If I needed to breathe to live, I think I would have passed out because I couldn’t move. His words surrounded me, beating down at my walls and intentions. I could feel something deep inside wanting to cave, wanting to know what it would be like to give myself over to someone fully. Could I maybe let someone else carry some of my troubles, could I risk losing them when I needed them the most?
“I knew it the first time I saw you in the hallway.” His face was incredibly calm, his voice deadly serious.
I had felt something strange when I had seen him, it was more intense now, but I was not about to admit there was anything other than possible lust behind it. I was not about to be claimed by anyone. Not Alejandro and not Sobahn.
“Let’s concentrate on the problem at hand,” I said quickly. “How do you get in and sniff it out unnoticed?” I knew he would still draw everyone’s eye in human form, he was an amazing specimen, but at least no one would recognize him as having been with us earlier. “The humans won’t recognize him as anything other than a major hottie, but there has to be supernatural security guards behind the cameras, they’ll know right away he isn’t human, and they’ll watch him very closely. I’m sure Terrance will have put them on high alert after my stunt.”
“What if Calin and I go in ahead of him? I can throw Calin up and he can smash the cameras,” Blade offered gruffly, pounding his fist into his palm for emphasis.
“Sure, that won’t be an obvious sign that someone is coming in to take something.” My voice was heavy with sarcasm and I rolled my eyes. I appreciated that they were coming up with ideas, but I needed better ones.
“What if we flood the place with supes? We can get all the fairies from Fade to walk in at the same time, security won’t know where to look, who to watch?” Jackie said brightly.
“Sure, I bet they’ll all be real happy to go into their Prince’s business and help us steal the key to the veil from him so we can give it to a vampire.” I gave her a look that clearly told her I thought she was being an idiot.
She didn’t take offense. “They don’t have to know what the deal is. We can tell them that Falcon is there and wants their help with a private party. They show up, and half of them will get sucked into the games, they won’t be able to resist. Like you almost didn’t. Others will get through and we could send them to Alejandro’s room, a little pre wedding gift!”
I thought about that. If there were fairies all over the casino it would help. “What if we combine that with a distraction? Drop Falcon off on the front steps. When they rush out to control the crowd and see what’s going on, Blade and Calin take out cameras and Sobahn sniffs out the key.”
“I can put a spell on us to make sure we look different, at least to the humans. We can follow as backup,” Jackie added.
“Sure, all that commotion surely won’t get the notice of the vamps upstairs,” I grumbled. I put my head in my hands and wanted to scream. “It’s just impossible! I’m going to have to marry that idiot and I’m going to lose myself.”
“You will not marry him,” Sobahn growled.
I looked at him and his face was intense and the determination in his eyes warmed me. “Then I need a key, or a whole lot of money,” I said quietly, defeated. In a thousand years, my life had never felt so hopeless. I had always known I was responsible for my own happiness or depression, my own future. Going where I wanted, when I wanted. Now I was bound by another’s whim, another’s desires and I couldn’t think of a worse way to live for a near eternity. I wondered if I would rather die than marry Alejandro… I wasn’t sure and that scared me.
“What about power?” Jackie asked suddenly.
“Yeah, he wants power, and marrying me is going to give that to him.”
“No, I mean power to the casino. What if we shut off the power? They would have to evacuate, and we could sneak in, take the key and the money!” Jackie was hopping and squealing in excitement over her idea.
I thought it over, looking for a hole. “Is it possible? Then there’s no need to send in the other fairies, I don’t want anyone else to possibly get hurt.”
“I know someone who can help,” Jackie said.
“The vamps will have to evacuate too.” I pointed out.
“Yes, but they will be so busy trying to look human, and not kill anyone in their irritation, they will most likely leave the area right away,” Jackie reasoned.
“My father will be out there.” I frowned.
“Yes, but he will have to take charge, make decisions, and control the crowd to protect his business. He’ll be too busy to see you swoop down to a balcony.” Jackie was practically giddy with excitement at her plan.
We discussed the details and decided it was the best plan we could come up with. Jackie made a phone call and soon there were three werewolves at my door. Jackie let them in, they were dressed in hardhats and reflective vests, they would definitely pass for electric company workers.
“Oh! Hey, Sobahn, good to see you again man,” said a werewolf with short brown hair, intense eyebrows over bright green eyes, and shoulders so wide I was surprised he fit through my doorway.
“It’s good to see you too, Frankie.” Sobahn didn’t look pleased, he looked annoyed.
“Yeah, I wanted to call you and tell you what a wild night we had last night, and that girl, the one who was all over you most of the night. I took her home and damn! You missed out, but your loss was definitely my gain.” Frankie’s eyes landed on me, and I gave him a sardonic look. “Sorry, this your girl?”
“She is mine,” Sobahn said and put an arm around me, pulling me close. I wanted to scream, push him away and deny everything. Something in the way he was glaring down the three werewolves stopped me. I definitely didn’t want them to think I was up for the claiming. One beast with an overactive idea of love was enough.
“Since when did you agree to be Sobahn’s?” Jackie whispered as the men moved out onto the balcony to slap backs and go over the plan.
“I didn’t, I just didn’t want to see a fight.”
Jackie gave me a disbelieving look. “You’re crazy if you don’t think that man is one amazing specimen worth selling your heart and soul to.”
“I’m not sure I have a soul and my heart is well out of reach. I’m certain he’s only interested in what’s under my clothes anyway, no matter what he says.”
“I think you hope that’s true.”
Jackie’s words touched something deep that I had no interest in examining so I went to my room and changed clothes for my part in the plan.
An hour later I was waiting on a nearby roof, watching my father’s casino, waiting for the lights to go out. Blade and Calin were in position in the vents above my father’s office. Sobahn had stalked through the casino already and identified, as best he could, where the key was being held. Once the wolves managed to cut the power to the building and take out the generators, it would be time. The casino would have to evacuate, then Blade and Calin would jump out of the vents and retrieve the key. Sobahn was watching the front in a police uniform Jackie found at a costume shop. I was pretty sure it specialized in stripper’s costumes because it was skin tight with a leather belt, leather boots, and a nametag that said Sargent Dick. When he’d come out of my bedroom wearing it, I could only stare. My mouth had watered and my eyes locked onto the bulge in his very tight pants.
“Like what you see?” he’d growled, then put on the hat and reflective sunglasses with a sly smile.
My insides were mushy and I bristled against it. The memory of seeing him in that outfit filled me with heat again. I was starting to think I was going to have to sleep with him to get him out of my system once and for all. That derailed me even further. I could imagine his strong hands caressing me, I had a feeling he would be quite gentle at first. I imagined he would lead in with the softest of touches, the sweetest of kisses. I knew there was a deep passion there, animalistic and waiting to be let out. Unfortunately it was all wrapped up in his insane idea that we were soulmates.
My thoughts stopped there as the building across the street went dark. Now I had to watch. People immediately started pouring out onto the sidewalk. Sobahn would wait until the real police arrived, then slip into position to make sure my father wasn’t let back in before the gnomes got out. Jackie was in charge of spotting the vamps and alerting if they took notice of Sobahn, or the gnomes.
My job, swoop down to the balcony on the third floor and grab the two little gnomes when they emerged with the key. Then I would text everyone, they would abandon ship, and the werewolves would be long gone, their job was already done. The real electric crew would show up, and by the time Terrance realized he’d been robbed, I would be a free woman, and I didn’t plan on sticking around Vegas after that.
Maybe I would check out Egypt, I thought with a grin, allowing myself a moment of admission. A moment where I felt… something, even if it was only curiosity and desire for Sobahn. Or maybe I would try and meet my genetic father. Osiris had sent Sobahn to aid me, he must care. I would be curious to know more about him, more about his relationship with my mother, and why he chose now, after a thousand years of loneliness, to interact with my life.
I saw Alejandro come out the door with his entourage intact. He was followed by quite a few security guards, apparently, he had needed a little extra motivation to leave. Darkness inside the hotel wouldn’t bother a vamp, but the humans weren’t allowing anyone to opt into staying inside. No power was a dangerous liability.
Good, no one else would be inside. Blade and Calin would be making their way to the third floor soon, but where was Prince Trifoli? I had spotted him downstairs initially, but now I couldn’t spot him. My phone buzzed; it was a message from Sobahn. Followed around corner, he disappeared, taken flight.
“Shit!” His message was a bit on the brief side, but I understood the danger.
“Your mouth is unbecoming, my dear. So many years away from fairy refinement has done some damage.”
I spun around at the voice and dropped my phone. After nearly a thousand years, I was looking into the face of the man I had counted as father. He hadn’t aged hardly at all, still looked like he was in his mid-fifties, with a very lucky genetic makeup. His hair shined in a white braid reaching his waist, and his skin was smooth. He’d been wearing a suit, before removing the top half of his clothing to unfurl his wings and fly up here. Now he stood in only a pair of dark blue slacks and shiny black shoes. I never would have imagined him wearing anything so human as a suit and tie. Of course, I also never would have imagined him disowning his only son; his only child apparently.
“Or perhaps it’s just something I get from my father. I hear Osiris isn’t quick to subdue his language.” I had no idea, but I relished the look of realization that crossed his face when he understood that he wasn’t going to be able to use any kind of fatherly shame to control me.
“I thought I sensed Egyptian magic in the area,” he huffed.
“I would say it finally makes sense why you shut me out, but you’ve done the same thing to Falcon, and he really is your son. So maybe you’re just an asshole,” I sneered.
“Yes, such a disappointment he’s become. I thought sending him off on his own would teach him something about life. But so far all he’s learned is that he can use his body to separate cash from women, especially human women. I’m afraid someday I’ll have a litter of half human grandchildren running around.” He looked disgusted by the thought.
“More kin to disown because you can’t control them or mold them into your idea of perfection.”
“Something like that.” His eyes twitched slightly and I noticed a second too late, that we weren’t alone on the rooftop. He’d only been talking to me to keep me distracted, and damn-it it had worked!
I turned just as a ring of pain circled my body and tightened. It burned my bare skin, and I couldn’t help crying out. I was, of course, wearing a fairly revealing top so I would have easy access to my wings, and everywhere the rope touched skin, I was on fire. I dropped to my knees, biting my lip and trying to keep from screaming again. I hated to show weakness to anyone, but in front of this man it would be humiliating. This man who had thrown me out at my lowest point, when I had needed his guidance and support the most, and that was the only thought that could keep me from focusing on the pain. The only thing that could keep me from continuing to scream.
“What’s your plan? Kill me?” I said between clenched teeth.
“No, I have discovered you are going to be very useful to trade. Pauline, knock her out.”
I felt a sharp blow to my head and everything went black.