Cerise shrugged.
“Look, I didn’t make up what I said. Alissa stole the Wreath, and she locked Troy and me in that interrogation room,” Dorie said.
“Alissa returned the Wreath.”
“Yeah, but she still took it! And she hooked up with a filthy ventala who practically tore my throat open.”
Cerise glanced pointedly at Dorie’s unmarked neck. Dorie flushed.
“You act like you don’t even care about that!” Dorie snapped. “You act like you blame me for her being gone. She wasn’t even your friend. I’m your sister. Plus we still don’t know what happened to Grant Easton. Everyone just walks around here like that night never happened.”
“Alissa sent the Etherlin Council a letter of explanation. Whatever she says happened that night must have proven true when they investigated because they’re leaving her alone.”
“Bull! They might be leaving her alone so there’s no scandal. What about the fact that Grant Easton, Alissa’s boyfriend, disappeared on the same night she took off with a ventala? I think she and that ventala killed Grant so they could get out of the Etherlin. And Dad and the EC are letting her get away with it.”
“There were pools of blood in fourteen different spots in the woods. We all heard the helicopters. If those were ventala helicopters and we were under siege, why didn’t they come for us? I think Merrick and his people stopped the ventala syndicate from doing whatever they had planned. There have been rumors that Merrick’s broken off from the syndicate.”
“Who cares!” Dorie yelled. “Who cares about a vampire half-breed? I want to know why you’re always defending her.”
“Because I don’t think she did anything to hurt anyone but herself.”
“But you do believe she went off with him willingly. That taints the whole community. And when the media catches on, it’s going to be a huge scandal that reflects badly on all of us.”
Cerise rolled her eyes. “You’re spending too much time with Spinmaster Troy. All of life isn’t about getting good press.” Even though Troy was a friend of Cerise’s, too, she knew how single-minded he could be when it came to preserving the muses’ moneymaking brands. The memory of Griffin’s last night crept across Cerise’s mind. Troy, who usually discouraged the muses from drinking too much, had bought two rounds of shots. There had been something off about the way Troy had behaved that night at the bar. Cerise’s brows drew together.
“Troy cares about the Etherlin,” Dorie said, breaking into Cerise’s thoughts. “He cares about it more than Alissa North ever did. And Alissa’s certainly not going to be able to live up to her responsibilities as a muse while living with a bloodsucking murderer. He’s probably drained her dry by now.”
She sounded just fine on the phone, Cerise thought, but she did feel a small twinge of anxiety. It was somewhat insane of her to tread into the heart of the Varden—ventala territory. But Cerise was the muse of rock stars and world-class athletes. She inspired the bold and considered herself one of them. To fully be who she was though, she had to get her power back. There was no way she was leaving Griffin’s songbook with a fallen angel or anyone else.
“Nothing to say to that, huh?” Dorie clucked her tongue. “Well, if he does kill her by drinking all her blood, it’s her own fault.”
Cerise clenched her teeth, knowing that she’d be similarly blamed if her reckless behavior led to trouble, and she wished that for once her drama-dredging little sister would just shut her mouth.
“It’s not a good idea,” Merrick said, running a thumb across his handsome jaw. Alissa’s vision was still a bit blurry at times from an injury to her eyes, but her mind filled in what she couldn’t completely see.
“She expects me to be there,” she said as her heart beat quicker.
“It could be a trap. Etherlin Security might be there to take you back.”
“You know I won’t go with them.”
“They might not give you a choice.”
Alissa stepped forward and put her hands on his face. When her mouth was close to his, she whispered, “You’d never let them take me. And if they managed to, I’d escape and come back to you or you’d come in and get me.” She pressed her lips to his and the kiss was as sweet as ever. “I promised Cerise I’d be there. It means so much to me to see her.”
Merrick sighed. “You’ll stay in the car with Ox while I go in to get her.”
“That might be—she might not be comfortable leaving the hotel with you if I’m not there.”
His jaw tightened. “Then she’ll stay in the Sliver.”
“James—” she implored.
It was his turn to take her face in his hands. His thumbs brushed outward from the corners of her eyes, the light touch saying what he didn’t; he wouldn’t risk her being hurt again so soon after she’d been blinded and had almost been lost to him forever. James Merrick could walk without blinking into a battle with creatures so deadly they were kept caged in hell. Risking his own life had never been a problem, not since a brutal childhood. But he did care about one thing, and Alissa was lucky enough to be that one thing.
“You’ll stay in the car, Alissa,” he said softly.
“All right.”
He brushed his lips over hers, and she whispered against his mouth, “I love you.”
The kiss deepened until time stood still.
Finally remembering they were in a public lobby, she drew back. “Anything more than that and we’ll have to charge money for the show.”
“Mmm. How will you spend your half?” he asked, stealing another quick kiss.
She chuckled. “We have to go.”
“If you say so,” Merrick murmured, but he didn’t hesitate to raise his phone and call his bodyguard, Mr. Orvin, whose unfortunate but somewhat appropriate nickname was Ox.
After that call, Merrick slid a small earpiece into his ear and pressed a button on his phone. “Tony, how do the cameras look?” Merrick paused to listen.
Ox lumbered forward with purpose, causing a large potted palm to sway in his wake. He didn’t walk so much as advance like a linebacker, unconcerned with grace or style. He had an objective and obstacles in his path had best move lest they be crushed. Despite his bodybuilder bulk and severe ice blond crew cut, he had a nice smile that he never failed to offer her.
Alissa returned his smile. “Sorry to pull you away from the music, Mr. Orvin. Lysander’s an amazing musician.”
“I was ready for a little air,” Ox said with a shrug. “I’m tone-deaf. Besides, I can’t get anywhere with the cute new waitress with him onstage. All the girls’ eyes are glued on him like they just saw their first diamond.”
“Oh,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Well, if it’s any consolation, he’s not really competition. I’m sure that when he comes offstage, he’ll disappear without talking to any of the women.”
Ox shrugged again. “Whatever. So where are we going? Last night I told the boss you’d probably like the new Spanish restaurant that opened down the block. Couple of the boys and me went there for dinner Monday night. Never had paella before. It’s good as hell.”
“That would be really nice, but actually we’re going to the Sliver to pick up a friend of mine.”
“A friend of yours?” Ox said, his voice rising with interest. “A muse friend of yours?”
Merrick held out a hand to stop their conversation, and Ox immediately fell silent and looked around the lobby to be sure no one was close enough to be listening. Into his phone Merrick said, “Yeah, Tony, we’re going out. I want two sets of eyes on the monitors until I say otherwise.”
Chapter 5
Convincing an aspirant to smuggle her out of the Etherlin in the trunk of his car had not been a problem, but it did leave her hair pretty mussed. Cerise finger-combed her waves while trying to stay out of sight.
“Oh my God. It’s Merrick,” the girl at the front desk said to her coworker, who paled.
Cerise glanced at the front door. Sure enough, clad in sunglasses
and a fifteen-thousand-dollar suit, the notorious ventala enforcer-turned-seducer-of-an-unattainable-muse strode into the lobby like he owned the place.
The way he moved reminded her of someone else from his side of the wall.
No wonder they’re friends. They both move like they could edge out lions as the biggest predators on the block.
Merrick spotted her, and he walked to her. Her heart pounded a little faster. She might be armed, but she didn’t have any illusions about which of them would be able to draw blood first. His skills were legendary. She had faith though that Alissa wouldn’t have pulled her into a trap. If Alissa trusted Merrick, it was a safe bet that he wouldn’t attack Cerise.
“Where’s Alissa?” Cerise asked.
“I’ll take you to her,” he said, glancing around as if he thought someone might be lying in wait. She didn’t blame him for that. If Etherlin Security had been with her, they might have shot him on sight. She wasn’t sure what their orders were with regard to Merrick, which was exactly why she hadn’t brought them along. Well, that and the fact that they would never have let her go into the Varden to see her mysterious musician.
“Lead the way,” she said. He cocked a brow above the rim of his sunglasses, clearly surprised that she didn’t act skittish. Well, she’d come this far. She didn’t intend to lose her nerve at the last minute. And she didn’t intend to show she was nervous. Rule number one of being a superstar…never let them see you sweat.
“The moon too bright for you tonight?” she asked as they crossed the lobby.
“You’re the rock-and-roll muse. I expected to be blinded by your sequined jumpsuit.”
She grinned.
Bright spotlights lit the hotel’s front walk, and she suspected that those lights were what his eyes actually objected to.
She had to admire his icy cool. Her veins were pulsing full of muse blood, but he’d barely given her a second glance. Her stride slowed. Shouldn’t it be more of a struggle for him? What if he really was keeping Alissa prisoner and feeding off her? What if he’d forced or tricked Alissa into baiting a trap for Cerise? Alissa wouldn’t willingly have done it, but torture made people do what they normally wouldn’t. Alissa’s voice had been smooth and cool, but all the muses had had media training. They knew how to seem calm under duress.
Cerise slowed and slid a hand under the back of her shirt. She gripped the gun.
“You’re quite a departure from Alissa’s usual type,” Cerise said. “She spent most of her life on the arm of Dudley Do-Right for a reason. How long do you think you can keep her in your world?”
He turned and stared at her.
“She’ll last a lot longer than you will if you decide to raise that gun.”
Cerise’s heart thudded. How had he known? He’d been facing the other way when she reached for the gun. She’d slid the safety off soundlessly.
He lowered his sunglasses and locked eyes with her. His eyes were glacial cold.
“You have ten seconds to hand it over, or I’ll leave you on the street.”
Her fingers tightened their grip. There was no way on earth she was getting into a car with him unarmed, especially with the bloodless stare he had trained on her.
The window rolled down and a huge man with white blond hair looked out. “Everything cool, boss?”
Merrick’s eyes never left Cerise. “Ms. Xenakis is trying to decide whether she wants to see Alissa or not.”
“It’s not personal. I always carry a gun,” Cerise said.
“I don’t blame you,” Merrick said, getting into the car and rolling up the window.
Cerise realized they were going to leave her on the street. She exhaled slowly. Maybe it was for the best. One look into Merrick’s eyes, and she’d had second thoughts about crossing into the Varden with him. She’d figured if Alissa spent time there, it couldn’t be all bad, but she’d changed her mind about that.
Cerise took a step back toward the hotel. She’d check into the Grand and get someone to smuggle her back into the Etherlin in the morning.
Except the car didn’t drive away. Instead the door opened, and Alissa and Merrick both got out.
Cerise was used to Alissa’s skin being like a sliver of moonlight, but she had a light tan and the normally sleek hair that skimmed her shoulders had grown longer and hung in loose waves. She looked as beautiful as ever, but much more relaxed and approachable. Even her Tom Ford lace dress flirted with ease, and she pulsed with strong magic that was enviable.
“Let me hold your gun,” Alissa said.
Cerise shook her head sharply, noting the way that Merrick stood with his body slightly blocking Alissa’s. Would the heartless ventala actually step in front of a V3 bullet for Alissa?
“No offense, but there are two opinions on your leaving the Etherlin. First, that you were abducted and are still being held against your will. In which case, I’ll keep my gun. The second: that you lost your mind and went willingly. In which case, I’ll keep my gun.”
Merrick moved in a blur of speed. Cerise’s arm throbbed where he’d yanked it forward.
Her mouth dropped open at the sight of her gun in his hand.
“Enough standing on the street. Alissa, get in the car.”
“I—Merrick, you can’t,” Alissa protested, but Merrick didn’t answer. Instead he tapped the roof, and the blond bruiser emerged.
“We’re going,” Merrick said, and the big guy plucked Alissa off the ground and reentered the car with her.
Cerise started to back away, but Merrick grabbed her and pulled her forcibly into the car. The doors all closed and the instant they did, the car pulled away from the curb. Cerise’s heart pounded.
“For God’s sake, Alissa,” Cerise spat. “You let me walk right into this? I trusted you.”
“It’s not like that!” Alissa said, and she grabbed Merrick’s arm. “You can’t do this.”
Merrick popped the clip from the gun, removed the bullet from the chamber, and then dropped the gun on Cerise’s lap. He slid the bullet and clip into his pocket.
“The girl behind the desk got on the phone the second she saw me,” Merrick said flatly. “You wanted to talk to Cerise. When we get to the penthouse, I’ll leave you guys alone in the guest room. When you’re done talking, I’ll drive her back to the gate.”
Cerise’s brows rose. “What the hell? Are you a prisoner or not?”
“Not,” Alissa said firmly.
“He just kidnapped me off the street.”
“He was worried that your security detail was lying in wait. Or that you’d come armed yourself to do something to me. Also, there’s a problem between us and the ventala syndicate. We shouldn’t spend too much time out of Merrick’s territory.”
“Paranoid much?” Cerise said, looking at Merrick. “I brought the gun for protection, not to shoot Alissa or you.”
“You don’t need a gun for protection. Your protection is sitting right there,” Merrick said, nodding to the seat across from them.
“How do you figure?” Cerise said, glancing at the bulky blond bodyguard who looked as though he could bench a semi.
The blond guy smiled. “Not me. Though I’ll be happy to step in if you need something. He meant her,” the man said, cocking his head at Alissa. “Nothing will happen to you because you’re important to Mrs. M.”
Cerise’s jaw dropped.
Mrs.?! What the hell?
“Alissa, no!” Cerise lurched forward, grabbing Alissa’s arm. Cerise raised Alissa’s elegant left hand, and there on her ring finger was the damning evidence. A flawless antique diamond ring and accompanying band. The onetime face and unblemished image of the Etherlin had married a ventala assassin.
“So it’s true then,” Cerise murmured. “You have lost your mind.”
Lysander spotted the madman he’d become fond of in the Crimson’s doorway. Alissa’s father, Richard, wore navy drawstring pajama pants and a white T-shirt with a terrycloth robe and house slippers. Richard’s pockets bulged w
ith scraps of paper and pens, and the man still wore the pair of Merrick’s sunglasses he’d donned upstairs. The sunglasses were to shield his eyes during their poker games, but since they were no longer playing poker, nor was there any significant light source to speak of in the ridiculously dark nightclub, the sunglasses seemed an odd addition to his already odd outfit.
Lysander glanced at the table closest to the stage where Merrick and Alissa had sat before they’d left thirty minutes earlier. He’d thought their departure strange since it was Alissa who’d asked him to play, but once he’d started playing, he was hard-pressed to stop until the end of the set. The human musicians had passable talent, and the energy and care they put into their music was admirable.
The club bouncers watched Richard closely. Lysander’s fingers worked the strings with fierce precision despite the distraction. Did Merrick’s men all know that Richard was Alissa’s father? And if the bouncers tried to block his entry into the club, how would Richard react? In general the silver-haired man wasn’t violent, but he was given to explosive monologues on occasion, which the bouncers were unlikely to tolerate.
Richard shuffled into the club, which was filled with a sleek and stylish crowd who looked like they’d never been rumpled in their lives. Richard bumped a table as he meandered toward the stage. A top-heavy glass fell over and crashed to the floor. A frowning bouncer started toward the ambling author.
Where the hell was Merrick? If he was going to keep a mad novelist as a houseguest, he needed to keep a better eye on him.
Oblivious to security’s approach, Richard took a circuitous route to the stage. It really wasn’t Lysander’s business if Merrick’s bouncers dragged Richard out, but he and Richard were in the middle of a game of chess that Lysander wanted to finish.
Lysander frowned and held out a hand to hold off the pursuing bouncers. Richard stood at the edge of the stage tapping his foot. After a couple of moments, Richard walked up the stage stairs in time to the beat. Lysander continued to watch him, and so did the audience. Weaving between them, Richard ambled across the stage, his feet catching on amp cords, which made him stumble. The crowd gasped, but Richard managed not to fall or rip any cords free.
All That Falls Page 5
