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A light, tinkling laugh has me turning around with a smile. “Cecile!”
She leans in to hug me. “Hello, darling.”
“It’s been too long,” I say, and I mean it. As my one and only female friend, I don’t see her nearly enough.
“That it has,” she agrees. “Come sit with me and have a chat for a few minutes. We’ll catch up.”
I hesitate. “I’d love to, but I think, technically, I’m on the clock right now.”
She gives me a sweet smile and takes my hand. “A few minutes won’t hurt.”
She turns to Nick, who’s already on his feet. “Gorgeous, darling, won’t you join us in my suite for a cup of tea?”
A wide grin crosses his face, and he slides his arms around both my back and Cecile’s. “Lead the way, beautiful.”
We head upstairs, and my cheeks turn a little pink at the thought that most of the people in the club who’re watching us think we’re coming into Cecile’s suite to fool around together. Nick laughs at my blush. “Don’t worry, Nora. They’re all just jealous.”
I roll my eyes at him.
Cecile’s suite is much like a lavish studio apartment. She doesn’t live here—she has a great penthouse downtown—but she does entertain people here. She’s got an arrangement with Terrance. He lets her feed here, and she brings a certain desire to the club that no other club in town has. Most men don’t mind Cecile taking a little bit of energy from them if it means they get to be with a succubus. I guess being with an enchantric demon (a.k.a. a sex demon) is an unforgettable experience. I’ve heard Cecile referred to as a sex goddess on a number of occasions. She offered to be with me once, and I’ll admit it had me curious, even though I have no inclination toward women at all.
Cecile waves us to a small table near her kitchenette that’s already been set for three, and proceeds to pour us each steaming cups of tea that has already been made. It’s like she was expecting us. “So what’s the word, Cecile dear?” Nick asks, plopping two lumps of sugar into his tea.
I blink once as I put the pieces together. “You’reNick’s informant?”
Cecile laughs. “Of course, darling. I spend almost every night here in this club, and people have a tendency to have loose lips when I want them to.”
I think about it and laugh. I’m not shocked that people are more than willing to tell her whatever she wants to hear. She’s as alluring as me when I use my siren’s song. Even if she can’t completely put people under her control the way I can, she can still influence them a lot.
I drop a sugar cube into my tea and stir it. “How devious,” I tease.
“Useful,” Nick says, sipping his tea. “So what have you got for us?”
Cecile sips her tea and sets it down with a sigh. “Everyone’s talking about this contract out on your clan. The good news is that most people are too scared of you to risk trying to take the contract.” Her lips quirk. “Kovros and Terrance were quite persuasive the other day.”
Nick snorts, and I laugh. “I’ll bet they were.”
“But no one knows who ordered the hit?” Nick asks.
Cecile shakes her head. “Word is there’s a new player on the field behind it all.”
Nick frowns. “I haven’t heard of anyone new in town.”
Cecily sips her tea. “There isn’t. Not that I’ve seen or heard. If there is a new player, he’s a ghost. No one has seen or heard anything about his identity, but he’s supposedly powerful and rich with a severe temper.”
I sit back and sigh. “We’ve guessed that much on our own.”
“It’s also being rumored that the man who ordered the hit on your clan is the same one who put up the reward for the mythics.”
Nick and I both nod. “Oliver pretty much confirmed that,” I say.
Cecile smiles and places her hand on mine. “I’m so glad he’s awake. Please give him my best wishes.”
“I will.”
Nick doesn’t let us get sidetracked. He starts rubbing his jaw, lost in his own thoughts. “Why?” he wonders. “What’s the connection between your clan and the mythics?”
“Nora,” Cecile says simply.
