Page 66 of The Vampire and the Case of the Hellacious Hag

‘And the profit doesn’t hurt,’ I said cynically. ‘So we have an unofficial green light to storm the place tomorrow?’

‘Yep.’

‘Who are they sending?’

He sighed. ‘Just us. The same team as today.’

I grimaced. We had supernatural strength on our side but five of us againstat leasttwelve MIB didn’t feel great. Hopefully the narrow tunnels would restrict who could come at us, but now we knew it was the MIB black ops group, we had to take real care not to be exposed to fisheye. ‘We’ll need gloves and breathing apparatus,’ I pointed out.

‘I’m on it.’ Connor reached over and squeezed my thigh. ‘Now forget about all that and relax. Let’s enjoy today – who knows what tomorrow will bring?’

I knew. Tomorrow was going to bring a clusterfuck of epic proportions, though weirdly I was kind of looking forward to it. Excitement and nerves were churning in my gut; I vowed I would channel them into my dance moves and shimmy them off.

As Connor parked behind the hotel, I suddenly remembered another night and another dance when Juan had been guarding Connor. ‘I’m sorry about Juan,’ I offered. ‘You must miss him.’

‘I do,’ he admitted. ‘He was my best and only friend for a very long time.’

I swallowed hard, my eyes suddenly damp. ‘Well, now you have me,’ I said firmly. ‘You have lots of friends. You have Gunnar and Sigrid, and Sidnee and Thomas.’ I paused. ‘Maybe even Stan.’

He winced at the last name but then gave me a warm smile. ‘You’ve brought so much into my life, Doe. I’m grateful for it.’

‘Even with all the complications I bring?’ I was thinking of Parker, the vampire I’d accidentally ensnared with my offer of blood. Guilt pricked at me again; it had a habit of doing that lately.

‘Absolutely,’ he replied without missing a beat. He raised my hand to his lips and brushed them against the back of it. Inwardly, I swooned.

I sighed happily. ‘I love you, Connor. You know that, right?’

‘I know it,’ he agreed. ‘And I love you with everything I am.’ We kissed in the darkness, the romance of the moment hampered only by his two guards lingering in the shadows.

We walked into the party a little mussed and a few minutes late. I swiped on some fresh lipstick and neatened my hair. Sidnee had decorated the whole place in blue-and-white fairy lights, with a disco ball in the centre of the ceiling. Streamers in blue and silver hung everywhere, changing the room from bland and commercial to sparkly and festive.

There was a bar and a temporary dance floor in the centre, and the staff were setting up a lavish buffet.

Unlike at my ‘welcome to Portlock party’, I didn’t head directly for the tequila. Instead Connor hooked my arm through his and we played the vampire leader and his mate by talking to everyone we knew – or more accurately, all the movers and shakers that Connor knew. I made careful note of new names and faces and the ones he treated with real respect or deference.

When the buffet was finally ready, we filled our plates and sat at a table. Sidnee and Thomas were talking to Stan who was arm in arm with Anissa. I waggled my eyebrows at Sidnee and she grinned back.

She was wearing a floor-length red dress that looked like it was painted on her perfect figure, with a slit to the top of her thigh and a deep neckline. When she turned to look at something Stan pointed at, I saw that the back of her dress was bare and plunged down to the curve of her ass. Thomas was a man possessed, his gaze barely straying from his lover.

Behind his back, I winked at her and fanned myself. ‘You look hot,’ I mouthed.

She beamed. ‘You too!’ she mouthed back.

‘Hi, Stan,’ I said warmly. ‘Hi, Anissa, it’s great to see you.’

I saw some of the tension slide from Stan’s shoulders; had he been worried that I would react badly to his date? You do you, man; loveis, and that’s all.

The six of us sat at the same table. ‘Any space for an old washed-up couple?’ Gunnar asked as he and Sigrid walked over.

‘Speak for yourself!’ Sigrid swatted him, making us laugh.

‘Of course,’ Connor said easily and we all shifted up while Stan grabbed a couple more chairs.

‘You look beautiful, Sig,’ I said, and she really did. Her blue dress complemented her skin perfectly and she’d taken the time to pile elaborate plaits on top of her head. She glowed with an inner radiance as she beamed and thanked me. ‘Thank you, Bunny dear.’

‘Where’s April?’ I asked.

‘She’s sleeping,’ Gunnar confirmed. ‘She’s going to run house tomorrow for us while we’re out.’

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