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Chapter Fifteen
Luciana
As if she didn’t hate me enough already, Violet seems absolutely apoplectic with rage when she arrives at the door to the cottage with a fancy designer dress. Her glare is frigid enough to freeze the Sahara Desert. With something between a groan and a growl, she shoves the dress toward me.
“He’ll be done with you soon enough,” she snaps.
I take the dress from her outstretched hand. “Funny, you said that yesterday.”
Her magic flares, and for a moment I think she’s going to hit me. But then she just spins and stalks back down the paved walkway toward the winery.
With a sigh, I head back inside. Witty comeback aside, I can’t help but wonder if she’s right. A flutter of nerves blooms in my stomach. Then I realize how absurd it is that I’m wondering that, and that I care. I should be so lucky if Sebastian starts ignoring me. He’s a murderous demon billionaire working for an evil empire. I’m here to destroy him. To destroy all of them.
My nerves intensify as I walk to the master suite and hang the dress on a hook outside the closet. I head into the bathroom and turn on the shower. As it heats up, I strip off my clothes, staring at the sparkly thing he’d sent over. It’s made entirely of silver beads in geometric patterns. It reminds me of the color of the moon. Utterly gorgeous and it probably cost a fortune.
I rip my eyes away from it and step into the shower. As the water courses over me, I wonder if Sebastian really is as bad as the others. I mean, he runs a winery. I haven’t seen him murder anyone. He seems to have a bit of a rivalry with his brother, and he stood up for me when Caspian was being a creep.
Is it possible that Sebastian isn’t who I think he is?
But he must know what his brother and the rest of the Night Guild are up to. I shake my head. This is not the time to catch feelings, Luciana. Even if he’s not directly involved in what the Guild does, he’s an accessory to the crimes they commit. He’s not some innocent bystander. I need to pull my shit together.
I feel like the old me wouldn’t have given any of this a second thought. But whatever this new magic is within me, it’s drawn to Sebastian in the most dangerous way. It’s like I can’t control myself when I’m around him. As if he’s a drug I become more addicted to with every moment that passes in his presence.
It’s not more powerful, however, than my desire for revenge. Nothing is going to stand in my way of that. Certainly not some rich playboy.
Even if that rich playboy just gave me the best orgasm of my life.
Sebastian’s little stunt in the winery kitchen plays on repeat in my head as I finish showering and start blow-drying my hair. God, it was good. Earth-shattering good. Is that a demon thing, too? Or just a Sebastian thing?
When my hair is dry, I curl it, put on makeup, and then put on the dress. It hugs my curves and runs about halfway down my thighs. Two thin straps hold it up and the back is open, plunging nearly to the tops of my ass cheeks. I matched my eyeshadow to the silver of the dress, and I’ve put berry-pink gloss on my lips. A pair of chandelier earrings and black strappy heels finishes the look.
As I look at myself in the mirror, my nerves flutter once again. I take a deep breath and head to the front door. When I open it, I see one of the staff sitting there in a golf cart.
“Sebastian sent me to pick you up,” he says.
“Oh. Thank you.” It’s not like it’s a long walk at all, though I’m not going to argue in these heels.
I climb in and the guy zips me around to the back entrance of the winery. Dusk has turned the sky a hazy purple, and I can see strings of white lights illuminating the courtyard on the other side of the building. A pair of bats fly by overhead, and the sound of someone playing acoustic guitar drifts to my ears. It all seems so dreamy and surreal for a gathering of cutthroat demons.
Once inside, I head to where the party is being held near the main cellar. In the two hours I’ve been gone getting ready, everything has come together beautifully. There are more musicians inside playing softly in one corner. All the tables are decorated lavishly with flowers and candles. Wait staff are circling the room passing out hors d’oeuvres.
Sebastian sees me right away and walks over. He looks insanely gorgeous in a gray Armani suit with a white dress shirt. It somehow looks both casual and incredibly sophisticated. His shoes alone probably cost four figures. And his cologne is so alluring I can’t help but reach out and touch him right away, sliding one hand under his jacket, which he’s left unbuttoned.
His voice tickles my ear as he leans in. “You look stunning, Luciana.”
“So do you.”
He shoots me a cocky grin and slides his hand around to my ass, pulling me against him for a moment. He’s hard and long as a sword already, and my sex clenches as his erection rubs against me through our clothes. I’m not really sure how I’m going to survive this party.
A waiter passes and hands me a glass of champagne, and Sebastian pivots slightly away from me, turning us so we’re facing the rest of the room.
“Are you ready for the most dangerous party you’ve ever attended?” he whispers in my ear.
I nod, and a shiver runs through me.
“This is where the real negotiations begin,” he continues. “We’re voting during the summit to determine who’s going to become the next leader of our group, but much of that will be decided tonight over cocktails.”
“So, you’re saying maybe I should be wishing you hadn’t invited me?” I smile and elbow him teasingly.
