Getting antsy about where a certain Loki was, I looked past Sam and scanned the mostly masked faces of Caressa’s guests, with no clue which one was Knight. I caught the image of Erica, who was fittingly dressed as a nymph. Her hair was now purple to match her floor-length gown. She and the handsome man next to her, who was costumed as a Scottish Highlander, might as well have been alone for all the attention they were paying to everyone around them.
I watched the crowd began to disperse, each faction retreating to the walls as Caressa entered the middle of the crowd, dressed as a cheetah. She was strikingly pretty: long, blondish brown hair flowing around her shoulders and cute little cat ears on top of her head. She’d painted a pink nose and whiskers on her face, and worn a skin-tight, brown spotted body suit with a long tail pinned to the back. She looked exactly like a cat. A pretty fitting costume, considering as a shifter, she took the form of a cheetah.
“Thank you all for coming,” she called out, a beaming smile on her lips. “I cannot even begin to tell you how exciting it has been for me to see all the positive changes happening since O’Neil was deposed.”
Hearing that, the crowd cheered while Caressa laughed and had to hold up her hands to quiet them. “I am forever indebted to all of you for making this dream, which we
all
shared, a reality. We owe it to your strength and courage or we would not be here this evening.” She took a deep breath and her eyes dropped to the floor before she addressed the audience again. “And for those who fought and died in this endeavor, all of us will forever be indebted that they gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
Thinking of Trey, I felt Sam’s fingers interlacing mine, so I looked over at her. Eyes shining with unshed tears, she looked back at me and I smiled, tightening my grip on her hand. We both faced Caressa again when she said, “In honor of our fallen comrades, I would like to observe a minute of silence.”
I dropped my head, but continued to hold onto Sam’s hand as the entire room went quiet. I closed my eyes and thought of Trey.
Wherever you are, Trey,
I thought to myself,
thank you for giving everything you had and for being the wonderful friend and ally you always were to me.
I opened my eyes and saw someone handing Caressa a glass of something fizzy. She held the glass up and smiled. “I toast all of you for personally improving the Netherworld and making it safer for all.”
There was a round of cheers that rippled through the crowd as everyone downed their libations. Caressa drank the rest of whatever was in her glass, then smiled and the crowd clapped in approval. “Now it’s time to get those dancing shoes of yours on!” she called out. Behind her, a band started up, their first song was “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole. A handsome man wearing a Superman outfit walked up to Caressa and asked her to dance, to which she happily complied.
“Where’s Knight?” Sam asked. She pulled her hand from mine and scanned the crowd, looking high and low for the Loki.
“I have no idea,” I answered as I watched Quill bow low before Christina, who laughed and then accepted his invitation to the dance floor. Meanwhile, pointing to Cannon with her index finger, Dia beckoned him forward. Turning, they started for the dance floor, while she rested her hand on his taut behind and gave it a little squeeze.
Sam and I eyed each other with surprise before we both started laughing at Dia’s nerve.
“Well, she definitely puts the D I A in diva,” I said as I shook my head, still smiling.
But Sam’s attention wasn’t on me. Instead she focused on someone standing right beside me. I turned in the direction she was looking and found a very tall man, wearing the costume of death. The costume included a long black cape, a black hood that obscured his face, and a scythe. He said nothing as he extended his hand to me. I looked at Sam, frowning.
“Looks like you found your Loki,” Sam said. She smiled at me with a shrug, as if to say she’d find her own dancing partner.
I stared at Knight, unable to make out his features, and just sighed. “Nice costume, but it’s a little macabre, don’t you think?” Accepting his proffered hand, I allowed him to lead me to the dance floor.
Without a word, he simply leaned his scythe against the wall before pulling me into him and resting his other hand on the small of my back. I shuddered at the icy cold of his touch.
“Okay, clearly you aren’t the person I thought you were,” I started. Anxiety was just beginning to build within me. I peered up at him, trying to make out his features beneath the hood. But the darkness absorbed everything, revealing only shadow.
“You are exactly the person I thought you were,” Bram responded.
Relief washed over me—just to know Bram was my dancing partner not to mention he was safe and accounted for. I swallowed hard and pulled myself closer to him, to avoid anyone overhearing our conversation. He chuckled when I pressed myself against him, and his hold around my waist tightened. “Where have you been?” I whispered.
“Were you worried about me, Sweet?” the vampire inquired. His icy breath brought goose bumps to the skin on my neck.
“Yes,” I answered quickly. “I was very worried about you, if you want to know the truth.”
“Touching,” he responded in a sincere tone.
“Bram, why did you close down No Regrets?” It was easy to follow him as he paraded me around the dance floor since Bram was an expert dancer.
He took a few seconds to answer. “I felt it was time for me to move on.”
I didn’t know what to make of his response. Instead, I brought up the subject of what Bram planned to do now that there was a new Netherworld order. “With Caressa in charge now, will that impact you and your … business?” I asked, hoping the answer would be that he wanted to turn over a new leaf and abandon the ways of his old life.
He chuckled deeply and twirled me around in time with the music. “I suppose I shall have to clean up my act,” he said in jest, which pointed to the fact that he would do anything but.
“I guess it was too much to hope that you would end up being a good guy,” I muttered without much surprise. Since Bram had never been a “good guy,” I wasn’t sure what made me hope he’d start now. He’d always lived right on the edge, so I figured that’s how his life would continue.
“Ah, but if not, where would the thrill be for you, my pet?” he said with a hearty chuckle. “What is light without the dark, what is good without the bad?”
“I wouldn’t call you a bad guy, Bram,” I whispered.
“I am not all bad, no,” Bram responded slyly. “But as you have often noticed on more than one occasion, I prefer the boundary lines and always avoid choosing sides.”
“That I can’t argue,” I admitted. “I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part to hope that you might have changed your ways.”
“I am a creature of habit, Sweet,” he said without remorse. “I have lived this way for hundreds of years. I doubt my stripes will change to spots in the near future.”
“Well, regardless,” I started with a sigh, shaking my head. Some things never did change. “I want to tell you how much we appreciated everything you did for us.”
“No need to thank me, Sweet,” he answered quickly. He deftly twirled me around again, this time sending my skirts higher on either side. “I only did what I hoped would benefit my own interests,” he continued. “It was lucky for you that this time our needs intersected.”
“Then I think it’s safe to say you’re going to continue doing what you’ve always done?” I asked, meaning that he would continue exporting illegal potions. I felt the truth in my stomach like a lead weight. Even though I expected as much deep down, it was still a disappointment that Bram would never fully be on our side.
“It is all I know,” he answered noncommittally.
“And thus begins the game of cat and mouse,” I muttered. This was the moment I always knew might come, and now it was happening. Although Bram always provided me with useful information, now it was very clear that we were at odds. “You must realize that if our paths cross again, it will be my duty to arrest you?” I asked.
Bram chuckled again. “If you manage to catch me, my pet, only if you manage to catch me.” The song finished and Bram released me. He artfully bowed before reaching for my hand and bringing it to his lips. He then glanced up at me and I could make out the subtle white of his eyes as he stared at me. “And on that note, I believe our game has begun,” he said, eyeing me hungrily. “Until we meet again, my sweet.”
I couldn’t respond because he dematerialized into the atmosphere, leaving nothing but his scent in the air. It took me a second to get my bearings, and as I did, I just stood in the center of the dance floor. I probably looked completely dumbfounded because that’s exactly how I felt. Finally, I shook my head and smiled, because deep down I knew Bram and I
would
cross paths again.
“What is such a stunning creature doing all alone out here?” Knight’s voice sounded from behind me. I turned on my heel and smiled up at him, taking him in from head to toe. He looked like Henry VIII, with an oversized red coat that ended at his thighs. It gave his shoulders a square shape. Beneath the coat, he wore a long-sleeved white shirt, which matched his white billowing shorts. On the top of his head was a flattish hat with a long feather. Even though he was wearing tights, they were anything but comical. Instead, they only accentuated the incredible muscles of his thighs and calves.
“Is it wrong for me to find your tights so incredibly sexy?” I asked, shaking my head in wonder as I laughed.
Knight chuckled. “I was already devising an opportunity to crawl under your enormous skirts.”
Quirking a brow at him, I couldn’t hide the smile from my lips. It had been quite a while since I felt Knight inside me. “So, do you expect me to believe that you just happened to dress up like that and we just happened to match?”
Knight shrugged. “Stranger things have happened, right?”
“I think it’s more accurate to say Sam has a big mouth.”
Knight chuckled and offered me his hand. “Dance with me?” I nodded my acceptance as he pulled me along and kissed my cheek before whispering in my ear, “I made a special request.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the band started playing “Golden Slumbers.” I faced him, my eyes wide. “How did you know?” I asked in amazement.
Knight just shrugged, the answer to which I chalked up as just another of his Loki abilities. He seemed very pleased with himself. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head against his chest, and closed my eyes as I inhaled his scent. His clean, crisp smell suggested something spicy and completely Knightley Vander.
“I’m sorry I’ve been away so much,” he said as he held me. Our feet glided over the dance floor seemingly of their own accord.
“It’s okay,” I said, opening my eyes to find him staring down at me. “I know how busy you are.”
Knight nodded as a pensive expression overcame his face, and I knew that something was on his mind. “Caressa offered me the position of being second in command,” he started, taking a deep breath. “If I accept, it will mean that I’d have to live permanently in the Netherworld.”
I glanced up at him and my stomach dropped. I’d never considered that all this business with Caressa might possibly lead to Knight moving back to the Netherworld permanently. For my part, I couldn’t imagine living here—it was just too different from what I knew and what I was comfortable with. Even though Splendor wasn’t exactly Utopia, it was all I’d ever known. Besides, I was happy there. I loved having Sam close by and I enjoyed working at the ANC. Simply stated, I didn’t want to move.
“I understand if you want to accept the position,” I said softly with a small smile. The Resistance had been his dream for so long, that I knew I had to be supportive and put his needs before my own.
He smiled back at me and shook his head. “I already turned it down.”
“What? Why?” I asked, narrowing my eyes as I studied him with a frown. “I know how much this new democracy means to you, Knight,” I started. “And I know how hard you and Christina worked for it.”
But he shook his head again. “Yes, it means a lot to me, and yes I’ve worked very hard for everything that has happened.” Then he smiled at me and ran his fingers down the side of my cheek. “But nothing means as much to me as you do, Dulcie,” he finished.
“Knight,” I argued, since I didn’t want him to abandon something that was so important to him. “We could make it work. It’s not like we’d break up if you took the position.”
“I know that,” he said immediately. “But I don’t care. I prefer our own life. I like my position as Head of the Splendor branch of the ANC.”
“Are you sure?” I repeated. I had to make sure he wasn’t just telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. “Because we can work around it if you do decide to take the position.”
“No,” he said with more authority. “I want the next chapter of our lives to be about us, Dulce. I want to focus on you and me together, and our future.” He took a deep breath. “I told Caressa I would always be here for her, should she need me, but I also emphasized that now my focus was entirely on us.”
“Wow,” I said, surprised.
“And what’s more, I’m hoping you’ll move in with me,” he finished with a large grin.
I swallowed hard, thinking about this next step. Was I ready to move in with Knight? My first and last thoughts were that the more I thought about it, the better the idea felt. “You really expect me to leave my shithole of an apartment I call home?” I asked, not able to keep from laughing.
“Well, I thought I might be able to convince you if I promised lots of long, lovemaking sessions, massages, and I’ll even cook for you, since we both know your cooking leaves something to be desired.”
“Hey!” I said in mock effrontery as I playfully swatted him. “Massages and lots of sex?”
“More sex than you can handle,” he replied. His eyes began to glow, which automatically started a fire in my core.
“How can I turn that down?” I asked in a breathy voice.
“You’d be a fool to,” he answered.
We both quietly attempted to rein in our sexual appetites for one another, which seemed on the verge of becoming out of control.