She stiffened, but only for a moment. Her body relaxed with his touch, faster and faster each time. Like it was getting to know, and enjoy him. Oh, he had his hopes. Gods teeth, he wanted this woman. In so many ways. So many positions. When he’d wanted something this bad, he couldn’t recall. And Havers was right. He couldn’t afford to over-indulge and fuck this thing all to hell and back, as seemed to be his usual preference.
“Our invite into hell is over at the bar right now. In the retro ballgown holding court with that Werewolf.” He patently ignored the rising of his treacherous cock, and tried to focus on the things of true importance. “Can’t you tell? She’s checking you out on the sly right now.”
She glanced sideways at the mammoth teak-and-mirrored bar, then gave him a dubious look through narrowed eyes. “I’m not new to this game.”
“Good. I like my women with experience.” Her scent drifted to him again, mingling with the beeswax candles, the musk of arousal, and the unbridled lust of the undead and unholy. His erection grew heavier, and Jack knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. How the hell he was supposed to get through tonight without fucking her senseless was completely beyond him at the moment.
“She’s been at the bar for an hour. What’s the wait?” Raine slid out from beneath his arm and toyed restlessly with a tumbler of sparkling lime water.
“Gia’s all about the control and the show. We’re on her turf, her timetable.” Jack made a mental note to get Raine a new set of the hematite beads as soon as they returned to his apartment. She was way too edgy. There must be bleed-through. She ran on a strong current. He’d been dead-on when he selected her from the five available candidates. Powerful and beautiful. He knew how to pick them.
He drank the last of the Orpheus’s special port and set the glass down on the cocktail table. The cut crystal sparkled ferociously in the uncertain, colored light. Raine’s head was lowered, and her dark hair curtained her beautiful profile. His breath caught in his throat. He wanted her so bad it burned his blood to distraction. He tucked the silken mink-colored fall behind her delicate ear and lingered a moment over the arch of her neck. What would her skin taste like? Her sweat? Her sex? He’d have to find out.
He lowered his voice as he spoke, hoping that along with his proximity, the feeling of his breath against her skin would stir the desire he’d seen earlier, back in the guest bedroom at his place. Partly because he wanted her to suffer right along with him. Partly because it would create a smoke screen, making it more difficult for Gia to sense any real motives for Raine’s sudden appearance at his side. Lust rang out loud and clear, particularly to vampires. They sucked it down like a sailor swilled rum. It would throw Gia off enough to give Raine an advantage during the probe. “Remember, when she comes, use the truth you feel strongly about. Any kind of intense emotion is a feed for her kind. I bet you’ve stored up a universe full of anger over the years at what the Covenant and your uncle required of you.”
“I don’t let people get to me.” She kept her hands carefully folded in her lap, but her knuckles were white, and her lips compressed into a tight line. “We’re being watched.”
“Of course we are. Most of the patrons here in VIP are voyeurs.”
“No, not casually. By that leather goon over near the double doors.”
Jack followed her direction. Sure enough, a muscular colossus in Versace bondage attire with nothing but zoomorphic tattoos covering his pale bald head, stared openly at them both. He had the clear glass-colored eyes and unblinking stare marking him as a high-level magically enhanced thrall. This guy was new to Orpheus’s legion of soldiers. An unknown. Always a dangerous thing.
“I don’t recall ever meeting him.” Jack plastered his ingratiating smile on his face, the one he saved when he wanted to stir up maximum irritation in people. Then he waved.
The thrall flexed his massive fists.
“Shouldn’t make Boris angry, honey. He’s your escort tonight.”
Jack glanced up. Gia, his ticket into the auction, hovered over the booth table, bone-white cleavage spilling out of her vermillion velvet dress, and a dab of fresh blood on her carmine lips. “I wondered when you’d join us. Raine, this is Gia. Her brother owns Orpheus. Gia, my bodyguard, Raine.”
Raine nodded at Gia. Jack held his breath. Here was do or die time. There was no doubt they’d checked into Raine’s past when he applied for the invite. Now to see if the cover took.
Gia smiled decadently. “Raine Spencer. Always nice to see an Alt part ways with those Covenant pricks.”
Raine made an excellent go of looking casual. “Girl hits the glass ceiling, she has to find something else to do, right?”
Jack let out the breath he’d been holding. “I take it we’re not too late for the auction?”
“Doesn’t start for at least another half hour.”
This was going way too easy. “We want to take a look at the merchandise if possible.”
Gia’s smile turned sharp. “There are some heavy bidders tonight, Jack. You might go home empty-handed.”
“I never go home empty-handed, unless it’s part of my plan.” Raine’s energy level was steadily gaining intensity. “Besides, there’s always something to celebrate. Right, Raine?”
She mustered a ghost of motion with her lips. More frosty sneer than smile. “You promised as much. This is a first time for me at Orpheus. I always wondered how it compared to the European scene.”
“Trust me, honey, my brother spares no expense. He’s old school, to the core. VIPs like Jack get whatever they want.” She leaned back and arched a fine, black brow. “As long as you can pay, you can play.”
“Money’s never been an issue,” Jack said, keeping watch on Boris from the corner of his eye. The lug must belong to Gia, judging by the worshipful gaze he cast her way.
“Your coin’s always good and plenty, Jack, which is why you’re in. I’d like to get to know Raine a little bit more, though.” Gia winked. “Girl talk.”
To her credit Raine stepped right up to the plate. “Why don’t you give us a few minutes, Jack?”
She was falling into the role so easily. Damn, she was good. If only she didn’t want something as stupid as knighthood. The things he could teach her. Show her. Do to her. His cock twitched with anticipation. “Well, ladies,” he said, standing up, “I know when I’m not wanted.”
As he left Raine alone with Gia, he was hit by a strange reluctance. On examination he determined it to be a strange kind of worry. He was certain Raine could handle herself. Well, more or less certain. She was tough enough, but she wasn’t used to running operations at ground zero. He wanted to stay, he realized. Stay in case she needed him. Or his protection. That made him laugh outright, and the sound drew a few curious looks from the shadowy denizens of the VIP lounge. But it was a funny thought. Him wanting to protect a woman who so did not need it, and would most likely throw it back in his face. Raine Spencer was capable and complicated. Just the way he liked them.
Jack nudged his way to the bar, ordered up another glass of port, and worked the crowd a bit. Picked up the latest gossip, a few tips on some hot items new to the magical black market, and several phone numbers. Not that he was currently in the market for anything other than the Covenant’s precious artifacts, and Raine Spencer. More to stay in practice, and in cover.
After a while nature called and he decided to hit the head. The men’s room was decorated like an Egyptian temple, which provided him with a small, ironic laugh. He was just zipping up from draining the main vein when the air tingled behind him. He did a quick turn, and tensed his forearm in preparation for the release of his dagger.
“Nice to see you haven’t lost your speed.” Loki, the chaotic Norse trickster, winked. “You get that from our side of the family, you know.”
Great. A visit from Loki ranked up there with a hello and handshake from the IRS. Jack stayed loose on the balls of his feet, prepared for the worst. “Do I even want to know why you’re here?�
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“I’m a trickster. Sometimes I do things just because.”
“Don’t give me your mythic double talk.” The dagger, cool against his skin, wouldn’t help too much if the God decided to opt for trouble. But it made Jack feel a little more in control of the situation. Ten bucks said Loki was balls-deep in this whole mess, and if he wasn’t, Jack would bet he wanted to be. “Let me guess. You’re in on the conspiracy. No, wait. Even better. You’re in league with Salazar, and Seth.”
“You get that from us, too. That rare ability to use mostly nothing to leap to outrageous conclusions that happen to be true. I think all the Elves gave you were those ridiculous ears. You know you look like a cartoon with them, right? In this day and age, plastic surgeons are like Gods. They can fix that for you.”
“The ladies love them. The ears stay.”
Loki sighed and shook his head. “Stubborn.” Then he brightened. “But no matter. I needed to talk to you. Alone. And I can’t get into your dwelling.”
“Because I’m picky about my guests. All my dwellings, and vehicles, are well-protected against surprise visitors. If you’re not on the band’s list, you don’t get to cross the velvet ropes.”
“Stubborn and paranoid. Probably explains why you’ve survived this long.” Loki laughed, and tossed an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Let’s talk about you surviving for a little while longer.”
Jack tensed. Was it a threat, or a good offer? With Loki it could play either way. He hated dealing with the trickster, it was like dealing with a more cavalier, unpredictable version of himself. And Jack hated competition. “I’m listening. But if it ends with a proposition, you should know, I’m not that kind of guy.”
“You’re the poster child for that kind of guy, Jack.” Loki held out a hand and the lock set on the men’s room door, barring any unexpected entry. “Don’t worry, you’re not my type. Giants, dwarves, Sun Goddesses, now that gets me going. I’d say look into my eyes, but that hokey crap went out with hoop skirts and bowler hats.”
The dizziness hit him dead-on and took him out. Jack collapsed against Loki. Fuck. Fuck it all.
“Yep,” said the God as he eased Jack to the floor. “You’ve been had, brother. This isn’t really my style, but we all have to adapt these days. Trust me, it’s for the best.”
And that was the last thing that registered on his radar.
Next thing he knew, he was sitting at the bar. Sound rushed into his ears, light hit his eyes, flooding his head with information. He looked around, then at the clock. About twenty minutes had passed since he’d made his rounds. Raine and Gia were still talking. Everything seemed normal, but that didn’t mean shit in this world.
Not wanting to panic, and wanting to do just that, he took a steadying drink of port. What the hell had Loki done? Jack tried to bring up recall, but all he got was black. Whatever had gone on in that men’s room, he’d been completely blotto for the event. At least his ass wasn’t sore. He’d have to content himself with that, and figure the rest out later.
Jack tossed a few sizable bills on the bar. Loki was notorious for skipping out on the tab. And the bartender was always a good source of information. Money greased the karmic wheels like nothing else. Not too much longer to show time. Gods help them if Loki had done something to totally fuck Jack up. At least it wasn’t Raine. Again that protective surge. Again the surprise. It worried him, to think this way about any one woman. He’d been stupid once before like this. That stupidity had completely destroyed his life. Left him a shell of his former self. Ripped his potential destiny of ascension to shreds. No more stupid for him. No fucking way. Raine was a means to his end, and most likely, a terrific lay, and that was it. Stone-cold it, that’s-all-she-wrote-folks. That little voice whispering otherwise in the back of his mind better shut the hell up.
Chapter Six
Gia Malinov liked to name-drop. And she had some damn heavy names worth dropping. At least five were high-priority liability targets for the Covenant, and one had a price on his head that could buy retirement on a small protected island in the South Seas for at least half of eternity, maybe more. Raine played the game, engaging in the small talk. It was a dance, Gia leading, bringing them both closer and closer to the cliff’s edge. Raine’s answers would either take them over the edge, or keep them dancing a while longer.
“I’m amazed Jack’s taken you as just a bodyguard. There seems to be a real connection between you.” Gia cozied up in the booth seat like a Cheshire cat. The weird lighting in the VIP lounge gave her an even more ghoulish look. “I thought I had chemistry with Jack, but he’s not the kind you keep. Never stays to see the sun. Then of course, who needs it anyway?”
This was her third attempt to rattle Raine’s cage with hints of a previous liaison with Jack. Her blood was a little hot, true, but that worked to her advantage. Vamps were energy-sensitive junkies, and any high rushes of emotion would lure them on. “Jack’s a paycheck.”
“Jack’s a lot more than a paycheck. I can tell. I’m a vampire, we can sense these things.”
Raine’s consciousness prickled beneath the probing energy of the creature across the table. She tried not to shrink in revulsion and instead gave her anger out in doses, like psychic breadcrumbs, each one leading Gia farther and farther away from the truth.
“Okay, then. He’s a paycheck with excellent fringe benefits. Most of which are paid out in the bedroom. Nothing wrong with having a little fun.” Raine forced her body to stay relaxed beneath the scrutiny. She pictured Jack in her mind, how he looked back at his place. The lazy smile. The confident, measured moves. The lethally sexy body. The seductive catch in his voice. He was a man who knew how to love a woman until she went mad. All the stories of him couldn’t be lies. There was smoke in those tales, and beneath it all was fire and Jack. Her body warmed from the adventure taking place in her head. Gia edged closer, color tingeing her alabaster cheeks. She was riding Raine’s vibe, basking in the energy. Raine kept her focus on Jack and the pure chemistry of him. Gloating too soon would give up the game. “Have you ever seen a man with an ass like that? How am I supposed to say no?”
Gia gave a coy sigh and fingered the stem of her martini glass. “Once. In St. Petersburg. He was one of your kind.” The glow to her skin increased as her own memories stirred. “Elven men are quite perfect. And completely unburdened by conscience. My only regret was that I had to kill him. I couldn’t bear the thought someone else would share that perfection with me.”
“I can’t kill Jack. He’s paying the tab.”
Gia was about to respond when one of her lackies interrupted. They conversed in one of the Slavic dialects. Raine could make out a few words. Ukranian, she believed. Something about a dead slave and what they needed to do to find a replacement.
Raine had seen evil. Smelled it. Rubbed elbows with it at the dinner table. Prague, her previous duty station, was legendary for underground Alt race and shadow fetish clubs. But old world Europe and its dens of vice had nothing on New York’s Orpheus. And Gia, in her perfect, ageless body, strong with the blood of her most recent feed, oozed a rarified evil that made Raine want to vomit.
Jack showed no outward signs of disgust. But Raine knew he’d been repulsed. The fleeting thought was but a fraction of a moment in time. However, it was real and strong, and telling. Gia could boast all she liked, she’d never shared a bed with Mad Jack. It shouldn’t have mattered to Raine, but it did. Crazy. Stupid. And important anyway.
The two finished up the conversation and Gia smiled sweetly at Raine. A warm wave washed over her, making her tingle from head to toe. The vamp was attempting some kind of magical seduction now. Raine fingered the necklace and tried to remain placid when all she really wanted to do was summon her sword and behead this parasite. She squelched the shocking thought and recalled the image of Jack. Gia appeared more sultry, more beautiful. She was attempting to enthrall Raine. As if Raine were some kind of amateur.
The image of Jack began to slip. Worried,
Raine tried to keep it in place but it wouldn’t hold. Then she heard his words. Use anger. Use the Covenant. She let the image fade and pulled out the menagerie of incidents that populated her life to now. All the affronts, snide remarks, the social and professional cuts. And in it appeared her uncle, like a vortex of inescapable discipline. The surge of anger almost brought her out of her chair.
Gia’s smile widened until it appeared a gash in her face, and her nostrils flared. “So tell me, how does a Covenant girl scout get lured away from the precious realm of the righteous?”
Raine smiled to herself. Game on. “Jack.”
“That’s it? Jack? Come on, honey. He’s good, but not that good. Your uncle’s about as high on the food chain in the knighthood as they get. You’ve been the princess riding his coat tails. Why would you leave all that? It doesn’t add up. So help me understand.”
“You know how good Jack is at seduction.” She paused to let the words hang between them, while she rallied more anger. Scene after scene flashed through her head, stirring her emotions until they were ragged. Then she went for more truth. “As powerful as my uncle is, and as cushy as my setup was, at the end of the day, it turned out that the only one who could give me what I wanted most was Jack.”
“And what was that?”
“I don’t kiss and tell.” Raine took a drink of tonic water, exaggerating her movements so the sleeve of her hoodie slipped down to her elbow to expose the tattoo.
Gia hissed. “Did Jack give you that, too?”
Raine glanced at her arm, and lowered the sleeve. She began to enjoy the charade. Way more than she thought was prudent. But what the hell. All the rules were changed. “Jack runs in a rough game. To play with him, I needed to be prepared.”
“That’s true.” Her dark eyes narrowed. Again, the ice crystals touched Raine’s consciousness. “Setting blades like that takes a ton of magic. Jack uses more of the stored kind. Is that why he’s shopping for a battery?”
ImmortalIllusions: The Eternity Covenant Book2 Page 9