14. Ivy

14

IVY

"Okay," I say, opening my eyes and pulling my Poison knickers up. "This is fine. Whatever. I'll go and tell him Vera said he had to help me, and all will be well."

"You hope," Ramsey mutters. "What happened earlier?"

I sigh. "He was a bit creepy. Nothing I can't handle, but then Tate fucking Blackwell decided to show up and give Vex aggro. It was not fun."

"Tate?" Ramsey says with a frown. "Interesting."

"That's one word for it. Anyway, I?—"

"Knock-Knock," Josh's voice calls out, and then he raps on the door.

"Come in, Josh," I say, giving Ramsey a look, and he slams the weapons box on the bed shut.

"Hey," Josh says, leaning in the doorway. "Everything okay up here? "

"Yeah, I'm heading out for the night," I say. "Was just filling Ramsey in."

"Oh, where are you going?"

"Club Nox," I say truthfully. I hate lying to him, but he isn't part of this. It must be worse for Ramsey, who grimaces and doesn't say a word.

"Oh, eww," Josh says. "No offence," he adds hurriedly.

I snort back a laugh. "No, eww is about right. But a friend is a having a thing, so I have to show my face."

"Well, have fun. Rams, pizza is on its way."

"Be down in a sec," Ramsey says, aiming for a bright smile.

Josh nods and leaves us alone again, and I sigh. "I hate this."

"Me too. But it's safer for him."

"I know."

We exchange a long, miserable stare, and I mourn the fact that I have no real friends except him and Josh. It's too risky. It's just easier to keep myself to myself, or myself with those who know who I am, who are very few and far between.

"Suppose I'd better get going."

"Don't fuck this up, Ives. Sorry, I know, but Vera is, well, let's just say she has a personal stake in this, I think."

"Why?" Colour me intrigued.

"Marcus Crowberry is not a nice vampire. He trafficks young women and uses them in a prostitution ring. Vera is gunning for him."

"Well, that just made this a whole fucking lot easier. Whatever it takes, that arsehole won't be around to see the dawn."

Ramsey nods. "Be careful, Ives. With Vex and Marcus."

"Always," I say with a smile that is all forced. I'm not happy about this, any of this, but if Vex can help take this scum off the streets, I'm all over it like a fly on shit.

When Ramsey leaves, I glance at the clock again. It's nearing six, and I need to get moving if I have to stop at Vex's on the way.

I take a lingering shower, letting the hot water soothe my tense muscles. As much as I want to stay under the spray and forget about this whole mess, I know I need to get out and get dressed.

Stepping out, I wrap a towel around myself and head to my closet. What does one wear to seduce and murder a vampire pimp? I rifle through my options before settling on a slinky black dress that hugs my curves. Paired with sky-high heels that has a secret stiletto blade in the left heel and some smoky eye makeup, I look every bit the femme fatale as Ivy. When I leave here and shift to Poison, I will be irresistible to this prick.

Hopefully.

I need him to want me close, and that is going to take more than me showing up and flashing him a smile. Grabbing my small bag with my tiny purse, I make sure that the inside is clean. I can't walk into Nox with anything that will set off the alarms, except my blade. It was given to me by Vera on my first day on the job. It has come in handy more times than I can count. It is hexed by a warlock, which I suspect might be Vex, and will bypass most security systems as long as it is charged by the full moon. That was a week ago, so it should be undetectable.

"I'm leaving!" I call out to the guys as I hurry past the living room to the front door.

"Bye! Have fun!" they shout back, and I slip out into the growing dark.

Sticking to this side of the road, I walk as fast as my shoes will let me towards Vex's house. It's on the nicer side of the campus, near the forest's edge.

I make my way quickly through the darkening streets towards Vex's place, my heels clicking on the pavement. As I approach his house, a sense of unease settles over me. I really don't want to deal with him again after this morning, but I don't have much choice if I want to complete this assignment without getting busted seconds after I kill Marcus.

Taking a deep breath, I climb the couple of steps to his front door and knock firmly. After a long moment, the door swings open to reveal Vex lounging against the doorframe, shirtless and smirking. His hard chest is covered in runes that swirl and glimmer, whispering secrets of dark magick that send a tickle over the back of my neck .

"Well, well. Look who came crawling back," he drawls, his eyes raking over me appreciatively.

I resist the urge to punch that smug look off his face. "I need your help," I grit out.

His smirk widens. "Oh? And why should I help you?"

"Because Vera said you have to," I snap. "It's for an assignment."

At the mention of Vera's name, Vex's expression turns more serious. He steps back, gesturing for me to enter. "Fine. Come in and tell me what you need."

I follow him inside, my skin crawling as I feel his eyes on me. We head to his study, a dark room filled with ancient tomes and magical artefacts.

"So what's the job?" Vex asks, perching on his desk.

I quickly explain about Marcus Crowberry and what I need to do, and the spell Vera said he had that I could use.

Vex's eyes light up with interest as I explain the assignment. "I've been dying to use this spell for ages," he says. "It's nasty work - burns the target from the inside out. Painful way to go."

"Sounds perfect for this arsehole," I mutter.

Vex's lips quirk in a humourless smile. "Definitely. But it's not an easy spell to cast. It requires intimate contact."

I narrow my eyes. "What kind of intimate contact?"

Vex bares his teeth and snaps his jaw. "He's got to bite you. Once that's done, I can activate the spell remotely. It'll take about 30 minutes to kick in fully."

"Fuck," I groan, but at least I know I'm capable of this. Actually, it's easy, all vamps are blood thirsty. I doubt he will refuse from a willing donor, and if I have to give him some incentive, well, I'm sure Joy Reading's abuser will confirm how good I am at that. "What do you need from me to set this up?"

"I'll have to inject the magick into your blood. It will be undetected on the scanners, but there's a catch."

"Oh?" I ask dangerously.

"If it's not deactivated within two hours, you will burn from the inside out."

"Are you high?" I snap. "I'm not giving you that power over me."

"Well, Vera sent you here firstly, I'm just the helper. But secondly, I don't want to see you burn, little shifter. We still have unfinished business." His dark eyes bore into mine, and my insides squirm. But I smile seductively and take this opportunity to shift into Poison. Sleek pink bob, bigger tits, lither frame, blue eyes that narrow when he lets out a little pant that tells me he has forgotten all about earlier.

"What do you need?" I purr, needing to play this dirty game so he doesn't let me die. I don't trust him as far as I could kill him with magick, but right now, he is my only shot at getting this done quickly, and time isn't on my side.

He reaches out, trailing a finger along my jawline. I fight the urge to flinch away. "Such a naughty little shapeshifter. I bet you have all sorts of fun tricks up your sleeve."

"You have no idea," I murmur.

Vex's hand slides down to grip my hip, pulling me flush against him. "Maybe you can show me sometime."

I place a hand on his chest, pushing him back slightly. "Business first. The spell?"

He sighs dramatically but steps away. "Always so focused. Fine, let's get you ready to take down that vampire scum."

Vex moves to a cabinet, pulling out various vials and ingredients. As he mixes them together, he glances at me over his shoulder. "This will hurt, you know. Injecting magick directly into your bloodstream isn't pleasant."

I shrug. "I can handle pain."

"That's my girl," he murmurs, and I shudder.

Vex finishes mixing the concoction, utters some incantation and fires his magick into the pot. It explodes, and I wonder if perhaps I should take my chances with a good old stake. He turns to me with a wicked grin, holding up a syringe filled with glowing blue liquid. "Ready, little shifter?" he asks.

I grit my teeth and nod, holding out my arm. Vex grips my wrist tightly and positions the needle over my vein.

"Last chance to back out," he taunts.

"Just do it," I snap .

Without further warning, he plunges the needle into my arm. Instantly, liquid fire courses through my veins. I bite back a scream as the magick burns its way through my body. My knees buckle, and Vex catches me, pulling me against his chest.

"Shh, it's almost over," he murmurs in my ear, his hand stroking my hair in a mockery of comfort.

Before I can get it together enough to knee him in the balls, the burning sensation fades to a dull throb, and I push away from Vex, stumbling slightly as I regain my footing.

"Fuck," I pant. "That was not pleasant."

Vex smirks. "Told you. Now, remember - you have two hours. After that..." He drags a finger across his throat.

"I got it," I growl. "How do I contact you to deactivate it?"

He grins wickedly. "Oh, I'll do you one better, darling. I'll come with you."

"What? No way," I protest. "I work alone."

Vex shakes his head. "Not for this, you don't. That spell is tricky - one wrong move, and you could end up burning from the inside out instead of Marcus. You need me there to make sure it's done right."

I clench my jaw in frustration. The last thing I want is Vex tagging along, but I know he's right. I can't risk screwing this up. "I thought all I had to do was get him to drink from me?"

"You do, but guys like Marcus have a dozen little girls fawning all over him. We need to give him something he can't turn down."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he will have to go through me to get to you."

"Erm, no, that's not?—"

"Trust me. Vampires like him want what they can't have."

"Trust you," I murmur. Yeah, still don't, but now I have even less choice. I need him to deactivate this spell before I go kaboom, and again, the fastest and most efficient way to go about that is to have him with me.

"Fine," I bite out. "But you take liberties, and I'll chop your fucking hands off."

"You think that's a threat, but all you're doing is turning me on," he grins wickedly.

"Fuck off. I mean it, Vex." I lose the attitude. "I have a job to do, and I take that very seriously."

Vex's gaze searches mine, and he nods. "I get it, Poison. I really do."

For a moment, we share a sense of belonging, but it's over as soon as he smirks at me and grabs a black shirt. He shrugs it on, not bothering to button it up all the way. I roll my eyes at his obvious attempt to show off his rune-covered chest, but I can't deny how hot he is. Even if he gives me the major creeps.

"Throw this on," he says, chucking me a black hoodie. "Anyone watching will know you came in as Ivy. "

I nod and slip into it. It smells of his cologne and magick. I lift the hood over my hair and follow him to the front door.

As we head out, Vex grabs my arm. "One more thing," he says, his eyes serious. "Be careful in there. Marcus isn't just some run-of-the-mill vampire pimp. He's got connections to some very dangerous people."

I raise an eyebrow. "Like who?"

Vex shakes his head. "Better you don't know. Just watch your back, okay?"

His concern catches me off guard. I nod curtly. "Always do."

He nods, and stops in front of a huge motorbike, and I stifle the urge to laugh.

Of course he rides a motorbike.

He grins and slings his leg over, starting it up as I take a deep breath and nestle in behind him, trying my best not to give him any ideas as I cling to his shirt, terrified of this machine and ending up as part of the road if I go flying off it.

"Ready?" he asks and sets before I have the chance to reply.