Page 12

Chapter Twelve

“W hen are you coming down?” my mom asked the second I picked up my phone.

I put my arm over my eyes and tried to shut out the rest of the world. I was lying on the lounge chair in my knitted bikini while Cross swam laps in swimming shorts, almost like he wanted me to see him mostly naked. I was eating cookies with Lynx, but there weren’t enough in the world to make everything okay.

“I’m not sure if I can make it.” I winced as soon as I said the words, because that was ammunition to my mother.

Her voice was arch. “Oh. Well, if you can’t leave your boyfriend, I guess Bram’s just going to have to understand.”

I sat up, dropping my phone on my lap for a second before I scooped it up and turned to the side so I wasn’t facing Cross. “What do you mean?”

“The Senator! Are you really dating him?”

“No. Absolutely not. I mean, yes, but it’s not serious.”

“Yes!” she squealed, and I had to take the phone away from my ear. “Your father is looking forward to meeting him! Imagine, you marrying an elf after all this time.”

“Marrying? I’m not marrying him. We’re just casually dating. He casually dates lots of people. It’s not like we’re serious.”

“But if you’re not coming to your own brother’s wedding because you have to stay with him, how can it not be serious?”

I opened my mouth and closed it a few times. Disaster. This was the worst disaster ever. “I mean, I guess I don’t need to stay here.”

“Oh, good! And you can bring him here to meet everyone! I’m so glad we had this little chat. I’ll put you down for the fifteenth. You can stay in your old room. I’ll be sure to change the sheets.” She hung up, leaving me with a headache behind my eyes.

I slumped down, staring at the stone paving beneath my chair.

“Everything okay?” Cross asked from the side of the pool.

I made a point of ignoring him when we were alone together. I hated him. I couldn’t look at him without my chest filling with tightness and anxiety. That’s why I wouldn’t look at him when he gave me his therapy hugs.

I spoke shortly. “I need to go home for my brother’s wedding.”

“On the fifteenth of July. I know. It’s on my schedule. I have a reservation for us in the nearest bed-and-breakfast, as they don’t have any hotels nearby.”

I whirled around to stare at the monster. “No. You aren’t coming with me.”

His dark hair was slicked back, leaving his body looking even more massive and powerful in contrast. “No? But I’m your protector. I suppose I can escort you in a glamour, so no one knows that I’m with you if you’d be more comfortable that way.” He went back to swimming, like that was decided.

I stared at his body moving through the water like a knife through hot butter. “Or,” I said quietly. “I take you as my boyfriend and let my mother torture you.” That actually had a lot of potential. She’d feel so much better knowing that I wasn’t alone in the world. And if it was a rich, powerful elf, that would be even better.

I kissed Lynx’s head, gave her a bit of cookie and then I walked over to the pool and put my legs in, waiting for Cross to stop swimming so he could see me wave at him. He came over to me, coming up out of the water directly in front of me so his bare chest brushed my knees.

“Yes?” He said it so formally, like we were at a ball only just introduced, not dripping water and shockingly bare-skinned.

“Do you think that you could pull off being a steady boyfriend for me at home?” I gripped the edge of the pool while I waited for his answer, but I kept my face blank. Hopefully.

He studied me thoughtfully. “I can very likely pull off anything. That will be particularly easy as we’ve been living together and I’ve been studying you for a long time. What impression do you want to give? That I’m desperately in love with you and only waiting for you to be ready before I ask you to marry me, or that I’m still considering the implications of a serious relationship and am more interested in seeing your family dynamic to give me more information before I allow myself to become more involved with you?”

I stared at him. “Do you overthink everything?”

“Yes.”

“So you thought about whether you should torture me?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I thought that I shouldn’t torture you. I never questioned that.”

“But you did it, anyway.”

“Yes.”

“But you didn’t think about it, so that’s okay.”

“I thought about killing you. I considered it quite seriously, but it never seemed the right time, and then you transitioned and the question became irrelevant. So, which sort of relationship would you like me to cultivate?”

I shook my head while my heart twisted in my chest. He just said it so casually. Torturing me took the same emotional effort as deciding what kind of fake relationship we should have. “No way my dad would buy it. You’re too calculating.”

“Then I won’t try. I’ll just be with you and not try to be anything.” He reached up and pulled me into the water. I barely got the chance to gasp before I had to hold my breath as I plunged down.

I came back up almost immediately right next to him. I grabbed his strong shoulders and dunked him, holding him down while I kicked to stay upright.

I finally let him come up, and he did, but he grabbed me and pinned me to the pool wall while he hung over me, looking gorgeous, wet, and impossible.

“What are you doing?” I gasped.

“It’ll be a good photo,” he said, droplets of water glistening on his lashes.

“What photo?”

“For the exposé. You’ll need all sorts of photos.”

“Not me, just you.” My heart pounding against him as I stayed in that vulnerable position, his eyes going to my lips until they started to burn.

My phone rang, and I turned and scrambled out, bumping him because he wasn’t giving me enough room, but he didn’t back away, only followed me out of the pool, grabbing his towel while I grabbed my phone.

“Hello?” I answered, drying off.

Nanette said, “Delphi, I need you to get to Union Station. They found a body encased in the cement under the stairs. I know that you’re not actually our investigative reporter, but as long as Loren’s out, you’re up. Got it?”

I froze. They found a body at the Union station? Where Lynx had that constellation symbol? Cue creepy music. “Sure,” I said slowly, glancing at Cross and his ridiculous pectorals. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Great. I appreciate it.” She hung up, and I was left to head for the pool house.

“What was that?” Cross asked, following me with his towel slung over his broad shoulders in a way that I was trying not to notice.

“None of your business. The last time I told you about my work, you drugged me.”

“Ah, so it’s something to do with Lynx. Henrick will take you.”

I shot him a scowl that was probably adorable. “Henrick’s terrible.”

“Yes. Oh, you think he’s bad to you. No, that’s him being warm and caring. I’d send Manny with you, but you make him nervous.”

“He’s afraid of werewolves?”

His eyes widened. “Certainly not. Gnomes. Apparently, they’re dangerously adorable.”

I rolled my eyes and hurried to get dressed, but Cross grabbed my wrist and swung me around so I came up against him, wet, bare-skinned, horribly aware of his strength and beauty and my own weakness.

“I haven’t hugged you today,” he said before he pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around me and squeezing me tight.

I growled and bit his shoulder, and although it wasn’t hard enough to draw blood, it should have made him at least whimper.

He ignored me.

“Cross, I hate you. I hate you touching me.” At least I hated that I didn’t hate him touching me, which was even worse. I craved his hugs, like I really had been going mad without any physical contact for the last fifteen years.

He said in a put-out voice. “I’m aware, but it’s my duty for the sake of your sanity. I’d have one of the others hug you, but Manny is out, which is a pity because he’s the most naturally snuggly of all my assistants. Henrick is a goblin, which means that he’d probably stab me in my sleep if I suggested something so shocking. Sadly, I’m the only one with the stomach for doing whatever needs to be done.”

Like torturing me. I bit him again and drew blood that time. Cross finally stopped hugging me, looking down his long nose at me before he turned and walked gracefully back towards the house, leaving me with my heart beating too fast, hating him more than I’d ever hated anyone, but at the same time, the wolf rumbled in the back of my brain how sweet and delicious he was. Hugging me was torture for him, and no one else was allowed to torture him. In fact, no one else was allowed to touch him ever again. Stupid wolf.

Henrick drove me to the old Union Station, but he didn’t say anything, just looked smug. Of course he did. His drugging skills were stellar. He should be very proud of himself. Hateful monster. Maybe I would hug him, just so he’d stab Cross. My wolf growled, making him glance back at me for a moment. No, my wolf was only going to torture one person with hugs. The thing about him forcing me to accept his hug therapy was that my beast could easily break his hold and bite off his head if I really hated it all that much. Which he knew. Hateful monster. All of them.

When we got to the Union Station, the street in front was blocked off, and a group of officers were holding back the curious crowd.

I got through easily, smiling at the police officers I regularly fed cookies.

“Delphi, this is Detective Saito. She’ll walk you to the body. We haven’t gotten through the spells yet. We’re waiting for the specialist,” Lieutenant Joss said, giving me a professional nod before gesturing at the small woman with a confident smile and purple streaks in her dark hair. She smelled like sushi and trouble.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” I turned to give a shy smile to the young woman. She seemed very young to be a detective, but Singsong police officers didn’t tend to last long. “Hi, detective Saito. Can you tell me how you found the body? It was behind the cement?”

She nodded at another blonde guy wearing a custodial gray uniform. “He was assigned to patch the crack on the wall under the stairs, but as he was putting on the mortar, the wall collapsed, and he saw the gap beneath the stairs, and then the body. You can interview him while we wait for the spells guy.”

“Thanks.” I gave her another smile and was distracted by the scent of sushi while we walked over to the custodian. I was so hungry. I should have eaten more than cookies for lunch. If gnomes needed hugs, they required pastries as well as cookies.

I smiled at the custodian. “Hi. I’m Delphi. I’m covering the story for the paper. Have you worked here long?”

He looked between us and nodded, smiling easily. “Five years come August. Never found a dead body before, though. I wonder how old it is. It could be centuries.” He wiggled his brows for some reason, maybe because finding a really old dead body was more cool than a recent one.

“I guess it could. Did you notice how long the cracks in the plaster were there?”

“There are always cracks. That’s life.” He sighed heavily and then grinned at me and Detective Saito, feeling like this was a flirtation opportunity instead of a life or death investigation.

I gave him a return smile, but kept mine sad and serious. It wasn’t hard. Someone’s body was sealed in a bag only a few feet away. “So true. Do you remember who noticed that the cracks needed patching? Was there a constellation drawn on the wall near the cracks?”

He shrugged. “A guest reported the cracks. I don’t know about a constellation. It was something, but I don’t really do stars. I’m more into barbecue. Do you like to grill? You look like you’d bring an appetite, not like some of these girls who don’t know how to enjoy their lives, to really dig into pleasure with relish.” He wiggled his brows at me. Apparently, he liked my gnomish curves and wasn’t afraid to show it.

I stared at him. Cleared my throat. I really disliked the way he was looking at my body, like one might look at a grilled steak. There’s a fine line between appreciation and objectification. This guy crossed it without hesitation.

Henrick stepped in front of me and smiled at the custodian, showing many of his sharp teeth. “She barbecues with her boyfriend, the senator. Miss Era, the magic specialist has arrived. If you and the detective are finished questioning this person…” He made ‘person,’ sound like the worst insult.

Okay then. That wasn’t awkward at all. Weren’t goblins supposed to be close-mouthed in the extreme? No wonder he got thrown out.

I smiled at the custodian. “Thanks for your help,” then hurried back over to the black-wrapped body where a woman in a yellow protective suit was working over it with a wand that puffed out sparkling dust.

“Magical, right? I think she does it like that just to drive actual magic users crazy, but who knows?” Detective Saito said, frowning at the specialist.

I nodded, watching the woman do her work. I could feel the bindings on the wrapped body tighten until it released with a snap. She reached down and opened the black bag with a gesture and a loud unzipping sound. The plastic parted, and there was Loren’s slack face and dead eyes. So dead. So very, very dead.

I stumbled back, horrified and stunned. The smell didn’t help, the caustic chemicals mixing with decomposition. How could anyone have done this? And why? Why would you kill someone and then put them under the stairs just a few yards away from where she’d been investigating the Lynx connection? If she hadn’t been investigating Lynx, why would she have had a cat with that collar?

“Isn’t that the other reporter?” Henrick said, frowning down at her.

I took photos while my stomach pitched and tossed, mostly from the smell, but also seeing Loren so dead hit me where the werewolf couldn’t block it. Finally, I couldn’t take any more and ran to the public restroom. I breathed through my mouth and tried to think happy thoughts while I crouched in a stall. It didn’t work. Loren wasn’t missing, she was murdered. But how did she end up in the hollow under the stairs? It seemed unlikely that the wall had just spontaneously fallen in. No, it felt planted, so it would be found by me specifically. Why? How did the Lynx relate to the beast? There had to be a connection that involved Cross.

I pulled out my phone and called him.

He answered after seven rings. “Hello?”

“Cross, Loren’s body’s under the steps where the Lynx constellation was marked. I was meant to find her. I mean, that’s how it feels, but why? What does any of this have to do with me?”

“Take some deep breaths. We’ll discuss this later. You’re already a werewolf. The beast can’t hurt you.”

“If he infected me, death or pain isn’t the problem. I can’t anticipate this kind of madness. Why would he…” I gasped a breath. I really was hyperventilating. I forced myself to take deep, even breaths.

“I sent Henrick to find you. He should be there any second. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“Not for Loren,” I whispered.

He sighed heavily. “You got a positive ID?”

I shook my head. “No. I’ll go back. I’m fine now.” My stomach twisted.

“Delphi, don’t push yourself.”

“I’m fine, Cross. It’s not like you to worry about my delicate feelings. I just called you to keep you updated. This monster is your obsession, not mine.” I hung up, wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, and went out to face the mirror and pull myself back together. Henrick didn’t come in. When I went out, he was in the circle of people around the body looking concerned. When I met his eyes, he looked disturbed on a deep level.

“Miss Era. They want you to look at the body again. I’m here in case you get faint or something.”

“That’s very considerate of you, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.” I took a deep breath before I stepped closer, getting around Joss’s figure to get a good look at the face again. I stared at the woman I’d never seen before. No, I did know that face, the blonde hair that I’d taken for Loren’s, but it wasn’t her face anymore. No, this was one of the missing women from Golden. I stood there staring at the face that wasn’t Loren’s, while my mind spun around in a tight little spiral of madness.

“Yes, I can give her a positive ID,” I said and pulled out my laptop. I pulled up the files with pictures and went through them quickly and pulled up the woman. “She’s one of the missing women I’ve been researching. Not Loren, my co-worker, but she does have some similarities. I was mistaken at first.”

“Mistaken?” Henrick grumbled.

No, she’d been glamoured to look like Loren, but now she looked like this other woman. This body had definitely been planted just for me. And I’d thought Cross was psycho. This is why I was a society reporter. This exact thing. It was like that time I’d spent two years tracking down the wolf who infected me, took down him and his pack one by one, only to find out in the end that he hadn’t been anywhere near me when I was infected. Futility, thy name is Delphi.

“You’ll have to take DNA samples and run them across this other woman,” someone said.

Detective Saito frowned at me. “Someone’s taking women you’re doing research on, and now she was put where you’d find the body? Sounds like a psychopath that’s targeting you. Do you have protection?”

I laughed a little too hysterically before I patted Henrick’s shoulder. “Sure. I’ve got protection. It’s probably a good thing that I’m going to be out of town for a few days.” Was I? I wasn’t going to the office. Now would be a great time to do that exposé on the senator.

She nodded soberly. “Yeah. I’d hate to see you on a slab. If you have anything else come up, give me a call.” She handed me her card and then gave me a taut smile. “Stay safe.”

I laughed again like that was so funny, and then turned and left the site, slipping through the people with Henrick keeping everyone from touching me. It was almost like he was worried I’d accidentally get injected with something that turned me into a werewolf again.

The goblin opened the door of a car and I slid in next to Cross. I stared at him and then climbed on his lap and wrapped my arms around him, breathing in the spicy carnation scent beneath his woodsy shaving cream. He smelled so good, a world away from decomposing corpses that changed faces.

He held me close, large arms swallowing me up, so I felt safe for the first time since I’d found a rabbit on my doorstep.

I closed my eyes and relaxed against him until all the stress had drained away, and I remembered him holding me in that cell so many years ago, his arms tight, like he could personally defeat the monster under my skin if he gave me enough hugs. He’d been doing it even then, giving the gnome hug therapy, because gnomes needed hugs. And he couldn’t let me die.

That’s when I realized that I was on the lap of Senator Silverton, the evil elf I despised. I stiffened up, and he immediately unwrapped his arms and put me on the bench beside him, giving me a look with those violet eyes.

“It wasn’t Loren, but one of the missing women?” he asked mildly, not mentioning my sudden snuggle.

I nodded. “The one she had on file.”

“Interesting. Let’s go out for dinner. How does sushi sound?”

I winced. “Expensive. Also, I’m not sure if I can keep anything down. Also, it will make me smell like a werewolf.”

“Perfect. I know just the place.”

The drive to the restaurant was quiet, which was good, because I was trying to organize the facts in my head, but they kept unwinding into an image of Loren’s face in that body bag. Was it a warning? A threat? Or was someone just really looking forward to seeing me have hysterics?

“You’re thinking too much,” he said, taking my hand and squeezing it.

I stared at his large hand, beautiful elegant fingers tapering perfectly, curled around mine. He was getting better at holding hands. “What do you suggest that I do instead?”

For a moment I stared at him, and he studied me, the evil elf that I’d snuggled of my own free will only a few minutes before. What would it be like to kiss him? I’d forget about everything. I’d drown in him and never recover. If he offered, I might take him up on it.

He released me, grabbed a box on the floor, and handed it over.

Oh. Right. Kissing him was completely off the table. What was wrong with me? I hated him, didn’t I? Yes. But I also liked hiding in his arms. He was right. I needed hugs. Maybe I should find a nice werewolf to mate with so I could snuggle all the time.

I unfastened the ribbon and lifted the lid to find a pretty pale purple yarn and a pair of knitting needles. “It’s your eyes.”

“You were going to exploit me, yes? What better way than in a fluffy sweater? It’s cashmere,” he added, like I wouldn’t know.

I knew. It seemed like the only thing I knew, but cashmere and I went way back. I pulled out the needles tucked underneath the yarn and started with a slipknot. After a few rows, my mind settled, and I was able to breathe normally for the first time since I’d seen Loren.

He pulled out his phone and started taking notes, sending messages to people, and in general, not focusing on me like I was a bomb he needed to detonate. Of course, he could detonate bombs and people. He was the head of the House of Mercy. He could do anything.

“Do you understand why this is happening?” I finally asked, still focused on my knitting. As the head of the secret assassin’s guild, he should understand something. I’d take any crumbs of sanity he could give me.

“I have guesses.”

“Well? Why would someone put Loren’s glamour on a missing girl’s body? Is it a clue from a psycho killer, like she’s next and I have to find her before he kills her? Why would someone target me? Or are you the target and I’m just a lucky bystander? Cross, please tell me something before I go insane!”

He cleared his throat. “I have been hunting this monster for many years. I actually thought that you might be the beast, but it was only the first time, wasn’t it?”

I looked up from my pretty purple cashmere. “First time?”

He gave me a slight smile. “The rabid wolf who was collecting females to turn, to mate to his pack, and expand his empire. That was you, yes? You did it very well, picking off one member at a time until you ended him and saved all the women he’d collected. And then you disappeared. It was only a few months later that I heard whispers of another beast, a true monster who hunted wicked wolves. I thought it was you as well.”

I shivered. “You know about my experiment with vengeance?”

“Vengeance? You were saving helpless women. Although after that it was debatable whether the beast destroyed more than it saved. There was a lot of blood in those earlier cases, sometimes innocent blood getting mixed up in the slaughter.”

I winced at the idea of carelessly spilling innocent blood. I still felt sick enough about killing the monsters who wanted to enslave females to build a werewolf army. “That wasn’t me.”

“I know. Your claws aren’t large enough. I wasn’t sure until that night when I measured them. I didn’t think it was you, but I couldn’t be sure. Pity I didn’t think to measure your claws when I had you in my cage.”

I snorted a laugh. “Yes, pity. Perhaps you had other things on your mind. Wait, all this time, for fifteen years, you thought I was out there killing people? But you’re an assassin who kills monsters. That’s your house specialty, right?”

He smiled slightly. “You are very well-informed. Yes, but I made an exception for you.”

I frowned, because that sounded personal, like he cared. I wasn’t going to entertain such a nonsensical notion for a second. “When did the beast start working with Lynx? What’s the tie? Who is the beast?”

He cleared his throat. “Lynx first came up on my radar when it was linked to a series of terminally ill patients who disappeared. It was suggested that they may have used those patients for experiments. What else would a science guild do with people who were going to die, anyway? It’s almost ethical to give them experimental treatment that no one who wasn’t at risk would take. Other than that one whisper of suspicion, I’ve heard nothing of Lynx.”

“You think that maybe Lynx had something to do with the beast? Maybe it’s one of those terminally ill patients?”

He smiled and leaned back, visibly relaxing. “I like the way your mind compiles data. The beast is larger than a war-beast such as the Alta. You’re terrifyingly huge, but you’re still petite compared to the beast. I had the fortune of getting up close and personal with the beast the night you stumbled in on me in my kitchen, and there wasn’t anything natural about it.”

“And a secret science guild may have something to do with its unnatural size? You think they did experiments on the beast?”

“The beast may be an original founder of Lynx, who decided they needed an arm that could enforce, but lost control, or didn’t. I don’t know. I only know that its home is Singsong City, and has been for over a decade.”

I frowned at him. “How do you know that? I’ve never run into any beasts until Ridley moved here from Golden.”

“Exactly. Singsong is the only place the beast has meticulously not targeted. Monsters that stay in business keep the blood far from their doors.”

I nodded and refocused on my knitting. “All that time, you really thought I was dispensing vigilante justice?”

“Mm. Not exactly vigilante justice. It was more bloodlust that needed to be sated, but was directed by some form of conscience. Ergo, the victims had to be worthy of death. Don’t you crave blood and violence?”

I gave him a look. “I’m part gnome. I crave cookies, chocolate, and yarn. What about the kitten?”

“The kitten. Yes, well, I have no idea. It could have been a test. The beast had to keep the kitten alive to prove that they hadn’t lost it to the beast, but why did Loren have it.”

“Assuming that the beast is under the control of the Lynx group.”

“Yes, assuming that.”

“That is a lot of assumptions. Why would the Lynx group want me to find the body?”

He frowned. “I don’t know. I dislike not knowing quite passionately.”

I elbowed him. “That’s an elf for you, only passionate about knowledge.”

He looked at me with those beautiful violet eyes and a slight smile curved on his mouth. “I am also passionate about gardening.”

“I beg your pardon for not realizing the depths of your passion. Really? You like gardening? I haven’t ever seen you working on it.”

“I garden at night. I’m a night elf, you know.” He elbowed me back, but gently.

“Ah. Now I understand. That’s why you focus on white blooms and scent. That makes sense.” I sighed because that was the worst pun ever. I must be stressed. I only punned under stress.

He spoke low, seeming to focus on his phone. “I was very impressed when you brought the tree back to life at college. Don’t you feel the urge to garden?”

I blinked at him while a forgotten ache gnawed at me. I’d almost forgotten to be sad about losing my Elven magic when I became a wolf. I mean, I could imbue knitting with some Elven spells, but the natural magic was buried. “It was difficult enough to use Elven magic with the gnome in the way, but with the wolf…” I shook my head and refocused fiercely on my knitting.

He cleared his throat and changed the subject, like a well-mannered elf would do. “It seems that the monster hates me, so he’s toying with you, since I find it so disagreeable, but he’s not going as far with you as I’d expect, almost like he doesn’t want to destroy you. It’s likely someone who knows and admires you, but not enough to entirely mitigate his hatred towards me.”

I hugged my knitting to my chest, horrified at the thought of being stalked by an obsessive beast that was more terrifying than the Alta before I resolutely returned to my purl row. “I hate you too. Did you force him to transition into a monster as well?”

“I doubt it, but there are other reasons to hate people. My work in the senate steps on a lot of toes.”

“Not your allies.”

“Depends on whether my allies are corrupt. My different roles have different goals, and I play my roles methodically.”

“So you’re a terrible ally.”

He flashed me a smile. “How lucky that you’ll never know. I’m your protector, not ally. That includes all the pieces of myself.”

“Including assassin extraordinaire. How lucky for me. And you’ll keep me in cashmere, so I should be doubly grateful.”

“And sushi.” He raised a brow, almost like that was flirtatious.

I shrugged. “I can’t eat a lot of sushi. It makes me smell like a werewolf and ruins the effects of my cookies.”

“That is a pity as I’ve already ordered an entire boat. I suppose I’ll have to take it to Libby if you can’t finish it.”

I growled at the thought of him giving my sushi to someone else, then I pressed my lips together, pretending like that hadn’t happened.

“No? Then I suppose you’ll have to smell like werewolf until it wears off.”

The restaurant was Piscerie, the finest restaurant outside the city wall, not that a lot of other reputable places were directly on the river.

Cross took me to the outdoor patio where general seating could be had for much less money than a private room. I felt self-conscious being with Cross, because as soon as he stepped out of the car, he became the politician, warm, sweeping the crowd with a familiar smile like he knew and was friends with everyone here, before he gave his arm to me and let his smile become more intimate and interested.

I had to force myself to smile back at him, because seeing this side of him just made me want to stab him with my needles. Good thing I’d left them in the car.

“Here we are,” he said, pulling out a chair for me.

“Thank you, Senator,” I said demurely as I took my seat, making sure to beat my lashes at him for an extra second.

A waiter brought out a sushi boat the size of the table and smiled at me before leaving us to it.

“Senator, it’s so good to see you here,” a much older woman said, coming up to our table. I blinked before I realized it was Leticia Marin. “And you,” she said, turning to me with twinkling eyes. “Is this the second date you’ve had with the senator?” She’d spread the gossip like wildfire. The senator, who never dated any women more than once, had gone out with the gnome-elf reporter twice! Oh the shock and horror!

I stood up quickly. “It’s a pleasure. Are you here alone? Would you like to join us?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to interrupt your time together. Anyway, I’m waiting for Zephin. You know, he’s thinking of delaying the ball. You should encourage him. He’s got a soft spot for you.”

“Everyone does,” Zephin said with a slight smile as he came up on Leticia’s right and raised her hand to kiss the back of it. He turned to look at me and Cross, calculation in his eyes. “Yes, you should come to my office tomorrow to convince me about the party. Say, two-thirty?”

I smiled sweetly. “That would be perfect. In other news, I’ve convinced the Senator to give me an exclusive.”

A sharp whistle broke my attention, and I looked over to see Loren standing there with a gleam in her eyes.

I gasped and grabbed Cross’s shoulder. I’d just seen her dead, wrapped in plastic. He was on his feet immediately, his hand around my waist to hold me up.

Cross laughed, low, smooth. “That’s right. Nothing political, but Delphi’s interests are always more personal.” He pulled me tight and pressed a kiss to my temple while I stared at Loren and my heart threatened to shatter on my ribcage. Was this a glamour? Was all of this a drug-induced hallucination? How in the world was Loren here in this restaurant instead of dead or being held in a cage somewhere? Had she never been missing? Then why did I have her cat?