“Evening.” Lauren’s voice was mellow and soft, the opposite of what I’d been expecting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Jones.”
She held out her hand. My pause was brief, but nevertheless there, and something flickered through her eyes. Not amusement. Something deeper. Darker.
The fingers that wrapped around mine were long and warm, her grip strong. But there was nothing untoward in her touch, no dark shimmer or foul feel, despite that flicker in her eyes and the vibrations that continued to roll off her.
“Would you like a drink?” Lucian walked around the bar. “We have wine, beer, and champagne.”
“Champers, please.” I propped on a barstool and returned Lauren’s gaze steadily. “I’m gathering Lucian has told you the reason I wished to see you?”
A small smile touched her lips, though little amusement reached her ice-colored eyes. “A woman who gets straight down to business. I like that.”
“I told you she was a no-nonsense person.” Lucian slid a glass of bubbly toward me, then leaned on the bar.
Desire slithered through me, quick and hungry. I took a drink and tried to keep my attention on the sorcerer, not the lover.
And wondered, even as I did so, why the hell he affected me so strongly. He might be Aedh, and able to ensnare lovers with just a kiss, but this was something else. Something that was almost darker.
And that was worrying.
“Indeed,” Lauren said. “So tell me, what do you think of dark sorcerers?”
“My personal opinion is that you should all be dumped in the deepest, darkest hole in hell and forgotten about.” My shrug was casual, but tension rode me. I couldn’t be anything less than honest, even though she was obviously ready to walk, given the slightest reason, and being honest might well give her that reason. “I’m afraid I’ve seen too much pain and catastrophe caused by your kind to want anything else.”
“And yet here you are, wanting my help.”
“Just because I hate what you do doesn’t mean I won’t use you if I need to.”
White teeth flashed in what I presumed was a grin, though it was an oddly unsettling one. “If you had answered any other way—if you had been less than honest—I would have walked out the door.”
“Then thank god for honesty.” I contemplated her over the rim of the champagne glass. “So, back to my original question—did Lucian fill you in on why we wanted to speak to you?”
“Yes.” The amusement died from her lips. “I know of the reapers—one such as Co< I cannot help but be aware of them. However, I did not know there were beings called Aedh who once manned the gates to heaven and hell. Or that some fool wants the gates of hell opened permanently.”
That raised my eyebrows. “Don’t you trade with hellkind?”
“Of course, but that doesn’t mean I want all hell to break loose here on earth. If demons were as common as ants, it would destroy my business.”
I snorted softly. Consorting with demons was a business, was it? “Then you also know why I need your help.”
She nodded. “However, we are talking about a device created by beings who aren’t of this world. I will need to get the feel of it before I can say whether I could help you or not.”
“That’s going to be a bit hard, given that it’s woven into the fabric of my heart.”
Lauren gave me a cool smile. “I did not mean that in the literal sense.”
“Then how did you mean it?”
“I simply need to touch you. Stand up.”
I took a large gulp of champagne, then did so. She pressed her hand under my left breast, the coolness of her long fingers sending goose bumps skittering across my skin. There was nothing sexual in her touch, nothing dark or uneasy, and yet all of those things slid through me.
Lauren closed her eyes. For several minutes, she neither moved nor breathed, although she obviously was breathing, since otherwise she’d have passed out.
Then she retracted her touch and opened her eyes, a frown creasing her smooth features. “The device is very powerful. I’m not entirely sure if it could be stopped from functioning for any length of time.”
“Damn.” I sat back on my chair and met Lucian’s gaze. “It was worth a shot, I guess.”
“Young woman, you weren’t listening.” Her soft voice held more than a hint of rebuke. “I said I couldn’t stop it for any length of time. Meaning, it might just be possible to stop it for brief minutes.”
“A few minutes is better than nothing.” I hesitated. “But whether we could use it would depend on just what it takes to achieve that.”
Her gaze slid down my length. Horror swamped me. Not that, I thought. Anything but that. Or blood.
But when her gaze met mine again, there was little in the way of desire. Just cool calculation. And if I hadn’t been aware of it before, then that look alone was enough to tell me she was very dangerous.
“Lucian has already informed me of your aversion to blood magic—”
“I thought you said she didn’t do blood magic,” I cut in, glancing at Lucian.
He shrugged. “If I had said anything else, would you have come here?”
“Probably not.”
“Then that explains the lie. You need to explore all options C
“Blood magic is not an option.”
“Which is a shame, as it’s the most powerful form of magic available here on earth,” Lauren commented.
I met her gaze again. “It also taints the user in the extreme.”
“That is a debate I will not get into. It does, however, lessen our options.”
“At least there are options.” Hopefully, there were some that were a little less unhealthy than blood magic. Although Ilianna was going to hit the roof either way.
“Perhaps.” She glanced at Lucian, then rose and finished her drink. “I will be in contact if I uncover any possibilities.”
She gave me another of those cool, thoughtful looks, then walked out. But as I watched her leave, foreboding shivered through me. She would find a way to mute the Raziq’s device—I had no doubt of that.
Just as I had no doubt that the price would be one I’d be reluctant to pay.
I rubbed my arms against the sudden chill in my flesh, and couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief when the door closed behind her.
“I’m glad she isn’t staying for dinner.”
“So am I.” Lucian topped up my glass. “As much as I like the occasional threesome, I have this odd feeling you would not have been your usual unrestrained self.”
I gave him a wry smile. “That is, of course, presuming I’ll have anything to be unrestrained about.”
He gave me an innocent smile. “Of course.”
I crossed my legs. “So how come you know about this place and I don’t?”
“A client told me about it and offered an introduction.”
His gaze was on my legs and his hunger stirred the air. It echoed through me, warm and delicious. “An introduction? You have to be introduced and approved to be a member here?”
He nodded. “Franklin’s caters to the rich. This place caters to the uberrich, as well as those who derive pleasure from watching.”
“You can watch in any of the wolf clubs. And Franklin’s has private viewing rooms.”
“Yes, but we are not talking about common sex here.”
“BDSM?” I had no problem with that in and of itself, but beyond the odd handcuff fantasy, I really wasn’t into that sort of sexual play.
He nodded. “And blood play, fetishes, fantasies—but not all at once. Every night has a different ‘theme.’”
“And the theme tonight?”
“Bondage.” His gaze pinned mine, the intensity making my heart hammer. He didn’t care where we were; he just wanted—intended—to make love to me tonight. And while I hungered for his touch, somewhere in the dark recesses unease stirred anew. Becaus C anto make le while I was part wolf, and did have an above-average sex
