Eliza stabbed her skinny finger at Ruby’s necklace. “Marking them, so everyone knows they’re off-limits. How quaint. It’s too bad that Desiree and I have never cared about silly old signs. They're like laws, you know? Meant to be broken, and we do like to break them whenever we get a chance.”

Bennett knew the tone in Eliza’s voice. It was a blend of overconfidence and cunning, and Bennett took a few seconds to think things through. Ruby was at her side, and Gus and Cathleen were a few feet away, so Bennett was at a loss…and then she wasn’t.

Bennett didn’t allow her concern to reach her expression, and she turned to Ruby. “I’ll be right back. Go over and join Gus and Cathleen. Don’t go anywhere until I return. Do you understand?”

“Bennett, what’s going—”

“I told you what I need you to do, now do it.”

Throughout Bennett’s conversations with Desiree and Eliza, Ruby had refused to allow her smile to waver. Her opinion of the women equaled her attitude toward something she’d scrape off the bottom of her shoe, and they weren’t going to get a rise out of her. Bennett, however, had just treated her like property, and Ruby’s smile vanished. “Fine,” she said through clenched teeth. “Whatever.”

Bennett took off into the crowd, her height bringing with it an advantage as she scoured the room. She let out the breath she’d been holding when she saw Gunnar and Finn talking to Max, but the next breath Bennett took lodged in her throat.

Upon her arrival, Lisa had caught up with her brothers, had a pleasant conversation with Max, and chatted with a few other guardians before positioning herself near the fireplace at the far end of the room. The crowd would occasionally disperse, and Lisa had spotted Bennett and Ruby across the way, but she curled her lip at the thought of consorting with the enemy. Instead, she remained content in sampling appetizers, sipping her champagne, and people watching. Unfortunately, Lisa’s contentment ended when a ghost-white woman with a mole on her cheek sidled up and then repeatedly refused to take no for an answer.

“I’ve asked you three times to let go of my arm,” Lisa said, keeping her voice low. “It’s not going to happen. Now, for the last time, let me go.”

“Just because you’re wearing that necklace doesn’t mean you can’t give me a taste,” Desiree cooed. “After all, it’s one of the reasons we have guardians, and Archer should have told you we like to share. Now, give me your wrist, baby, and don’t make me ask again.”