“Hey there, Ocean Eyes,” Darien said in a low voice. The nickname had her ducking her head. “How are you feeling? Nervous?”
She gave a breathy laugh. “Very.” She gestured to her outfit. “I mean, I feel…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Ridiculous, I guess.”
“Far from it.” Had she never looked in a mirror before? Had Ivy not shown her how utterly stunning she looked before bringing her down here? All his efforts at distancing himself from her were shot to hell as he told her, “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” And she was. She really, really was.
Loren ducked her head again. Blush dusted her cheeks, still visible under the powder she’d swept over her face. “Doubtful.”
“And why is that?” Darien stepped closer to her and tipped her chin up so that she was looking at him. “You could be wearing a hoodie and I would still think that of you.”
The color in her cheeks deepened. “You’re very kind, but…” She blinked rapidly, as if trying to clear herself of a daze. “Do you think it’ll be enough to get his attention? I mean, I’m sure there will be tons of girls in there—”
“And none of them are you.” No, they certainly weren’t. “He’ll have you in the back rooms so fast, your head will spin.” The statement made him want to throw up, but he knew that getting into the back rooms was all that needed to happen for his Devils to witness the Blood Potions deal. Nothing else would go down between Loren and that vile vampire who managed the nightclub for it’s even more vile owner. Darien continued, “And then you’ll follow through with the plan. You remember what I told you?”
Loren gave a shaky nod.
“Don’t wait too long to knock him on his ass.” He didn’t let go of Loren’s chin, and he held her gaze with his own as he said, “Ineedyou to promise.”
Loren gave a faint nod, and she trembled a little under Darien’s touch as he brushed his thumb along the smooth line of her jaw. She let her eyelids slip shut as she leaned into his touch, a silent request for more—a request Darien longed to answer.
There would be more where that came from tonight. But Darien didn’t allow himself to think about that. He had to focus, and Loren would need every part of his strength to follow through with what she had to do.
Loren opened her eyes and looked at him. She had a face that could crumble cities and bring conquerors to their knees. He would give her everything if he could. If he wasn’t so…fucked up.
When she spoke, her voice was an airy whisper. “I promise.”
“Good.” He released her with some reluctance, spun around, and took in the people in the kitchen—his Devils and Dallas, who halted their conversations as his attention fell upon them—and then gestured for the front door. “Let’s roll out.”
—
Loren stuck close to the others as Darien led the way through the towering, arched doors of the Devil’s Advocate, past the battalion of bouncers checking identification cards, and through the crowded entrance. She was nearly stepping on Darien’s heels as their group headed toward the steep staircase that swept down to the main floor.
The place was freezing cold, like they were standing inside a freezer. She supposed she should’ve expected as much from a nightclub run by a vampire. The floors were slick with a coating of frost, and mist undulated through the room, making it difficult to see more than three feet in front of her. It was a good thing she was surrounded by people she trusted, otherwise she would’ve easily lost her way. Dallas stuck so close to her that their arms were nearly touching, and although the witch had always enjoyed club-hopping, she seemed as nervous as Loren to be at a place like the Devil’s Advocate.
Heart slamming in her chest, Loren took in the club bit by bit. The mist swirled and parted around them as they neared the stairs.
The place was packed with vampires, wolves, witches, and warlocks, with the odd human halfie thrown into the mix. The red-lit balconies dotting the walls suggested this place had once been a theatre, though now those balconies had been transformed into private pleasure alcoves.
Loren didn’t allow herself to look at what was happening inside those alcoves for very long. Needless to say, what her and Darien planned to do tonight would certainly not look out of place.
There was a giant statue built into the south wall, directly above the space where a stage had once been. It was an obscene piece of art depicting Tempus, the God of Time—also known as the God of Lies—and the goddess Ignis, Her Infernal Majesty of the Seven Circles. Loren imagined they were put here to symbolize how a person might lose track of two precious things at the Devil’s Advocate: time and their soul.
Loren couldn’t spot a single other pureblood human here, but she didn’t allow herself to dwell on this. Besides, it should make tonight’s task easier if anything. Ivy had told her that Baylor’s preference was mortal women, so Loren’s job was to catch Baylor’s interest—with Darien’s help—just enough to get him to invite her into the back.
While they were getting ready at Hell’s Gate, Loren had made the mistake of asking Ivy why Baylor preferred mortal women to his own kind, but as soon as Ivy had told her that he was a sadist who enjoyed feeding on his woman of choice while he had his way with her, she’d stopped asking questions.
Merely thinking about it made her heart slam furiously in her chest, and she had to dry her sweaty palms on her barely-there skirt.
Breathe.She had to breathe.
The crowd parted for the Devils as they walked through, but Loren’s legs were trembling so badly she could barely keep up with them.
What made her more nervous, however, was thinking about justhowshe and Darien would have to attract Baylor’s attention. The vampire was apparently the jealous type, and it was more likely that he would choose Loren instead of one of the many girls dancing in his metal cages that hung from the ceiling if he saw her being felt up by another man.
Especially Darien, who he apparently despised just as much as Darien despised him. Tricking Baylor into thinking the woman Darien had brought to the Devil’s Advocate was more interested in him than Darien would make their plan a piece of cake.
Loren would just have to try to live through the next few hours, to not let her heart beat out of her chest the moment Darien started touching her.
Easier said than done.
