“Wanna dance?” I ask Steve because there’s no point in waiting for Jakob to make a move. I have to lure a guy like that in. Maybe he hasn’t picked out his next young vampire yet.
Let him think I’m easy prey.
“Sure.”
I drag Steve over to the small dance floor in this room, which has filled up some while we’ve been talking. I’m careful to position us where Jakob can still see, and Steve laughs when I back up into him, rolling my hips.
It’s hard not to get distracted. Steve’s a good dancer, and he keeps his touches fairly respectful. I feel a pulse or two ofsomethingfrom Vlad but push it away. If there was a real emergency, he’d let me know.
The bodyguard comes over three songs in. Steve makes an irritated sound when he stands in front of me, big body blocking my view of the DJ.
“Boss wants to see you.”
“Boss?” I snicker, and when I look at the bodyguard questioningly, he indicates Jakob with a jerk of his chin.
I turn and look at him.Reallylook at him, slowly taking him in.
I spin back to the bodyguard again with a smile. “No, thank you.”
A muscle in the big vampire’s jaw ticks. He leaves without a word, and I spin into Steve’s arms, chuckling.
“You always attract this much attention?” Steve asks.
“Only when I want to,” I reply. I wrap my arms around his shoulders but don’t lean in for the kiss he clearly wants. “What about you? You always look for someone to pick up?”
“Not always.”
Jakob and his bodyguard are having a heated discussion. I go back to dancing, then let out an exaggerated sigh when I see the bodyguard approaching again.
I push back up onto my tiptoes and put my hands on Steve’s shoulders. It’s nothing at all to feed power into my voice, to take that magic vampires inherently have—boosted by whatever Vlad gave me—and give Steve a little suggestion.
“Go into the next room and find a pretty little twink to go home with. Pick one who’ll boss you around. I think you’re going to like it.”
Steve grins down at me, eyes a little hazy, and hugs me tight before he slips from my grasp and wanders into the next room. The bodyguard moves in quickly, and I see Vlad slightly push off from the wall, but he stops himself from intervening.
“You’re not supposed to do that,” the bodyguard says, grabbing my arm.
I twist easily out of his grip and glare at him, then in Jakob’s direction. “Well, considering your boss is intent on ruining my fucking night, go bother him about it. I’m not interested.”
Before he can reply, I turn on my heel and storm out of the club.
Well, not storm. I’m holding in a laugh by the time I reach the doors, and I take a slow, meandering route back to the hotel, knowing that Vlad will be on my trail. On my trail and mad about it.
He catches up a few minutes later.
“What was that about?”
“What?”
“You were supposed to speak with him, Grant. Get close to him. Now, he will not—”
“Now, he’ll want more,” I interrupt, coming to a sudden stop. Vlad stops, too. Heisangry, banked fire behind his eyes, but I don’t think it’s all aimed at me. “What do you think usually happens when he turns his attention on one of his targets? They give in, right? They fawn all over him. And if I come in doing the exact same thing, it’s going to look more suspicious when I start asking questions.”
Vlad frowns. “You should have told me you intended to change the plan.”
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do until we got in there! Steve started chatting me up at the bar, and I needed to keep Jakob’s attention, didn’t I, because you’ve all made it clear that we need to stop him from hurting anyone else and—”
“Grant,” Vlad says firmly. He puts a hand on my shoulder, squeezes gently, and I do my best not to jump at the brief touch. “I did not say you were wrong to do it. You were not wrong to do it. I believe your reasoning is sound.”
