“How will you get past the guards?”
“I’ll manage,” Gavin said. “Doona worry about me.” He rubbed his chin. “This human girl…”
“Emilie?”
Gavin nodded. “Will anyone recognize her?”
“I don’t know why they would.”
“Because she’s related to the artist,” Gavin said. “It’s possible that whoever stole the painting has researched the family. Do they have any money? Is there any reason they could be seen as a threat?”
“Her father has money, but her mother—the one related to Emil Samson—doesn’t have any of her own and no particular interest in family history. I can’t see anyone thinking of Emilie and her grandmother as threats. No money. No particular influence. If they marched up to a judge and told him the painting belonged to their family, they’d probably be laughed out of court.”
“For your purposes, that’s good.”
“I told them I’d recover it for them. What they do after that is up to them.” Personally, if it was Ben, he’d want the whole Labyrinth Trilogy, but one painting was probably enough for Emilie and her grandmother.
Gavin smiled. “Look at you, Benjamin Vecchio. It appears the white hat is finally acquiring a bit of dust.”
“Not dust,” he said. “Not for this job. On this one, my conscience is completely clear.”
16
Ben was straightening his cuffs and waiting for Emilie’s car to arrive. “Tenzin?”
Chloe had kidnapped Tenzin as soon as the sun set and taken her out to get hair and makeup done. Ben hadn’t seen either of them since, though he’d seen their dresses when Arthur dropped them off the night before. Both were stunning and Ben was more than impressed by the man’s talent. He’d created dresses that suited both women perfectly.
Chloe’s silver-grey dress would wrap around her, displaying her stunning figure and long legs. The skirt flowed like many of the dance costumes he’d seen her wear. Tenzin’s dress was a rich purple in a fabric that drew the senses. It was regal and classic while still being a little punk. He wondered if she’d even put it on. It wasn’t anything like he’d seen her wear before. Tenzin chose utilitarian clothes for herself. She was practical. She was…
“Why were you calling me?”
Ben turned and Tenzin was at the top of the stairs. His mouth dropped open.
“What was it?” she asked.
Ben couldn’t move. He wanted to touch. Everywhere.
Tenzin’s hair was cut at a sharp angle around her face, the short layers and subtle makeup enhancing her cheekbones and flaunting her graceful neck.
Looking at the pale curve where her shoulder met her neck, Ben felt his mouth water and he had the distinct urge to bite. He pushed the desire to the back of his mind, but he couldn’t ignore it completely. He wanted to sink his blunt human teeth into Tenzin’s neck.
Not okay.
“You look beautiful,” he said in a rough voice. “The dress is…”
“I like it.” She smoothed her hands down the purple silk. “More than I thought I would. It’s more comfortable than it looks.”
The rich fabric of her dress clung to her slim curves, highlighting the dramatic cut of the material around her shoulders. The designer had managed to make silk look like armor. Decorative layers started at her shoulders, draping like blunt dragon scales and concealing the subtle knife sheaths Arthur had worked into the design. The rest of the dress was simple, contoured to her body except for a slit that ran up her left leg. He spotted a flash of silver on her thigh.
“I don’t…” He had to clear his throat. “You might have to take the sword off for the gala.”
She looked down in disappointment. “Do you think so?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh well.” Tenzin flipped back the slit of her dress, exposing her leg as she removed the slim, foot-long blade she’d concealed on her thigh.
Ben almost turned around to hide his reaction.
Damn you, Chloe.
His body had a mind of its own. He tried to think of something—anything—else.
He’d never noticed how Tenzin’s eyes were the exact color of smoke. The line of that dress made her legs look miles long even though she barely came to his chin.
What was Chloe thinking? They wanted to remain low-key for the gala. In that dress, with her hair cut to enhance her neck, everyone in the ballroom would be staring at Tenzin.
“I still have about a dozen small dagger sheaths,” Tenzin said with a grin. Her mouth was subtly colored. Her eyes had dark shadow on the lids. “Arthur is very talented.”
“Uh-huh.” Where was Chloe? Where was Emilie? “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.” She turned toward the stairs. “I think Chloe was nearly ready as well.”
“Good.”
“Your cuffs,” Tenzin said, walking over to him. “Do you need help with them?”
Before he could protest, she’d lifted his arm and pinched his french cuff together.
“I can get it,” he said. She was too near. Her scent was a combination of honey and some spice he couldn’t place. He stared at the floor and caught a peek of her toe in a gold heel.
“Where is your cuff link?” she asked.
He reached in his jacket pocket and handed it to her.
“These are nice,” she said. “Were they a gift?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t stop staring at her neck.
“Giovanni?”
“Filomena.”
Her mouth turned up at the corner. “One of your Italian admirers. They do give the best presents.” She held her hand out for the other cuff link and dropped his arm. He silently handed her the second gold cuff link and turned his head toward the stairs.
Damn you, Chloe.
As if drawn to his mental reproof, she appeared at the doorway. She caught his expression and her smile gave way to confusion.
“What?” Chloe asked.
“We’re going to be late.”
Tenzin said, “That’s good. Nobody important comes to a party on time, and we’re very important.”
“We’re not going to be late,” Chloe said. “We’re still waiting on Emilie anyway. Have you heard from her?”
Ben pulled out his phone and ignored the brush of Tenzin’s fingers at his wrist. “She’s almost here.”
With sudden mortification, Ben realized that Tenzin knew exactly what his reaction to her was. She could hear his pulse. She could probably smell his arousal by the change in his pheromones.
Irritation quickly overcame arousal.
By the time the driver buzzed the apartment, Ben had himself under control. Under control and out from Tenzin’s spell. His reaction was biological, more a reaction to the surprise than to her. After all, she was his partner.
That was all.
Emilie reminded Tenzin of a bird. A delicate little songbird with pretty feathers. She wore a dress the color of pomegranates cut to emphasize her collarbones and slim shoulders. She was a beautiful woman, and she stared at Ben as if he was the most handsome man in the room. Glancing around the glittering ballroom, Tenzin had to agree with her. Ben was the most handsome human in the room. There were a few vampires, however…
She let her eyes rest on one of Cormac’s guards. He wasn’t her usual type, but the way his trapezius muscles swelled under his crisp white shirt invited her teeth. She was feeling hungry after scenting Ben’s reaction to her. She knew it had irritated him, knew he liked to ignore the biological attraction between them, and that was perfectly fine with her. Entertaining any interest along those lines was far too complicated.
Tenzin was feeling exposed in the dress Arthur had designed for her, even though she liked everything about it except the need to wear a short heel. It was formfitting but not uncomfortable. The sleeve design reminded her of some of her favorite armor, which she knew was his intention. She’d seen him sketching the suits of leather armor in the apartment when he was drawing her dress. She liked the purple. She
liked the way it felt. She didn’t like the eyes it attracted.
Ben and Emilie were dancing in the middle of the floor. Chloe and Gavin were dancing a few steps away. Ben was glaring at Gavin like he wanted to rip his throat out. Gavin was smiling and charming Chloe, completely ignoring Ben. It was all quite amusing. Tenzin was delighted that Gavin had shown an interest in Chloe. She liked the human, so the more vampire protectors she had, the better. Chloe was the type of human who would attract immortals no matter where she went. There was a timeless quality to her beauty and age behind her eyes. Plus she was talented, and talented humans always drew attention. Gavin wasn’t the only vampire looking at Tenzin’s newest day person.
Tenzin smelled Cormac O’Brien approach her from behind. He carried the distinct scent of cherry pipe tobacco and leather. It wasn’t at all unpleasant, and it matched his style, which was… unique. Normally Cormac wore a contrary combination of tweed jacket and ripped jeans with worn motorcycle boots. But that night he wore a tuxedo like the rest of the men. His hair had been tamed and he might have even trimmed his beard.
Same smell though. She would always recognize his smell.
“Hello,” she said as Cormac came to stand beside her.
“Good evening,” he said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. “I like the hair.”
“Chloe says it ages me in a good way.”
He angled his head and examined her before he nodded. “I would agree.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?” He took off his glasses and cleaned them with the linen handkerchief he carried. The glasses were an affectation. Cormac’s eyes were perfectly functional.
“For complimenting my hair. Chloe says my manners need updating.”
“No need. I like your bluntness.” Cormac offered her a narrow smile. “Chloe is your new day person, correct?”
Tenzin nodded. “I’m assuming that Giovanni called you?”
“He did.” Cormac put his glasses back on and scanned the room. The way his eyes locked on Chloe, Tenzin knew he’d done a background check.
Which was fine. Beatrice was an accomplished hacker—despite her immortal nature—and had made sure Chloe’s electronic trail was short and uninteresting. Cormac would find nothing that Tenzin and Ben didn’t want him to find.
“She seems like a lovely girl.”
“Ben has known her for years.”
“Ah, yes. Your other human. Who is the woman he brought tonight?”
“A designer friend,” Tenzin said. “And again, he is not my human.” Tenzin had no humans under her aegis. She didn’t want any.
“Whatever you say.”
“I like the gala.”
His eyebrows rose. “That’s surprising. I don’t. They’re necessary, not enjoyable.”
“Then why host them?”
“Because my brother insists, and my daughter convinced me it creates good will among the humans.”
“Which brother?”
“Ennis.”
Tenzin went silent.
“Don’t,” Cormac muttered.
“You’re going to have to kill him, you know.”
Cormac glanced around before he glared at Tenzin. “You need to stop saying that.”
“It’s true.”
“It’s not true, and you don’t know anything about my family.”
“I recognize the signs.” Tenzin had killed all of her own siblings, but that wasn’t any of Cormac’s business. “You’re a stable leader. He likes to provoke chaos. You’ve been holding him off for decades now, but eventually…”
“I don’t know why I like you when you continue to threaten my own brother.”
“I’m not going to kill him,” Tenzin said. “You have to do that on your own.”
“Can we change the subject please?”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
Tenzin searched for topics that could be classified as “small talk.” She was terrible at chatting.
“Are nonprofits a good way to hide money?” she asked. “Historic New York. That’s yours, right?”
“It’s not mine, per se. It’s funded by the clan and a few other individuals with deep pockets and good connections who sometimes need to invest funds in charitable organizations.”
“And then?”
“And then what?” He narrowed his eyes.
“How do you launder the funds?” she asked. “I’m assuming that’s why it exists.”
The corner of Cormac’s mouth turned up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She smiled. “But you actually fund charitable events too.”
“We have to. The odd gala here and there. Sponsored exhibitions at museums—those are easier because our kind tend to have trinkets lying around.” He shrugged. “It’s not bad. Nonprofit organizations require quite a bit of paperwork though.”
“Hmm.”
“If I were you, I’d keep your dragon hoard in untraceable gold and weapons.” He flicked her shoulder. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the knives, Tenzin.”
“I couldn’t leave them at home.” Her eyes went wide and innocent. “They match the dress.”
Cormac couldn’t stop the wry smile. “As long as you don’t behead any of my guests, I don’t have a problem with it.”
Tenzin scoffed. “When have I ever…?”
Oh. Hmmm.
He raised an eyebrow. “A certain massacre in Rome springs to mind.”
Rome? She’d been thinking about an entirely different dinner party, but hopefully Cormac hadn’t heard about Chandigarh.
“I was provoked in Rome,” Tenzin said. “You don’t make a habit of provoking me.”
“No, I don’t have any interest in bloodshed before dinner.”
Tenzin smiled. “Novia is a good influence on you. A natural diplomat. Far better than you.”
“I know. The smartest choice I’ve made in the past fifty years was siring that girl.”
Tenzin caught sight of Cormac’s progeny. She was talking with a group of visiting vampires and their retinue. She was charming and friendly, but Tenzin caught the keen gaze. Novia O’Brien never let her guard down. She was taking in every word and gesture.
“She’s an excellent vampire, Cormac. I would also be very proud.”
“Thank you.”
Her eyes dropped to the chain looping from his pocket. Cormac caught the look.
“Don’t steal my pocket watch, Tenzin.”
She sighed. “I really want to though. I’d probably give it back.”
“No, you wouldn’t. And if you were really going to steal it, you would have already taken it. Let’s not cause a national incident for no reason, shall we?”
“Fine.” She wondered if Gavin and Chloe had already made their escape. She couldn’t see them dancing.
Cormac asked, “You’re not stealing anything else from me tonight, are you?”
She glanced at him. “Me? I don’t even know whose house this is. They might not have anything good to steal.” She asked because she knew Cormac would expect it. “Is there a safe?”
Chloe was dancing with Gavin Wallace.
Again.
Chloe remembered him from the very first night, but he hadn’t made the same impression he was making now. His hand was on her waist, and warm fingers clasped her hands. His feet were light as he led her in a foxtrot.
Gavin was an incredible dancer, and he’d monopolized most of her evening. Somewhere between the dinner and the dancing, she’d had a chance to walk around the ballroom with Emilie, who was mostly interested in the art hanging on the walls and the dresses of the guests. She swooned over the vintage ball gowns. Chloe bit her tongue and didn’t mention the women wearing them were probably the original owners.
What was it like going to a vampire ball?
If she didn’t know anything about them, she’d have thought the immortals in the room were very dazzling humans. Chloe had been around enough theater people and actors in Southe
rn California that she recognized the “it factor” that some people naturally carried. It was hard to explain, but there was a charisma—a special sparkle—that set them apart.
Very few humans had that charisma, but every vampire she saw did. Especially the Scottish one who’d made his interest clear.
She’d felt Gavin’s eyes on her the whole night. The part of her who recognized a predator saw one in the vampire with sandy-brown hair and furtive eyes.
But she wasn’t afraid.
Gavin was… charming? No, he was too blunt to be charming. He didn’t have any of Ben’s smooth delivery or easy wit. His interest was clear and candid. She found his direct interest far more comforting than the subtle charm and manipulations of her ex. Tom had always made her wonder where she stood with him.
Gavin didn’t. The first thing he’d told her when they’d started dancing was, “I find you very attractive, especially for a human.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m not sure I want a vampire to be attracted to me.”
He’d nodded. “That’s probably wise.”
Chloe wasn’t insulted by the “especially for a human” part. The more she discovered about the world Ben inhabited, the more it made sense. She’d seen dozens of vampires since she’d been here. As she danced with Gavin, he pointed them out, but within minutes Chloe hardly needed the help.
Most were beautiful, the men and the women, though they also had that “otherness” that drew the eye. Gavin was beautiful, though in a completely masculine way. His jaw was clean-shaven and his lower lip begged to be bitten.
Chloe blushed at her own thoughts.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Gavin said, pulling her closer.
Chloe shook her head, and the band switched to a waltz. Gavin didn’t let her go, he just switched his steps and continued dancing.
“I want to know what put that color in your cheeks,” he said.
Not on your life, vampire. “It’s good to want things.”
“That,” he said, “you are making very clear.”
Flirting wasn’t her intention, but she didn’t have an easy retort.
Gavin pulled her closer and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Chloe.”