Rhys’s eyes sparkled again as he handed me something from his breast pocket.
“What’s this?” I was holding a small black book with a shiny cover that readPassportin rose gold on the cover. I opened it, but the pages were all blank.
Rhys shrugged. “We’re handing that out as swag tonight to all the guests. Basically, you bring that each time we have a theme night, and you’ll get a stamp. Five stamps, and you get a free night. It’s a memento.”
“That’s really cool. I’ve never had a passport, so this is going to be amazing.” I put the passport book in my beaded clutch until we got to the club.
“That’s only the start of it.” Rhys grabbed my hand. Now, people could say that I was leading him on, but I knew (and I could tell) that after that first greeting where there was a wave of attraction, that Rhys only felt a warm friendship for me now. He loved me as a friend. And, I’m not sure if people in general knew this, but star elves are insanely affectionate. Even though Rhys wasn’t into me, he still kissed me on the mouth sometimes, and I squawked like a chicken being chased by ten roosters whenever he did that. He just laughed at me. But I could feel this deep sense of affection toward me as he grabbed my hand and held it. It comforted him and brought him joy, so I tried not to squawk about it.
Too much.
“I commissioned a local metal worker to make the Eiffel Tower. And the metal worker works with a girl just out of town who does glass work, and she put some finishing touches on it. It looks amazing.” He looked at me for a moment, and his face was so animated and excited that I smiled in return. It was so nice having friends. “And the menu! We’re having a full Parisian themed menu and cocktails.”
I squeezed his hand. “It sounds insane. What’s the cover tonight?”
He frowned. “You always get in free.”
“Aww, you like me, Geezer?” I teased.
He blew me a kiss.
* * *
Rhys was a genius.
I was expecting The Laughing Elf to be a typical club, but it wasn’tatall.There were chandeliers above my head, giving off a soft, rosy glow. The stage was empty at the far corner of the room, but the band was just taking a break. Earlier, there had been some lovely Parisian instrumental music happening over there that had managed to be both divine and swingy enough to dance to.
The Eiffel Tower stood in the center of the room, and it wasgorgeous.They had filled the metal work in with blue glass, and it glittered under the chandeliers.
All the tables had three peach roses, sans stems, in a glass bowl as the centerpiece. Couples were dancing with their sweethearts or their dates and eating the amazing food. There were pastry bites with feta and caramelized onions for the appetizer, and then an endive blue cheese salad, a vegetable quiche, a fig and goat cheese tartine, and a yummy soup.
I was extremely full, and just enjoying watching the people swirl around me as they laughed and talked and drank. Rhys was up at the bar, trying to chat with Dice, and was also handling a few snags that had come up over the course of the evening, so I was sitting by myself, swirling my finger in my mocktail.
“May I have this dance?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin, I was so surprised. Where had he come from? He’d just…appeared at my table out of thin air!
I blinked at him stupidly for a moment, cataloging his swarthy features and inky hair before I stood hesitantly. I was here with Rhys, but he was busy. Mesmer was holding up a corner wall keeping an eye on me, so I felt a sense of safety saying yes and putting my hand in his as I followed him to the dance floor.
The man’s skin was so cold that I felt like a sauna next to him. He moved me into position, and we starting dancing. And I mean fancy dancing! Before we’d gone two steps, I knew we were waltzing. I used to watchDancing With The Starsall the time on my crummy TV in Manhattan, so I knew what a waltzlookedlike, but I didn’t know how todoone! It didn’t seem to matter, as Mr. Tall Dark and Swarthy led me so expertly that I only flubbed a time or two before I felt like I got the dance. His face was impassive, and he made no pleasant conversation. He didn’t even ask what my name was, which I thought was kinda rude.
I didn’t get a shy vibe from him. As a matter of fact...I stumbled a little. I wasn’t feelinganythingfrom him. Where he was before me was a blank wall. I focused, trying to get the smallest, teensiest bit from him, but it was as though he weren’t standing in front of me at all. I was getting really creeped out. And strangely, my palms were starting to burn.
When the dance was finished, I excused myself to the ladies’ room, waiting until Mesmer was trailing me from a discreet distance before I went in.
I splashed cold water on my neck and brow, and looked at myself in the mirror. My skin was strangely flushed on my cheeks and forehead, and I felt hot. Like,boilinghot. When I went to turn off the water, I swayed, almost losing my balance. The world tilted crazily, nearly making me lose my lovely dinner.
I clutched the countertop and closed my eyes. “What…?”
I felt eyes looking at me in the dark of my mind. With my eyes closed, it felt like the eyes were staring right at me. And they were cold. So very cold.
Oh startled starlings, what was happening to me?
With my eyes squinted a little to reduce the glare from the lights, I fumbled in my beaded clutch for my cell phone.
It would have been the smartest to call Rhys or even Dice, but I was terrified, and all I wanted was Draven. He was my first speed-dial number for a reason. I hit the two buttons to call him with shaky hands and stumblingly made my way to the couch in the corner.
“What’s wrong?” he barked into the phone without bothering with a little thing likehellofirst.
