrow in visible confusion but offered a neutral nod back.

  Ironic… I thought. A man’s lack of interest is the only thing that manages to unnerve her—not a Supreme vampire, not the illusionist kid, not even Raen’s glare. Just that simple, uninterested nod from the shapeshifter.

  I snapped my fingers to call everyone to attention. “Alright, focus up. If you’re not nervous yet, now’s the time.”

  Silence.

  Maybe, for once, we all understood just how reckless this was. Or maybe we just finally stopped pretending not to.