by Deanna Chase
“Compared to me, you’re as green as spring grass after a week of rain.”
“Festiva is in a few days,” he said after a long pause. “Did you have any interest in going? We hold it out in the middle of the desert. It’s quite an event.”
“I didn’t know I was invited.”
“Because of what you are, you have an automatic invite. It might be a good idea to go, meet all the players on the scene.”
“Is it out in the middle of the wide open desert?” Wide-open sky above? Uh oh.
“We set up huge tents, but in essence, yes.”
Tents, that was good. I couldn’t fly off with a tent. “I’ll go.”
“It’s formal. I’ll have a driver take us in.”
Did I just agree to a date? I wasn’t quite sure what I just said yes to, but that last part sounded like a date. He left the room before I could ask. Right, like I would’ve asked.
Chapter Twenty-One
I’d shopped for days. The way I figured, whatever this was, I needed to look spectacular. It was no secret, most men were easier to manipulate when you looked your best. It went way beyond Cormac tonight. This was my opportunity to get information, and I had a whole lot of questions that still needed answering.
I’d told no one about the bloody scene with my mother twenty years ago, or the crazy page left behind, and I still wasn’t going to tell anyone. I also had my own personal stake in what was messing up the portal. I’d tried to broach the subject again with Cormac about getting more involved, but he was putting up a brick wall ever since I’d brought all the people over behind his back. Pleasant, he’d been. Helpful? Not at all. Tonight was going to be all about reconnaissance.
Someone was messing with the portal, and maybe, just maybe, there was a connection between my mother’s attack and what was happening now. If that page was about me, there definitely was. I understood the motives for messing with the portal. Now I needed to figure out what had motivated the attack all those years ago. I was becoming increasingly worried. I didn’t want to be “the last hope of the bereft” but it was looking like that was exactly who I might be. This just sucked. Who in their right mind would want to be the savior of the bereft? Why couldn’t I have turned out to be some long lost Princess of the Rich and Beautiful?
I looked at my reflection one last time. Even with all the hours I’d spent inside lately, my skin still retained its golden glow. My long, naturally blond hair hung almost to my waist in soft platinum waves. The black dress I wore fell quite a bit short of my knees, but not quite high enough to look trashy. It hugged my curves just enough to emphasize my curvy figure without showing every detail. It was the perfect balance of enough, but not too much. I knew I looked my best, and I planned on using it for whatever it was worth tonight.
I guessed there would be alcohol. It was hard to imagine this group having a dry party. In my experience, nothing loosened the lips as much as a few too many drinks. My game plan was to stake out the bar for the drinkers. They were soft targets.
“Are you ready?” I heard Cormac shout from the foyer. A scream from the foyer was not exactly romantic date material. I guess this was business.
“Coming!” I screamed back just as unromantically and put some extra gloss on my lips. Guys loved full glossy lips. I grabbed my dress purse and headed out.
Cormac was standing and looking at his watch when I walked into the foyer, and I was grateful for the few seconds that bought me to hide my reaction. He was in a full tuxedo. I’d never seen a man look sexier in my life. He was primal sex incarnate. It made me resent that this wasn’t a date. I had to remember why I’d turned him down in the first place. I couldn’t go there. No matter how kind he could be, he was dangerous. I couldn’t forget that, but sometimes it was so hard to remember.
He turned his gorgeous pale blue eyes on me. I watched as they ran the length of my body, from my toes to my hair. His eyes stopped on my own with a piercing gaze. It made me remember what his hands felt like, how hot it had been when he’d pressed against me in the elevator.
“Let’s go,” he said and abruptly broke the eye contact.
There was a stretch limo waiting for us outside. I found it empty when I climbed into the back.
“Where are the guys?”
“They had things to handle over there, so they left before us.”
We settled in and rode through the desert in silence. I was used to the silence with him, but the tension was unusually high for a reason I couldn’t quite understand.
It broke the moment the lights started to appear in the distance, or perhaps my excitement made me numb to it. In the middle of nothing, Festiva shone like a beacon. Problem was I wasn’t sure if it would turn out to be a wealth of information and contacts, or a snake pit. I was more inclined to think it would be of the reptilian variety.
“It’s massive.”
“Yes, between the people here, and the people that come over for the celebration, it’s quite large.”
“What are we celebrating again?”
“The signing of the contract and the pact.”
“So it was that big of a deal?”
“It was the beginning of everything.”
The closer we got the more details I could make out. A glimmering gold fabric tented the massive area and reflected the light of the surrounding torches that lined its perimeter. As we pulled up, I saw just how massive it was. Hundreds of people had attended.
Cormac held out his hand to me as I took a step onto the carpeting that covered the sand. As I got a better look, I ran a self-conscious hand over my dress. These people screamed power and money. I wasn’t an insecure person by nature, but I knew when I was outclassed. It might have been the way they stood, or the clothes they wore. I didn’t know if I could describe the atmosphere to anyone not there, but it was beyond daunting.
I ran through the speech I’d given myself countless times in my life, the speech I hadn’t used in years. I’m just as good as these people. The only difference is consequence of birth. They are no better than I am. It was amazing that no matter how far I came I could be yanked back into that insecure little girl’s brain this quickly. Even with a beautiful and expensive dress on, I felt like it was the first day of third grade again, with my hand-me-down clothes.
But, it wasn’t third grade, and I wasn’t her, anymore. I straightened my spine and strolled into the party as if I owned it. It didn’t matter what I felt like on the inside, on the outside I looked calm and cool.
With Cormac by my side, every pair of eyes in the place turned toward us as we made our way through the elaborately decorated area. Lights hung from the top of the tent frames, fountains flowed in every corner. In the center, flame-throwers performed underneath a crystal chandelier, while Arabian looking women danced provocatively.
Cormac grabbed two champagnes from a passing waiter and then started a long procession of introductions, as it seemed that everyone there wanted to meet me. I wasn’t sure why I ranked so high, but I barely had a moment to contemplate it as wave after wave approached.
“Why is everyone so interested in me?” I asked Cormac the second there was a break.
“They might have heard things.”
“What things?”
“That little trick you pulled in the portal was unusual. They think you have power, and these people like power.”
It startled me a little to think that I might have something everyone else wanted. It wasn’t a position I was used to being in. I scanned the crowd, wondering if I could use this to my advantage.
“Are you all right? You look a touch flushed.”
“I’m fine, but I am going to step outside. I need some air. It’s pretty packed in here.”
“If you give me a minute, I can go with you, but I have to check on a couple of things first.”
“Since when did I become someone you needed to tend?” I wanted to bite my tongue the second I said it. I knew why I did it. No matter whether I wanted to or not, regar
dless of what had transpired between us, I liked him, and I didn’t want to.
“Fine,” he said as he walked away. The words were mild, but the tone held an edge.
It didn’t matter. After I got my answers, and he got his portal issue fixed, I would be leaving. This was a short-term situation. I couldn’t afford emotional entanglements with these people. If I decided to start laying roots, this wasn’t the garden I had in mind.
I stepped away quickly, before I was cornered by anyone else. It was nice to be away from the crowd, getting a breather. I’d never excelled at small talk, and for all that these people weren’t exactly people, they sure liked their small talk.
Once I was outside, I was too nervous to step far from the tent, and made sure I stayed within reach of it, just in case I started floating or something else odd. Hidden in the shadows, I was safely out of site when I heard Tracker speaking to someone, not even ten feet away.
“What the fuck happened?”
“It wasn’t my fault. It was her.”
“I’ve about had it. You need to fix this. We’ve lost all the progress we’ve made.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“You’d better. Come on, I don’t want to talk here.”
I watched the two men cross the distance to enter the tent opening. They had to be talking about the portal. I rushed back into the tent, and scanned the heads for Cormac’s. He was across the room, but it took me forever to get there, with every third person stopping me to talk.
When I finally got within reach of him, he was talking to someone I couldn’t see. I tapped his back to get his attention, as it was such a close press, it was hard to circle around.
When he turned toward me, I lost my voice. Lacey stood in front of him, looking up at him doe eyed. I was friends with Lacey. She was a good person. So why did I want to rip her eyes out when I saw her staring at him like that?
“Jo!” she greeted me excitedly, and made me feel that much worse for my reaction to seeing her. “Cormac just told me you were here.”
Cormac? When did these two get on a first name basis?
“What are you doing here?”
“Cormac asked me if I wanted to work it.”
It wasn’t until that minute that I realized she was in a server outfit. It would’ve appeased my newly jealous nature, except their body language told a different story. If they weren’t sleeping together now, they might be soon. They stood shoulder to shoulder facing me. I stood alone. You ever want to know who’s with whom in a party; that was as clear as body language could get.
“Everything okay?”
My need to tell him about Tracker’s suspicious conversation fell from my brain, as I grappled for something calm to discuss.
“Hello, everyone.” I heard Vitor’s voice come up at my side. All annoyance at the stunt he had tried to pull disappeared, as he leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“Vitor, it’s nice to see you.” He all of a sudden became my life raft, as I felt emotionally swept down the river.
“Yes, Vitor, it’s great to see you.” The acid in Cormac’s voice wasn’t hidden. I turned to see Cormac’s gaze eyeing my hand that was now resting on Vitor’s arm. I wasn’t even aware I had grasped him until that moment. Cormac’s hand then disappeared to rest on the small of Lacey’s back, and I saw the hope flare in her large eyes as he did it.
I was annoyed with him for leading her on, but she wasn’t stupid. She only believed what she wanted. Nothing I could say to her would warn her off, not when she was so clearly infatuated. It made me angry with him for using her, and angry with her for no reason at all, or not one I’d thought up yet.
“Would you like to get a drink with me?” Vitor asked perceptively.
“Sure,” I replied to Vitor. “Have fun,” I tossed back to them over my shoulder.
I felt Cormac’s gaze on my back, as Vitor parted the crowd for us as we made our way across the expanse.
“Why are there humans working this? Isn’t that risky?”
“No, we always have them. Normally nothing happens that would raise alarm. If it does, we handle it,” Vitor explained.
I knew exactly how they handled it and I fought the urge to find Lacey and drag her out of there. That might be enough reason on its own.
“I’m glad we have a moment. I really wanted to speak with you about the other day.”
“You acted crazy,” I told him. Now that I had some space from Cormac, my brain was remembering just how annoyed I had been with Vitor.
“I’m sorry. I was upset because I know you would be safer and more comfortable among us.”
“You should have made an offer, instead of trying to force the issue.” We stopped at one of the various bars set up in the corner, slightly tucked away, and I asked the bartender for a shot of tequila. Vitor signaled for him to bring two.
“I tried; I’ve been looking for you ever since I found out.”
“Why don’t we just talk straight? You want me to help you operate the portal, and if I wanted to help you, I would have. Don’t ever try to force my hand, again.”
“Yes, you’re right. I did want your help, but once I found out you were of our clan, I was honestly trying to look out for your best interests.”
“I don’t need you to. How did you find out I had Fae blood, anyway?”
“Let’s just leave it at: I’ve got some connections.”
“It doesn’t matter. The point is I resent you interfering.”
“I know you are tied to him now. I’m sorry if my actions contributed to that.”
“You never know what will happen when you back someone into a corner.” I threw my shot back and felt the burn trail down my throat.
“I would undo it if I could.”
“No need.” I didn’t hate him. In all honesty I liked Vitor. I wasn’t sure why, but something in my gut said he was decent guy, whether I admitted it to him or not. But, he’d screwed up my situation even worse, and that was saying something.
From that point forward, the night dragged on at an unforgiving pace. I felt like I was a zombie giving obligatory replies to mindless questions. As distracted as I was, I still couldn’t keep my eyes from wandering, tracking Cormac across the room, and all too often I’d spot Lacey not far away.
I still needed to talk to him, though. Tracker had a hand in whatever was going wrong. The sooner this whole mess got sorted out, the sooner I could leave.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I stumbled through the penthouse the next day, more than slightly hung over. At some point last night, without meaning to, I’d had one too many tequilas.
“Cormac!” I held my hand to my forehead and moaned. I needed to keep my own voice down.
“I’m in here.”
I slogged along toward his bedroom. As I entered, he walked out of his bathroom, just freshly showered with a towel slung low on his hips. God, life was so unfair sometimes.
“What did you need?”
He just stood there, one towel away from naked, his skin tan and glistening. I forced myself to look only at his eyes and refused to ask him to get dressed. Way too obvious.
“I want to talk to you about Tracker.”
“What about him?”
“I think he’s behind the problems with the portal.”
“I’ve considered it, but no, I don’t think so.” He walked over to his closet, pulling out a pair of slacks and a dress shirt and laid them on the bed. The idea he might start dressing while I stood there sent me into a near panic, and I started babbling off the conversation I had overheard outside the tent last night to him, and watched his profile for a reaction.
“Remember when you brought over that kid the first time?” He stopped fiddling with his clothes and half sat on his night table, his towel hanging precariously.
“How could I forget?”
“I’d felt a disturbance then. Whatever has been going wrong was still in play that night. That kid was Tracker’s baby brother. Tracker wouldn’t
hurt him in a million years. A lot of things are debatable, but he loves that kid.”
“Well, then, who do you think it is?”
“I think it’s Vitor.”
“No. It’s not Vitor.”
“And you know this because of the handful of times you’ve met him?”
“It’s not him. I know he’s desperate to bring his people over, and I’m not saying he’s completely innocent, but I don’t think it’s him.”
His towel still hung on as he crossed the floor toward me, and stopped close enough that I could smell the heady masculine scent of him.
“What do you have going on with him?”
“Nothing. What do you have going on with Lacey?” I had to force my eyes to stay on his face.
“Did that bother you?”
“Not at all, I just thought we were onto the portion of the conversation where we discussed our personal involvements.”
“So you do have a thing for Vitor?” His tone was an octave lower when he asked.
A warning pricked at my senses but I still said, “God, you’re thick headed sometimes. Just stay away from Lacey. I don’t want her messed up in all this.”
“She’s a grown woman, she can make her own choices.”
It was time to make my exit before things got heated, one way or another. As I walked back to my room, all I could think of was, he was wrong. Well, that wasn’t the only thing I could think of, but it was the only thought I was willing to admit. Tracker had something to do with this, and if Cormac wasn’t going to listen, I’d handle it on my own.
Decided in my new course of action, it was around noon when I hit the casino floor, showered and dressed. First stop, Jonny. What they say about bartenders always knowing the comings and goings had more than a grain of truth in it.
“Where have you been?” he asked me when I found him carrying out bottles to stock the bar.
“I took some time off, family issues.”
“Really? I heard you were shacked up with Cormac.”
“I’m not shacked up with him.” The pout that appeared on his face told me I shouldn’t have decided to be so forthcoming, all of a sudden. When had I ever had an aversion to lying?
