Jaxson nods. “It’s a long story, but essentially, Alden is here to negotiate peace with Leigh. He requested to visit Little Death.”
“Why does Alden want to come here?” I won’t deny his being here will make questioning him easier. “Wolves hate vampires.”
“Alden insists that isn’t true,” Jax says. Vane is rigid, and his calculating gaze seems far away.
“Tell Leigh she is always welcome,” I say.
Vane blinks back to the present.“Excuse me?” he hisses.
I force a smile at Jax. “Give us a minute.”
I pull Vane aside, leaving Jax with his arms crossed, staring at us like he has X-ray vision. Turning my back to him, I address Vane. “Let them come. They can use room two; it’s the largest. I’ll work the party to gather information. Those were wolf prints I found the other day, and I could use this opportunity to talk to Alden and see if he slips up.”
Vane chuckles, the sound devoid of humor. “Oh, darling, I love watching you scheme. But Alden isn’t going to tell you shit.”
I bristle at the term of endearment. “Is that a challenge?”
He shrugs. “Why not? I always enjoy winning.” His familiar cocky smile spreads across his face, and something inside me snaps. The casual confidence—the belief that everything is just a game he can master—is so perfectly infuriating I want to scream.
Vane leaves me frowning. “If that’s all, officer, you may tell Leigh that Little Death will host her and her company tonight.”Jaxson, however, lingers, his reddish-brown eyes fixed on mine. A muscle in Vane’s jaw feathers. “Is there something else?”
Jax clears his throat. “I wanted to ask if you’d have dinner with me. To apologize.”
My jaw drops. Jax can’t be serious. The audacity of asking me out with Vane right there makes my pulse race. He’s either clueless about vampire politics or foolishly brave. I glance at the century-old vampire, my stomach knotting as I gauge his reaction. Vane’s face is an expressionless mask, cold and unyielding, reveling nothing about how he feels. That’s what terrifies me most. I’ve been around vampires long enough to know that their stillness is often deadliest right before they strike. Jax has no idea he’s painting a target on his chest with every word.
“Vyvyan will never let me,” I say.
Challenge sparks in Jax’s eyes. “Do you always do what Vyvyan tells you?”
I open my mouth to answer with a firm yes. But Vane answers, “I’ll deal with Vyvyan.” I blink until he adds for my ears only, “I’ll tell her you’re going out with Jaxson to glean information on the Council.”
My jaw slackens. For Vyvyan, he’d do anything.
“Fine,” I consent, and Jaxson sports a movie star smile. “We can go out. Asfriends.”
Jaxson’s grin wavers. But that’s how it has to be until I regain Vyvyan’s favor. Until then, I’m on thin ice.
“Tomorrow, Blue Sparrow, nine o’clock?” Jaxson asks.
I nod, but my inner conflict grows at the thought of going out with Jaxson. Given our shared history, I’m worried about what topics or unresolved issues might surface when we’re alone. He said he wanted to apologize. Confronting our past and navigating the complexities of our relationship face-to-face fillsme with apprehension as if I were preparing for a complicated surgery.
“So, nine?” Jaxson prompts once more, his eyes searching mine.
Vane inserts himself. “She’ll be there.”
I shoot Vane a glare. “I can speak for myself.”
“Since you’re here, Officer Foster-Reid, I have a message to pass to Leigh.” Vane lowers his voice. Jax steps closer. “The night before the blackout, we had a visitor. Beatrix Marks.”
Jaxson’s takes an involuntary step back. “The anti-monarchist? Doesn’t she live in Icarus? Why was she in town?”
Vane shrugs. “Visiting old friends.”
“Interesting,” Jax muses pensively. “I’ll see you both later.”
“Back to work, Desiree.” I flip Vane off as he turns away. “I saw that.”
“Good!”
