Page 45

OLLIE

Ollie followed Harper and Nico down the service stairwell. There must’ve been great soundproofing because he didn’t hear any music or dinging slot machines.

“Is Onyx always like that?” Nico asked, voice shaky. He had Ollie’s sympathy.

“No,” Harper said vehemently, looking back at Ollie for agreement.

“He’s actually a decent guy. I think that was more about Ash and Dante than you.” Didn’t Onyx care about giving such a bad impression? It was worse than the first time Ollie had met him.

“If you say so.” Nico shook his head and opened a door. “We can head down to the club if you want, but I should introduce you to Rowan first.”

“Of course. We don’t want to be rude.” Harper dropped his voice. “I was kidding about getting a lap dance.”

Nico chuckled. “No shame if you want one.”

He led them down a carpeted hall to a polished wooden door and held it open.

Ollie followed Harper into a large corner office.

Low, moody light filled the room. There was a hint of cigar smoke and something sharp in the air, and while nothing about the room should have been threatening, Ollie wanted to leave.

Nico shut the door, addressing the man sitting at the desk by the window. “Here we are.”

There was no immediate response.

Ollie half expected the vampire to be ghostly pale and wearing a cape, maybe looking like he’d recently popped out of a coffin. That was far from the case.

Rowan sat poised, eyeing them with a keen dark gaze, his skin golden brown and glowing with life.

Harper stepped up to the desk, seemingly without a care in the world for the vampire sitting behind it. Ollie willed himself to project confidence. He reached for Dante, detecting unease in his mate.

Rowan stood, buttoning the jacket of his perfectly tailored suit, and brushed his long dark hair over his shoulder. “Thank you, Nico,” he said as if Nico had done him a favor. “Harper Nightingale and Ollie Hudson, it’s nice to make your acquaintance. I’m Rowan Valero.”

He smiled, and Ollie’s neck prickled. Rowan had his fangs hidden, but somehow he looked less human than the demons, as if Ollie could sense the magic in him. Ollie averted his gaze.

Harper dipped his head. “Thanks for offering us a place for the night.”

Rowan stepped—glided?—out from behind the desk. “Don’t mention it. Any offer of help from Nico is an offer from me.”

Well, that sounded ominous. They were sure about trusting Nico, right?

“Would you like a drink?” Rowan gestured to a small bar set out in the corner. “Bourbon? Tea? Water?”

“I wouldn’t turn down a water.” Harper chuckled for no reason. Maybe he was more nervous than he seemed .

“Come sit.” Rowan pointed to two leather sofas separated by a glass coffee table.

Everything from the walls of books to the immaculate furniture looked expensive. Ollie imagined the kind of fancy lawyer he’d never be able to afford might have an office like this.

Nico collapsed onto the cushions like he’d finally come home after a long day.

Ollie sat on the opposite sofa, perching so close to Harper they were almost touching.

“A water for you too?” Rowan asked, piercing eyes drilling into Ollie as he handed Harper his drink and Nico a glass that seemed to be filled with bourbon.

“Yes, thank you.” Ollie rubbed sweaty palms on his jeans.

Rowan turned away. “New to the magic world?”

Ollie cleared his throat. “Yeah.” Fuck, it must be obvious.

“Well, you know the right people. You’re both welcome at my club any time.

The casino too.” Rowan returned with Ollie’s water and a bourbon for himself.

“The stage areas are open to the public, so no mentioning magic down there, but the third floor and above are magic community and aware humans only.” He focused on Harper. “Spells are forbidden on the premises.”

“Understood.” Harper shifted in his seat. “I’ve never been to a casino. Or a strip club.”

Rowen’s eyes flashed and his fangs lengthened enough to draw attention. “How fun.”

Nico side-eyed the vampire. “Are you finished?”

Rowan pouted, expression turning alarmingly innocent as his fangs retracted. “Yes, fine.” He threw back his drink and his aura shifted, some of the tension leaving the room. “I’m not so scary. You two can relax.”

Ollie didn’t believe him.

“We can’t all be as approachable as Nico,” the vampire continued. “Too much of a friendly reputation, and you can’t intimidate your enemies.”

Nico raised his glass to his lips. “You do need both sides of the coin.”

“We really appreciate you looking out for us tonight,” Harper said, and Ollie nodded his agreement, even if he wasn’t completely comfortable.

“It’s what we do.” Rowan shrugged like it was nothing.

“I don’t advertise it, so I’d appreciate it if you kept this favor between us.

” He waited for Ollie and Harper to nod.

“I have some work to do, so I’ll leave you in Nico’s hands, but I’ll be in the building if you need me.

Feel free to call on my coven. Many of them are lurking around. ”

How would they know who was in Rowan’s coven? Maybe Nico knew them all. Ollie didn’t ask, and Rowan exited the room.

He relaxed a fraction.

At least Rowan would be busy elsewhere. It was one less thing to be unsure of. Ollie needed to project confidence and good vibes for Dante.

There was a lot of confusion and surprise coming down the bond. “How do you think they’re doing?” Ollie asked Harper in a low voice even though Rowan had closed the door behind him.

“Okay. Doesn’t seem like anything major has happened. Maybe it’s not what they expected?” Harper’s brow scrunched like he was concentrating hard.

“Yeah, but that makes sense after they’ve been gone so long.”

Nico set his bourbon down. “Are you communicating with Ash and Dante?”

Ollie and Harper made eye contact.

“Yeah.” Harper leaned forward, voice low. “There’s a telepathic element to our connection. ”

Nico grimaced. “That seems intense.”

“It can be,” Ollie admitted. “I was pretty hesitant, but Dante can block it if I want, and it’s good in times like this.”

“Hm.” Nico considered Ollie skeptically. “You’re comfortable with how this turned out for you?”

“It’s a work in progress, not gonna lie. But I’d have chosen this with Dante eventually. We’re good together.”

“Okay. I’ll take your word for it. You’re very understanding for a human who’s new to our world.” Nico picked up his drink. “I’m glad you called me tonight, Harper. Whatever those three are dealing with won’t get into this building. Unless it’s Lucifer.” He made a sound like that was ridiculous.

Harper choked on his water, and Nico’s face fell.

“You’re kidding me? The dangerous situation they’re dealing with is the Devil?” Nico hissed.

“He won’t come after us. Don’t worry,” Harper hurried to say. “No one knows where we are.”

Nico finished his drink. “That’s a good point. Fuck, if Rowan knew I’d brought that kind of trouble here, he’d…” Nico shook his head.

“Not have wanted to help?” Ollie guessed.

“Have been impressed,” Nico corrected. “Hopefully, he’ll never know. Do you guys want to stay in here, or would you rather have a distraction?”

“I don’t really want to sit around.” Harper directed a questioning look at Ollie.

“Me either. Time’s going too slow already.” Feeling Dante brush up against him gave Ollie rushes of warm affection despite Dante’s undercurrent of unease. Ollie wanted to send something strong back, other than his burgeoning distrust of vampires.

“Do either of you know how to play poker?” Nico asked.

Harper shook his head .

“Not enough to want to put money on it.” Ollie didn’t have the disposable income for gambling. “I’d rather tip strippers than lose at cards.”

Harper stood and pulled Ollie up. “Why don’t we start with a cocktail at the bar? I want to check out the casino at least a little. Then we can see the dancers.”

Nico polished off his drink. “I’ll introduce you to Leo. He makes better cocktails than should be legal.”

They closed the office behind them, Nico nodding to two suited men standing in the hall. Down another flight of stairs, carpeted in red, two more suited men greeted them. They had to be security. Coven members, maybe?

Ollie didn’t let his gaze linger. It was like being in a Mafia movie or something.

“Good luck.” The man on the right opened the door for Nico and sound spilled into the corridor.

“I might need it,” Nico said as he walked into the casino, most likely not referring to gambling.

Bright light and cool air gave Ollie a jolt. That sharp scent from Rowan’s office filled the air here too, but Ollie couldn’t place it.

The floor was full of people. A few slot machines lined the far wall, but most of the space was taken up by card tables. Roulette and craps were set up closer to the bar, and a live band played in the corner.

“Do you think everyone here is a witch or vampire?” Ollie asked Harper.

“No, there’s plenty of humans too. Staff and guests.”

“You can tell by looking?”

Harper shook his head. “It’s not visual. I have to actively scan for magic. It’s a habit whenever I walk into a room. Rowan was projecting his power back there, so there was no missing it, but no one here is doing that. ”

Ollie scanned the room again as they moved through the crowd. “I felt Rowan projecting.”

Harper’s brows rose. “Wow, that’s unusual.”

“Maybe it has to do with your connection to Dante,” Nico guessed.

Ollie shrugged. He’d have to ask his mate. “So most humans wouldn’t have been able to tell Rowan was something else?”

Nico leaned against the polished bar. “They’d have felt uneasy or afraid. Gotten a bad vibe or decided he was untrustworthy, but they wouldn’t have known why.”

Ollie supposed he’d never have assumed Rowan wasn’t human a month ago. Maybe he couldn’t really sense magic. He just knew what the unsettling feeling meant.

Harper picked up a cocktail menu. “Oh, these look amazing. There’s a chocolate orange martini.”