"No."
"Looks like we'll be attending the cocktail party," I reply. "Will you recognise anybody if they are connected to the Order or the fae?"
Xander steps back. "Some. Mostly we know names, not faces. If Breanna is a demon, I’m sure we’ll soon find more"
Ewan holds up his lanyard hung by a blue cord with the company name printed. "We can look at their names. I still have the lists on my laptop."
"Lots of mingling then." Ewan pulls a face at Joss's words.
A group pass by, chatting and oblivious as they walk along the maroon-carpeted hallway towards stairs with a wrought iron bannister, sweeping up into another part of the house.
"I'm not ending this evening without taking a bloody good look round this place," Xander says in a low voice. "That Alasdair guy has something to hide, however friendly and human he is."
"What are you expecting to find?" asks Seth.
"Answers," retorts Xander.
Delegate staff, wearing different coloured lanyards, mingle with the attendees stationed by the stairs and hallways. They're not security, but there's an air that they're keeping people out of other parts of the house. Understandable, there must be a lot of valuable items in here, but I share Xander's curiosity and hope more answers lie within these walls.
"I'm headed back to the room to change," says Ewan, pulling at his shirt collar.
"I don't think jeans and Converse are included in tonight's dress code," Joss replies. "Sorry, mate."
"For fuck's sake. Well, I'm going back to rest then."
"No idea why you insisted on riding your bike up here in this weather," says Heath. "Crazy."
Ignoring Heath, Ewan heads away, as if remaining in the building a moment longer might suffocate him as much as his shirt collar.
17
JOSS
I straighten my sleeves as I look back at my reflection.
Something isn't right.
I sense it, but there's nothing concrete.
I don't voice this to the guys, but Vee's picked up my uncertainty.
The red-haired woman, Breanna, I’m know she’s a demon, and she also lives somewhere in my brain's dark recesses, but where? We've come across many people over the years; of course I won't be able to remember every face, but I know her.
I study my face more closely. I don't look any different; I'm fully recovered inside and out, but the unease is back. Not the unsettling sensations from the parasitic demon, but a deeper one in the pit of my stomach. The guy looking back at me is Joss Smith, whoever he is. Of course we've researched our names to find any connection to real people—alive or dead—and found nothing. So Joss is me. Isn't he? My head and stomach lurch as I hear the man's voice and the sound of a gun firing, the same as in my vision when I died, as real as if he was in the room with me.
The man in the mirror pales and my heart rate speeds as other images from the dream, or whatever the hell it was, attempt to loop in again. I force them away and take a shuddering breath. This keeps happening. I've spoken to Vee and mentioned I had a vision to the guys, but I don't know how to explain to them the full situation. I know I have to, and I will, but the Collector spooked them enough, when he told us he’s met Horsemen before. I'll speak to Vee again and then sit down and talk. Maybe after a few beers.
Ready to face the evening, I walk into the hallway between the rooms in the coach house and rap on Vee and Ewan's door.
Vee answers and opens the door wide. "Just in time! Ewan disappeared and I need somebody to zip my dress."
"Yeah, he went with Heath to look around the outside of the estate."
Vee's hair shines, loose around her shoulders, and her subtle make-up accentuates her delicate features, the gloss on her lips shining invitingly.
"You look beautiful." I plant a kiss on her cheek.
Her eyes shine too. "Thank you."
Vee turns and walks into the room. She lifts her long brown hair to expose her neck and the unzipped dress. Vee's delicate floral fragrance fills the room, stronger as I walk closer. As I help, my fingers brush her skin and immediately feel the buzz from her thoughts. I lean forward to place my lips on the back of her neck, and she shivers.
"Thanks." Vee turns and smiles up at me. "Are you feeling better?"
"I'm fine."
Vee places a hand on my cheek, and her lips against mine, the same lips as always but tasting of the pink lipstick she's wearing. "Have you told anybody else how you feel?"
"No. It’s okay. I think this is linked to what happened when I was attacked. It's made me jittery."
Her hair shines, and I resist the urge to hold her and bury my face into it. Why am I feeling vulnerable like this?
She smudges the lipstick from my lips with her thumb. "Only a half truth, Joss. You're not okay. What's happening?"
"I'm fine, just hoping you don't make any more of your odd requests to turn you into a monster."
Vee's face darkens. "Don't joke about it, Joss. You know I've backed away from that decision. Why say that now?"
I stroke her hair. "And we're happy you have. I'm happy you have. I care about you and don't want to lose you."
"And I think that's why. The love I have for you guys, and yours for me, stops me wanting to take that route."
I smile and stroke her soft cheek with my thumb. "Are you saying you love me?"
Vee’s eyes soften, and she nods. “Of course. You all know that.”
My whole chest warms at her words, as if she’s wrapped herself around my heart. “Good. Because I sure as hell love you, but I think you already knew that."
She tiptoes and kisses me, arms around my neck. "Yes. But, I need to tell you all. Focus on those emotions and build our unity. That's the only way we'll stay strong."
"But you're still fighting something, aren't you?"
She drops her gaze. "Yes. The desire to become powerful drives me sometimes, and I don't understand why, but how I feel about you all interferes."
"Well, whatever else is happening, I think the Vee in front of me is who you really are." I tip her chin. "I think you fought something and won."
She doesn't respond, sits on the bed, and slips on her shoes. Her dress's skirt rides up her legs, revealing her slim calves, and I'm overwhelmed with the sudden desire to push her back onto the bed and cover her body with mine. Screw the party.
"Where's Seth?" she asks, and I blink away the images.
"With Xander, of course. Lucky guy has a personal bodyguard."
"I don't think Seth sees it that way," she says with a laugh.
"Yeah, he doesn't want to come to this evening, but like the rest of us, he has no choice."
"But I like when my Pony Boys dress up in suits." Vee arches a brow. She stands again, matching my height in her heels, and straightens my tie. "I'll need to keep an eye on you all in case someone tries to steal you away from me."
"Yeah, right. As if that's gonna happen." I slap her backside. "And don't call us that. It reminds me of Portia."