Vivien didn’t like to be controlled, and she especially didn’t like to be controlled through fear.
I couldn’t help but think if Vivien hadn’t left her jacket behind, she could have been killed. The bomb went off when I activated the driver’s side door. But if she’d been any closer to the car… no, I couldn’t think about that. It was one thing to blow up my car, engulf me in flames and ruin a perfectly good suit, but if Vivien had become collateral damage, this world would never know peace again.
It didn’t take much time at all for her to get ready. True to form, she found an outrageous getup. Vivien wore a sheer, long-sleeve crop top and leather miniskirt. The outline of skeleton bones set against the black sheer fabric of her top.
My first instinct was to cover her body with mine, and never let another man or woman lay their eyes on this hellion. But the bones were also an homage to me, and it warmed the depths of my dark, ancient heart. It felt like the equivalent of a woman sporting the favor of her beloved knight.
The possessive feeling she aroused in me made me want to drag her into the bedroom and do more shocking, naughty things to her. But we needed to get out amongst the living.
We arrived at my club earlier than usual, but it surprised me to find our VIP booth already full. Bianca, Fallon, and Galina poised in various spots. Bianca, with her perfectly styled platinum blonde hair, in her signature color of light pink. She resembled a mix of old Hollywood and cotton candy. She’d curled up on a long couch with a glass of champagne. Fabric fell off her in swaths, resembling a style she’d favored during the classical age of Greece in 350 BC. An oracle and the goddess of love and fertility, Bianca’s true name was Hathor.
Fallon wore a shiny navy suit that made his deep brown skin appear darker tonight. Hands tucked in his pockets, he looked down at the floor below. His square jaw clenched as he seemed lost in thought. No one would be able to tell his left eye of blue glowed, not with the strobing lights matching the thumping bass of the club music. The god Horus cast his shining orb of power on the mass of writhing dancers.
Galina leaned back against the banister, her body an elegant line wrapped in green satin fabric that fell to mid-thigh. Her dark hair had been slicked back, giving her the appearance of merciless sophistication. It was similar to the look she’d sported on the front ofVanity Fairlast month. She carried the feline grace only Bast, the cat goddess, could.
“Well, this is unexpected,” I said.
A genuine, warm smile spread across Bianca’s face, and Vivien met it wholeheartedly with one of her own. Bianca rose from the couch, moving to kiss Vivien on both cheeks while Fallon and Galina remained where they were, only giving a nod of greeting.
“We heard you were blown up and wanted to visit our favorite grim reaper to make sure you weren’t missing any fingers or ears,” Fallon joked, turning to set back to the crowd, knowing very well my limbs would remain intact.
A sweaty glass containing an old-fashioned waited on the table for me. I picked it up and sipped on the full-bodied bourbon drink.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I said, dryly. “Still in one piece.”
Vivien sat next to Bianca, careful to avoid stepping on the pink fluff of her dress. “Is this something you are all used to? Getting stabbed, blown up, and shot at?”
“Live long enough and you’ll experience a bit of everything,” Galina said, waving a hand.
“Oh goodie,” Vivien said. “I’m psyched to know I have so much to look forward to with this whole immortality business. What is eternity without a little maiming and torture?”
“It’s not all bad,” Bianca said, nudging Vivien’s shoulder.
“What are you really doing here?” I asked, going to stand by Fallon.
“Did you find it?” Fallon asked, his tone serious.
I exchanged a look with Vivien. She moved to my side. My arm wrapped around her waist.
“No,” she said. “It was a replica. Someone is fucking with us. Worse than that, the guy who dangled the bait ended up hurling himself off the Parisienne rather than answer my questions.”
Galina straightened at that, alarm on her face. “He what?”
“Yeah,” Vivien went on. “He’d been worshiping a god and when I tried to use my power to get him to come down from the ledge, he broke through it and pulled a superman.”
“What a damn mess,” Fallon said, dragging a hand over his face.
Galina’s voice was low. “That is unfortunate.”
“Yes,” Bianca said quietly, “We’ve been dealing with the cleanup. The authorities were making a fuss about a woman matching your description slipping away before they could question you.”
“What do you mean?” Vivien asked.
“Bianca owns the Parisienne,” I explained.
Vivien’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, I thought every time you said you were off to Paris, you were jet-setting to France?”
Bianca shrugged as she sipped her champagne. “Half and half.”
