Only Arabella can make me feel so unsure of myself.
She tilts the glass to her lips and her head falls back, exposing that long, graceful neck of hers. I suck in a breath.
My memories of that neck are of it clad in heavy, glittering jewels, resplendent as an Egyptian queen. I’ve only seen her neck naked once before, and that was the night I betrayed her.
She licks a speck of blood off the corner of her lips. “Out of curiosity, what would happen if I asked for fresh?”
“Many humans on our staff – like Sinead – are Thralls employed by Sanctus Industries. As long as the vampire obtains their consent, these humans are happy to offer blood to any of our members.”
“Mmmm.” Arabella’s eyes dart in the direction of my office door. She purses her lips, and I think she’s about to say something else, but she sips her blood in silence.
I raise mine to my lips but don’t drink. I’m too wound up.
“I’m surprised to see you here.” I set down my glass. “I didn’t think there was much money in courtesan-ing or horror burlesque in Argleton, although I did hear something about a pole-dancing studio opening…”
“I’ve been out of that business for some time.”
“What do you do now?”
Her eyes narrow. “Am I required to reveal this to get my keys?”
“I’m making conversation, Arabella. An activity you once relished.”
“Only because it gave me easy access to a man’s purse.” She sips her drink. “I have my fortune, so I don’t need to indulge men like you any longer.”
That one stings.
Why do you care?I chide myself.You left Arabella in the past, remember? After she tried to have you killed. Or are you done lying to yourself?
“I am in finance,” she volunteers, looking as though the information leaves a rancid taste in her mouth.
I raise an eyebrow. “Finance? You never struck me as a numbers woman.”
“I am amoneywoman. I sell off those useless trinkets Upyr have hoarded over the years and provide them with the funds in usable currency to maintain their lavish lifestyles. Few others do what I do, and I am the best because I understand the art of discretion. Some of your members are clients of mine. I thought you should know this since I’m to be…” Her lip curls back as if she’s tasted something foul. “Residing here.”
I lean forward, interested. “Our members will be grateful for your services. Accessing modern cash is a real issue, and the courts have never been much help. Even the estate itself has issues…”
I think of the Sanctus safe, stuffed to the brim with bags of gold, Merovingian coins, Sumerian tablets, family swords, and my private safe that contains something even more precious. All that treasure on hand that I’ve no clue how to convert into the cash I need. Perhaps Arabella could—
“I’m not here to be of service to anyone,” she snaps. “I choose my clients. I applied to live at Sanctus because I value privacy, security and discretion. I want to live outside of the courts, unbeholden to anyone. Is that clear?”
And I might believe her sharp tone, if not for the tug in her eyebrow that gives away her interest.Still the same Arabella.
If I want her to help me, I have to make her believe it’s her idea. So I change the subject. Unfortunately, there’s only one other subject to discuss with her.
I clear my throat. “If you’re going to be living here, we should talk about Paris—”
“I don’t see why. Unless you’re planning to return my property.”
“The collar is gone. It’s at the bottom of the Seine.”
I watch her carefully for a reaction, but she gives me nothing. She fingers the stem of her glass. “You seem uncomfortable, Gideon.You needn’t be. What passed between you and me was over a century ago. A mere fling.”
It was never a fling to me.
She adds, “I’m certain you’ve had dalliances since Paris.”
“A few,” I admit. “A few hundred.”
