LUCIAN

“Who’s asking?” the man who had spoken earlier said, and I turned my gaze to him. I could tell he was the one I was looking for by his gait and the way he seemed to command the respect of the others—and possibly everyone else in the room—even if he wasn’t doing anything significant.

“Hello,” I replied and scanned the group, which was made up of seven people. Excluding the bodyguard, there were four men and three women, all of whom seemed to be watching their environment earnestly. “I’m…” I began, but decided against saying my name.

I didn’t know who they were, and while introducing myself was the...