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I nearly fell from my stool, but Liliane’s firm grip held me close. “Sorry, dearest. The spell can take a lot out of you, but I believe I found what we need.”
As soon as I could properly function again, I would send a fruit basket to whatever island Ember hunkered down at with Killian as an apology for ever performing such an invasive spell on her.
Liliane pressed some pieces of fudge past my lips and lifted a fresh mug of tea for me to swallow. After a few minutes of this, I could finally open my eyes without wanting to die.
“Do you want the good news first or the bad news?” she asked after collapsing into the chair next to me. She looked only slightly wearied from the energy spent on the spell.
Panic twisted my gut, but I steeled myself. “The bad news, obviously.”
“A girl after my own heart,” Liliane cackled. “Well, the bad news is there’s nothing alarming or unprecedented with you or your sisters’ power manifestation. From what I’ve encountered with other witches who possess two elemental affinities, everything that happened that night is how it should have happened.”
My brows furrowed together. “That’s the bad news? Then what’s the good news?”
Liliane bounced up to stir her cauldron still simmering on the stove. “We now have all the ingredients to begin a comprehensive training guide to master your spirit magick, like you no doubt studied as a girl with your earth affinity. It will be tedious and dull, but it’s the only way you’ll learn.”
It was as I feared.
With a groan, I bit into another bite of fudge. “It’s going to be a long few weeks.”
14
Two nights after our rendezvous in the lingerie shop, Jade and I wound our way through the streets of downtown Boston, the night air pungent with sweat and stale beer, not unlike New Orleans. I stole glances at her high-neckline dress, the color of winter berries that reached just below her pert ass, as she tapped her nails anxiously against her thighs.
“Where are we going?” she asked, glancing down at her heels with a glare. “If I had known we would stalk the city all night, I would have worn better footwear.”
My lips pressed together to hide a smile. “Want me to carry you? We’re going to The Painted Lady. It’s close, but we couldn’t risk parking any closer, lest the patrons recognize me and flee.”
“You’re not carrying me, Alexei.”Her dark brow furrowed with confusion. “What’s The Painted Lady?”
“You’re far too good of a girl to be with the likes of me,” I purred darkly.
A thunderclap boomed above us, and raindrops danced across our skin.
“Can you tell me before we get soaked?” she shrieked as I wrapped my arm through hers and pulled her underneath the awning of a darkened building.
A smirk spread across my face as I lifted my thumb to brush her cheek. “The Painted Lady is a speakeasy founded during the Prohibition Era. It’s nowhere near as debased as Bite, but it’s a historic dive spot for creatures.”
“But what’s the plan? I hate going into a situation unprepared,” she grated, kicking her heels on the sidewalk petulantly.
I stooped down to meet her eyes. “The plan is simple. Forget the worries spinning around your beautiful brain and don’t draw any undue attention. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“So, I’m arm candy for the Prince of Pleasure?”
“A crass oversimplification considering I can’t sense dark magick without you.” My hands lifted to her chin, inhaling the sweet fragrance of her skin, more condensed in the wet rain. “Trystan does not know we’re here in Boston, and I would like to keep our presence a secret until we can discover where he’s storing the staff. Can you play along?”
“I can be professional,” she retorted, breaking her hold on me.
Not allowing her to go far, my hands drifted up the back of her thighs, with only her sheer tights between me and her skin. “I don’t need professionalism, darling. I need you to as behave as you were the other night.”
Heat suffused her cheeks as she sputtered, “What? Why?”
“Because,” I drawled, lowering my lips to her neck and breathing deep, “this is a vampire club. For me to escort an unfamiliar witch on my arm, there could only be one reason that would not cause suspicion.”
"Fine,” she sighed morosely. “Let’s get this over with.”
The blood-red painted door blended seamlessly into the rest of the building as I knocked on it in a musical pattern. After a beat of silence, the door swung open, revealing the face of a stunning vampire with smooth russet skin and ashen hair that spiked up from his scalp.
“Welcome to the Painted Lady, where anything you desire can be achieved. Do you have a reservation with Thibault this evening?”
