“I—No.”
“I get it, okay? You know—” He swallows hard, then shakes his head as though trying to banish the memories. “I almost lost Quinn. You’ve been through the same. And yet, all things considered, I think we might need more protecting than our mates do.”
I huff, but perhaps he is not wrong. Quinn is a young, powerful wolf, one who has proven adept in fighting the fae. Grant can withstand the sun—the only vampire I have ever heard of achieving such a feat—and he did not hesitate in killing those fae, though I believe that will come back to haunt him later.
I will be here when it does. I will always be here.
“Come on,” Asher says. “Let’s see if they need any help.”
Upon entering the next room, it is clear that they do not. Margot has Rachel pressed up against one wall, close enough to make it appear that they are kissing, though Rachel, at least, has the back booth in her sights. Quinn is leaning against the bar and, to my surprise, is chatting away to the bartender, who already looks smitten.
Grant… Grant is dancing, head tossed back, lights making his tanned skin gleam. My mouth goes dry. He dressed up again, of course, and those shorts hidenothingexcept for all I haven’t seen. My fingers twitch with the urge to push his shirt from his shoulders.
“Bar, Vlad,” Asher mutters, gently steering me that way.
It matters not. There is not a chance that Jakob or his bodyguard have noticed me, since they are both singularly fixated on the way Grant moves. He is not theirs to look at, but I keep myself in check, murmuring an agreement when Asher offers to buy us both drinks.
He has positioned himself so he can keep an eye on Grant, which is probably for the better. It leaves Jakob and his bodyguard well within my sights, and that has me focusing again. The sooner we lure Eirian out, the sooner we can return to London. I doubt that Grant and I will find much time to be alone here, but there…
I clench my teeth and reach for the glass that has been set before me. It is cold against my hand. Good. I cannot lose my head.
Jakob beckons the bodyguard down to his level and says something in his ear. I cannot hope to pick the words out over the music and other voices in here, but that does not matter. The bodyguard’s gaze has never left Grant, and now his eyes narrow before he stands up straight again.
“He’s moving,” I say as the bodyguard strides across the floor. Asher murmurs his agreement. He has his back to the bar now, while I am hunched forward. Our blessings make us appear human, at least to the vampires in here.
I turn as though talking to Asher and watch out of the corner of my eye as the bodyguard approaches Grant. To his credit, Grant does not look afraid at all. Perhaps he is not. He stops dancing and glares up at the other vampire, mouth set in annoyance.
Again, I cannot hope to understand the words passing between them, but after some conversation, Grant rolls his eyes and nods. He gestures for the bodyguard to lead the way and follows him to where Jakob is sitting.
“I need to get closer,” I say.
“Not advisable,” Asher mutters, lifting his glass to his lips. “You think she’s here? I can’t feel anything.”
I could not feel anything yesterday and she was hiding in the back of the club then. “She may well still appear.”
“She’ll know it’s a trap.”
“I should think so.”
Quinn raises his eyebrows from the end of the bar, so Asher nudges me before he pushes off and approaches, looking for all the world as though he has never met his mate before. Quinn laps up the attention, though the bartender appears somewhat disgruntled.
No matter. I remember his face. Eirian is the only one I intend to take from here alive.
I pick up my drink and make a small turn around the room. When I pass by Rachel and Margot, Margot lifts her head long enough to frown at me, but I only nod in response. We have things in hand, or at least as much as we can.
The booth next to Jakob and Grant is empty of people when I reach it, so I perch on the seat, turning my head as though I am surveying the dance floor. We cannot secure the back exit without drawing attention to ourselves, but Grant and I should be fast enough to ensure Jakob and his accomplices cannot get away.
“I didn’t mean to,” Jakob is saying now, tone surprisingly wheedling for all Grant told me of him before. I hide my smile behind the rim of my glass. He is afraid.
“You said you’d be a gentleman and you fucked me over anyway,” Grant snaps back. He pauses, tapping one finger on the table before him, and when he speaks again, his tone is entirely changed. “Do you want to make it up to me?”
“W-what?”
“I mean it. Did you see what I did?”
The bodyguard grunts. “No.”
“Yes, you did. Or she told you, didn’t she? Her troll didn’t make it back.”
