by Amy Patrick
And then Reggie would know.
And then the word would no doubt travel up the Elven chain of command—to the council? To the leader of the Dark Elves himself—Davis? That would put not only me in danger, but Emmy, and Mom, and even Nox, who should have “known better” that I wasn’t actually under his glamour.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Pool Party
I swallowed the enormous lump in my throat and wiped my expression clean of worry and doubt, doing my best to replace it. Joyful anticipation was too much to ask of myself, so I went for untroubled serenity.
I walked to the door and opened it, stepping out into the hallway with a confident stride. I shivered in the air conditioning as Ingrid checked me over like she was inspecting a package of meat at the grocery store.
“Good. That’s perfect on you. You have a good build for a—come on—let’s join the others.”
Ugh. The others. I wasn’t worried about the other girls—they were in the same boat as I was, probably uncomfortable in their own assigned swimwear. It was Reggie who concerned me. My goal had been to fly under his radar. But wearing this suit, I might as well have a black box strapped to my butt. One look and his radar would probably be pinging off the charts.
Maybe he was already fully involved with the other girls and drinking copious amounts of adult beverages. I would slip into the water and hide before he spotted me.
That hope was dashed the instant I stepped onto the pool deck. Reggie was not in the water, not involved with any girls. Yes they were in the water, splashing and laughing and screaming in that please look at me way girls do when there are guys around and they want to be sure they’re noticed.
And they were capturing the guys’ attention. Reggie stood near the outdoor bar, surrounded by a group of men—some clearly fellow athletes, others might have been actors—it was hard to tell. They were all so unnaturally good-looking and camera-ready any one of them would look right at home on the set of a men’s fashion magazine photo shoot.
Their eyes were on the pool where two sets of girls were having a sort of wrestling match in the shallow end, each team comprised of a girl riding another’s shoulders. Reggie raised his hands, clapping them over his head at their antics.
I followed Ingrid, and as we neared the group, averted my eyes from the men. Walking by in this swimsuit and making eye contact would probably equal some sort of invitation in their eyes.
But before looking away, I caught a glimpse of a tall, dark-haired man from the back. His shoulders were wide, his waist narrow, his legs long and strong. The way he stood reminded me of… my God. Nox is here.
Perhaps noticing the other guys noticing me, he turned around. Our eyes locked. And then his gaze dropped. And stayed. Right on my chest and all that exposed side cleavage. Then it moved to my waist, my belly button, my hips, down my legs and slowly back up.
His jaw literally dropped open. I’d never seen that particular expression before on any guy in my entire life. It was a look of shock coupled with raging desire.
My eyes widened involuntarily at his expression, and then I tore my gaze away and locked it on the back of Ingrid’s head. As we passed directly in front of the group, I could tell they were no longer watching the shallow end wrestling match. Another spectacle had commandeered their interest. The non-existent back of my barely-there suit.
There were appreciative noises, lewd comments, and suggestions of future trades. Awesome. I’d just become the prize Holstein at the cattle auction. Instead of flying under the radar, I was up on the block for bids.
I didn’t let on that I’d heard their remarks or that I cared about the eyes boring into my backside. Ingrid left me with the other girls at the deep end of the pool, and I dived under the surface, instantly relieved to be away from the hungry gazes above.
Coming up for air, I glanced around, searching for Emmy. She was hanging on the side of the pool with some other girls, facing a huge outdoor TV screen. Naturally, it was playing highlights of Reggie’s team interspersed with interview clips.
When a girl in a red G-string bikini got out of the water near the men and sashayed toward the diving board, I swam over to Emmy.
“Hi y’all,” I said to the group. No answer. Nothing. Everyone, including Emmy, kept staring at the screen.
I tapped Emmy on the shoulder. “Hey, you want to swim over there with me? We can finish our earlier conversation,” I said meaningfully.
She turned to me and blinked as if the sun were in her eyes. “What conversation? Were we talking about Reggie?”
“No. The other conversation.” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “You know—the one about our plans.” I gave her the wide eyes and raised eyebrows.
She shook her head. “What plans?”
Oh no. What had happened between our bedroom door and this pool? We’d discussed an escape not twenty minutes earlier. Now Emmy didn’t seem to have any idea what I was talking about, and the disconnected look was back in her eyes. She turned back to the big screen.
And then it hit me. That’s what had happened. The screen. The video. Something about the video of Reggie had mesmerized her to the point that my earlier efforts seemed to have been erased.
But how was it possible? It was just sports highlights and a boring sideline interview—something TV viewers across the nation watched on a daily basis. Oh my God. That had to be it.
My head felt dizzy, as if I were suffering from sunstroke, but it was the sudden onslaught of questions spinning through my brain. Was Elven glamour somehow enhanced by electronic signals? Satellites? The video on Emmy’s computer seemed to have had the same effect, so maybe the glamour was strengthened by the internet as well.
And of course radio signals carried songs like Nox’s to the world—perhaps they had a similar effect on music listeners. If it was true, that would explain how celebrity obsession and interest in fan pods were spreading like wildfire.
I had to tell Nox about this—get his take on it. Without any further thought for my attire, or lack thereof, I reached for the nearby deck ladder and climbed out of the water, turning my head in a scan of the area. Hopefully, he was still here.
When I found Nox’s eyes, they were already on me. As he had before, he ran his gaze up and down my body, like he couldn’t drag his eyes away. Maybe he was in disbelief that I was actually wearing such an embarrassing getup. You and me both, buddy.
I strode across the hot tile, intending to head for the bathroom in the pool house and send him a message to meet me there so we could talk in a secluded spot. But before I could get close, he’d already crossed the deck to meet me.
“What are you wearing?” he hissed. “Do you have any idea what kind of reaction you’re causing over there?”
“It wasn’t my choice. The house manager ordered me to wear this. But it doesn’t even matter. We have more important things to talk about.”
“Talk? How am I supposed to concentrate on conversation when you’re parading around practically naked?”
“Well, stop looking. What are you even doing here anyway?”
“I had to make sure you were okay. Good thing I am here, too, because—”
Before he could finish, Reggie ran toward me and lowered his shoulder as if going in for a tackle. Instead, he scooped me off my feet and held me against his bare chest with one arm around my back and the other under my knees.
“Here’s my new prize.” He laughed out loud and started carrying me toward the bar like a doe he’d hunted and felled. “You looking for a drink, Southern Belle? Let me get you something—whatever you want, sweet thing. Hey Nils,” he shouted to the bartender. “Get this lovely lady something blue to drink—with an umbrella.”
He lowered my feet to the pavement but did not release me entirely. Instead, he kept his arm around my waist, his large hand covering my hip as he continued to steer me toward the tiki bar.
I had no choice but to go along. I couldn’t see Nox anymore, but the other guys were clustere
d around the bar area. Their eyes dropped to my cleavage as we approached. Even when I looked away, I still felt their lusty gazes on my body.
“Oh, here we go,” said a blond surfer-dude looking guy. He had to be a male model. “Reggie’s in rare form today. Look while you can boys—this one may not survive the night.”
“She may not survive the next hour,” said an actor I recognized, his English accent more pronounced than it was on screen. The other guys laughed and nodded.
“I call next if she does,” one of them shouted.
Another one added with a note of sympathy, “She looks like a newbie. Look at those big eyes. Maybe you should lay off the kinky stuff this time—show her some mercy, eh Reg?”
The other men snickered as if the idea of Reggie showing mercy was somehow a joke.
“I’ll show her the inside of my bedroom,” he said with a swaggering grin. “And then I’ll show her my—”
Nox stepped into our path, his posture tense, his face severe. His shoulders were back, fists clenched at his sides. He was blocking our way to the bar, and Reggie was not amused.
He straightened his back, emphasizing the height difference between him and Nox. “Hey man, what’s the problem? You not having a good time at my pool party?”
“It’s great,” Nox ground out, never taking his eyes from me.
“Well, what then? You got a thing for this girl? ’Cause that’s a mistake, man. That’s not how things work. They’re not like us, you know.”
Nox froze a second, then his face relaxed and he took a half-step back, releasing a long breath. “No. I know. There’s no problem.”
“Good,” Reggie said, a new challenge entering his voice. “Because I don’t like problems. I do like my new toy, though.” He pulled me in tightly to his side and nuzzled my neck. Then he slowly and deliberately licked my earlobe.
And Nox exploded into action.
He lunged at Reggie, catching him off-guard and knocking the larger, thicker man to the pool deck with a blow to the jaw.
I stumbled to the side as the other guys swarmed toward the fight, a couple of them reaching to pull Reggie back onto his feet and two others grabbing Nox’s arms to restrain him and prevent him from attacking our party host a second time.
Reggie slowly got to his feet and then his huge arm was swinging through the air so quickly it was almost a blur. There was a loud crack as his fist connected with Nox’s cheek. If not for the men holding his arms, I’m sure Nox would’ve dropped instantly.
There were delayed screams and flying questions as the girls caught wind of what was happening and began rushing in our direction. Within minutes, Nox, Reggie, and I were encircled by the alarmed faces of his fan pod members and the hardened expressions of all the Elven men.
What were you thinking? I asked Nox silently, blinking back tears at his swelling cheekbone and wondering if my desperation came through in the mind-to-mind communication. He was hurt. And his impulsive reaction had probably blown our cover. It might even prevent me from getting Emmy out of here tonight.
I couldn’t just stand there and let him treat you like that. His eyes blazed as they roamed my face and body, looking for damage.
You should have—I could’ve handled it. And stop looking at me like that, I warned him. We’re already in enough trouble.
“What the hell is wrong with you, man?” Reggie asked, rubbing one hand across his jaw. “You’re lucky I don’t beat your ass into tomorrow.”
Nox stared him down, refusing to answer.
“I give you credit for having a pair—and a mean right hook—but you’re gonna have some explaining to do when the Council hears about this.”
Nox’s eyes went wide with alarm and the sudden realization of how much he’d screwed up. “The Council?”
“Yeah. And Davis is in town tonight, so you get to face the council and the main man.”
Davis was here? In L.A.? Oh no. On one hand I was glad he wasn’t with Mom back home in Mississippi. On the other, this was very, very bad. Davis knew who I was—Mom had no doubt shown him pictures. He’d recently spent time in Altum, so he might recognize Nox, too.
The fact he was Vancia’s adoptive father made me suspect he might already know what I was doing out here—not checking out a college as I’d told Mom, but masquerading as one of Nox’s fan girls. If Vancia was on his side, she’d undoubtedly told him she saw me. Maybe that’s why he’d come to California.
What would he do when he learned his own biological daughter was working against his fan pod system? What would he do when he found out Nox was trying to help me? I had to do something to stop this. Nox and I were not ready to face the leader of the Dark Elves.
“What should we do with him?”
“Take him in the house—put him in a guest room and put a guard at the door,” Reggie ordered. “I’ll let Davis know what’s going on.”
Nox’s jaw clenched and he yanked his tightly-held arms, but he was outsized and outnumbered. He had no choice but to go along with the linebacker-types as they led him into Reggie’s mansion.
Our host looked around at the audience of bewildered girls and frowned. “What’s the matter with you all? This is a party. Get back in the water. Let’s have some drinks, Nils. And turn the volume back up on the TV.”
Ah—so Reggie knew how it worked. He was clearly in the inner circle of Dark Elven society in a way Nox wasn’t. He probably knew all kinds of things that could help us. One thing he didn’t know about—at least not until he talked to Davis—was my Elven heritage. I had to act now, before it was too late and I lost the element of surprise.
I stepped close to him again and placed a hand on one of his bulging biceps. The other I let rest on his abdomen as I turned my chin up and gazed into his face. “Didn’t you promise to show me your room?” I asked in the most seductive voice I could muster.
I sounded ridiculous to myself, but it seemed to work for Reggie. He looked down at me with fiery eyes and a lewd grin. “Oh yeah—I believe I did.” He slid a hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “I need to make one call first.”
Dang it. I knew who he was planning to call—Davis. I couldn’t let that happen.
I grabbed the phone from his hand and dropped it into the front of my suit. “No. I want all your attention.”
His eyes flared in appreciation, either for my spunk or the new location of his phone. “Well, well. You are a surprise. Come on then, baby.”
Letting his hand drop to one of my butt cheeks, he steered me toward the back door of his house.
I sure hope I know what I’m doing here. My stomach trembled as we entered the house and walked through the hallways toward Reggie’s quarters. This was a risky move. I wasn’t all that confident in my glamour skills, and my seductress act had clearly gotten Reggie fired up. I had to be careful. This Dark Elf was definitely not Nox, someone who cared about me and my feelings and what was best for me.
This guy was accustomed to using girls, taking whatever he wanted and then throwing them away. I might be very sorry I’d invited myself into his suite instead of using the fight as an opportunity to escape.
But what choice did I have? Not only was Emmy Reggie’s captive here, now Nox was his prisoner as well.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cells
The suite doors closed behind us, the guards banished to the outside. Reggie turned and gave me a hungry look. “Why don’t we start with a game of find-the-phone?” he suggested.
I reached into the front of my suit bottom and plucked it out, depriving him of the chance. Grinning, I tossed the phone onto an overstuffed chair. “Why don’t we talk first?” I was about to find out whether I actually had the Sway or not. If the answer was no, this would be a very short conversation.
“Talk?” Reggie said, blinking several times in succession.
“Yes, I’m feeling a little shy, and I’d like to get to know you a bit before we do anything else.”
He laughed out loud.
“You are an odd one, aren’t you? Hot—but odd. Reggie’s not interested in talking. I can talk to my teammates. I can talk to my fans. Now get over here and let me take you out of that rubber band you’re wearing.”
Oh no. It’s not working. I needed to try harder. I needed to focus and fully embrace my Elven side, to let the Sway come forth—now or never.
I walked right up to Reggie and stood in front of him, looking him in the eye. “We are going to talk. In fact, you’re feeling pretty tired from today’s practice, and you’d like to sit down in that chair right now. You couldn’t stand any more even if you wanted to, and you certainly don’t have the energy to fool around.”
Reggie stared back for a few seconds then he shook his head and his eyelids began to droop. “Whew, baby. Tell you what—I am beat from training camp today. Mind if I sit down a few minutes?”
I smiled at him sweetly. “No. Go ahead. Get comfortable.”
He walked over to the chair and collapsed into it, leaning back and stretching. He gave me a rueful grin. “Hard workout today. I don’t think I even have the energy to fool around. Want to just talk?”
Energized by my apparent success, I dove into the interrogation. “I’d love to. Why don’t you tell me about The High Council?” At this, he flinched. Maybe I’d pushed for too much too soon. “Or about Davis? He sounds like a scary guy.”
“You have no idea. You do not mess with that dude. The Council’s no picnic either, but I’d much rather deal with them.”
“So you’re not on the Council then.”
“No.”
“Do you know what they want?”
“What they want? What do you mean?”
Re-focusing my concentration, I leaned into the Sway, urging Reggie to tell me everything. “I mean the fan pods. What do they want with them? What are they for?”
“Oh—well, they’re for us to enjoy. And they make us look good to the other humans. They help us get our message out.”