Page 74 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

The way that his posture straightened and brows rose, I could tell that I’d actually shocked him.

I dragged in a breath and then sighed. “Look, I’m not sure what Vain was alluding to before about the grimoire being your only chance, but I need you to know that whatever it is you think you need to protect me from, you don’t have to. You can tell me. I only want to help you. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” Rory murmured. He looked down at his feet and stroked one hand over his forearm. I decided not to press him too hard, knowing his likelihood to shut down in the past.

“What happened with Ghen?” I asked.

“It wasn’t anything Vain couldn’t handle,” he answered quickly, like he couldn’t have been more relieved at the change in topic. A muscle feathered in his jaw, and I narrowed my eyes on him.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

Rory’s attention flicked to the floor again before coming back to me. “All Ghen wanted was the grimoire. Eldin refused to hand it over, so the archdemon killed him. Vain was able to sneak away during their fight. That’s all that happened.”

“But the grimoire—”

“Is not important. I told you, we’ll find another way.”

“But what if it’s the only way to save you? None of my attempts so far have even come close to working. What if—”

Rory pushed off the doorframe and was across the room in three long strides, emotion warring over his features. He pulled my face between both hands and stared down at me through dark creased brows.

“You are worth more than any book, Ava.” His gray eyes were overly bright, but I thought I caught a dark cloud pass over them for the briefest moment before the look was gone. “We’ll find another way.”

The way his voice shook with determination had me nodding between his palms. “Okay,” I said.

“Okay.” Rory released me, dropping his shoulders and giving me a soft, tight-lipped smile.

“Are we safe?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. There was a gnawing sense of unease seeping into my very bones that I hadn’t been able to shake since the confrontation with Ghen. Perhaps I was simply overthinking things by giving into my anxieties, but regardless, I wanted to be sure.

“Yes. Vain even strengthened the wards around the penthouse this morning as a precaution. He’ll make sure no one can hurt you again.”

“I don’t need protection,” I said.

“I know that,” he said. “But it’s impossible for me to convince him otherwise once he’s got his mind set on something.” Rory dragged one hand through his hair and pinched the corner of his bottom lip between his teeth. “But anyways, I actually came to see if you could use a break. Have a little fun? Something that hopefully won’t bore you to sleep again.”

Dammit, he had been able to tell I'd dozed off. I narrowed my eyes at him. “What kind of fun?”

“Just trust me,” he said, extending a hand out to me.

The elevator doors slid open onto one of the lower floors of the building, and my ears immediately thrummed to a heavy beat of synth and bass. Pulsing streams of light scattered through the dimly lit space as we stepped out onto a balcony that overlooked a dance floor below. Bodies writhed and swayed together, sweat-licked skin brushing and joining and moving as one. The energy in the room was electric. Fevered and intoxicating. I couldn’t help but stare down into the crowd as I pressed myself to Rory’s side.

“Don’t tell me Vain owns a nightclub too.”

“Okay, I won’t tell you,” he said, and then winked.

I straightened out my black cotton dress subconsciously, suddenly feeling underdressed for this kind of setting.

As if sensing my concern, Rory laced his fingers through mine and gave my hand an encouraging squeeze. “You look fine,” he said.

“Just fine?”

“More than fine. You’re beautiful.” His eyes softened, and the warm smile he gave just before he leaned in to plant a kiss between my brows sent my pulse racing. “Come on, they’re waiting for us in the lounge.”

With his hand still wrapped around mine, Rory led me down the spiral staircase and onto the dance floor, weaving us through the crowd. There were couples grinding together to the tantric beat of the music that blared, and plenty more sprawled lazily across plush jewel toned couches or perched on bar seats as they swirled multicolored cocktails in their glasses. From the occasional glimpses I caught of horns and wingtips interspersed through the mass of bodies, there appeared to be a curious mix of demons amongst the humans who danced alongside them, free of any worry or fear. A far different scene compared to the gathering at the demon nest last night.

My chest felt tight as we pressed through the crowd, and I only felt as if I could breathe again when we reached a roped off VIP area that led to a private space at the back of the club.

Alastair stood behind the long bar on the back wall, in the middle of fixing a drink in a crystal tumbler. I spied Nesera at the opposite end flirting with two human men who stood between her and appeared to be nothing short of transfixed by her. Her red dress swished around her thighs as she twirled for them, and I noted how their attention kept dipping to her legs and back up toward the plunging neckline that perfectly accentuated her full breasts. My eyes were particularly drawn to her horns, tipped in gold and jeweled embellishments strung together with thin chains that hung above the crown of her head.

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