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He stepped closer, his eyes darkening with a sensual promise. “What about under the table? Or hanging from the chandelier?”
Peri tilted her head to gaze at the exquisite light fixture that shimmered with a thousand crystals.
“Have you really?”
His soft chuckle brushed over her like a caress. “Someday you’ll find out.”
“We all live in hope.” She took a deliberate step back. “Tell me what you want.”
Aston stilled, studying her with a searching gaze. As if she was a puzzle he was determined to solve. At last, the lazy charmer was replaced with the male who ran multimillion-dollar businesses.
“I need a potion.”
Peri arched her brows. When a man wanted a potion it was usually for one thing. “Oh. I’m sorry. No chandelier for you.”
Aston’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “Not that kind of potion.”
“Then what?”
Aston touched her arm, discreetly leading her away from the receptionist, who continued to kneel next to the desk.
“There’s someone stealing money from the petty cash at Neverland,” he said in a low tone.
Peri made a strangled sound of disbelief. Steal from a vampire?
“Are they suicidal?”
“Suicidally stupid,” he ground out.
“What sort of potion do you want?”
“A truth potion.”
Peri was confused. “Valen doesn’t need magic to get the truth.”
“I’m hoping to avoid bothering His Excellency. The amounts taken have been relatively small.”
“And?” Peri prompted. There had to be more to his desire to avoid including Valen. Stealing was stealing, no matter what the amount. And if they’d take money, what else would they be willing to do?
“And all three potential suspects are my nephews,” Aston grudgingly confessed.
“Yikes.”
“No shit.” Aston shook his head in disgust. “As much as I currently want to hand them over to Valen and watch them squirm, I’m afraid my sisters would make my life a living hell.”
“What will you do with the culprit?” Peri asked. The fey could be just as brutal as any other demon when it came to justice.
“My plans are still fluid, but whichever one has sticky fingers will deeply regret breaking my trust,” he admitted in harsh tones. “He will, however, survive so he can work to regain the honor he’s lost.”
“Okay. Once I return to the shop I’ll brew your potion and have it delivered.”
“Deal.”
With a formal nod to complete the contract, Aston headed toward an opening at the far end of the lobby. They entered a narrow hall that led to the back of the building. As they walked, the marble and crimson disappeared to be replaced with barren walls and a wood plank floor. Peri assumed this area had been stripped down to prevent any magical accidents.
At the end of the corridor they stopped in front of an iron door set in a metal frame.
Aston glanced at her with a surprisingly somber expression. “The door automatically locks from the inside. Once you reach the center of the room, the wards will be activated.” He reached to push the door open. “Don’t do anything stupid, Peri. I can’t get to you once you’re locked inside.”
