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When he caught Karen looking at him, though, he knew it wasn't because she was interested. The moment their eyes met, she smiled nervously and averted her gaze.
Her unease was understandable, given what her mate had asked him to do. Come to think of it, he should establish a rapport with her before they proceeded with their plan for tomorrow night.
Pushing to his feet, Negal walked over to the table and flashed a friendly smile at Gilbert before turning his attention to Karen. "May I have this dance?" he asked, offering her his hand.
Karen hesitated, her eyes flickering towards Gilbert. The silent exchange between them was brief, and when Gilbert gave asubtle nod, Karen smiled, placed her hand in Negal's, and stood up.
"I thought we should get to know each other a little," he said.
She cast him a puzzled look. "I'm sorry. What did you say? I can't hear anything over this loud music."
He'd forgotten that her human hearing was limited compared to all the immortals on the dance floor, but if he spoke any louder, everyone there would be a party to their very private conversation.
Instead of answering, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and steered her toward the glass doors leading to the balcony. "On second thought, I could use some fresh air. It's gotten stuffy in here." He paused with his hand on the door handle. "It's quieter out there."
Karen glanced back at Gilbert, seeking his approval, and upon receiving an affirming nod, she smiled up at Negal. "I would love some fresh air, too."
As they slipped out onto the balcony, the cool night air was indeed a relief from the stuffiness of the crowded dining hall.
Leaning against the railing, Negal wasn't sure what to do with his hands to seem as unintimidating as possible. If he crossed his arms over his chest, he might look threatening, but if he put his hands in his pockets, he would give her the impression that it was not a big deal for him.
It wasn't, but this was a delicate situation, and it was a big deal to her. Her life was on the line.
Suddenly, it occurred to him that he could improve her chances of success by giving her a small blood transfusion.
Anyway, he planned to thrall her and Gilbert to ignore his presence, so if he added a blood injection during the bite, neither of them would be any the wiser.
He spread his arms behind him and gripped the railing. "It occurred to me that we haven't spoken about what's coming. I only talked with your mate, and I noticed that you were nervous."
She chuckled. "Am I so easy to read?"
"Perhaps not usually, but tonight you were obvious, which is understandable. Your mate approached me and asked for my assistance, and I agreed. But then it occurred to me that I didn't check with you whether you are okay with this. He should have brought you along."
Karen let out a breath. "Frankly, it was I who asked Gilbert to talk to you. I'm very grateful to you for agreeing to do it." She chuckled nervously again. "I bet this is not going to be fun for you."
"It's not a hardship either. In fact, I feel honored to be asked to assist in your induction. "
Her expression softened. "That's very nice of you. You're a good guy, I mean god."
He laughed. "Guy is fine. It's a general term I'm comfortable with." Negal glanced at the starry sky and pondered the timing of their plan. "Perhaps we should move our arrangement to tonight." He shifted his eyes to her. "We thought that the mission would happen today, which was why we settled on tomorrow, but now that the mission has been moved, the reverse is true. Besides, the wait time will just intensify your anxiety."
Karen's eyes widened. "I think tomorrow would be better. I need more time to prepare. I'm not quite ready yet."
Negal smiled. "Sometimes it's best to just pull the Band-Aid off, as you humans like to say. We don't know how tomorrow's mission will go. It might delay us another day."
"Oh boy." Karen moved to lean against the railing next to him. "No pressure." A wry smile played on her lips. "It's a good thing that I'm a female. Otherwise, I would have suffered from performance anxiety and failed at the task."
Her attempt at humor made him laugh. He appreciated her effort to lighten the mood. "I can thrall you to relax and basically ignore my presence for the rest of the night starting now. You won't even be aware of me being there."
Karen turned to face him. "That might work. If I don't have to be consciously aware of... well, the process, it might be easier to go through with it."
Pleased with her easy acquiescence, Negal nodded. "I promise to make sure it's a seamless experience for you."
Karen took a deep breath. "Okay, tonight it is."
As the balcony doors opened and Gilbert stepped out, Negal wasn't surprised. He'd wondered how long the guy would hold off before jealousy and concern for his mate would prompt him to join them.
He briefly entertained the thought of using his thrall to ease Gilbert's mind because Karen's stress was probably being amplified by his unwarranted jealousy.
