Page 27 of Shift of Morals
Simone stepped in front of us. “Gianna. You look splendid, as always.”
Gianna wore a slinky dress in magenta pink, her cool blonde hair done in a perfect chignon. Her makeup was flawless, accentuating high cheekbones and startling green eyes. She was tall and lean and dripped with diamonds. “Thank you, Simone. You look adequate.”
Anger spooled through my veins. Simone was shorter and had more honey in her blonde hair, but she looked hot tonight. The Omega was dressed in a stylish black, one-shoulder jumpsuit, a pair of diamond drops in her ears. She wore her hair loose, curls spilling down her back, and had chosen diamond-encrusted, flat sandals, probably because she was constantly on the move. Nothing worse than heels that pinch when you have business to attend to.
Gianna was old New York money, and Simone was Southern lady class.
Moira reached out and ran a finger down Simone’s arm. “Are you kidding? My girl looks smoking tonight.”
Simone blinked, color turning her tanned cheeks pink. “Er. Thank you, Moira.”
The vampire winked. “No need to thank me. My eyes should thank you.”
I hid my smile. One thing about Moira, she never discriminated when it came to beauty.
Gianna’s eyes flickered with fury. “We can head inside. The caterers should be finished setting up in a little while.”
She breezed past us, leaving behind the scent of a deep, musky perfume I didn’t care for.
“Patchouli heavy,” Moira whispered, grinning when she saw Gianna’s steps hitch.
“Be good,” I warned in a voice so low Gianna couldn’t hear me. “We need this job.”
“We really don’t. The shop is doing fine.”
“Yes, but we don’t have 401ks. If we get this job, I might be able to swing them for everyone.”
Moira fell quiet.
“Exactly,” I murmured. “Immortals especially need financial security.”
“I hate it when you’re reasonable. That hasn’t happened in a while, so I’m not sure if I like this Evie or the crazy one who gets chased through the streets by pissed off shifters.”
“The reasonable one keeps us all out of trouble.”
Moira sighed. “Some trouble is good for the soul.”
“Will you two shut up?” Simone hissed.
“And we liked you better when you were nicer,” Moira murmured.
Simone rolled her eyes. “As you can see, things have changed.” She glared daggers at Gianna’s back.
Caelan’s fiancée didn’t appear to be popular around here. Interesting.
Caterers and decorators ran around, everyone keeping one eye on Gianna as she crossed the room. A single long table was set up by the large bay windows, multiple stainless containers steaming with fresh food. Flower arrangements littered the room, soulless and white.
I hadn’t done those arrangements, and I could tell by the look of them that a Floromancer wasn’t involved. A human had done these.
A stab of hurt speared me.
Gianna led us to a large round table. She gestured with a perfectly manicured hand. “Please have a seat. My fiancé and his counterpart will be here soon.”
Simone made no move to join us. “You aren’t staying for dinner?” I asked.
Gianna snorted. “The help doesn’t eat at our table.”
I stiffened. Simone’s jaw clenched, but she said nothing. She took a couple of steps away from the table and held her iPad at her waist, the device like a piece of armor.
