The mark pulsed warm above her heart. Steady. Insistent.
The pendant stayed cold.
CHAPTER 4
The dress Mia had loaned her was Prada, and Mia’s most prized possession.
Ava knew this because Mia had mentioned it casually while zipping her into it an hour ago.Just so you know, if anything happens to that Prada, I will end you. Best friend or not.
Now, standing in the palatial lobby of the Avalon Hotel, Ava tried very hard not to breathe too deeply.
“Stop fidgeting,” Victor murmured beside her.
He looked completely at ease in his tuxedo. Of course he did. He probably attended black-tie dinners with demon clients every Tuesday.
She smoothed the midnight-blue silk. Again.
“The dress suits you.” His hand settled at the small of her back, guiding her toward the ballroom. The touch sent warmth through the fabric. “Though we should discuss getting you appropriate attire for future events.”
“Shopping trip number one.” She kept her voice light. “Right after you teach me how not to accidentally sell my soul at a dinner party.”
“That was tomorrow’s lesson.”
She couldn’t tell if he was joking. The corner of his mouth twitched.
The ballroom doors opened onto a sea of immaculately dressed figures who moved with the kind of grace that came from centuries of practice.
“How many of them are?—”
“Most.” His hand pressed firmer against her back. “Stay close. Some of our clients have interesting interpretations of social boundaries.”
A woman in emerald green glided toward them before Ava could ask what that meant.
“Victor.” The woman’s voice was honey over broken glass. “And this must be your new… acquisition.”
“Ava is my companion, Serena.” Victor’s tone stayed pleasant, but his posture stiffened. “Ava, Serena Voss handles our European accounts.”
“Companion.” Serena’s smile turned predatory. “How delightfully ambiguous.” She leaned closer to Ava, close enough that Ava could smell something sulfurous beneath her perfume. “Tell me, dear, does Victor still do that thing where he…”
“We should find our table.” Victor’s arm slid around Ava’s waist, pulling her against his side. “Lovely seeing you, Serena.”
They moved through the crowd, demons parting around Victor like fish avoiding a shark.
“That thing where you what?” Ava asked once they were out of earshot.
“Nothing relevant to our arrangement.”
“You know, for a fake relationship, you’re very committed to the guilty boyfriend act.”
“It’s not an act.” He steered her around a waiter whose tray of champagne floated an inch above his palm. “Other demons will test our claim. Showing weakness invites challenge.”
“And Serena?”
“Enjoys playing with things that don’t belong to her.”
Their table was near the front. Three other couples sat there already, looking human until you noticed the details: extra finger joints, pupils that caught the light like a cat’s, teeth filed to points.
“Mortenson merger,” Victor said quietly as they sat. “The gentleman across from you owns six blocks of downtown. The woman to his left holds the deed to approximately three thousand souls from acquiring a very exclusive cemetery.”
