Page 27 of Poison Ivy
“Me too. But it’s safer for him.”
“I know.”
We exchange a long, miserable stare, and I mourn the fact that I have no real friends except him and Josh. It’s too risky. It’s just easier to keep myself to myself, or myself with those who know who I am, who are very few and far between.
“Suppose I’d better get going.”
“Don’t fuck this up, Ives. Sorry, I know, but Vera is, well, let’s just say she has a personal stake in this, I think.”
“Why?” Colour me intrigued.
“Marcus Crowberry is not a nice vampire. Hetrafficks young women and uses them in a prostitution ring. Vera is gunning for him.”
“Well, that just made this a whole fucking lot easier. Whatever it takes, that arsehole won’t be around to see the dawn.”
Ramsey nods. “Be careful, Ives. With Vex and Marcus.”
“Always,” I say with a smile that is all forced. I’m not happy about this, any of this, but if Vex can help take this scum off the streets, I’m all over it like a fly on shit.
When Ramsey leaves, I glance at the clock again. It’s nearing six, and I need to get moving if I have to stop at Vex’s on the way.
I take a lingering shower, letting the hot water soothe my tense muscles. As much as I want to stay under the spray and forget about this whole mess, I know I need to get out and get dressed.
Stepping out, I wrap a towel around myself and head to my closet. What does one wear to seduce and murder a vampire pimp? I rifle through my options before settling on a slinky black dress that hugs my curves. Paired with sky-high heels that has a secret stiletto blade in the left heel and some smoky eye makeup, I look every bit the femme fatale as Ivy. When I leave here and shift to Poison, I will be irresistible to this prick.
Hopefully.
I need him to want me close, and that is going to take more than me showing up and flashing him asmile. Grabbing my small bag with my tiny purse, I make sure that the inside is clean. I can’t walk into Nox with anything that will set off the alarms, except my blade. It was given to me by Vera on my first day on the job. It has come in handy more times than I can count. It is hexed by a warlock, which I suspect might be Vex, and will bypass most security systems as long as it is charged by the full moon. That was a week ago, so it should be undetectable.
“I’m leaving!” I call out to the guys as I hurry past the living room to the front door.
“Bye! Have fun!” they shout back, and I slip out into the growing dark.
Sticking to this side of the road, I walk as fast as my shoes will let me towards Vex’s house. It’s on the nicer side of the campus, near the forest’s edge.
I make my way quickly through the darkening streets towards Vex’s place, my heels clicking on the pavement. As I approach his house, a sense of unease settles over me. I really don’t want to deal with him again after this morning, but I don’t have much choice if I want to complete this assignment without getting busted seconds after I kill Marcus.
Taking a deep breath, I climb the couple of steps to his front door and knock firmly. After a long moment, the door swings open to reveal Vex lounging against the doorframe, shirtless and smirking. His hard chest is covered in runes that swirl and glimmer, whispering secrets of dark magick that send a tickle over the back of my neck.
“Well, well. Look who came crawling back,” he drawls, his eyes raking over me appreciatively.
I resist the urge to punch that smug look off his face. “I need your help,” I grit out.
His smirk widens. “Oh? And why should I help you?”
“Because Vera said you have to,” I snap. “It’s for an assignment.”
At the mention of Vera’s name, Vex’s expression turns more serious. He steps back, gesturing for me to enter. “Fine. Come in and tell me what you need.”
I follow him inside, my skin crawling as I feel his eyes on me. We head to his study, a dark room filled with ancient tomes and magical artefacts.
“So what’s the job?” Vex asks, perching on his desk.
I quickly explain about Marcus Crowberry and what I need to do, and the spell Vera said he had that I could use.
Vex’s eyes light up with interest as I explain the assignment. “I’ve been dying to use this spell for ages,” he says. “It’s nasty work - burns the target from the inside out. Painful way to go.”
“Sounds perfect for this arsehole,” I mutter.
