I roll my eyes. “Yes, Mother.”
He winks, then turns his fierce gaze back to Cecile. “And you. Keep the guest list small, and have Nora in mind when you plan it. She needs this.”
“Of course!” Cecile chirps. “It’ll be like the good old days back in England. It’ll be a coming-out party for Nora into underworld society. I’ll only invite the best of the best.”
“Small!” Terrance orders, while I groan again.
I’m in trouble. Someone has unleashed a monster.
Terrance, Cecile, and Wulf all go back to work. They’d kicked everyone out—or maybe everyone ran screaming when the body parts started flying—but everything still needs to be closed out and cleaned up. I don’t envy them that job. The vampires took the remains of their dead clan member away, but the blood left behind has to be… Ugh. Nasty. Hopefully magic will be involved.
“You got her?” Nick asks Oliver, referring to me. “I’ve got to head out. Got to go babysit some stupid Washington yahoo about some demon business.”
I smirk. He sounds thrilled about that.
Oliver nods and gives me a grin. “Yeah. I’ll get her in bed. Don’t worry.”
I choke on a laugh, and Nick snorts. Oliver has to think back on his words, and then he chuckles and shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Better not be,” Nick teases. “At least not for a week. Then I say go for it.”
I groan. “Oh, shut up, Nick.”
“Nora. I’ve told you a hundred times. It’s Gorgeous. GORGEOUS. Not Nick.”
I smile a big, toothy grin. “You got it, Nick.”
Nick rolls his eyes and heads out the door, grumbling about beautiful smartass women. I laugh to myself and then call him back. I’ve got one last question for him before he leaves. “Hey, Gorgeous?” I humor him just this once.
He spins around, giving me a sly grin. “Yes, beautiful?”
I groan internally. He’s incorrigible. “Does the FUA keep old records?”
The question catches him off guard. His brain flips into work mode, and he answers professionally, for once. “How far back?”
“About fifteen to twenty years?” I suck in a breath as if it might give me the courage I need to say my next sentence. “My mother and I were attacked by vampires when I was six. They nearly drained me and left me for dead, but they were brutal to my mom before they killed her.”
Nick’s eyes bulge, and his mouth pops open. Oliver, however, gives me a sympathetic smile. He’s heard this story before. I gulp and hedge on. “That’s how I found out about the underworld, and it’s the main reason I’m so scared of vampires. I’ve always been terrified of them—long before Henry. He and Josephine were both just affirming my fear.”
Nick’s response is earnest. “No kidding. I’m sorry, Nora.”
I shrug, not knowing how to respond to that. “I was thinking it might help to know what happened to those vamps that attacked us. Do you think you still have it on record? My mom’s case?”
Nick’s brow furrows, and he shakes his head. “Your case wasn’t known. No way. If what you’re saying is true about the two of you, we wouldn’t have left a witness alive.”
Meaning they’d have killed me to keep the secret of the underworld safe. I cringe, and Nick shrugs. “Sorry. It’s harsh, but true. You and your mother slipped through the cracks somehow.”
Of course. A dead end. My entire life has always felt like one giant dead end. “But there had to have been other victims who didn’t,” I say. “Henry told me they were rogues. He said regular vampires would never do what they did to us. They must have had other victims around the same time that didn’t fall through the cracks. I could give you a time and a place. I could even identify them by face. Henry got in my head and made me relive the memory, so I know what they look like. If you arrested them or something—it’d give me peace of mind to know.”
Nick scratches the back of his head and slowly nods. “Yeah, that sounds doable. Though, to be honest, something like that is way more Ren’s department than mine.”
“Okay, I’ll ask him about it.”
“If you want to search for your mother’s killers, I could do that, too,” Oliver offers. “It would be pretty easy to look up.” He gives me a small smile that’s a little sad. “I’d be happy to help you.”
Of course he would. He’s the sweetest, kindest man that ever existed. He’s also the most adorable. He’s tall and slim, with wavy light brown hair and beautiful amber eyes. He doesn’t wear glasses, but his look screams geek that doesn’t know he’s hot. I love that about him, because I’m usually surrounded by too many cocky, testosterone-filled men who love to peacock around. My sweet, humble best friend is a breath of fresh air.
“I’d love your help. Thanks, Ollie. My hero, as usual.”
Oliver grins while Nick snorts. “Aw, how sweet.”
Oliver and I both flip Nick off, and he laughs his way out the door. “Night, guys. Nora, do me a favor and try not to get attacked for at least the next twenty-four hours.”
“I will. Good-bye, Nicky!” I grin at Oliver when Nick grunts curses down the hall.
Once we’re alone, Oliver sits down on the edge of my bed as if he’s been patiently waiting his turn for my attention. He’s always so quiet when others are around. He’s a big-time introvert and a little shy, but more than that, he’s just the type of guy who knows I appreciate him no matter what. He’s happy to stand in the background while all of the other more dominant personalities monopolize my time. I like that, because it means, in the end, I get more one-on-one time with him, and alone time with men is not something I get a lot of. Aside from Terrance, Oliver is the only man I trust enough for that.
“I think you’re the only person in Detroit who dares tease Nick Gorgeous,” Oliver says, still chuckling a little.
“Aw, he’s a big softy. It’s Cecile who scares me. Did I really just agree to a coming-out party?”
Oliver laughs. “I think so. And Cecile is known for throwing exclusive, swanky parties, so have fun with that.”
“I will. I’ll be hiding in the corner with my best friend, mocking all the stuffy rich people pretending they’re in some Jane Austen novel.”
“What?” Oliver gasps with mock outrage. “Who is this imposter best friend that’ll go to parties with you?”
I lightly punch Oliver’s arm, but he’s got me laughing. I’m so grateful for him. “Seriously, though, you’ll come, won’t you? I’ll need a wingman to keep me sane.”
Oliver grimaces, and then when I make a pouty face, gives me an over-the-top sigh. “Of course I’ll come with you. I’ll hate every second of it, but I’ll come anyway.”
I grin. “And that’s why you’re my best friend. You’ll dive into exciting trouble with me, but you’ll also suffer miserable, boring parties with me. Thanks, Ollie.”
Oliver pulls a Nick Gorgeous move and mutters something under his breath about cute nicknames and not being able to refuse me. My grin grows even bigger, and I close the small gap between us, leaning against him and resting my head on his shoulder. He gives my leg a quick pat to let me know he’s thrilled with the rare gesture, but otherwise holds still and doesn’t touch me. Oliver is one of the few people in my life who really understands my aversion to physical touch and is very careful to give me space.
After a minute, my eyes start to droop, and Oliver breaks the silence. “All right. Time to get you home.”
I try to stand up, but I simply don’t have the energy. With a defeated sigh, I hold my arms out to him. He scoops me up with surprisingly little effort, making me wonder what kind of muscles he’s hiding beneath his dress shirt. I’m surprised that I want to know. Oliver is my best friend, and that’s how I’ve always seen him, but being in his arms like this is surprisingly exciting. “Do you work out?” I blurt suddenly, then cringe, because I sound so stupid.