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Chapter Fourteen

Niko’s hands were dirty. Clay spackled along the backs of his fingers and hands, coating them in a rough grey while the smooth inner surfaces of his palms looked nearly pristine. The shape before him was slowly making progress, becoming something more under his practiced hands.

From his embarrassing first attempts centuries ago to the soaring creativity of his most recent, he enjoyed working with his hands, forming pottery and clay structures of utility and beauty.

Using the familiar smoothing tool, his golden eyes focused unerringly on his current piece. His sole intent was to gift Jade something unique.

Seeing her sculptures that first day had inspired him to create a unique piece just for her, and he’d eagerly set about his task. His water magic ensured the level of dampness within the piece was entirely under his control. Practice took care of the rest.

It made for exceptionally quick work … when he didn’t want to savor every second.

He’d taken up the craft years ago, when making pottery had been a living, not a hobby. Since then, his interest had grown and waned over the years, but it’d remained a constant in his life.

After the clay had formed to his liking and he’d evaporated what moisture remained, he applied the pigment. While he wasn’t a terribly sophisticated painter, the work was passable.

If the sun shined on him tomorrow and the piece didn’t crack in the kiln, it’d be ready for her collection. Conversely, if he second-guessed himself one too many times, it’d end up in the trash.

Niko never kept his work. Clinging to objects was akin to clutter in his mind.

An hour later, he’d washed his hands like a good, civilized man before donning a tuxedo, a boutonniere, and his trusty Aviator sunglasses: a nod to class while asserting his individuality.

He’d gone through the motions in preparation for tonight’s charity event, but his attention was elsewhere. The entire time he’d worked the clay, he’d been dreaming of seeing Jade again. Her taunts this morning had left him with a few hints of the outfit she was planning on, but nothing substantial.

A pre-emptive growl of satisfaction rumbled in his chest, his eagerness to see her nearly all-consuming.

Yesterday had been delightful on many levels, and he’d appreciated seeing her in another light.

Very few people would’ve insisted on going with him to a rogue nest, and she’d held her own.

She’d even patched him up afterward—something he’d been exceptionally grateful for.

Though phasing across the states twice had drained him of energy and he had the complementary headache to remind him of it today, it had been worth it. Wincing at weakness in his limbs, he shrugged off the sensation.

His mind turned to happier thoughts. Reaching out to Jade via text, he said, Do put me out of my misery. Show me what you’re wearing, dove.

A brief pause, then, Still curling my hair, voyeur. Not wearing anything yet.

Niko froze.

His mind reeled as he attempted to rein in his thoughts and be the civilized man he claimed to be. Would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you tonight? I would love nothing more than to show you off.

Niko, one of Julian’s lieutenants will be there tonight. He’s escorting me.

His heart skipped a beat, but something told him she wasn’t happy about the circumstances. What’s wrong? Are you being forced into something?

Kinnick is an aggressor. Be careful around him, Niko. He doesn’t just bark. He bites. Three dots danced on the screen, then she apologized. I’ll see you there?

Of course.

Niko barely kept the despondency from his mind. She was assuming that he had filed for official entry into Julian’s territory following their initial discussion the day of their meeting. That he’d followed through after she’d asked him that very first day.

He’d never done any of it.

He had no intention of requesting anything from Julian. After everything the villain had taken from him, there was no way he’d go before the other man petitioning for the savage’s grace under the guise of civility and respect.

The brute deserved neither of those things. Death was the only acceptable fate.

Meditating on a past that he couldn’t change, Niko selected his beloved McLaren Spyder as the means to make the required grand entrance.

High society events like this typically involved a red-carpet and paid paparazzi, and this one was overflowing, much to his disdain.

Bustling with the attention-seeking crowd, the strip of crimson was chock-full of overeager starlets and their similarly-natured partners.

He loathed it all.

He bypassed covetous eyes and flirtatious smiles, never pausing at the requests for pictures. One couldn’t be too careful. Immortals disliked being captured on any kind of film; it tended to make life in the future difficult.

Niko had engaged his barrier magic before he left his home. It essentially hid him from prying magical senses and tonight, it would save him from the second lieutenant of Julian’s legion.

Hopefully, Jade wouldn’t give him away.

Crystal chandeliers hung from an ornate ceiling. Red velvet tapestries decorated the walls, their deep color vibrant and seductive. The crowd was boisterous, fueled by expensive wine and promises of future business relationships.

Waiters bustled around, offering elegantly clad patrons champagne or wine on glinting silver trays. In all likelihood, they were silver, and Niko made a mental note to remain as far from them as possible.

As soon as he’d entered, he located Caleb. The other man was chatting with Anita, his wife, neither interested in schmoozing with strangers.

Caleb’s easy smile kicked up when he saw Niko approaching. “Boss. You made it.”

“Couldn’t miss this glorious opportunity for networking.”

Grinning, he stole a flute of champagne from a passing waiter while both Caleb and Anita snorted subtly into their own glasses. For all that charming small talk came easily to Niko, he loathed every second of it, and his friends knew it all too well.

He cast a smile to the milling crowd for good measure. “And here I thought I’d be alone amidst the sharks. You two don’t usually attend these.”

“Figured we might as well get a feel for the city.” Caleb winked one hazel eye, playing along. “Besides, my lady wanted to meet the woman behind McArthur Vegas. Barely abstaining from stalking, this one.”

Niko chuckled in perfect agreement. Jade deserved all the excitement. “Anyone here that we know?”

“I saw Hayley here, though that’s hardly surprising. I think Trina’s around, and Kurt, but I haven’t seen Jade yet.”

“Have I missed anything so far?”

“Not much, to be honest. The usual pleasantries and promises to keep in touch. There was a big hurrah when the mayor entered. Nothing we couldn’t have done without.”

“We get to meet Jade Lascaux,” came Anita’s southern drawl. “That’s worth coming for.”

Anita’s eyes were kind, which was more than he could say about most of the women here. She’d never once made Niko feel anything less than welcomed and appreciated.

“Did you know that Ms. Lascaux donates the majority of her personal salary to charity?”

“I—I did not.”

Pleasantly surprised, Niko continued to listen as Anita nodded. “Yeah, she keeps it pretty hush hush, but she’s also involved in three charity organizations, one as treasurer and two on the board. Leader of business, charitable, principled. I want to be her when I grow up.”

“Says her most devoted follower,” came Caleb’s smiling remark. “Remember: you’re not a stalker. Repeat: you’re not a stalker.”

Niko grinned at the two humans who’d gained his appreciation and respect over the last decade. Talking to them had always been easy, and while he should’ve been rubbing elbows with everyone else who’d scrambled for an invitation to the glamorous event, he didn’t have the stomach for it.

Ten minutes later, he sensed Jade’s arrival like the rising of his own personal sun.

Accompanying her, however, was another, far more oppressive presence, undoubtedly the one known as Kinnick.

He was centuries old, and judging by the weight of his magical charge, strength accompanied the experience.

Wrapping his magic around him like a cloak, he ensured that neither Kinnick nor Jade would notice his presence until he wanted them to.

And then Jade entered, and the game changed.

For Niko, time stopped.

Her eyes bewitched him with their promise. She was light incarnate, moving through the room like a celestial being among its worshippers. The red gown she wore sparkled like a thousand rubies, clinging to every curve and highlighting her hourglass figure, leaving her arms and back open.

The only detail that soured the image was the man escorting her. Tall, debonair, and strikingly aristocratic, Kinnick wore a smirk that reeked of superiority.

Niko had a feeling the sophistication he tried to project with his overly-styled hair and tailored navy tux was a farce, and the weight of that conjecture increased with every passing moment.

As they descended into the throng below, Niko excused himself and shadowed their steps.

Jade and Kinnick played the couple well.

Both blond and blue-eyed, their outfit accents matching, the movements almost synchronized as they engaged in conversation.

Niko could almost applaud the show they were putting on.

But what he saw behind the facade made him snarl.

Jade’s posture was too tense, her poised features drawn too tight.

Undercurrents of disgust shadowed her eyes whenever her escort touched her.

She chatted easily with those around her, but never took her full attention off Kinnick.

To anyone studying their positions, the villain’s covetous grip on her was a clear muzzle and restraint.

Jade leaned towards the woman she was chatting with, as if to hear her reply better. It was a pretext, but the movement forced Kinnick to let go of her arm. The skin showed a white impression of his fingers.

Julian’s lieutenant was hurting her.