“You have no idea.”
“Hades,” Ares called out. “How do we get out of here?”
“The fastest way possible.” He held his hand out toward them, and fog swirled around them, blinding them until they were almost choked with it.
When it cleared a few seconds later, they were back in Ares’s penthouse.
Ares shook his head. “I’ve seen a lot of weirdness in my time as a Collector, but that beats all.” He looked at the beautiful, brave woman standing across from him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m great.” Her hand went to her stomach. “Actually, I’m starving. And I have no idea what time it is. How long were we there?”
“I’m hungry, too.” He checked a clock. “We weren’t gone more than an hour. It’s almost one a.m. I could make you something to eat.”
She grinned and put her hand on her chest. “As appealing as the thought of you in the kitchen is, I want to go out. I mean, we’re together now, right?”
“Absolutely. But…” Could she hear how fast his heart was beating? Did she know she did that to him? He shook his head. “I’m not great with being…out.”
She tipped her head. “How else will I show you off?”
His mouth opened, and nothing came out. Instead of talking, he blinked.
She laughed. “What’s wrong?”
“You want to show me off?” More blinking. “I don’t understand that.”
“Didn’t you and the vampiress go out?”
“Once in a while, but not much.”
“Because she was more into going out alone and sucking the tourists dry? I’m not her. I like to go out and have fun and be around people. I’m a muse. Being around people is sort of my thing.”
“But I’m a wraith, and my touch—”
“Kills people. I know. I get it. But you can take precautions. Get your leathers on, and let’s go. This is Vegas. There are a thousand places still open, and I want a steak.” She stuck her bottom lip out the tiniest bit. “Please.”
“That pouting thing is cheating.”
“Yes, I know, but seeing how well cheating just worked, I thought I’d try it again.”
He’d lived the bulk of his life in solitary confinement in the name of protecting people. In the light of Seraphina’s brilliant presence, he realized the only one he’d been protecting was himself. He’d wanted companionship so badly he’d ached for it. And now here she was, his demigoddess. “I get to pick the place.”
A huge grin broke out across her face. “Excellent. Where’re we going, tall dark and deathly?”
“You’ll see. Let me change, and we’ll head down to the garage.” He strode toward the bedroom, feeling like he’d suddenly become someone else.
“Can I drive?” she called after him.
“Nope.”
“Worth a shot.”
He imagined her rummaging through his stuff while he got dressed, but then realized he didn’t have a whole lot of stuff to rummage through. His existence had been focused on death for so long, he’d forgotten to live. After calling down to the garage to get his Benz ready, he snagged a dress shirt and suit from his closet and threw them on. When he was done, he walked back out to the living room. She was sitting on the couch, waiting.
She whistled. “I thought you were going to be in leather again. I like the suit. Very much. I feel a little underdressed now.”
“You look great.” Her miniskirt and silk blouse had come back from the Underworld with no signs of wear. And the high heels she seemed to favor were fast becoming the stuff of his fantasies. He pulled a pair of leather gloves out of the coat closet. “I still have to wear these, you know.”
She stood. “I understand.” Her stomach growled, and she laughed. “Ready?”
“Yes. No. Almost. Come here.”
She walked over to him, eyes full of questions. “What is it?”
His hands settled on her hips, and he stared into her eyes. “I want to kiss you.”
“You don’t always have to announce that.”
“I thought I should give you warning.”
“Why’s tha—”
His mouth captured hers with the kind of desire created by adrenaline. They’d shared a trial by fire and come out unscorched. Now, nothing stood in his way of having her. She was his to touch, his to hold, his to kiss. And he had a lot of years to make up for.
She wrapped her arms around him and scratched light trails down his back, raising goose bumps on his skin.
His hands drifted down to cup her backside and pull her closer. She sighed in pleasure as she tipped her head back and stared up at him. “I could get used to this.”
“Good, because it’s going to happen a lot.” He grinned, something he was also starting to get used to. “Let’s go get you some food.”
Hand in hand, they headed down to the garage, where his Mercedes awaited. She looked from the car to him. “No Maybach?”
“I thought this would be more comfortable.” He opened the door for her.
She nodded. “It’s very comfortable.”
He walked around and got in the other side.
“How many cars do you have?”
“Eleven.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s a lot of cars.”
“Really? How many pairs of shoes do you have?”
She laughed as he drove out of the garage. “Not enough to equal eleven cars. Not the kind of cars you buy.”
He smiled. “Point taken.” Then he shrugged. “I like cars.”
She reached over and squeezed his knee. “Hey, I get it. It’s not like you were spending your money on bottle service and club life.”
“I’m thinking that’s going to change.”
She laughed softly. “I like staying in just as much as the next person. Okay, maybe not quite that much, but I’m willing to compromise if you are.”
“We’re going out, aren’t we?”
“And you’re earning major points.”
He stole a sideways glance at her. “Will I be able to redeem those points later?”
She laughed and was about to say something when Another One Bites the Dust started playing.
His cell phone. Romero. Ares frowned. “I’m sorry, I have to take this. It’s work.”
“It’s okay.” She looked like she actually meant it, too.
He grabbed his phone out of his jacket pocket. “Yes?”
“I thought you took care of Gozer.”
“I did.” He turned toward the Strip.
“Then can you tell me why he just abducted a woman from a mini-mart in Henderson?”
Ares went still. “You’re sure it was him?”
“How many one-eyed goblins do you know?” Romero shouted, then his tone went back to just pissed off. “We tracked him with a drone. He’s back in his burrow.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He cut across traffic to make a U-turn.
“I suggest you do. Permanently this time.” Romero hung up.
Ares tapped the phone off. “Damn it.”
“I take it we’re not going to dinner?”
“No. Gozer’s back. Getting kicked into that mine shaft didn’t kill him, apparently. He just abducted another woman. I need to drop you off somewhere. I hate to do that to you, but I have to take care of this now.”
“It’s your job. I understand. How on earth did he survive that fall?”
“Apparently, goblins are tougher than I thought.”
“Maybe I can help?”
His brows lifted. “I appreciate that, but I don’t want you getting hurt. This is Collector business. I won’t put you in harm’s way.”
“I’m immortal, remember? I can’t get hurt. Well, not in a permanent way.” She ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his neck, sending a shiver of pleasure through him. “At least let me act as a lookout like Minka did the first time we went in. Just in case he’s got a buddy. Or I could help get the woman out of danger.”
She had a point. A very sma
ll point. “Goblins rarely work in groups. They’re not big on sharing.” Her fingers started massaging his neck. “But I guess it would be all right if you came along. I’ll give you a weapon.”
“Thanks.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. Then nipped his earlobe. “You know what they say: The couple that slays together, stays together.”
“No one says that.”
“They should.” Her mouth traveled lower on his neck while her hands kept working their magic.
He inhaled sharply at the sensations traveling from her fingers and into his body. “This is going to be the fastest Collection ever.”
Ares got them back to Gozer’s burrow in record time. Seraphina wanted to soothe away the lines in his forehead, but she understood the seriousness of what was about to go down, so she’d pulled herself away from him and let him drive. He parked the car in the same place as last time, turned the engine off and faced her. “You do exactly as I say.”
“Promise.”
“You can start with ditching those heels. You need to be able to run if necessary.”
“No problem.” She pulled off her stilettos, tossed them in the back and then took out the emergency pair of fold-up ballet flats she always kept in her bag.
He watched with amused interest as she put them on. “What else do you keep in there?”
“No weapon, I can tell you that much.”
He popped open the glove box and took out a hunting knife. “Take this. It’s better than nothing. If something happens and you have to use it, aim for under the chin.”
She made a face but accepted the weapon. “Are you going full reaper for this?”
“I can’t. Too small a space for those wings. All I need is to lay a hand on him.”
She nodded. “Let’s go save that woman.”
“And end this goblin problem, once and for all.”
They got out and made a silent trek to the mine’s entrance. He turned to her and kissed her gently. “Stay here until you hear me call for you.”
“I will,” she whispered back.
A woman’s scream rent the night.
He jerked toward the sound. “Forget that. Just stay behind me.”
“You got it.”
He squeezed through the entrance and took off. She knew he wasn’t moving at the speed he was capable of on her account, so she pushed herself to run faster. Ballet flats or not, the rocky ground didn’t make for easy going.
The woman’s cries grew louder. “Help me!”
He lifted his hand and slowed, stopping at the fork in the tunnel that she remembered. He pointed at himself, then toward the passage beyond. I’m going in. Then he pointed at her and the ground. You stay here. She nodded. He tapped his ear. Listen for me. She nodded again, her fingers squeezing the hilt of the hunting knife harder than necessary.
He slipped into the fork. Any sound he made was covered by the grunts and yelps of the struggle farther in.
She was supposed to stay where she was. She knew that. Demigoddesses rarely did what they were supposed to. She inched forward. Part of her wanted to watch him in action and part of her wanted to do whatever she could to help the terrified woman. Her cries for help were gut-wrenching. Seraphina inched along the rock wall, her heart pounding.
A loud crash was followed by a deep rumble of pain. The goblin? The woman had gone quiet. A scream of surprise. Then Seraphina heard voices.
“Come any closer, and I’ll cut you.” Gozer. He sounded breathy. Like Ares had scared the glow-in-the-dark goo right out of him. Good.
Ares snarled back at him. “You’re not leaving this mine alive, Gozer. Taking that woman was a dumb move. Let her go, and we’ll talk about letting you live.”
The woman sniffled. Seraphina crept closer and peered around the wall. The woman was on the ground at Gozer’s feet. Scratches and scrapes covered her skin, and her clothing was torn.
Gozer looked worse than the last time. He was still wearing the stolen gas station jumpsuit, but it had a few rips in it, probably from the fall. His face had some odd discolorations, too. Goblin bruises? In one hand, he held a long, narrow blade. He waved it threateningly at Ares, but Gozer’s position was tenuous. He stood only half a yard from the vertical shaft Ares had kicked him into the last time.
Ares loomed in front of him, arms wide, the tension of his body telegraphing his readiness to strike.
Gozer laughed, a horrifying sound that revealed too many teeth. “Are you going to kick me again, Collector?”
“No. You have my word.”
The goblin sneered. “Like that means anything.”
“Let the woman go and give yourself a chance.”
What Ares needed was a distraction or this back-and-forth was going to go on all night. Seraphina crouched down quietly and felt around on the ground until she found a golf-ball-sized rock. She stood, adjusted her position and threw the stone past Gozer and into the hole.
The rock ricocheted loudly off the side, and more stones joined it. The noise reverberated through the narrow cavern. Gozer looked over his shoulder.
Ares lunged. He flew across the space separating him from the goblin and grabbed the creature around the waist. Gozer screamed at the same time the woman did. He brandished his short sword, slicing at Ares. Seraphina couldn’t tell if he connected or not.
Then the unthinkable happened. Gozer stumbled backward, taking Ares with him. They teetered for a moment on the edge of the hole.
Seraphina ran forward, but it was too late. Gozer and Ares tumbled into the abyss. She cried out and skidded to a stop at the edge. She fell to her knees and peered in. It was too dark to see anything.
Beside her, the woman who’d been abducted put a hand on her foot. “Thank you for saving me.”
Seraphina nodded, her gaze searching the blackness below for some sign of Ares.
“Was that your friend that fell in with that monster?”
“Yes,” Seraphina answered. Her friend. What an insufficient word to describe how she felt about Ares. About the man who’d become the missing piece in her life in a few short days. She swallowed down a hard sob, sat back and scrubbed a hand over her eyes. “We should get you out of here.”
She pushed to her knees and helped the woman up. They were about to head out when the soft movement of air caught Seraphina’s attention. She took the woman’s arm and led her away from the pit.
Ares, borne by the wings of his full reaper form, rose out of the hole, the lifeless body of the goblin dangling from one hand.
The woman fainted.
He landed and immediately shifted back into his human form. “Is she okay?”
“As best I can tell. She’s got a few bite marks and scratches, but those should heal. Right?”
“Right. Are you okay?”
Seraphina let out a long breath and threw her arms around him. “Now that you’re back, yes.”
A day later and Ares found himself walking up to the front door of Javier Bares’s mansion once again. This time with a very different attitude and for a very different reason. A much better reason. He shifted the bouquet he’d brought to the other hand, rang the bell and waited.
A few seconds later, the most amazing woman in the world answered the door. Seraphina dazzled him with a smile he loved more every time he saw it. And he had plans for seeing it often. She leaned against the doorframe. “Hi there.”
“Hello, beautiful.” He whistled. “You look supernaturally good in that dress.” What there was of it.
She laughed. “I’m glad you like it.” Straightening, she did a little spin.
He held out the flowers. “For you.”
“They’re gorgeous.” She took them, leaning in to inhale the deep-red roses, their color burnishing her skin with a deep blush. “Thank you.” She took his hand, pulled him into the house and kissed him, but there was apprehension in her eyes. “Everything taken care of?”
“Everything.” After disposing of the goblin’s body, Ares had had to go into the off
ice and discuss in detail what had happened during both attempts to Collect Gozer. Even Minka had been called in. Romero had been thorough, but satisfied. “That chapter is closed.”
She exhaled. “Wonderful. Now we can begin a new one with no interruptions.”
Dahlia walked into the foyer and pulled her earbuds out. “Hi. My dad said you were coming to pick up Seraphina. Thanks for saving me.”
Ares bowed his head. “You’re welcome. You’re a very lucky girl. In more ways than one.”
Her mouth scrunched up to one side, and she mumbled, “Yeah,” before putting her earbuds back in and shuffling out again.
“Teenagers,” Seraphina said. “Let me run these flowers into the kitchen so Lucinda can put them in water, then I’m ready to go.” She was back in a flash, and they walked to the car together. “What number car is this? What kind of car is this? Lamborghini?”
“Yes. The Aventador, and it’s number seven.” He lifted the Lamborghini’s scissor door on her side. “Did I mention how beautiful you look?”
“You did.” She smiled and blushed without the help of the flowers this time. “What you didn’t mention is where we’re going.”
“You’ll see.” He shut the door, walked around to his side and got in. “We’re going back to the same place we went on our first date.”
Her brows shot up. “We had a first date?”
“I’m calling it that.”
“And where would that be?”
He pulled on his gloves and revved the engine. “Lux.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Can we dance?”
He drove toward the freeway. “On the dance floor surrounded by humans, no. In the VIP section by ourselves, still no.”
“What? That’s not fair. I love to dance.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t dance.” He shot her a look. “I can’t be on the dance floor with all those people. What if I accidentally touch someone?”
“Then why can’t we dance by ourselves in the VIP area? It was pretty private up there.” She leaned in and traced the curve of his ear. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
He sighed. “One song. We’ll see how it goes.”
Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Queen of Hearts, Dead Man's Hand, Double or Nothing Page 21