8. Eight

eight

It didn’t take long to sort through what was there. At least half of what they pulled were things I’d never be caught dead in. One of them was a confusing assortment of fabric panels that I couldn’t even begin to figure out how to wear.

With a grimace, I discarded it, looking over what remained. A short, bubblegum-pink halter top dress that looked like it belonged on someone way cheerier than me. The second was also a dress. This time gold with long sleeves. Like the first it was short and came with a plunging neckline. The last dress was the shortest of them all. A sapphire blue sequin tassel number that reminded me of the roaring twenties.

“I’m going to kill Anton.”

What did he tell these women that this was what they chose? None of these dresses were what I’d pick if left to my own devices.

Maybe that was the point. A bit of revenge for whatever he and the others felt I was hiding.

Petty bastards.

I’d be upset if I wasn’t just as petty.

In the end, I chose the gold dress, figuring it was the best option.

Discarding my clothes, I slipped it over my head and smoothed it into place over my hips and thighs. Cocking my head, I observed myself in the mirror with a frown. It was much tighter fitting around my lower half than I had expected, hugging my curves in a way that even I had to admit looked hot. The top was loose, achieving that perfect slouchy look that seemed impossible to find in real life. The gold was a little closer to bronze than it had first appeared, contrasting with my pale skin. The overhead lights picked up the glints of red in my dark brown hair which was tousled after the long flight. It spilled over my shoulders in waves.

I had to admit I didn’t look half bad.

The bra would have to go though. It was easily visible due to the deep plunge. The idea of going without, however, wasn’t a comfortable one.

Frowning, I glanced at the rest of the dresses, only to conclude neither of them would probably be any more suitable to wear with a bra either.

Before I could decide what to do, someone cleared their throat from the other side of the curtain. “Ms. Travers, a moment. I have something here that might help.”

Curious, I twitched the curtain open to regard the salesperson standing on the other side.

Her smile held sympathy as she extended two silicone pads to me and nodded at my chest area. “These dresses aren’t exactly undergarment friendly. I thought you might need these.”

I took them from her. “Thanks.”

“Happy to help.”

I let the curtain swish closed. Turning to the mirror, I held up the pads to examine, determining they were better than nothing.

After that, it didn’t take long to divest myself of my bra and maneuver the pads where I needed them to go. Finished, I took a moment to study my reflection one last time, giving a nod of approval as I did so.

Much better.

All I needed were a pair of shoes to complete the ensemble.

I knelt in front of the three shoe boxes in the corner, selecting the pair that were the same gold as my dress. They were a strappy number with sky high heels that I would normally have avoided.

Unfortunately, this dress demanded a shoe that was as beautiful as it was. Anything less was unacceptable.

Giving into the inevitable, I sat on the plush ottoman in the dressing room for probably just this reason and put the shoes on.

When I’d finished, I admired the way they looked on my feet before standing.

Here came the real test. Could I walk in them?

The answer was yes. The straps held the shoe securely to my foot, making them much easier to navigate in than I’d expected.

“You decent?” Caroline called.

Before I could answer, she was already pushing the curtain aside.

“Please. Come right in,” I said dryly as she and Deborah stepped inside.

Caroline rolled her eyes at me. “It’s not like you have anything I haven’t seen a thousand times over.”

Deborah hustled over to push me back down onto the ottoman. “Love the dress and the shoes. We just need to fix your make up and you’ll be ready.”

I held still as she brought out a series of pallets and brushes. “Where did you get all those?”

Obligingly, I closed my eyes as Deborah leaned over with a makeup brush.

“The enforcer wasn’t kidding when he said Anton had arranged everything we would need.”

I held still as my companion swiped color over my eyelids. “What are we going to do about tonight?”

Despite what I’d told Thomas and the rest, we weren’t here to play. I also doubted Nathan was going to let us out of his sight long enough to do the information gathering we needed.

“I’ve already got that covered. You and I just need to keep the vampires distracted while Sondra, Emmett and Hank shake down the locals to see what they can find out about the local Fae barrow.”

It wasn’t a bad plan. Nathan wouldn’t be watching those three as closely as he was me and Caroline. I would have preferred tracking down leads myself, but in this instance, I had no choice but to compromise.

“There. Done,” Deborah said, sounding pleased with the results as she put the finishing touches on my face and stepped back.

I opened my eyes and blinked at the woman in the mirror. “Wow.”

There was nothing else to say. Deborah had done an amazing job, managing to make my eyes the focal point and they seemed on the bluer side of their normal blue gray color.

“This is amazing,” I said, feeling like it needed to be reiterated.

My companion flushed with pleasure, busying herself with putting the brushes back into their individual pouches. “It’s nothing special.”

“I disagree,” I corrected, pointing at my face. “You don’t see me being able to do this.”

Caroline nodded in agreement.

What Deborah had done was a skill. One she’d obviously put time and effort into learning. It deserved to be acknowledged.

Deborah lifted one shoulder in an awkward shrug. “Just let me know if you ever want me to do your makeup. I’d be happy to help.”

I took one last look in the mirror. “I just might take you up on that.”

It might be nice for an occasional date night with Liam. Who didn’t want to look spectacular in front of their boyfriend?

Finished admiring my reflection, I took in the appearance of the other two women.

Deborah had chosen a short, red sequin dress that gathered on one shoulder before extending in a sleeve down her arm. The other shoulder and arm were left bare.

“Nice choice of color,” I observed.

Deborah looked down at her dress, plucking at the fabric. “Like it? I thought it appropriate considering I’m your companion.”

“It’s very red.”

That was probably the point. For vampires, the color red could have a wealth of meaning depending on the situation. In a strange city where no one really knew us, Deborah’s choice allowed her to proclaim her status as belonging to me. Hopefully, it would warn off spooks who might seek to take advantage of a human.

Caroline had gone the opposite route, choosing a pair of loose beige pants that gathered at her ankles and a sapphire sequin top that bared an inch of her mid-drift. She’d sleeked her blond hair into a high ponytail. It looked like Deborah had also done her makeup.

“We’d better get out there before they wonder where we are,” I said, rising.

Caroline arched an eyebrow at me. “You sure you’re ready for this?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

All I had to do was spend an evening playing Nathan’s game while not letting on that there was anything more going on.

Easy peasy.

“I’ve experienced the werewolf’s version of a night on the town. It scares me to think how much worse a vampire’s could be. Anything you want to share?” she asked with a sidelong look.

Strictly speaking, I couldn’t say I’d ever experienced the vampire equivalent. I’d come close. Gone out with the enforcers a time or two, but those excursions had mostly been tamer versions of Caroline and my own nights out.

From the taunting grin Nathan had given me, I had a feeling he wasn’t going to hold back this time. I was going to get the no-holds-barred, 360 panorama, stereo definition version tonight.

“I have,” Deborah volunteered, her mischievous grin widening until it almost split her face. For a moment, her eyes glittered with anticipation as she twitched the curtain open. “All I can say is buckle up. It’s going to be a wild ride.”

“This is going to be a disaster, isn’t it?” I asked, watching Deborah sashay away.

Caroline’s nod was resigned. “Probably.”

“That’s just lovely,” I grumbled, following her out of the dressing room and into the store where Nathan and Connor were waiting for us.

Like us, the boys had undergone a change of clothes. They both looked dashing in a nice pair of dress slacks and expensive looking shirts. The deep blue of Connor’s brought out his eyes while Nathan had gone with a simple and classic black that paired well with the expensive watch he was wearing.

“I thought you went with Thomas,” I said with a frown at Anton.

“And miss this? Not a chance.” A seductive smiled teased Anton’s lips before he turned serious. “He’s in a safe location and Daniel has him covered. He gave me the rest of the night off and told me to go have fun. That’s what I intend to do.”

“I’m not sure I can handle your level of fun.”

Nathan was going to be bad enough. Throw in Anton, the enforcer with the wildest reputation, and I was in trouble.

“Nonsense.” Anton began ushering us toward the exit. “Everything has already been taken care of. You just need to relax and enjoy.”

Why did that not make me feel any better?

“Shall we, my lady?” Anton offered his arm to Deborah, who took it with a smile.

Connor glided silently in their wake.

Nathan slung an arm around my shoulders as he steered me after the rest. “I noticed Caroline’s friends are already gone. What’s that about?”

“They had something to take care of. They’re going to catch up with us later.”

Nathan’s arm dropped from my shoulder. “If you say so, bestie.”

The floor of the casino was a chaotic and overwhelming place. The din of slot machines and the sound of so many humans in one place was difficult to manage with my heightened senses. To say nothing about the undercurrents of magic that flowed back and forth throughout the entire space like blood through an artery.

I swayed, momentarily overcome.

Nathan caught me. “Easy now. Just do like I taught you and tune it out. Focus on one thing.”

It was difficult, my attention wanting to splinter in a thousand directions.

With effort, I pushed the stimuli away, concentrating on Nathan. The deep base of his voice. His hand around my arm.

Gradually, it grew easier, my senses stabilizing.

Nathan held on for a second longer. “You haven’t had an episode like that in a while.”

“It’s the magic. It’s everywhere.”

Cloying and thick. Like a humid, hot day. The kind that made you feel like you were wrapped in a damp blanket the second you stepped out of your house.

Nathan was one of the few with whom I’d shared my secret voluntarily. Most everyone else had discovered it on their own. With Nathan, I’d gone out on a limb. Trusted him with an important—and potentially dangerous—piece of myself. All because I considered him a friend.

You could say that moment was a bit of a turning point for me. The Aileen of before finally finding someone worth taking a chance on in this new life of hers.

The concern peering out at me through his eyes told me I hadn’t made the wrong choice.

“I didn’t think about the effect being here would have on you,” he admitted, his forehead wrinkling as he gazed around him with a touch of frustration. “And I should have. The casinos in this town are almost all run by spooks. The spells are meant to lower human inhibitions to make them gamble more.”

That wasn’t all. There were also numerous curses designed to prevent spooks cheating. Nasty things that were best steered clear of. Then there were the basic befuddlement charms to make humans pliable and prone to bad decisions.

The entire building was a honey trap meant to part humans from their cash.

What concerned me most, though, was the thread that looked like it was siphoning away some of the life force of humans gathered around the gambling tables. Not all of them. Just certain ones.

If I hadn’t already disliked casinos, the sight of all these spells would have made me hate them.

“I’m surprised you don’t have a raging migraine,” Nathan observed.

“I would have if I wasn’t shielding so hard.”

A side effect was that I was now practically blind. Magically speaking, that was. I could see enough of it to spot the thicker pockets but getting details was impossible unless I loosened my stranglehold over my ability.

“Keep that up because it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Nathan warned as a flash of magic swallowed Anton and Deborah.

Belatedly, I realized we’d left the main path and had strayed toward a section that was largely deserted. A pair of ancient looking, feline statues whose features had been worn away by weather and time flanked either side of a marble hallway. One that I realized was an illusion as Connor and Caroline disappeared into it.

Then it was our turn.

Nathan wrapped an arm around my back and ushered me forward. “Don’t falter now.”

A buzzing sensation lifted the tiny hairs on my arms.

I shivered, feeling like I’d just stepped through a low voltage electrical fence.

“What was that?” I complained, rubbing my arms to get rid of the unsettling sensation.

“Welcome to the Playground.” Nathan threw his arms wide, indicating a space so vastly different from the one on the other side that it was hard to believe they existed so close to each other. “A place where every spook can feel right at home as they enjoy the delights and splendors of sin city. You just stepped through the barrier meant to keep humans from discovering our little secret.”

I didn’t comment immediately, more preoccupied with the large number of creatures flowing past us, many of whom I didn’t recognize. Some of them were humanoid. Fae so beautiful they hurt my eyes. Werewolves and vampires. A harpy dropped out of the sky to mess with a creature that seemed more beast than human. Eyes peered at us from the shadows. The faces they belonged to more bestial than anything.

The strange part was seeing glow necklaces and bracelets on many individuals. Drinks, like those you’d find on the Vegas strip, were clutched in their hands as they stood around gambling tables.

Anton appeared from the crowd, Deborah at his side. Both carried trays of shot glasses filled with a neon blue liquid.

Nathan grabbed two from Deborah’s tray, handing one to me while keeping the other for himself. “Bottoms up.”

This sneaky bastard. He was challenging me. He knew if I was up to something dangerous that I’d be reluctant to compromise my judgment with alcohol.

And he was right.

I was in a strange city. One where I didn’t know the major players. Potential enemies were everywhere.

It would be reckless to lower my inhibitions under these circumstances. Complete and total madness.

“Unless, of course, there’s a reason you don’t want to,” Nathan murmured with a knowing look.

Caroline reached around me, plucking a shot off Anton’s tray and tossing it back like we really were here to get our party on and not embark on a dangerous mission we might not survive.

“No reason,” Caroline answered with an edge to her voice that warned me not to blow it. “Right, Lena?”

I lifted the glass to my lips and swallowed the contents. It burned all the way down.

“Right.” I gritted out a smile that probably looked as combative as I felt.

“In that case.” Nathan snagged a couple more drinks off the trays and held them out to us.

I eyed the shots with unconcealed distaste. “I want to have a good time. Not kill myself with tomorrow’s hangover.”

Nathan’s hands didn’t lower. “I have faith that you’ll be fine.”

I made an irritated sound, knowing he’d stand there all night holding those drinks if he had to.

“You win.” I snatched the shot from him and downed it. “But you have to match us drink for drink.”

Nathan’s grin started slow, taking over his face little by little until he was practically beaming.

Belatedly, I realized what a mistake it was to issue a challenge like that.

He snagged the last two shots from Anton’s tray and downed them one after the other. He burped once he was done. “Hope you can keep up, A.”

Anton smirked as Nathan snagged Deborah around the shoulders, steering her toward a darkened entranceway that I could tell led to a club. Even from here, I could feel the pounding base coming from inside. Blue and green lights spilled out as patrons came and went.

“Great going.” Caroline drifted to my side as Connor trailed after the enforcers and my companion. “You really have a knack for defusing situations.”

“Like you’re any better.”

She’d downed that shot without thinking twice about it.

Face it—we were both winging it.

Hopefully, once we had an actual lead, Caroline and Sondra would allow me to bring Liam and his people in on things. If he ever decided to show up. Given Nathan’s presence, I had to believe he wasn’t far away. I was tempted to ask, but I didn’t want to give away the fact that I didn’t know where my own boyfriend was.

Nathan stopped at the entrance of the club. “You coming?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

He waited for me as the other three slipped into the club.

“What?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing. Just looking forward to tonight.”

That made one of us.

The club was heaving. Sound assaulting us from every direction. I hesitated to call what I was hearing music because of how deafening it was.

The bulk of the room was taken up by the massive dance floor. Stairs led up to a balcony that rimmed the perimeter of the club. People either sat in the booths up there or stood at the railing overlooking the dance floor.

Sheets of blue and green light splayed over the dancers, highlighting their undulating bodies.

Scanning the club, I noted the bar that acted as an island amidst all the chaos. Club goers were packed at least four deep around it, shouting orders to the fleet of bartenders.

Every once in a while, a cocktail waitress or waiter would zip to the end of the bar to pick up a tray of drinks before circling among the dancers and the bar tables lining the very edges of the room.

“Wait here,” Nathan shouted. “I’ll get us another drink.”

Oh no. I didn’t need any more alcohol. I was already starting to feel a warm flush.

Hoping to buy time to work a little of the alcohol out of my system, I hooked an arm around his and dragged him into the mass of heaving bodies, Caroline trailing behind us.

“You promised me a good time,” I shouted so he could hear me above the din. “I want to dance.”

There wasn’t any hesitation before Nathan’s lips curved. “Hell yeah.”

Nathan was a good dancer. With him as a partner, it was easy to feel like I was too. It took less than two songs before my movements smoothed out as I let myself become lost in the music. My body swaying as I threw my head back, my hair spilling down my back as the dance carried me.

Nathan was in front of me, Caroline at my back doing the same. The club goers pressed in around us.

Time slipped past, several songs coming and going before I realized.

To my surprise, I realized I was having fun. The dance floor provided a release for some of the stress and tension that had accumulated. I didn’t have to look back to know Caroline felt the same, her dancing a lot more relaxed than it had been when we started.

Nathan was jumping up and down to the current song, managing to look elegant instead of like the jack in the box he should have resembled.

A short while later Caroline tugged at my elbow while fanning her face.

“It’s hot in here. I think I need a drink of water or something,” she told me with flushed cheeks. A few strands of hair sticking to her neck and face.

It was only then that I realized how dry my mouth had gotten. My body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat while the muscles in my legs and core trembled from exertion.

“Me too,” I said, a little puzzled.

Vampires didn’t typically have to worry about hydration, but right then I’d give my left arm for a gallon of cold water.

“Break time,” Nathan shouted, ushering us toward the bar.

This time I didn’t resist, feeling like I might actually perish unless I got some liquid in me.

Lifting my hair off my neck for relief, I scanned the crowd for Deborah and Anton. A second later, my gaze stopped on Drake and refused to move past him. The hunter leaned against a table and was engaged in conversation with Connor.

Seeing my approach, Drake tipped his chin at me, saying something to the other man. My brother looked at me as Drake walked away, the crowd swallowing him before I could reach them.

My gaze moved from Drake’s back to Connor, a question in it.

Before I could comment, Connor extended a pair of yard drinks toward me and Caroline. Made to hold over a hundred ounces of liquid, their shape was distinctive with a bulbous bottom and long neck that joined the rounded top. There was a strap that we could slide over our necks for ease of carrying.

Caroline made a pleased sound, taking the brightly colored slushie from Connor and sucking on the straw. “Yum. Mango margarita. My favorite.”

“Where did you find these?” I asked, taking a tentative sip of the red one he handed me.

It tasted like the best strawberry margarita I’d ever had.

He nodded toward the entrance, gesturing with his own bright blue yard drink. “I noticed them being sold outside.”

“Where’s mine?” Nathan demanded.

Connor didn’t remove his lips from his straw, simply rolling his eyes toward Nathan, the scathing look in them all the response he needed.

Deborah emerged from the crowd, Anton at her back, sashaying toward us while waving her own drink, this one green, in the air above her head.

I was betting she was the culprit behind Connor’s sudden interest in brightly colored alcoholic concoctions.

Actually, it was an inspired choice. The large volume meant the alcoholic content wasn’t high. I could drink all of it and probably not get drunk. I might throw up from all that sugar, but I’d remember everything afterward.

More and more, I was beginning to like this companion of mine. She was low key wily in that way you had to be when you were always the weakest person in the room.

Nathan’s gaze locked on the drink Anton was sucking from as he joined us. “You too?”

“I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

“What do you think?” Deborah asked with a flirtatious edge to her voice that made me wonder what these two had been up to while Caroline and I were dancing with Nathan.

Anton gazed at her from beneath lowered eyelashes. “It’s not bad.”

Deborah gave him a silly grin.

I frowned. Her too?

First Connor. Now Deborah. Why did everyone around me insist on being attracted to the most dangerous partners they could find?

Yes, I knew I was being hypocritical. Liam wasn’t exactly safe either. The man had a body count behind him that numbered in the hundreds. Possibly the thousands. Even I could admit, he was a scary SOB. The first few years of our acquaintance had been filled with me finding ways to avoid being in the same room with him.

Nathan made an exasperated sound and stalked toward the exit.

“Where are you going? We’re not done dancing,” I yelled after him.

“My mood is ruined. Time to move on and see where the evening takes us.” He pointed at the yard drinks we all held. “And I want to procure one of those before we go any further.”

While Nathan wandered off in search of beverages, Deborah grabbed my hand and towed me in her wake. “Follow me—there’s a place I want to show you.”

I went along with her but not without one last look in Connor’s direction. We needed to have another conversation about Drake soon. Somehow, I got the feeling there was more going on between them than a simple quest for a companion.

Still sucking on his straw, Connor met my eyes calmly.

Sensing Anton’s attention on me, I didn’t give voice to any of the things I wanted to say. This wasn’t the venue for the conversation we needed to have. Instead, I allowed my companion to drag me through the dance floor toward the darkened exit.