The warm, cozy cloak that had wrapped around Zack’s mind fell away to the stark cold. His gut didn’t sink, but his resolve hardened. There was nothing he could do against Seamus at the party; they’d left the enchanted daggers in the safe in the suite. But he couldn’t simply stand by. He had to know what had happened.
Even if what I find is a corpse.Zack leaned up to kiss Roger’s cheek and squeezed his shoulder. He murmured, “I’ll be back.”
Then he threaded his way through the crowd toward that hallway.
CHAPTER 35
“Bold little thing,” the mage Snyder said.
The man had been an insufferable prick in the 1980s. The son of a Magus, spoiled so thoroughly in childhood, he continued to spread rot throughout his adult life. And after witnessing Zack express tenderness, he was perpetuating the crass ideology that pets were pieces of tinsel to watch glitter and nothing more.
That’s how the outsiders see what we do in the coven. Roger kept a polite smile on his lips, one that had a brief second of genuine emotion as Takashi handed him a flute of champagne. He held Takashi’s hand.He asked me, when does pretending become reality?
“For a pet, don’t you agree?” Snyder said, flailing in an attempt to keep the conversation going.
I don’t want to continue that cycle.Roger chuckled and shook his head. “I’m hoping with the new year, we’ll finally move away from such archaic behavior in the coven. I think of Zack as one of my boyfriends, and my other ‘pets’ are truly donors. After all, I pay them handsomely, and I am not the keeper of their lives.”
“An attitude they’re sharing in New York these days,” Takashi added.
“I think it’s brilliant,” a woman replied. She shivered for emphasis. “The whole collection thing seems so ghoulish.”
“Don’t let the ghouls hear you say that. They’ll be thoroughly wounded by that idea. Keeping living flesh instead of devouring? Absolutely revolting to them,” Anton said. He threaded his way through the others clustered around Roger. “Darling, you were magnificent. I was wondering, might I have a go?”
Anton made a slight bow and held out his hand. The shimmer in his deep red eyes twisted a knot in Roger’s gut. Had Anton heard what he’d said about the new year? Had Dmitri given him up?I can’t give in to fear now. Roger smiled and accepted Anton’s invitation. “If the rest of you will excuse me, I’ll be back shortly.”
“Not too shortly,” Anton called over his shoulder as they made their way through the crowd.
The orchestra picked an ominous melody for the next dance. Roger remained as far from Anton as he could, but then Anton put a hand on the small of his back and drew him into a tighter position. Of course, Anton led—Roger wasn’t surprised about that—and his pace was swift, constantly shifting and turning them so that Roger strained to keep abreast of where they were in the room.
“You have always been a delight,” Anton said, his tone intimate. “Since the night we spotted you, I have admired the way you can simply keep taking everything that has been thrown at you.”
“Thank you,” Roger said politely.
“And it seems that three decades of sleep did wonders for you.”
Roger stiffened. When he tried to catch Anton’s eye, Anton continued his now grueling pace. They were chest to chest, andthe only way to switch that position would be to fight him. Unwilling to make a scene, Roger was caught in the trap of Anton’s arms.
“I spent my time away?—”
“In acoffin,” Anton finished. “Don’t bother lying to me further about it. I’ve known for over a year now.”
Yet Seamus had never said a word, never hinted that he knew the truth. Roger frowned, especially as Anton decided that was a perfect moment to make him spin. His balance kept him from slamming up against Anton, though Anton had put effort into making him come back too quickly.
“Does he know?” Roger asked.
“No, no. No, I haven’t told him,” Anton replied. “I’ve been caught up in my own affairs, and if I did that, I’d have to admit what I did, and that might be construed as cheating.”
“I don’t follow.”
“You didn’t think Quinn came up with that little plot on his own, did you?” Anton chided. He pressed his cheek against Roger’s. “He was so terribly distraught about those humans he lost to the Butcher. And I had a flash of inspiration. He could lure that vile hunter to the depths of Nell’s sanctuary. Either the hunter would die, or Quinn, or you—or perhaps all three if Nell discovered the ruse and saw a problem!”
“You wanted me killed?” Roger said.
“‘Wanted’ is such a strong word.” Anton put a little distance between Roger’s cheek and his, then spun him again. “But once I found you, you couldn’t stay in that coma. I needed you out, and if you happened to die, well, thentechnically, it wouldn’t have been at my hand, and I would’ve won.”
“So you’re not the one that put me in it, then,” Roger said.
“Oh, no. Though I could’ve done it to Dmitri, but that might have been cheating.”
