She smiles.“And how is the bickering with little miss princess?”
“She is the most infuriating woman I’ve ever had to deal with.”
“So you’re falling in love, then?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.This is just a job.”
She raises an eyebrow at me and sucks her lips into her mouth as though she’s swallowed down whatever she was going to say.”
“What?”I bark.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.“Nothing, nothing.But for the sake of both our cities, don’t hurt her.I don’t want anything jeopardising the talks.This could truly be the first time in a millennium that our cities are at peace.”
I turn to her, trying to hold back a shitty tone.“You think I don’t know that?I just got through telling you I had your back.Hasn’t everything I’ve done since being here demonstrated that?”
She nods and squeezes my shoulder.“It has.But sometimes what we think we’re doing up here,” she touches my temple, “and what we’re actually doing there,” she touches my heart, “are two different things.Besides, she seems like a handful.”
“Yeah, well, handful is my speciality.”
She gives me a solemn look and then strides off, and I relocate the princess in the crowd.She’s now grinding against some other random guy, a curvaceous girl dry humping her thigh at the same time.I knead my temples, my fangs dropping.I hate that I feel possessive over her.It’s not my place.Octavia is right, she’s not mine.Regardless of what happened last night.This is none of my business.I’m just here to guard her.
My skin bristles.I’m not sure whether it’s suppressed rage at the sight of Penelope dancing with two other people or something else.
I decide she’s had quite enough fun for this evening.I make my way through the crowd.She spots me and her grin deepens.She thrusts her arse into the guy and gropes the woman in front of her.Fuck me.I am going to spank that princess so fucking hard when I get her home.
The back of my neck prickles like someone is watching me.Or maybe not me, but her.I freeze.Penelope must spot the change in my demeanour because she stops dancing.She sprints over and slides her hand into mine.
“What is it?”she breathes, her skin shining.The air fills with the scent of hot skin, endorphins and a cocktail of gods knows what brimming in her veins.It’s delightful.I want to bite her.I want to fuck her.I’d quite like to drown her… or maybe drown in her.But not now.
“I’m not sure,” I say and scan the club.The room is filled with dancers and party goers.“And everyone in here is a friend of Morrigan’s?There’re no uninvited guests?”
“As far as I know.Mother has pretty tight security.Daria nearly made Morrigan cancel the entire hen do because of the threats I’d received.But they agreed they would do a closed-door party.”
My back warms.I spin around but see nothing.The air ripples.I rotate on the spot, turning, turning, turning, completing a full three-sixty of the club.But it’s as though whoever or whatever is watching is always one step ahead.Always out of my line of sight.
“And the security?How good is Daria?”I breathe.
“Good.”She indicates in her direction.Daria is standing like a pillar at the back of the bar.I agree—she looks as much like a knifepoint tonight as she did the first time I met her.There’s a rush of wind.I grab Penelope and spin out of the way, flattening her against the wall, my body pressed against hers.
She yelps.But I stand firm so no one can get to her.But even with my vampire sight, I can see nothing out of place.
“Yure squathing ee,” she mumbles into my shoulder blade.I ease the pressure off her body and hold my hand out.
“You’re coming with me,” I say.“We’re walking the room.Stay behind me and do not leave my side.And this isn’t one of those times when it’s a good idea to fuck about.Got it?”
She stares into my eyes.Something about my expression must convey how serious I am because she nods, and her grip on my hand tightens.
She slides in behind me and we walk the perimeter of the bar.Something is off and yet nothing is out of place.Only Daria standing in the corner of the bar looks like she’s miserable.Everyone else is dancing or drinking.Octavia, Scarlett, Morrigan and a bunch of their friends are all sat around a booth table necking shots and enjoying the view of some half naked dancer.
There’s another rush of wind and that’s when I smell it.
The faintest hint of metal on the air, of cool steel and something else.It’s almost as if…
“I think there’s another vampire in here,” I say.
“What?”Penelope gasps.Her grip on my hand tightens so much it hurts.
A figure stands by the back door.It’s too far for me to see clearly, but I spot it.Male, about six-foot-two maybe taller.I can’t make out any more from this distance even with vampire sight.He skulks out the door and vanishes.He doesn’t move like a vampire, though.Maybe I was mistaken.
