From out in the hall, I heard Nyx groan. “Many magical things are possible during The Monster Ball. But, not the ability for me to unsee that.”
Red Sea
Red Sea
“There’s gonna be pie at this thing, right?” I fiddled with the black bow tie at my neck. Every attempt to tame the ribbon resulted in a lopsided bow, which only made Noel’s amused smile widen.
As with any mission, we’d convened at headquarters on Elmendorf Air Force Base. My black suit jacket hung over the back of a chair inside the windowless office we shared with several top-ranking vampire hunters.
Noel and I stood beneath the bright overhead lights. This was a two-person mission into the unknown.
I’d never seen my hunting partner look more glamorous than she did tonight in her strapless gold dress suctioned to her breasts, hips, and thighs. Her dark brown hair had been swept into a thick, tidy bun and her makeup applied carefully to bring out her ever-watchful eyes. A faint hint of pink dusted her cheekbones and tinted her lips.
I tapped the fancy party invites on the desk with the pad of my finger. Noel and I had been the only two agents to receive the silvery summons to The Monster Ball. Someone high up the food chain knew whom to target, all right.
“You know this is a vamp trap, right?” I had said it from the start.
With a saucy grin, Noel lifted one slender leg and placed her heeled foot on the seat of the chair.
“Which is why I’m going in armed to the tits and teeth.” She pulled the dress up high over her thighs, showing off an array of weapons strapped securely. Handgun. Check. Dagger. Check. Two smoothly shaved toned beautifully bare legs. Double-check.
What can I say? I appreciate the female physique.
I lifted my foot and planted one polished dress shoe next to her gold ankle-strapped heel. Matching Noel’s grin with a cocky smile of my own, I pulled up the smooth black fabric of my slacks to show off the dagger secured around my calf.
“Juiced up too,” I announced. I had toxin running through my AB negative blood ready to take down thirsty vampires.
“Oh goodie. I’ll tell the biters to go after you.” Noel dropped her leg from the chair, pulling her dress over the handgun and dagger hugging her legs.
I set my pant leg back in place and my foot on the floor then tugged my bow tie.
“Here, let me help.” Noel stepped in front of me and pulled the bow tie loose, eyes focused on retying the ribbon around my neck.
Noel’s petite frame gave me a stunning view of her strategically pushed cleavage rising above the tight, gold, corset top of her gown. I hadn’t realized she had that much to work with in the boob department.
“Nice rack, Harper.”
She laughed. “You really know how to compliment a woman. Tell me again why Ashley left you?”
“It had nothing to do with my libido.”
“Hmm. Must have been your humility and charm.” Noel yanked me forward by the tie.
Reaching up with slender arms, Noel pinched the edges of the black ribbon. Her gaze went to my jugular. Her coy interest had me smirking.
“Wishing you could take a bite?” I asked in a husky tone.
“To end up having a seizure on the ground? Pass.” Noel crossed the two ends of the tie and looped it around. “Then again, biting doesn’t necessarily mean drawing blood.”
Blood pounded in my veins as she took her sweet time tying what turned out to be a tidy yet dashing bow. Our bodies were close enough for a slow dance or grinding. But Noel was my colleague—not that that had stopped me from making moves before.
I liked dating agency women. Having a double life was too much work. As if I wanted to come up with some lame-ass cover story about working a mundane job when I was in fact a superhero. Then there was the whole anti-aging. I wanted someone to grow forever young with.
“There,” Noel said, giving my bow a flick.
When I looked down, it was still perfect. “Thanks for having my back . . . or rather, my front.”
Noel laughed then asked, “You didn’t want to red-tie it?”
“Nah, that’s Aurora’s thing. Was,” I corrected. My old mentee and partner was enjoying retirement in an Italian villa with Spaghetti Boy.
Noel flashed me a knowing smile. “Aurora sucks.”
“Big time.” I chuckled. Though I couldn’t blame her for wanting to keep her mom and grandma safely tucked away during a worldwide pandemic. We had seen an unprecedented number of new vampires succumb to undeath, compliments of the virus. I supposed it was fitting that it all started with a bat.
Mark my words, when the world sees viruses mutating, it isn’t a zombie apocalypse humanity has to fear—it’s vampires. Always the damned pain-in-the-neck vamps. On the other hand, they kept us in business, and business was good.
I smiled to myself and shrugged.
Noel opened a desk drawer and pulled out a lint roller. She swept by my hip and proceeded to roll the sticky paper roughly over the backs of my pant legs.
“Dog hair,” she said from behind my ass.
I glanced down, getting a look at her crouching near my calves.
“Hey, Tommy wanted to contribute to my attire.” Despite getting older, the golden retriever was still always ready for outdoor adventures.
“Gold only looks good on black when it’s an accessory.”
Noel moved to my front, and I let my eyes roam.
“You’re dressed in gold. Can you be my accessory?” I pictured Noel pressed against me, breasts pinned to my chest while her hips gyrated with mine.
Sex with Noel Harper. Of course, I’d pictured it. I’d pictured it with every female agent I’d worked with, including the evil Valerie Ward—not that I would ever admit it out loud.
Hey! Guy here.
It was science or biology or whatever. Plus, there was the whole superhuman libido and cravings and fetishes, according to my ex. So it gave me a thrill to watch my girl get bit. At least I wasn’t the one vamping out doing the biting and sucking. Refusing to drink blood was one of the many activities that separated me from vampires. I took my blood like a man—through transfusions. That was the way it would always be.
Noel straightened, lint roller in hand. Knowing she found my depravity amusing, I added, “You’d look really good on me, Harper.”
Noel tore the used piece of sticky paper from the roll and dropped it in the wastebasket.
“You’re hilarious. Have I ever told you that?”
“Only every day.” I winked.
After depositing the roller back in its drawer, Noel grabbed my tuxedo jacket from the back of the chair and handed it to me before scooping up our invitations. “I’d say we’re ready to go.”
“Right, by the light of the moon. We’re being ensnared by New Age vampires.” I rolled my eyes.
“Let’s hope they serve us cocktails before we have to kill them,” Noel said.
“And pie.”
It turned out the invitation’s instructions were literal. When Noel and I stepped outside, we were blinded by a bright light.
I was still holding my arms in front of my face when I noticed the air had turned moist and the white light was no longer illumination but fog. I waved my hand in an attempt to gain a better view, but the fog just rolled right back in, enveloping Noel and me in a thick cloud.