Page 30 of Vampire Runner

He reminds me of a wolf searching for the weakest of the herd.

Alfonso Giuliani, his human representative, stands at the edge of the group, a sycophantic smile plastered across his face as he plays the role of the gracious host. He gestures towards the array of delicacies laid out on a wicker buffet, his words honeyed with flattery as he extols the virtues of his employer’s hospitality.

Every word makes me sick, but I force myself to smile and nod as Timothy Farr would.

Beside me, Cassandra’s hand brushes against mine, a silent reassurance that bolsters my resolve. I hate that she’s at risk here. If I could do this without her, I’d lock her in our suite at the clan house.

Instead, I follow her to the side and follow her example in making a plate for myself. I hardly notice what I’m choosing. It’s not as if I’m here to actually have lunch. Another couple splits from Rhys’s enthrallment to file in behind us, chatting quietly with each other.

“Here,” I say, nudging Cassandra with an elbow to suggest sitting at the middle of the table but still far enough from where Aeternaphiel has set his drink to prevent much attention, hopefully.

The moment we sit, Alfonso comes to stand beside Cassandra, sculpting his wrinkled face into something he thinks passes as charm. As much charm as a snake.

“Enjoying yourself, Mrs. Farr?” Alfonso Giuliani’s slick, oily voice makes my lip twitch, but Cassandra remains steady, smiling politely.

“It’s wonderful,” Cassandra replies, and I can feel her brittle nerves through the mate bond.

“And you, Mr. Farr?” Alfonso’s beady eyes settle on me, and I resist the urge to punch him.

“The spread is wonderful,” I say, mimicking the conspiratorial tone I used with him the night before. “The company as well.”

Alfonso preens at the praise, oblivious to the lie. Beside me, Cassandra barely swallows a snort, and her amusement eases the tension churning within me.

“Alfonso, thank you for such a wonderful surprise. I didn’t expect you to remember, let alone invite my favorite musician today!”

It’s a woman’s voice, a shrill, annoying pitch that sets my teeth on edge. Alfonso turns towards the speaker, his smile slipping. Cassandra and I share a look, and I can’t help the smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. I steal a glance at Rhys. Somehow the male has conjured a guitar out of thin air, his fingers strumming idle notes while he deploys his signature charming smile at the small audience. Not even Aeternaphiel seems immune.

“Susana, what a pleasure. Let me introduce you?—”

“We met last night,” the woman snaps, her voice dripping with irritation. She glares at my wife and I’m hard-pressed to not growl at her. She turns her attention back to Alfonso, her bright smile returning. “Come, I insist we sit together during the performance.”

Unwilling to surrender the credit the attractive woman is giving him, Alfonso’s demeanor shifts. He gives Cassandra an apologetic look. “We’ll talk more later, my dear.”

Susana tugs him away, a smug look on her face, and Cassandra chokes back a laugh. I meet her eyes, a smirk twitching at my lips. She leans against me, her mouth going next to my ear. I breathe in her scent, wrapping it around me. I ignore the pang of fear when I notice the sulfuric scent of Eris has grown more faint.

“It seems Rhys hasn’t lost his ability to charm crowds,” she murmurs, her lips caressing the shell of my ear. I lay my arm across the back of her chain, brushing my knuckles against her shoulders.

“If anything, giving him permission to get on stage in front of thousands of people has only made him worse,” I reply, amused. Rhys may have left the Barrows in anger, but letting him travel and hone his musical talents has let my friend grow in ways he would never have otherwise. “Are you ready to explore?”

She nods and straightens. I let my eyes drift over the area with a pleasant expression, as if enjoying the company. I make note of the server near the buffet, keeping the food area tidy; the server keeping track of the carafes of water and fresh fruit juices; the discreet human security guard in a white polo and khaki slacks at the end of the patio. Cassandra grabs her water glass and, just before she brings it to her mouth, fumbles it, dropping it all over herself.

To be entirely honest, my mate is clumsy enough I have absolutely no idea if it was on purpose or not.

The two servers rush over as Cassandra and I stand, Cassandra apologizing repeatedly. Alfonso looks over his shoulder at me, a frown adding more wrinkles to his forehead. I wave him off, rolling my eyes at Cassandra pointedly. He gives me one of the good ole boys looks of sympathy before letting Susana and Rhys take his attention once more.

“Come on,” I grunt out, gripping Cassandra’s upper arm. I give the uniformed woman trying to help Cassandra clean up a glare. “Where’s the bathroom?”

The brunette woman stutters under my focus and points back to the door we came through. “Inside, the second door on the left in the main hall.”

I don’t bother thanking her and she doesn’t seem to expect me to. She takes a hurried step back, letting me practically drag Cassandra inside. The moment we’re out of sight, I drop my hand to hers and give her a wry grin.

“Really? Spilling water all over yourself?” I tease. I slip the small earpiece out of my pocket with my other hand and press the discreet piece of technology into place.

Cassandra grumbles, her face bright red. It only adds weight to my suspicion it wasn’t planned and I smile wider.

“Do you read?” I whisper under my breath, conscientious of potential security measures.

“Copy,” Malachi’s voice comes through clearly. “Lan was in control of the security programming before you reached the front doors.”

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