Page 97 of Let Sleeping Vampires Lie

From my heels. Up my legs. Over the slit of the dress that teased the line of my thigh. Across my waist and chest. Up the exposed sweep of my back. Finally to my face.

“If someone dies because they are distracted by you,” he said, voice low, “I will not feel bad.”

“That is the point,” I said.

His gaze softened. “You look dangerous.”

“That is the idea.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “I am sorry we have to leave the bedroom.”

I stepped closer, letting the silk of the dress whisper against my legs. “We can play what is under the dress later.”

His breath hitched softly.

Then he stepped back, clearing his throat. “Focus.”

“You started it.”

“And I will end it… later,” he said.

We descended the stairs again, but this time the mansion felt different.

Less like home.

More like a staging ground.

At the front door, the limo waited. A long, black silhouette in the night, polished and silent. Con opened the door for me and followed me inside.

The interior smelled of leather, cologne, and the subtle trace of magic woven through the seats. Not wards. Something older. Something placed by previous owners who had required privacy and secrecy in equal measure.

As the car pulled away from Shadow Bone, the city outside blurred past us. Twilight bled into full night. Streetlamps flickered on. The industrial district loomed closer.

Con sat beside me, watching the world beyond the tinted window.

“You’re quiet,” I said.

“I am calculating,” he replied.

“Anything concerning?”

“Everything.”

I smiled. “That is normal.”

His gaze slid to me, lingering on the line of my throat. “Be careful tonight.”

“Always.”

“No,” he said slowly. “You are bold, deadly, and clever. But careful is not your default.”

“And that bothers you.”

“It fascinates me,” he said. “And scares me.”

The limo slowed as it approached the warehouse street.

There were no other vehicles in sight, but the scent of danger hung in the air. Electric tension. Lurking violence. The kind of quiet designed by professionals.