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A butler took our coats in the entryway and directed us to the ballroom where the party was being held. The room was packed with every kind of magical creature I’d ever seen—except for the scary sorts we’d met outside—and a fair number of humans I assumed were wizards.
“Look, food!” Ethan said, gesturing toward a loaded buffet table. We restrained ourselves from running at it, but we walked with eager rapidity.
We’d just started loading our plates when a business-suited woman approached Ethan. “I was wondering if you were going to make it.”
“You’re not the only one. It was a close call. And I think the directions you gave me were for flying carpet, not car. It took longer than I expected to get here.”
She laughed. “I keep forgetting about that when I deal with nonmagical folk.”
He then turned to me. “Katie, have you met Melisande Rogers in Corporate Sales? She’s the one who invited us.”
I recognized the name as one of my many tipsters, the one who’d been ratting out an apparent rival in Outside Sales. She didn’t look particularly happy to see me, but I put on a smile and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Katie Chandler.”
She took my hand in a dry, cool grip. “Yes, I know. The boss’s right hand. I’m glad you could make it.” There was something in her eyes that told me she hadn’t expected Ethan to bring a date when she’d invited him to the party, especially not a date who knew what a backstabber she was.
Ethan seemed oblivious to the tension between us. His magical immunity may have allowed him to spot spells, but he was apparently blind to the workings of female jealousy. He said, “We’re both starving after that drive—and all the excitement. I’ll have to catch up with you later.”
Judging from the look she gave us, if it had been up to Melisande, I probably still would have been on the side of the road chatting with Mr. Bones while Ethan was safely ensconced in the mansion, having drinks with her. I was lucky that most of the magical world respected Merlin enough to give me some degree of protection, and I made a mental note to ask around about Melisande on Monday morning.
A bedraggled group of magical folk came into the room, and a cheer rang out. I recognized a couple of the people who’d come to our rescue. One of the gargoyles flew over to us. “You shouldn’t be having any problems from them for a while,” it said. “Unfortunately, a few of them got away, but they were heading out so fast, I doubt they’ll even look back until they’re safe in their lairs. You should be able to get home without being bothered tonight.”
“Thank you for your help,” I replied.
It saluted me with a wing that managed to look leathery and stone-like at the same time. “Just doing our jobs, ma’am. And, um, you wouldn’t mind putting in a good word with the boss?”
“I’ll be sure to let him know.”
Before anyone else could approach us and delay our dinner, Ethan and I found a relatively quiet corner with a table and two chairs and dug into the food. “Either this is the best food I’ve ever eaten or I was hungrier than I’ve ever been,” Ethan said with a laugh after devouring half a plateful.
I was just about to respond when I heard a flutter of wings. I looked up to see Ari.
“Hey, Katie, I didn’t know you were coming to this shindig.”
“I didn’t know I was coming myself.”
She made a “tsk-tsk” motion with her fingers in Ethan’s direction. “Now, is that a way to treat a lady? By the way, I’m Ari.”
I remembered my manners. “Ari, have you met Ethan, our new corporate legal counsel?”
She fluttered her eyes and wings simultaneously. “We haven’t met in person, but Trix has told me about you.” She glanced at me and added, “And I’ve heard a little from Katie. She hasn’t done you justice.”
Ari was my friend, but she wasn’t high on my list of people I wanted to run into when I was on a date. She’d been around during my last disastrous blind date, and although she wasn’t directly responsible for the disaster, she hadn’t helped matters. Unfortunately, there was no polite way to tell a friend to get lost. Ari wouldn’t mind, but I didn’t want to look like a jerk in front of Ethan.
It must have been my lucky night, for before I had to grab her by the wing and beg her to leave us alone, she winked at Ethan and said, “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m sure I’ll get all the details on Monday morning. Ta-ta!”
“She’s interesting,” Ethan remarked as she flitted away.
“You can say that again. Dessert?” I needed a chocolate fix in the worst way.
“Sure.”
The moment we stood up, our empty plates vanished. “That’s handy,” I remarked.
“I wonder how they do that.”
“I’m not sure I want to know. The less I think about how magic works, the less my head hurts.”
“Then never ask Owen a question about something magical when he’s got a marker in his hand and is anywhere near a whiteboard. I had to take an aspirin and lie down afterward.”
