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“Hello, darling,” he purred with a flirtatious smile. “I’ve come to speak to you about last night. In private, if you please.”
Ember coughed knowingly, instantly hiding her gloating expression behind a bouquet of dark roses from Grandmother’s garden. With no subtlety, she turned her attention to the women and their piles of purchases, allowing Alexei and me a moment alone.
“I have nothing to say to you about last night, Alexei,” I said stiffly.
He selected something from the display table at the entrance and plopped it down on the counter before me. “Then how about I buy something from your store and make conversation as you ring me up? Does that suffice?”
My gaze dropped to the chocolates, and I couldn’t stop my eyeroll. “Please. I hardly think these are a part of your diet.”Instantly realizing my mistake, I looked over at the human women absorbed in our conversation with a wink. “Extreme dieter. The type that claims his body is his temple, know what I mean?”
A blonde wearing a wedding veil looked him up and down before muttering to her friend, “As long as he shares that temple with me, I don’t care what he eats.”
Alexei quirked a sardonic brow. “I think you’ll find my diet to be varied when the mood strikes. Or a comely witch finds her way into my bed.”
The humans tittered, swooning at his humor. Little did they know the vampire’s true preferences.
Unhelpfully, Ember propped her chin in her hands, her head bouncing between Alexei and me like she was watching a tennis match. “Great choice, Alexei. Personally, I have nothing but rave reviews for the lust truffles. Really gets you in the mood and raring to go.”
When she waggled her eyebrows, the women ran for the stacks of chocolates promising orgasms galore.
I shot Ember an annoyed look before fixing my false smile in place. “I prefer the forgetful chocolate almonds. All your pesky problems slip away, leaving your mind free of life’s annoyances. Actually, I could go for a handful right now.”
“Cute, darling.” Alexei’s dark eyes studied the Coven shop with delight, his nostrils flaring intermittently as his vampire senses catalogued the various herbs and spells woven amongst the overflowing shelves and tables. Turning back to me, the amber flecks in his eyes seemed to glow with some hidden emotion. “I truly do need to speak with you. I wouldn’t have come unless it was serious.”
Without another glance at Ember, I sighed, nudging him towards the back storage room. “Come on. But make it fast.”
“One thing I can promise you,” he purred into my ear, “is when I’m with you, I will never be so cruel or selfish as to rush what should be savored.”
Darkness and the overwhelming stench of rotting flowers filled the still air in the room as I slammed the door behind us.
“Cozy,” he murmured, his large frame filling the cramped space.
“Enough with the charm,” I bit out, still strangely affected by his closeness despite my irritation from the night before. “What’s so important that you’re stalking me around the city now?”
His humor dwindled to dust as he plucked a dried petal to his nose, inhaling its fragrance. “Last night, after you let loose an unconscionable amount of spirits on my manor, Silas and I discovered my vault broken into.”
Beneath his cool composure, I could feel the electric energy pulsating beneath his pale skin. Dangerous and close to exploding. I crossed my arms, feeling another wave of embarrassment. Would I never live this incident down?
“An honest mistake, I assure you. Was anything stolen?”
“Yes, something was taken,” he said, brushing the crushed petal against my bared collarbone, making me shiver. “Trystan Dubois broke into a vault created by one of the best locksmiths in Paris and stole the Staff of Borislav before sneaking back to Boston.”
My brows furrowed as I stepped away from his gentle touch. The cluttered backroom filled with spell ingredients made it impossible to escape his addictive scent, but I needed distance to think. “The creepy serpent one? I haven’t seen you parade that thing around in months. I thought it was an accessory. Part of your sleazy-prince-on-a-golden-throne shtick. What can it do?”
“When my father exiled me, I took several items from his impressive collection.” His nails tapped against the wooden tabletop. “Little trinkets I wanted to toy with, as well as a few items with great power I wanted to have in my possession should I need a means to protect myself from creatures who would do me harm because of my birthright.”
His eyes lifted to mine, for once serious and filled with a past I knew nothing about.
“After Rosalind’s murder, I offered the Amulet of Davorina as the reward out of desperation for revenge and to rid myself of the talisman that reminded me of my past. But the staff always made me feel strong when I wielded it. Powerful enough to face a city of vampires who despised me and considered me a traitor to my people, despite my royal name.”
He let out a breath, shaking his head.
“The dark curse embedded within the staff is vile. The witch who created it realized the error of her ways and immediately sought to undo its power, but she died before she could complete the task. It remains corrupted, but Trystan will use its existence in my Court to hurt me. If my father uncovers my treachery, an exile in Louisiana will seem like a holiday in comparison.”
Understanding lit within me. “And you need me to find it for you within Trystan’s Court.”
“Yes,” he confirmed, stepping closer to where I huddled against a broom.
A shimmer of disappointment fluttered through me. Alexei may want my body, but heneededmy magick. It was a stark reminder of the boundaries of our professional relationship I would do well not to forget. But my hurt feelings were nothing compared to the possible destruction such a weapon could unleash on innocents.
