"Wear this," Vaerion commanded, extending his hand toward Asuriel. A full-face red mask appeared in his palm in a puff of red and black mist.
It had ornate golden designs painted around the eyes and lips, with feathers protruding from the right side. Surprisingly, it was made of sturdy material rather than the thin plastic that Asuriel expected. She took it without question and tied it to her face.
"I guess it makes sense you'd hide your identity since no one knows who the Ashen Crown's leader is," Asuriel said.
Vaerion nodded in affirmation. "Yes. It's another reason I hide my tattoos while working at the company. It would be inconvenient if anyone figured I was the same person."
The devil summoned an identical black version to wear. When together, they looked like two halves of a whole.
His eyes lingered on Asuriel, and a realization crossed his face. Vaerion reached over, touched the end of her braid, and studied it carefully. The white color it had taken at the tips was interesting but recognizable. Too recognizable.
"When you go back to work, we'll have to change your hair back to solid black so that no one from the underworld recognizes you as the Sovereign's companion," he said.
"Oh, I hadn't even considered that," Asuriel nodded. "But that makes sense. Good thinking, boss."
After both were ready, they exited the car. To her surprise, Darion awaited them a few paces from where Vaerion had parked on the side of the road.
"Did you prepare everything?" Vaerion asked.
Darion gave a nod. "Yes, sir."
"Well done. Go, then; we should be done within an hour," Vaerion stated. "If things go awry, you know what to do."
"Yes, sir," the demon repeated, his silvery gray eyes staring back at his master with an earnest gaze.
Vaerion said nothing more and started walking away. Asuriel dutifully tagged behind him, her heels clicking loudly against the pavement. The sky had gone dark with no remnants of the sunset, and no stars were to be seen. Light pollution and smog inoculated the view, which made the already sketchy side of town even more ominous.
Smoke and expensive cologne overwhelmed Asuriel's senses as the devil led her through the casino doors where the meeting would be held. Vaerion had explained to her on the ride there that the casino was considered a neutral space for all the shady organizations. It was essential to have a 'sanctuary' for them to meet up in cases of emergency.
Most of the people they would be meeting were human, except for one demon called Kazuo. The demon had a tacit understanding not to step on Vaerion's toes, though, so he shouldn't cause any problems. It was likely the instinctual infernal hierarchy keeping him in check.
A short walk to an elevator took them down to the third sublevel. Asuriel reached to grab Vaerion's hand, whose infernal markings immediately reacted to her touch. Fortunately, the magical interaction wasn't glowing since their tattoos weren't touching each other, but it was no less exhilarating.
He looked askance at her but said nothing, allowing her to hold his hand without complaint. After stepping out of the elevator, they were greeted by a poised young man, probably no older than eighteen or nineteen. His hair was dirty blond and fell lazily over his eyebrows, and he wore a red vest with black slacks. Asuriel supposed he likely worked for the casino, not one of the gangs.
"Welcome, Sovereign," he greeted, then glanced at Asuriel, "and..?"
"My guest, Umbra," Vaerion stated sharply. He didn't even look at the attendant. "Lead the way."
Asuriel raised an eyebrow – not that it could be seen behind the mask – surprised by Vaerion's quick decision on an alias for her. She liked how it sounded, though, so she had no complaints.
The young man gave a tight-lipped smile and did as he was told. He led the pair into a secluded room where a large circular table was set up with five chairs positioned around it. Three of the chairs were already occupied. All three individuals were dressed in designer suits of varying colors and shapes: two men, and the third was a woman.
"Wonderful," the woman said, her voice dry and sarcastic. "Now we're only missing Fangs – who is late, as usual."
One of the men in suits, who had red hair and matching scarlet eyes, added, "Hopefully, he doesn't show up, so we have a reason to kill him."
Asuriel narrowed her eyes slightly as she studied the man. He exuded a different aura than the others – something about him was more assertive, more imposing. There was an otherworldly beauty about him besides his hair and eye color, with his smooth skin and arrogant facial features. She figured he was the demon Vaerion had spoken of, Kazuo.
Vaerion had taken his seat already, and when he noticed Asuriel's gaze lingering on Kazuo for a little too long, he tugged her into his lap. She didn't know that possessiveness was why he had done it but was surprised by the action regardless.
It seemed she would be spending a lot of time in his lap if their bond continued to go unchecked, Asuriel lamented internally. It could be worse, though.
"Who is this, Sovereign?" asked the third man, whose shoulders were broad and muscular; he was easily the largest individual in the room. Vaerion was tall but didn't have the same sheer body mass that this other gang leader had. The strange man had dark hair cut shorter on the sides and cold brown eyes to match. He scrutinized Asuriel with a look of both distrust and admiration.
"No one of interest, Antonio," Vaerion's grip on Asuriel tightened, and he pulled her closer to his chest, "but you can call her Umbra."
"Hello, Miss Umbra, no one of interest," the woman from before greeted Asuriel surprisingly respectfully, though her voice carried sarcasm with the last few words as if poking at Vaerion. She had a blue pinstripe suit, and her hair was blonde, tied into a long, silky high ponytail. Her eyes were a piercing shade of emerald. "I'm Isla. It's nice to have another woman here for once."
"I'm sure you're more than capable of dealing with them alone," Asuriel complimented. She added thoughtfully, "But I'm happy my presence pleases you. I'm glad you're here as well."
Then, the door swung open, slamming against the wall to reveal the individual everyone was waiting for. When Asuriel saw who it was, she bristled immediately. It was the leader of the Vipers who was constantly harassing her and other women at the Lounge… she hadn't known that his name was 'Fangs.'
Vaerion, sensing her discomfort, looked at her. She shook her head dismissively, trying to tell him she was okay. His golden eyes lingered momentarily, but he decided not to press further.
"Let's get this bullshit over with," Fangs spat, his voice gruff and grating. The man brought out the last remaining chair and sat down roughly. Unlike the others, he wore a tank top and jeans with questionable red stains. His arms had obnoxious, colorful green tattoo sleeves that were beyond tacky.
When his gaze landed on her, Asuriel shifted, crossing her legs to reveal her inked thigh, which obviously matched the ones on Vaerion's forearm. The action didn't escape the devil's notice and elicited a smirk; no one could see it, but Asuriel could sense his smugness.
"What's that in your lap?" Fangs served an incredulous frown. "I didn't know we were allowed to bring… 'companions' of that kind to these meetings."
Vaerion completely ignored him. "Now that we're all present, we should begin."
"I agree," Antonio straightened his back and glanced at everyone present.
Isla and Kazuo nodded in agreement but remained silent.
Fangs' eyebrow twitched with irritation when Vaerion disregarded his question, "Nah, answer my question, tight-ass. How am I s'posed to trust some skank that the enemy dragged in with him, huh?"
Asuriel was already used to the gangster's belligerent behavior, having witnessed it at the Lounge, but was stunned that Fangs dared to call Vaerion a derogatory name. Everyone else in the room interacted carefully with him and respected his boundaries despite the fact they were all leaders of criminal organizations as well.
"Speak out of turn again, and you're leaving this room with a bullet in your skull," Vaerion hissed. "Know your place."
Fangs glared at Vaerion and Asuriel, crossed his arms, and kept his mouth shut. He knew that the Sovereign didn't make empty threats.
Kazuo cleared his throat. "The issue of territory encroachment and unnecessary civilian casualties are tonight's discussion topics."
"My family only monitors a few neighborhoods and major streets," Isla announced, casting a disgusted glare in Fangs' direction. "Yet, despite having such a small territory, we've still fallen victim to other… groups causing problems for us."
"The Pact has had several incidences of civilians being caught in border scuffles," Kazuo added, his voice harboring barely concealed rage. His crimson eyes were narrow and unamused; the demon glanced between Fangs and Antonio with distaste.
Antonio remained quiet. Asuriel's instincts told her he was a man who couldn't be trusted to be civil. Although he behaved more appropriately than Fangs, he had an unsettling air that made a chill run down her spine. That, and Vaerion's possessive reaction when Antonio asked who Asuriel was, cast a poor light on him.
"Both the Vipers and the Gressi family have done nothing but inconvenience the Crown," Vaerion's voice was cold and frightening. If Asuriel didn't know he was bound to her by magic, she'd be scared to death. Unafraid to address the two individuals directly, he continued, "If the two of you don't offer acceptable solutions to the problems you are causing, I will."
Fangs scoffed and rolled his eyes, "It's only natural we try an' get more territory. If regular people get caught in the crossfire, that's their own damn fault."
"My family has done nothing to warrant the Sovereign's ire," Antonio chuckled, spitting Vaerion's alias with disgust.
Asuriel frowned. She knew that he was lying through his teeth.
Working at a bar and café made it very easy to keep up to date on current events, especially locally. She had heard multiple patrons mention the needless violence that the Gressi family had been instigating within the Crown's territory. In fact, a recent rumor she heard from one of her regulars was fresh in her mind.
"I suppose another Gressi family started that fire in an elderly couple's bakery to claim the building? Since your family hasn't done anything of note," Asuriel couldn't help but speak up. It had been irritating her for weeks. "And perhaps the teenagers found dead in an alley last week were also tormented by the same Gressi family that isn't yours."
Although they couldn't speak, Asuriel felt Vaerion's surprise at her words. He gave her thigh an approving squeeze.
A vein bulged in Antonio's forehead at her words. His dark eyes were full of undisguised hatred. "I'd keep your mouth shut, bitch. It's none of your fucking business what's being discussed here. Go back to being a quiet toy."
"I'd talk to her with more respect if I were you," Vaerion warned, his tone venomous. "Especially when she's speaking the truth, and everyone knows it."
"Hah! How embarrassing!" Fangs cackled. "Imagine getting called out by the Sovereign's bitch!"
"You don't have to imagine it," Vaerion glanced down at Asuriel. He could feel that she was itching to tell him off, too.
Asuriel's chest was filled with confidence, knowing she had the devil on her side. She glared at Fangs, "You're nothing but a disgusting predator. At least Antonio has some semblance of organization and strategy going for his family; the Vipers run around like headless chickens and use brute force to get what they want. Your biggest accomplishment as boss is getting out of bed in the morning without throwing up after a hangover."
Fangs' face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. He was so angry that he could hardly formulate any words to defend himself. The other leaders looked at Asuriel, stunned by her boldness.
"Just as Umbra has so boldly articulated," Vaerion spoke before Fangs could, "you are completely useless. However, I have a proposal since neither of you is wise enough to try to accommodate us."
Antonio and Fangs remained uncharacteristically silent while waiting for Vaerion to continue with his 'proposal.'
"You two enjoy a little gambling, don't you?" the devil asked with a smirk, reaching down to his belt.
"…What are you getting at?" Antonio growled, growing impatient.
Vaerion pulled out a revolver, immediately putting everyone in the room on edge. They all watched with uncertain expressions as he emptied all of the bullets onto the table. He picked up one of the bullets, put it back into the cylinder, and then handed it to Asuriel.
A wicked smirk graced Vaerion's pointed features.
"Let's play some Russian roulette."