“So, okay,” she whispered. “That happened.”
Xavier felt his fangs recede, but not his anger. Striding over to Tess, he glared at her and spat, “Estupida.”
She shrugged, her mouth working. That was when he noticed she shook all over. Grabbing her none too gently, he hauled her into his arms. She leaned her forehead on him and let out a shaking breath.
He buried his face in her hair and held her. After a moment, he whispered, “I didn’t know he was sending you dreams. Did you?”
“I thought they were just nightmares.” When she lifted her head again, her eyes were too bright, but overall she seemed calmer. Walking to the couch, she picked up the pad of paper and turned it over, faceup, to show the top page to Xavier and Julian.
Twelve names were written on it, and each name had a note scribbled beside it.
Xavier stared at the paper, then at her. He grabbed the pad and flipped through it. The second page from the top had been ripped out, and a jagged edge showed along the seam. “You put a blank piece of paper in that envelope, didn’t you?”
Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug, while her dark eyes never left his. “Now, you know I can’t reveal what I put in there. I just made a bargain with one of the most Powerful Djinn in the world promising I wouldn’t.”
While he carefully tore off the top sheet, folded it and tucked it in his pocket, Julian walked over to the cabinet and poured himself another drink of bloodwine.
He said in Xavier’s head, I don’t know what the hell you’re going to do with her, but assuming you still want to keep her alive, you can’t send her out on assignment. She’s much too colorful.
I know, Xavier said.
? ? ?
A few minutes later they left Julian’s apartment.
Tess walked along beside Xavier meekly. They strode down the hallway, past a variety of different creatures, most Vampyres, but some humans, a few ghouls and even a troll.
She asked Xavier telepathically, Can we do anything with those names?
Maybe, he replied without looking at her. Maybe not. Perhaps an independent agency with another agenda can investigate, but we need to be very careful nothing can be traced back to you, or us. This stalemate you bargained for is only good if Malphas believes he has your silence.
I understand.
Inside, a great roaring emptiness filled her head, and she realized how much space fear had taken up in her life. She felt strange in the absence of it, almost adrift.
I’m free, she thought. Really free.
I can access the money in my bank accounts. Send for my furniture. I can go wherever I like, do whatever I like.
The thoughts were dizzying. Now all she had to do was decide what she wanted to do. Where she wanted to go.
She sneaked a peek at Xavier’s profile.
He looked calm, but he usually looked calm. Not like the red-eyed, fanged Vampyre who had guarded her so fiercely.
No, this was the imperious aristocrat, and while she found him just as sexy as the tender man who had kissed her with such sensual expressiveness, this side of Xavier was highly unpredictable.
Was he still angry with her? It was impossible to tell.
Did he regret kissing her?
As she angled her face away, she caught sight of a Vampyre watching her with a narrow-eyed stare filled with curiosity and hunger. The scrutiny was so rude, she scowled with irritation and stared back.
I’ve confronted a monster far worse than you and survived, she thought. I’ve faced my worst nightmare, and you don’t even come close.
Her heart rate remained steady, her nerves completely calm.
It appeared she had finally found the positive image she’d been looking for.
After a moment of the staring contest, the Vampyre gave her a slight smile and turned away.
Soon enough, she and Xavier reached the end of one hallway and a set of doors that looked much more modest than those leading to the Nightkind King’s apartment. Xavier typed a code into a very modern-looking keypad lock, opened the door and stood back to let her precede him.
Once inside, he locked and bolted the door behind them, while Tess looked around. This apartment was almost as simply furnished as Julian’s had been, but the results were warmer and more elegant. Wingback armchairs, upholstered in a deep, rich gold, were positioned around an unlit fireplace, along with a matching sofa. A shadowed hallway lay at one corner of the room, and a closed door lay across the room in another corner.
As with Julian’s apartment, there were no windows here. An abundance of wall art, highlighted with track lighting, illuminated the room and gave it dimension and color. The pieces looked European and distinctive. She guessed one was a Gauguin, and another appeared to be a Renoir, and she had no doubt they were all originals. Bookshelves lined the walls between paintings, filled with a mix of old and new books just as in his study, back at the estate.