“I'm not sure Nell is feeling it. It's obvious she's felt something for Sabina, but I don't know if she feels it for us too. Her human side complicates things a lot. In theory, in a true bonded Quad, she wouldn't choose, because she'd feel something for all of us. An almost immediate and verystrong bond. It could also be that Sabina is manipulating her.”
“All that soulmate shit,” I scoff.
“You know it exists among paranormal beings. In Nell's case, it would be three soulmates. I don't know if any ancient elf remembers how it worked last time.”
“Sabina feels it too,” I sigh. “I've seen her look at Nell the same way I do.”
“The same way we do,” the elf corrects.
“Shit, Sabina alone with Nell. I hope she doesn't make any stops before getting to the mansion.”
Chapter 7
Nell
“Everything will be fine,” Sabina whispers as she stops the van in front of the house.
I nod without saying anything. Right now I prefer not to think about it. I just grip the folding massage table until my knuckles turn white from the tension. Through the window, Voronov's mansion rises before me like a medieval fortress in modern times: white stone, reinforced glass, and a security system that, according to Sylara, would cost more than everything I've stolen in my entire life.
“If you feel you're in danger, you just have to call us through the intercom,” she reminds me.
“Yeah, the mountain of muscles told me that, but I prefer not to think about it, honestly. I don't doubt your abilities, though I'll remind you that Althea and the elf are kind of far to come to the rescue.”
Crossing the long driveway, I'm too aware of the cameras following my every movement. I guess it's force of habit. Too many years stealing.
I focus on carrying the massage table like I'm used to doing it. The bag with oils and towels hangs from my shoulder, and the white uniform with the company logo gives me a professional look.
The expression of the security guards at the main entrance is stony. One is tall and blond, with an unfriendly face, and the other shorter, but with shoulders so wide and a neck so short it looks like the suit doesn't fit him.
“Good morning,” I greet, putting on my best fake smile. “I'm Amanda, from the massage service. I have an appointment with Mr. Voronov at eleven.”
The taller one looks me up and down while the other says something in Russian through an almost invisible earpiece. I hold my breath. This is the moment when everything could go to shit.
“Identification.”
I hand him the fake documentation Sylara prepared. He studies it carefully, then runs it through a scanner and nods.
“Leave the table here. It needs to be checked,” he orders, making a rough gesture with his chin.
I try to look relaxed while the second guard examines it with a metal detector. Then he checks my bag, taking out each bottle of oil and each of the towels.
“Raise your arms.”
They pat me down so professionally I barely feel their hands. The metal detector emits a soft beep when it passes near my ear and I feel my heart stop.
“The earrings,” he grunts.
“They're a gift from my grandmother,” I lie with a shy smile.
For some reason I don't understand, he nods and moves on. I wonder if the device is protected by some kind of magic. The idea still seems absurd to me, but after seeing Sabina change color and Sylara grow flowers from nothing, I'm starting to accept that magic is as real as the fear that now grips my chest.
“You can pass. Petrov will take you to Mr. Voronov,” the shorter one finally announces.
A third guard, younger than the others, appears and gestures with his head for me to follow him. We travel endless hallways, surprised to find in them works of art that have come from some of the most famous heists of the last decade. I acknowledge that, at least, Voronov has good taste. I try to memorize the route, but the house is a labyrinth of opulence. Italian marble floors, ceilings with gilded moldings, Roman and Greek antiquities displayed as if we were in a museum.
We arrive at a carved wooden door at the end of a hallway. Petrov knocks twice.
“The masseuse is here, sir,” he announces in Russian.
