“An escort,” I corrected.
“I saw the—” he caught himself “—guards.”
“There was an incident the other night.” I kept it vague, knowing he would have leapt down my throat for keeping secrets if Neely hadn’t been acting as a buffer. “Mr. Volkov left me protection as a deterrent.”
“He did, did he.” The skin beneath his left eye ticked. “That’s him at the door?”
“Pretty sure,” I murmured, staring at my hands.
“I’ll let myself out the back. I wouldn’t want to ruin your grand entrance.” He nodded at Neely. “Nice meeting you.”
Another chime, a questioning note, rang out as Boaz stormed through the kitchen and into the garden.
“Chin up, sweetheart.” Neely draped the shawl around my shoulders then gathered his supplies and rolled them behind him into the living room as we approached the front door. “The rest of the night can’t go worse than this.”
Oh, if only that were true. This—this was just the first misstep in a night that promised a big fall.
What would Amelie think when she saw Boaz dressed to the nines with nowhere to go and no one to go there with? What had he been thinking showing up unannounced? What was he thinking now? He must have realized the dress came from Volkov. Did that have him wondering what else the heritor might have given me to sway me to his side?
Draped in opulent gifts from Volkov, I felt bought, owned, and the real fun hadn’t even started.
Eight
The insistent doorbell snapped me out of my shame spiral. Nothing changed the fact I had to attend the inauguration. Dame Lawson had sanctioned a wraith attack on my house, and I planned to hold her accountable. Somehow. And then there was Keet. Was he the bait luring me into a cage of her own design? Did she plan on forcing me to negotiate for his return? Or would she hand him over if I performed the act of dutiful niece on her big day?
Snorting, I somehow doubted I’d wriggle off her hook that easily.
“Are you ready?” Neely positioned his rolling bag near the door then beamed. “You’re going to knock ’em dead, Grier.”
Half of them were already dead, but it’s not like I could tell him that if I wanted him to keep breathing.
“Yep.” I gripped my silver clutch in front of me. “Let the dog and pony show begin.”
Neely tsked at me but opened the door with a sweeping gesture to reveal Volkov dressed in a black tux molded to his frame. His hair was swept back away from his face, and a pucker creased his brow when he spotted Neely. But when his gaze slid past my friend’s shoulder onto me, the only sign of his irritation vanished as if it had never been, and his slow smile radiated approval at what he saw.
“Solnishko, you are breathtaking.” He placed his hand over his heart. “Are the dress and shoes to your taste?”
“You chose well.” I gave a little twirl at Neely’s urging. “Thank you for your generosity.”
“By accepting my gifts, you have given me the pleasure of caring for you. I wish to show you that it can always be this way between us.” He delivered the line with enough sincerity to impress the orator in me. “Tonight I will be the most envied man in the room.” His smile grew sharp. “I can hardly wait.”
“Okay, cats and kittens, this is where I exit stage left.” Neely tamed a flyaway with a quick twist of his wrist. “Have fun.”
“I don’t believe we were introduced.” Volkov eyed Neely with an intense expression. “I’m Danill Volkov.”
“Neely Torres.” He gave a little wave. “I work with Grier at Haint Misbehavin’.”
“He’s a genius with hair and makeup.” I bumped shoulders with him. “He was kind enough to come over and help me get ready.”
“Then I’m in your debt.” Danill reached into the front pocket of his suit and withdrew an honest-to-God money clip and began peeling off bills. “What do you charge per hour?”
The sight of all that money had Neely’s mouth flopping open and shut. “This was a, uh, favor.”
“You should be compensated for your time.” He pressed a wad of cash into Neely’s limp fingers. “A favor done for Grier is a favor done for me.”
“Grier?” Neely wheezed, eyes wide. “I…”
“You earned it.” I patted his cheek with a tad more force than necessary to snap him out of his shock. “You ought to be getting home. Cruz will worry.”
“Yes.” He gripped the handle on his bag, and Volkov stepped aside to let him pass. “Thank you.”
Volkov inclined his head, waiting until Neely got behind the wheel of his car before facing me. “He’s human.”
“Maud took care to make sure I understood the human world.” These days I wished she had given as much thought to educating me about our own. “I don’t view them as lesser, only different.”
A peculiar look crossed his features. “Was I wrong to give him money?”
“Would you have noticed him at all if I hadn’t included him in our conversation?”
“With you in that dress?” He spoke with absolute conviction. “No.”
“Mr. Volkov…”
“Danill, please.”
“Danill,” I conceded. “We come from very different walks of life. You’re used to having a bustling staff. I get the impression they’re background noise for you. That’s not the case for me. Even when Maud was…” Throat tight, I tried again. “Maud was paranoid. She hated having strangers in the house, and she refused to hire domestic help. She raised me to be independent. No maid or butler or cook. Only a driver, and Gus didn’t hang around the house. Maud had to phone for him.”
“It bothers you that I overlooked your friend.”
“Forget I said anything.” I smoothed down my skirt. “My upbringing was peculiar by anyone’s standards. I didn’t know where I fit before, and that hasn’t changed. Honestly? I’m more confused than ever about my place in the world. So how can I lecture you about being the product of your culture? At least you’re secure in your identity. I envy you that.”
“We all envy that which we do not possess,” he countered. “Shall we?”
A soft laugh huffed out of me. “I just noticed you didn’t come inside. Scared?”
“Having experienced your hospitality once, I regret to admit it unnerves me to find myself completely at the mercy of a being I do not understand and cannot sway to my side through traditional means.”
“True.” I stood on the threshold. “Woolly’s love can’t be bought. Her trust must be earned.”
“Would she allow me inside a second time?” He presented the question as if I were the determining factor.
“There’s only one way to find out,” I teased.
“Perhaps another time.” He glanced at the heavy gold timepiece on his wrist. “We have just under an hour before the festivities begin. We should be in our seats prior to the commencement. I want time for my guards to sweep the crowd before you’re recognized.”
Chicken, I almost teased. But this was real and getting realer by the minute. I was returning to the Lyceum where I would face off against Dame Lawson and the others who formed the bedrock of the Society.
“You know what to do,” I told Woolly, and my cellphone buzzed once. “Good girl.”
I took the arm Volkov offered me, and the locks snicked behind me.
The driver dipped his chin and opened the door for us. I settled on the backseat, and Volkov joined me a moment later, this time keeping a foot of distance between us. Clearly he was on his best behavior tonight.
The drive to the Lyceum took forever and no time at all. The car rolled to a stop, and we exited on the steps of city hall. The massive limestone building loomed overhead, its clock tower a shadow against the cloudy night sky. The domed roof and cupola, each gilded with twenty-four-karat gold leaf, would have glinted in sunlight, but it wasn’t glittering now.
A black SUV parked behind us and ejected six guards. Two eased into the shadows and vanished. The other four swarmed us.
We entered in a cluster through the front doors under the guise of attending a private meeting. Inside the quiet was absolute, the only sound the click of my heels. I’d visited cemeteries more alive than these empty halls.
“This is a formality, Grier.” Volkov steered me toward a bank of elevators. “It will be over soon.”
“Guess you can hear my heartbeat, huh?” Each vicious thud threatened to shatter a rib. “Or can you smell my fear?” Under my breath, I mumbled, “I should have hosed myself with perfume.”
Etiquette drummed into my head had prevented me from doing more than swiping on deodorant. Vampires’ heightened senses meant even light fragrances left them with pounding migraines after a few hours of exposure. The polite thing was using unscented products when anticipating prolonged contact.
“You’ve chewed the lipstick off your bottom lip.” He zeroed in on my mouth. “I scented blood, not fear.”
“Neely is going to kill me.” I fumbled in my clutch for the tube of emergency tinted lip gloss he’d anticipated me needing. “Would you mind?” I dipped the brush into the bottle and passed him the wand. “I’m afraid if I make it to the bathrooms, I’ll hide and never come out.”
“I’ll do my best.” He swiped the tip gently over my bottom lip, and the broken skin stung. “There.” He drew back to admire his handiwork. “Good as new.” He snapped his fingers, and one of the guards appeared at his side. “What do you think?”
The male spared me the briefest of glances. “She is flawless, sir.”
Volkov’s final inspection lingered far longer. “She is that.”
Heat flooded my cheeks as I tucked away the gloss, certain I would need it again later.