He lifted his gaze back to her lips, then finally her eyes. This is new for me, desiring a woman like this, repeatedly hungry for you with an intensity I’ve never experienced before. I think what this really means is that we need to get your double-chain off, the sooner the better. He needed her to remember just how temporary their relationship was.
She smoothed a finger over his cheek. Well, we definitely need to get something off.
His brows rose. Had he heard her right? Then he laughed all over again, which reminded him of the other side of the coin, the other reason he felt in danger around Claire: She made him laugh. Just when he was getting serious, reminding her why they needed to split up, she made him laugh.
He took her hand and she squeezed his fingers. He squeezed back, smiling. Thank you for everything, Claire, but especially for the way you tend to lighten things up. Thank you.
I guess that means you owe me.
He met and held her gaze. Just name it.
Oh, I will, and soon.
He might have asked her to be more specific, but Eve reentered the room and called out, “Salazar said yes. They’ll be here in two hours and they’re ready for us at The Ruby Cave.”
Chapter 9
Claire tucked herself against Lucian, grateful all over again for his sheer size, which comforted her when nothing else could. Maybe it was a false sensation, but his powerful, muscular frame made her feel safe. Right now she was nerved up like crazy.
Salazar had said yes.
The fashion show was moving forward. On some level she’d hoped the whole thing would fall apart—that her auburn hair wouldn’t have been enough to tempt the two crime buddies out of their fortified compound. Guess she was wrong. But then again, she no doubt underestimated the typical trafficker’s desire for new product.
After the photo shoot, Eve had talked her through the show. Essentially, she’d don three different outfits, saving the worst for last, and she’d walk down about thirty feet of runway to sexy blues music. In between, Rumy’s carefully selected wait staff would ply Arsen and Salazar with some of her finest whiskey. Eve was pretty sure they’d have one powerful security contingent with them.
But this wouldn’t be her only audience. She’d have to conceal Rumy’s entire team behind one of the largest disguises she had yet to create. Would she even be able to pull it off? She honestly didn’t know, although siphoning Lucian’s Ancestral power helped.
Still, it was her scantily clad body that a whole bunch of vampire-warrior-types would be looking at for three full jaunts down a black tile runway. What flashed through her mind was that her previous wardrobe had been made up of fairly conservative clothes. Her job as a social worker had never required a pair of black lace gloves adorned with feathers and chains.
Or vampires flying her through solid stone walls.
Once at The Ruby Cave, Lucian flew her off to the side of the theater. Lily had expected to see rows of seats; instead there were just a few tables and chairs arranged in clusters here and there. The rest of the angled floor was apparently designed for a standing-only audience. She wondered if this was typical of sex shows, or if it was just Eve’s preference.
The ceiling looked like it was made of black onyx, but the walls were the real jewels. Crushed red crystals had been pressed into a resin on both the side and back walls. Ruby Cave proved the best description possible for the space.
Eve had already started calling out orders to more of her staff. Used to her commands as well as to obeying, the stagehands drifted into altered flight, flying left to right, up through the rock or down, never once bumping into one another. They hauled set pieces of every size and shape imaginable, letting Eve make a series of judgments about how she wanted the stage set.
The runway emerged with floor-to-ceiling pillars of red and purple crystals and sequined swags in similar colors that draped from one side of the stage to the other.
After a few minutes, Lucian stepped away from her, moved into the theater seating area, and got on his iPhone. The chains vibrated, sending a distinct hard-edged sensation that Claire knew meant he was finalizing his plans with Rumy.
She drew the lapels of the robe closer together, trying hard not to think about what she had on beneath the terry or the performance she would soon give.
An hour or so later, Eve emerged from behind the theater drapes, glanced around the stage, then at Claire. She gave her the thumbs-up.
Claire’s heart leapfrogged, which brought Lucian whipping in her direction. He held his phone away from his ear staring at Eve. “And?”
Eve waved her hand in Claire’s direction. “Time to start getting ready. They’ll be here in half an hour.”
Claire’s heart sank low in her chest as new anxiety rose. Could she pull this off? She’d be walking in five-inch heels and putting herself on display for men she loathed for their crimes. She climbed the three side stairs feeling like she was heading to her execution.
“Hey,” Eve said, taking her hand and squeezing. “You’ll do just fine. Remember that they’ll be looking at your body, and I’ll be on stage as well.”
“You will?”
“Yes, in the background, in shiny black leather, so that if anything goes wrong, I’ll catch you. Now let’s get them, Claire. Let’s make them pay.”
These were the exact right words because they bolstered Claire’s courage and reminded her what was at stake.
And all she had to do was model some sexy clothes.
Lucian’s voice pierced her mind. Rumy’s coming with twenty of his best guards. We’re going to line them up along the back wall away from the double doors. As soon as you’re ready, you can create the disguise.
Got it.
She held her shoulders back as she followed Eve into the dressing room. Her courage didn’t waver until she saw the first outfit she’d be wearing for Arsen and Salazar.
Lucian had called it right: bits of leather and a few rubber bands.
* * *
Lucian gritted his teeth. He’d been feeling the chains vibrate every other minute as Claire’s anxiety mounted. He knew that she was getting a look at the next three outfits and he could only imagine what Eve had planned for her.
But he tried not to think about that right now.
He released a stream of air, forcing himself to calm down.
The part of him that liked a good fight had already started gearing up, the familiar adrenaline that coated his veins when he faced the enemy.
Arsen and Salazar had a smart organization with some of the toughest vampires around. They rarely visited The Erotic Passage, for the simple reason that they preferred their dark world of pain and slavery, of dominance and death, lots of death. By comparison, The Erotic Passage must have looked like a trip to the mall.