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.Because when my gaze met the blue of his, I realized just how deceiving looks could be.This man might be ordinary when it came to looks, but stare into his gaze and the real man became evident.He was power, sheer power—a power that was at once both raw and seductive.Magnetic.Though there was a good four or five feet between us, I felt the pull of it.It washed over my skin as sharp as electricity, and seemed a whole lot more dangerous.Because it could destroy in more ways than mere death.“I didn’t think you were coming,” he said, his words aimed at Jin, though his gaze continued to hold mine.“We were just about to start.”There was a low note in his voice that was urbane, seductive, and it invaded my senses and heated my skin.A tremor that was all awareness, all anticipation, ran through me.I was in trouble.Big, big trouble.I might be a werewolf, and I might be willing to use sex to get the information I needed, but this man—this dark god—had centuries of lust and unholy desires behind him.When it came to seduction, I was standing at the feet of a master.And the master had plans for me, just as Gautier had warned.The confirmation was evident in the dark and hungry gleam in his eyes.“Riley got held up by work,” Jin explained.“I apologize.”“As indeed you should.” His gaze still held mine, judging, enjoying.When he held out his hand, I placed mine in his almost without thought.He bent and placed a kiss on my palm, his lips lingering, tasting.“Welcome to my house, Riley.”“Thank you.” It came out a squeak and I cleared my throat.“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”“The pleasure will be mine, I assure you.” He released my hand, and yet I could still feel the lingering heat of his lips on my palm.Somehow, I resisted the temptation to wipe my hand against my dress.“Jin, escort our pretty lady inside and introduce her to our other guests.”He stepped to one side.Jin placed a hand against my spine—low down, close to my butt, so that his fingertips caressed my cheeks as I walked—and ushered me inside.Desire prickled across my skin, and the low down burning became even more furious.The moon fever was still well under control—and yet, the awareness of it was there, meaning I had to have sex sooner rather than later.Which shouldn’t be a problem, I thought, shivering.My heels clicked on the polished marble tiles, the sound echoing through the long emptiness of the hall.Kingsley obviously wasn’t big on furnishings—the hall had a coat stand near the door, and an ornate cherrywood telephone table about halfway down, but that was about it.The pale gold walls were bare of paintings, mirrors, or any other kind of decoration.The lights were ornate, but none had bulbs, leaving the hallway a wasteland of shadows.Luckily, I didn’t need light to see, but I had to wonder if all the gloom and the emptiness was a ploy to play on the nerves of their guests.After all, these were men who were aroused by the darker emotions, and fear, however subtle, had to taste mighty sweet.As we passed the telephone table, I pressed a finger against one of the minute listening devices attached lightly to the outside of my purse, then ran my hand casually across the cherrywood, carefully but quickly placing the bug under the unit’s ledge.One down, five more to go.A door loomed on our left.It was big and ornate and had to be as heavy as hell, given the effort Jin seemed to put into opening it.As I stepped through I realized why.Power slid over my skin, cold fingertips of energy that briefly resisted my efforts to walk into the semi-dark room.And I realized then that had to be why the Directorate was having so much trouble reading the inside of this house.Caelfind had obviously set up her own kind of deadeners, and I had no doubt they would be both psychic and electronic.She had seemed a thorough sort of sorceress, even if she turned out to be a little overconfident in the end.With an odd sort of sucking sensation, the energy slid over my skin then released me.I scratched at my ear, wondering if Rhoan could still hear what was going on.Wondering if the tracker would work in this room, or whether I was, for all intents and purposes, on my own.I didn’t want to be on my own.Not with these people.If indeed they could be classed as people.Jin touched my spine again and lightly guided me forward.The room was long, and shadows haunted the far corners.The air was a rampant mix of sharp spices, flowery perfume, fear, and desire.While I had no desire to draw the mix deep into my lungs, Jin had no such inhibitions.He sucked in a long breath, then exhaled it slowly.“Ah, the sweet aroma of a good red.Would you like some?”If he could smell red wine in this, he had a better nose than me.“A small glass would be nice.”“I’ll introduce you to the others, then get you a drink.”I nodded, my gaze already roaming across the faces of people gathered near the open fire at the far end of the room.I had no idea why they huddled there, because the room was almost unbearably hot.Maybe they just felt safer near the fire—it was the only source of light in the room, after all.And then my gaze hit the face of a man I knew, and I stopped.I couldn’t help it.Gautier.Oh God—what the hell was I going to do now? I should have known, should have damn well realized he’d be here.If Jin and Marcus had been ordered to attend this little shindig, it was logical that Gautier—the death head of the dragon—would also have been.Only none of us had thought about that.It was stupid.Totally stupid.And it might very well cost me my life.He smiled and minutely raised his glass, as if in greeting.My stomach stirred, and bile rose.I swallowed heavily.“Are you all right?” Jin said, a touch of concern in his voice that I didn’t for a minute believe.I somehow managed a nod.“Sorry, just letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.”He touched my elbow.“I’ll guide you.”I had no choice.I had to move.Had to brazen this out and test how far Gautier was going to let this play out.And I could only hope that the cavalry who waited beyond this house would come a-running when I needed them.With tension curling through every part of my body, I forced my feet forward.We walked past a long wooden table that was set, ready for dinner—though the candles in the ornate candleholders were as yet unlit—and moved into the warm circle of light near the fire.Sweat began trickling down my spine as we neared the fire, but I wasn’t sure whether it was the heat, or simply fear of the thin-faced man who watched me with a mocking, superior smile.I forced my gaze from him, and studied the others.Most of the people here I already knew.The first was Marcus, the big man I’d seen terrorizing Jan at the club [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]