Page 10 of Hex Me (Immortal Vices and Virtues: All Hallows’ Eve #7)

Tamsin

T amsin wasn’t sure why Max had conceded their verbal scrap so easily, and she eyed him with wariness. What was going on in that clever, handsome head of his? He had an ulterior motive, she was sure of it, but she had no idea what he intended to do in the meantime—aside from drive her insane.

And what was with all the innuendo?

She hadn’t been sure at first that he’d intended it, but the last comment, well, that was hard to mistake. “Nae quite. But the evening’s still young.”

What did he mean by that?

She fiddled with one of her necklaces as she thought. Any other man, and she was sure that was a prelude to more flirting, and then, well, seduction. But this was Max.

He did not flirt.

He did not seduce.

At least, he did neither of those things with her , and she hadn’t seen him attempt them with anyone else, either. Her hand curled into a fist at just the thought of him turning his wiles and charming accent onto another woman.

She’d magic him into a toad before he had the chance, she decided.

For the other woman’s sake, of course.

Sure.

Not for her own sake at all.

Not. At. All.

Gods, she was lying to herself—and doing a rather poor job of it.

She subtly glanced at him as they walked; his broad shoulders and narrow waist accentuated by his suit and kilt, making him look far sexier than he had any right to.

She half hoped that a strong breeze would rush down the otherwise eerily-silent path…

perhaps lift his kilt ever-so-slightly, so that she could see if the rumors about kilts and undergarments were true.

Instead, the strange mist that hovered over the path clung to his shoes like kittens rubbing their sides along a favored person.

Tamsin Redthorne, you are lusting after Max Fhearchair.

No. She shook her head at herself. No, she was not.

She was just…curious.

That was it.

About the rumors.

Not about what he packed under that kilt.

Then, her mind went to other women, and them wondering about what he was wearing underneath…and, well, if he dared show that package to another woman… She pursed her lips. Well, it would be the last time he attempted to do so.

You are being ridiculous, she thought to herself. But for some reason, the idea of Max wooing a stranger, of him touching them with those sexy, capable hands…Gods, it burned. Like indigestion. Only worse.

She rubbed her sternum.

As they rounded another bend, the faint strains of music reached them. The air grew thick with the sense of enchantments; as if the spells themselves had taken root in the forest around them. She couldn’t tell what tune was being played, but it sounded melodic, haunting.

“I dinnae think we’re far now,” Max murmured.

She nodded, unable to respond further as lost in her thoughts as she was.

Ten steps later, and they were suddenly out of the forest. The temperature warmed almost instantly, and the mist simply withered away from their feet, like eels slithering back into their darkened homes.

The full moon hung heavy and low in the sky, its glow casting pointed shadows over the large iron gates that marked the end of a driveway.

The gates stood propped open, vines clinging to the iron like limpets to a shark.

It reminded her of a basking crocodile quietly waiting to swallow those foolhardy enough to come too close.

Her gaze meandered past the gates, toward a fountain, and on to the towering mansion beyond, its walls kissed by the moon’s glow while its towers and turrets were submerged in the silk of night.

How far had they walked? Where were they now?

Tamsin discreetly tried to use her magic to pinpoint their location, but it was like the Heisenberg uncertainty principle: she could only focus on the momentum of her steps, rather than the place where she took them.

She rubbed her forehead, annoyed.

That idea alone showed she’d spent too much time with Max, to be thinking in terms of quantum mechanics.

Gravel crunched under their feet as they entered the gates, Tamsin’s and Max’s silence that of companions assessing their newest assignment.

A thin layer of fog hovered over the manicured lawns on the other side of the entry, denser than the teasing mist on the pathway they’d followed.

She lifted a foot and swirled it through the vapor, her ankle prickling at the magic she felt within. She rubbed one of her arms in response.

“This place…” she muttered. It had taken serious power to enchant the forest and the house the way it had been.

Who was this Vaelora, that she had so much magic she could waste it on fog and shadows?

Max came to a stop in front of the fountain, its tiers carved from shiny black obsidian, the volcanic glass appearing to draw the moonlight into its glossy depths. “It’s warm now.” He stared at the mansion, at the fountain, even at the dense fog. “There is magic is everywhere.”

Tamsin nodded, taking in the glowing runes that had been carved into the stone of the fountain, but she seemed to forget their meaning as soon as she read them. Which was…odd. Multi-hued lights flickered under the surface of the water, and she stared, trying to see if there were any fish within.

Wait.

“Did you just say magic was everywhere ?” She looked at Max, his gray eyes widening in surprise—at realizing what he’d said or that she’d noticed, she wasn’t sure.

“Uh, it’s obvious, isnae it?” He shuffled his feet slightly, then pushed those ridiculous glasses back up the bridge of his nose before moving forward.

She narrowed her eyes, then followed. Tamsin was a witch; being able to sense magic was in her blood.

But Max was a phantom. She wasn’t sure exactly how their magic worked—despite having been part of the House of Death and Diamond for years now—but she knew that seeing magic was an oddity amongst the phantoms; at least, that’s what Sabrina had told Tamsin.

The crunch of gravel and low voices sounded behind them as Tamsin and Max approached the mansion’s enormous double doors.

Tamsin turned, spotting a beautiful woman in a pale blue one-shouldered dress, her long brown hair unbound around her.

She wore a necklace with a crescent moon symbol, which fell into the hollow of her throat.

Dark magic , Tamsin thought , probably a fae.

A second woman was with her, wearing a black leather corset and burgundy tulle skirt that moved like smoke, her dark lips almost black.

Was there a secret message I didn’t get? Tamsin wondered, as two of the three women they’d bumped into were wearing blue gowns. Tamsin’s pinkish-purple dress looked like a bruised violet in a sea of stunning bluebells as a result.

“Are the doors locked? Are we too late?” the brunette asked as they approached, her voice a little breathless, like she’d been running.

Tamsin checked Max’s watch, since she hadn’t worn one—it would’ve clashed with her outfit. “It’s 9:45 pm. We’re early.” Technically. Although the sound of music was growing stronger, as if the party inside was increasing its tempo, not just getting started.

The brunette let out a sigh. “Thank the gods.”

Tamsin wouldn’t have been too concerned about missing this party ordinarily—except that Sabrina and Kieran had ordered her to attend, and she wasn’t one to let her leaders down. But she could see why others wouldn’t want to miss out. She smiled at the women. “I’m Tamsin, and this is Max.”

The newcomers studied them for a moment, before the brunette gave them a wary grin in return. “I’m Erynn. And this is my friend, Sera.” Her gaze dropped to one of the necklaces around Tamsin’s neck. “You’re from the House of Death and Diamond?”

Max nodded. “We are.”

“So, you’ve met the phantoms then?” Sera asked.

Tamsin often forgot that phantoms were still considered exotic to most of the other supernatural species, especially since they were insular, even after the world learned about them.

Here we go, Tamsin thought, looking at Max, just waiting for him to show off . But the phantom just gave the women a lopsided smile, and held his hand out, letting it turn incorporeal for a few heartbeats, before reforming it. A simple trick. Not at all what she’d been expecting.

“That is cool!” Erynn said.

“It’s a handy party trick,” Max demurred, before turning back to the double doors. “Shall we?” He held his arm out to Tamsin, who stared at it like it had grown fangs. He watched her, gaze challenging behind his glasses.

She could feel the women’s stares on her back. They must think we’re half deranged , Tamsin thought. Standing around outside the party and giving each other odd looks. She gave him a bright, false smile and hooked her arm through his. “We shall.”

Max pushed open the doors with his free hand, and they swung in effortlessly despite their size and weight.

As they stepped over the threshold, the brisk night air dissipated, replaced by a warm, perfumed atmosphere, infused with hints of magic.

They came to a stop underneath a crystal chandelier hanging from a high-vaulted ceiling, the crystals scattering prismed light over the room.

Beyond the foyer, gold-veined columns lined three hallways, the black marble floor stretching into the distance. Only one of the halls was lit.

Erynn and Sera entered the foyer behind them, and Tamsin looked to see if Kendall was also near the entrance. But the foyer was sparsely occupied, as if people had been drawn or funneled toward the center of the gathering soon after entering.

As she thought it, Tamsin looked to the left and noticed a man in a black tuxedo with a crisp white shirt standing next to a pedestal, his face lined in a map of his life. He wore a polite smile as he held his hand out, waiting for their invitations.

Tamsin nudged Max with her arm, reminding her that he hadn’t let go of hers. The phantom withdrew the translucent invitations from his jacket pocket and handed them to the attendant, who tilted his head in acknowledgement.

“Welcome Mr. Fhearchair and Ms. Redthorne.” Tamsin blinked as the man pronounced Max’s surname perfectly.

She had no idea what kind of supernatural he was, but she knew vampires and shifters rarely aged like the man had.

And she sincerely doubted he was human. But the attendant continued speaking, ignoring Tamsin’s surprise.

“We have entertainment to the left, food to the right, and the bar is just up ahead.” He pointed in each direction as he spoke.

Tamsin glanced at Max. Where to, first? she wondered.

“Can ye point us in the direction of the hostess? We would like to thank her for the invitation.” Max gave the man a sheepish smile, all charm and innocence.

Tamsin fought the urge to roll her eyes yet again.

The attendant bowed slightly. “She will find you, when the time is right.” He then turned to Erynn and Sera, who were waiting behind them.

Tamsin tugged on Max’s arm. “Let’s go.”

Max started walking. “Should we try the bar first, then?”

She nodded. She could do with a drink…or three.

Max’s behavior was doing her head in. As they walked, she tried to tug her arm free, but he gave her that shit-eating grin she hated—really, she did—and trapped her arm between his and his body.

They passed a series of closed doors as they walked, the hallway lit by decorative sconces emanating blue light.

“What do ye think is in those rooms?” Max asked as they walked, studying the doors they passed.

Tamsin frowned. “Nothing the host wants us to see.” She could feel the magic on each door. Can he see the magic? she pondered.

“Agreed.”

“Why don’t you touch one of the doors to find out?” Tamsin asked, voice deliberately mild.

Max raised one of his eyebrows. “I dinnae need to be zapped into the next life.”

Hmm . Tamsin played with the gold charm on her necklace as they walked, trying to figure out Max’s game.

Soon, the bar came into view, but it wasn’t what Tamsin had been expecting. Then again, nothing about this party or venue had been predictable at all. Which was odd, indeed, considering her foresight.

Something pivotal to my life must happen here.

Otherwise, she would have seen this in advance—if only because so many supernatural creatures had gathered here for the evening.

Max and Tamsin made their way to the marble counter, which was in the shape of a half-moon. The ceiling was lined with hanging bottles, and Tamsin squinted to see if there were any identifying labels on them. But like everything else here, as soon as she focused on it, it became harder to define.

Several bartenders worked the half-moon bar, but it was a vampire with platinum blond hair that turned to look at the two of them, eyebrows raised. “What do you fancy?” He gave them a toothy grin. “Aside from each other.”

Tamsin spluttered and jerked her arm free, while Max leaned forward with a roguish smile, unaffected in the slightest. “What’s the house special?”

“Moonlit Venom.”

“What’s in—?” Tamsin began.

But Max cut her off. “We’ll take two.”

The bartender gave a nod and started mixing the cocktails.

“Max, I don’t know what you’re playing at?—”

The phantom shrugged. “If ye don’t want yers, I’ll drink it.”

She glared at the innocent look on his face. What was he up to?

Whatever it was, she figured she should start planning her revenge.