“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!” Jenks’s voice came faintly, and then he hummed out of the back rooms. “I can’t find the cat.”
“It’s white,” Trent said from the kitchen, and I turned at the pop of a bottle being opened. “Try under the bed,” he said as he set a green, foaming bottle on the counter to settle. “I’m not drinking that sweet syrup she likes when she’s got this.” Mood expansive, he turned to get a pair of glasses from a high shelf. “Apparently she’s got twenty cases of it stashed somewhere.” He grinned. “They wouldn’t take them back when she left the altar.”
Good Lord, it’s their wedding champagne, I thought, arms over my middle as I sat at one of the two chairs facing the eat-at counter.
“You want some cheese?” Trent asked as he filled two glasses. “It’s still here.”
It sounded better than soup and sandwich, and I nodded, leaning forward to ogle Trent’s backside when he turned and buried his head in the low fridge.
“Mmmm, nice presentation,” he said as he turned and set the plate down, peeling the wrap off with an overdone flourish. “I’ll have to ask where she got it. I know she didn’t make it.”
Compliment followed by a jab, I thought. He’s still mad at her.
“I found the cat,” Jenks said, suddenly hovering over the counter, sparkles spilling into my champagne until I waved them away. “It’s under the bed and won’t come out. Ohhh, goat cheese. I like goat cheese. Don’t mind if I do,” he added as he dropped down and took his chopsticks from his back pocket to help himself.
“Do you want to eat at the window?” I asked. Yep, I’m going to try to convince a crazy vampire to abandon control of her given city before the sun comes up, but no need to go down there unfortified.
Trent nodded, and glass in hand, I rose. The lights were low, but I nevertheless closed the sheers before I sank into the couch. The expensive fabric still smelled like the store, and I fingered the coordinated throw Ellasbeth had bought to help keep sticky fingers from staining it.
His sock-feet were silent as Trent followed me in, setting the plate of cheese on the low table in front of the window before easing himself down beside me. His arm comfortably stretched behind my shoulders, and we sighed at the same time. “This is nice,” he said as he clinked his glass with mine, and we both took a sip and turned to the view.
“Sure . . .” Jenks alighted beside the goat cheese and took another wad. “But how long do you think you could sit here and do nothing before you got bored?”
My side was warm where Trent was touching me, and I smiled, relaxed with that calm-before-the-butt-kicking. “I could think of a few things to keep busy,” I said, and Trent’s eyes flicked to mine, hearing something not said.
“Me too,” he whispered, and the scent of cinnamon deepened as he tugged me closer.
Jenks eyed us, wings stilling. Then his gaze shifted to the hall. “Cat is out.”
I leaned forward out of Trent’s reach to see. Sure enough, a big white cat was staring at us from the top of the hall, her tail twitching. “Hi, Elouise,” I said, hand out to coax her closer, but she just stared at me with her blue eyes.
“Who names their cat Elouise?” Trent griped as he helped himself to more cheese. “I mean, really?”
I settled back into Trent’s warmth. “Is she her familiar?”
Trent nodded, then washed the cheese down with a sip of champagne. “Yes. Apparently she’s almost thirty years old.”
“Ought to be out of her nine lives by now,” Jenks muttered, clearly not liking the unfamiliar feline.
But I was feeling relaxed, whether it was the champagne or knowing Doyle was waiting in a cold car while I was eating cheese and looking out on the world. It would all be over by sunrise, and I wouldn’t have to worry anymore. I was tired of worrying.
And as I set my drink aside and snuggled in deeper against Trent, I felt a faint stirring of pending desire. He was warm and smelled good, and those damn vampire pheromones I’d been breathing in all afternoon were getting hard to ignore. Smiling, I played with his fingers holding his glass until he set his champagne aside with a soft click. Taking his hand, I began to trace glyphs on his palm. A quiver shook both of us as I lowered my internal guard and our personal ley line balances shifted and flowed . . . equalizing in a tantalizing sparkle of magic.
“Ah, I’m going to go play with the cat,” Jenks said as I found Trent’s dark eyes. “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”
“You are wicked, you know that, right?” Trent said as the cat’s bell jingled when she ran after Jenks and into the back rooms.
“And crazy, according to some.” I nestled in deeper, sending my hand across his chest, feeling him sigh in pleasure. “Thank you,” I said as I idly fingered a button that, if I got my way, I was going to undo shortly. “For setting up the city-powers meeting and inviting Pike. I don’t think he would have convinced Constance to meet with me if he hadn’t seen how . . .”
Trent took my hand in his and kissed my fingers. “Involved you are in city matters?” He smiled and kissed them again. “I was going for threat, but it all works.” His arm pulled me even closer, and a faint tingling ebbed and flowed between us. “David and Edden are ready to work around your plan,” he whispered, his breath shifting my hair. “I know you’re a less-is-more operator, but I’ll feel better with them around.”
“To keep my back door open, and her people off us.” I looked out the window at Cincinnati, sparkling beautifully in the early night. “I don’t want them involved any more than that.” My thoughts went to the immobilization curse, and I winced. I had been confident about using it until Hodin had intervened.
Clearly concerned, Trent nodded as he leaned forward for more cheese.
Splat gun, pain amulets, magnetic chalk, I thought, knowing I’d need more if things didn’t go to plan and I had to fight off Constance’s people. Maybe with a mouse in a cage. “I’ve got a couple of fast ley line charms, and of course, a circle works against almost anything in defense. That’s why I wanted to meet at the Turn memorial.” I pulled out of his grip long enough to down my champagne. “There’s circles engraved in the patio and the line is nearby,” I added as I reached for it. A tingling rose in both of us, our bodies so close they were acting as one.
Trent’s brow creased in worry even as he wrapped his arms around me in a sideways embrace. “Edden has agreed to stay at the outskirts to keep additional players from complicating the moment. David will have his people in the shadows if there’s trouble. All that’s left is the running and screaming.” He hesitated. “And I’ll be with you.”