“Five million,” Forge repeated, pouring me another finger of whisky.
“Two million,” I countered.
“Five,” he said, then held up a hand when I went to protest. “You really are bad at negotiations. No one bargains for less money.” He lifted his glass, then took a long draw. This time, I drank in the way his face changed as the whisky rolled down his throat. It made him look almost handsome.
God, what if he heard me? Panicked, I double-checked my shield, finding it intact. I hoped.
“Yes,” I said. “That amount works for me.”
“Then we have a deal, Miss Langston.”
His hand, when he pulled me up from my chair, was cool, but his grip was firm as we shook on it. I slogged down the dark, eerie drive and to my waiting car. I spent the rest of the ride home wondering if I’d just sold my soul to the proverbial devil.
6
The next morning, Emerson Holloway was waiting for me in the lobby of the Langston and Forge offices. Before I got within ten feet of him, I knew he was spoiling for a fight, and I knew why.
“What did you do, Selena?”
“What I had to. I take it the money has already been transferred?”
Emerson ignored me completely. “Five million. What did you promise him?”
“Repayment,” I replied, relief making my stomach do flip-flops. For the next six months, I was free of the ever-present anxiety I’d learned to live with. They couldn’t repo the building, or the product, and the board couldn’t break up the company. All I had to do was finalize my plans for the release in six months, and watch my hard work pay off. I felt so light that I thought I could fly.
“Pay the grain vendors first. They’ve been waiting the longest. Then go down the line, oldest invoices to newest. I don’t want them waiting another day longer than they already have.”
“Give Bastian Forge back the money, Selena,” Emerson urged, his arms crossed across his chest, his shirt rumpled. He’d spent the night here again, probably searching for a different solution. Anything other than taking money from a vampire. “Don’t accept it.”
We’d been meeting payroll, but barely, and I was sure the employees knew it. “Give everyone a bonus. I’ll leave the amounts up to you.”
“Please, Selena, listen to reason.”
“I don’t want anyone worried about their job, nor the stability of this company.”
“Fine. But I’m warning you, you’ll regret taking the money.”
He might be right. In fact, doubt curdled in my stomach along with the sushi I’d had for lunch, but did I really have a choice? I decided no, we didn’t, and by the end of the day, all our debts had been settled. Well, all except for my debt to Forge.
“I know you think I’m making a mistake,” I told Emerson as I paused in the doorway of his office on my way out. “And maybe I have. But you can’t tell me this company isn’t worth saving.”
Beneath the lights, he looked exhausted. “It’s worth saving, but not like this.”
“I did the only thing I could do, and it will all work out.” I smiled at the man who’d helped me through these hellish months. “Go home and get some rest. We can all sleep better knowing everyone is paid and happy. Besides”—I grinned at him—“I have a new batch to start, and I have some wild ideas.”
An hour later, I pulled up in front of Forge’s. I’d told him I’d come by for another lesson in mind protection that didn’t involve a tin-foil hat, although I had to admit, I was having some misgivings.
Did human laws even apply to vampires? Wasn’t this a little like wiretapping? Or was it something worse?
This time, the gates were thrown wide open, and light glowed from every window, giving me a better idea of the size of the place. Even in the dimming light, I saw that the brush had been cut away from the drive, and the ivy seemed to have disappeared from the stone walls of the mansion.
I knocked and then went through when Forge called. Or I heard something from inside the house, although I couldn’t be sure it was Forge’s voice. Let’s pretend it was an invitation.
As I wandered through the house—where was he?—every room was alight. Glittering crystals dripped from ornate chandeliers, oils hung from every wall and the dark wood gleamed. It even smelled like someone lived here; the air was filled with the scent of lemon and cedar. I didn’t detect a hint of damp and dust.
“Selena, I’m so glad you came.” His deep voice came from behind me, and I forced myself not to turn around. Nope, I don’t need to see if his hair is still glossy and thick.
“Yeah, well, can’t have vampires prying inside my head now, can we?” I joked.
“We certainly cannot.”
I stepped into the room, a cozy space with a couple of chairs and a huge round table with an arrangement that towered over me. Some sort of small waiting area. Forge nodded to one of the chairs.
I didn’t even have my coat off when the sensation hit me, and this time, it felt more like maggots squirming than scratching. I floundered around with my arms caught in my sleeves, hastily erecting my barrier. It ended up a disaster—a half-built orb full of ragged holes. Forge had the nerve to laugh, and even though I knew it wasn’t my best work, it wasn’t fair. He hadn’t given me any notice.
When I tried again, he only laughed harder.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “What about this?”
I’d been practicing all day, as a matter of fact. Work had taken a back seat to the idea that my thoughts were accessible to vampires, and I’d been at it so long that my brain felt like mush. I held my breath until my lungs hurt, then pushed.
My barrier
