A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton

removed—thousands of them, from the size and scope of the place.
    Everyone danced, drank, ate, laughed, shouted, fought, kissed. The bass shook the floor. The gowns were skimpy, the masks sleek and mysterious. Everything sparkled and glowed in the firelight. It was a reckless, decadent scene, wild and carnal . . . hypnotizing.
    “This way,” Sebastian said, pulling me along.
    We edged our way around the fire as a guy yelled to his friends, “Watch this!” He made a motion with his hands, and a flame brightened in the bonfire, elongated, and took the vague shape of a writhing woman. Someone yelled, “Make a stripper’s pole!”
    They all burst out laughing.
    Henri led us through the crowd and around the fire until we came to the left side of the theater, where a small group stood in a circle.
    I noticed Gabriel immediately. He wore a white shirt and dark pants, part of a suit that had no tie or jacket. The collar of his shirt was unbuttoned, and a plain gold mask hid half of his face.
    He turned, and his eyes settled on me. Other heads turned, and I realized these were probably the Novem heirs and some of their friends. This little gathering was something for the older ones, the ones who ruled Presby and would one day be in charge of the city.
    Gabriel stepped back from the circle, revealing one of Athena’s grotesque creatures.
    I stopped. I’d seen this kind before. One had tried to pull my skull from my spine. It looked like a human, but its limbs were gnarled, like its joints had been popped and twisted. It was hunched over and its skin was gray and leathery and hairless. An old scar ran over the corner of its left eye, forcing the eyelid partially closed. Small holes for nostrils, but no real nose to speak of. No lips, nothing to hide the rows of tiny sharp teeth that were currently bared at the onlookers.
    This one was thinner and way older than the ones I’d fought at the cemetery. Weaker, which might explain how the heirs had caught it.
    “I knew you’d come,” Gabriel said, grinning.
    Sebastian stiffened, and Henri snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
    Gabriel’s eyes swept over Sebastian to Henri. From the way he glared, I’d guess that Gabriel and Henri definitely knew each other.
    “We’ve been having some fun. Why don’t you join us?”
    A girl in a tight black dress and mask lifted her arms wide. A breeze blew down on us and wrapped around the creature. It screamed as some kind of invisible band tightened around it. She held it for several seconds before letting go. A guy ran into the circle with unnatural speed, a blur my eyes could hardly keep up with. Growling and screeching filled the air. Several slashes appeared on the creature’s torso before the “blur” came to rest next to Gabriel.
    The thing screamed and fought again as the floor buckled and broke around its feet. Roots came up like sharp stakes and impaled its foot. The music was deafening. Behind me the fire roared and the party went on, like the torture of this being didn’t bother anyone.
    They were playing, testing, seeing how their powers compared, what they could do. But it wasn’t a fair fight. It wasn’t fair at all.
    I couldn’t stay still. Before I even thought it through, I stepped forward and grabbed Gabriel by the arm, squeezing hard. “Thell them to stop. This isn’t right.”
    He glanced down at my hand on his arm. Slowly, he lifted his mask. His eyes were bright and his skin was flushed. He was well on his way to being drunk. He grinned, flashing elongated teeth. His eyes swept over my neck in an obvious threat.
    “Try it,” I ground out.
    “Oh, it wouldn’t be an attempt, sweetheart. If I went for your neck, it’d be mine, trust me.”
    The creature screeched again, this time more desperate.
    “Stop hurting it.”
    His brows drew together. “Why? Where’s your sense of fun? That thing is the enemy. We are at war with Athena.”
    “So, what, you’re going to torture it until it dies? Enemy or