“Thanks.”
I tossed my towel in the hamper and left the gym, letting my Mori lead me to Beth. I found her in the kitchen with Mason, who eyed me warily as I strode up to them. Beth gave me a confused look when I stopped in front of her.
“Are you free tonight?” I asked her.
Her eyes widened a little. “Uh…yes.”
I smiled as some of the tension left my body. “Will you go to dinner with me?”
I would have been happy to share a pizza with her in the guesthouse living room, but the odds of us having an uninterrupted meal were unlikely. Going out meant we were guaranteed at least three hours alone. More if things went as well as I planned.
She hesitated, and I caught the flash of uncertainty in her eyes. I was sure she would say no, and I let out a breath when she nodded.
“Yes.”
“Great. Six o’clock?”
“Sure,” she said breathlessly, making it hard for me not to close the distance between us and kiss the hell out of her.
“See you at six,” I said, backing out of the kitchen.
I knew I was grinning like a fool, and I didn’t care one bit. I turned and headed for the French doors, ignoring Mason and the three people in the living room who had all stopped talking to follow our exchange. I was going on a date with my girl, and I didn’t care who knew it.
* * *
I was buttoning my shirt when my phone rang at 5:30. I went into the living room to answer it and smiled when I saw Beth’s closed bedroom door. She was in there right now, getting ready for tonight, and knowing that made me as excited as a teenager going on his first date.
Distracted by thoughts of Beth, I answered my phone without even knowing who was calling. “Hello?”
“Chris, tell me you haven’t left yet,” Brock said in a rush.
My attention snapped away from Beth’s door. “I’m still here. What’s up?”
“We have Adele on the phone. Her club is under attack, and she’s asking for our help.”
“Under attack from who?” Adele had warlock wards on her place to keep vampires out, and there were few who would mess with the ogres she employed as security.
“Incubi,” Brock replied. “She’s holed up in her office, but they’ll break through her protections eventually.”
“Where is Nikolas?”
“Sara got a call about a disturbance at the local wrakk. She and Nikolas left half an hour ago to check it out.”
I rubbed my face and stared up at the ceiling. Is this some cosmic joke on me?
“Assemble whoever we have available and tell Adele we’re on the way,” I told him before I hung up.
I walked over to the closed door and knocked. A moment later, it opened and Beth stood before me, barefoot in a teal dress that made me forget what I’d been about to say to her.
She stared at me for a few seconds, waiting for me to speak. When I didn’t, she said, “Am I late? I just need a few more minutes.”
“You don’t need anything else,” I answered roughly. “You’re perfect.”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “I need shoes. I can’t go to dinner barefoot.”
Her comment brought me back to my senses, and I sighed regretfully. Now that I saw what I’d be missing tonight, I almost wished I hadn’t answered my phone.
“We have to postpone our date again. Adele’s club is under attack, and she needs our help.”
“Oh.” Her smile dimmed. Was that disappointment in her eyes?
She blinked, and it was gone. “Give me a minute to change,” she said before she shut the door.
Muttering a litany of curses, I yanked off my date clothes and dressed in jeans and a thin sweater. By the time I was pulling on my boots, Beth emerged from the bedroom, similarly attired and pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She walked over to a duffle bag near the table and began arming herself with knives and a long slender sword. I’d thought she looked hot in the dress, but damn, she took my breath away when she was dressed for battle.
Brock and Mason were waiting for us when we got to the control room, and the two of them were armed and ready to go.
“Who do we have?” I asked.
“Raoul and Jordan are meeting us there, along with Geoffrey’s team,” Brock said.
“Okay.”
Geoffrey’s team was seasoned and formidable. If I had to choose a team to be at our back, they were one of the best.
We took our bikes because they were faster, and we pulled up outside Blue Nyx ten minutes later. Dismounting, I removed my helmet and studied the building. There were no signs of trouble out here, but that meant nothing. Adele’s club was soundproofed so well that a bomb could go off in there and you wouldn’t hear a thing on the outside.
Jordan and Raoul arrived a minute behind us.
“Geoffrey’s less than ten minutes out,” Raoul said, walking over to us. “Should we wait?”
My first instinct was to say yes because I didn’t want to take Beth in there without backup. But my gut told me Adele might not have time for us to wait.
“No. But we don’t know what we’re walking into, so let’s stick together until we know more. Beth, Mason and Jordan, don’t engage the Incubi unless there are too many for us to handle.”
Jordan scoffed, and I held up a hand.
“The Incubus you fought in the tunnel was strong, but the ones we encountered in San Francisco were a lot more powerful. We don’t know what we’ll find in there. You take your lead from us.” I looked at Beth. “And no heroics.”
My tone brooked no argument. Jordan huffed softly, and the two of them nodded.
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
Adele kept the club doors locked at all times, so I pulled out my picks as we crossed the street. When I reached for the door handle, it turned easily in my hand and the door clicked open. Not a good sign.
I looked behind me, and my eyes met Beth’s excited ones. My protective instincts were screaming at me to keep her outside, away from danger. But singling her out would embarrass her, and I couldn’t stop her from being a warrior. I didn’t want to.
“Everyone, stay close,” I told them, but my eyes were on her when I said it.
I eased the door open quietly and entered the short hallway, which led to the inner door to the club. I held up a hand to motion for the others to stay still, and then I enhanced my hearing. Faint thumps and shouts came from inside the building, telling me the hostiles were still here.
The inner door was unlocked as well, and I opened it quietly. The interior of the club was dimly lit, and the first floor appeared empty. From upstairs came loud pounding and sounds of fighting that told me the Incubi hadn’t been able to force their way into Adele’s inner sanctum.
I stepped inside and caught sight of Dolph’s massive body lying a few feet to the left of the door. I knelt beside the ogre and took in the deep gash in his stomach and the blood soaking his shirt. The slight rise and fall of his chest told me he was still alive.
I reached for his shirt to check the damage, and a large hand grabbed my wrist in a bruising grip.
“Easy, big guy,” I whispered. “The cavalry is here.”
His eyes opened, and his mouth twisted in pain. “Mistress,” he gritted, trying to sit up.
“Whoa.” I pushed him back down. “We got this. How many are there?”
“Ten…maybe.”
I waved Mason over. “Stay with him, and keep pressure on the wound. He’ll start to heal as soon as we slow the bleeding.”
Leaving Mason with Dolph, the rest of us quietly moved farther into the club. Movement on the far side of the dance floor caught my eye, and I swerved in that direction. Fury built in me when I saw the scene before me.
One of Adele’s human waitresses lay on a leather couch, crying and feebly pushing at the Incubus leaning over her. Her top was ripped, exposing her bra, and a bruise was already forming on her pale cheek.
Beth let out an enraged gasp, and the Incubus’s head jerked up. The hunger in his eyes changed to anger at being interrupted and then to fear when he saw us. Whether he was one of the Lilin’s offspring or not, he didn’t stand a chance against five Mohiri warriors.