Page 45 of The Mermaid's Bubble Lounge
I was leaning toward a summer-weight little black dress but then remembered how cold the nocturne was. Clive put up the heat for me, but I wasn’t there anymore. Vampires didn’t feel the cold, so they didn’t bother. Poor Norma, the human liaison who worked during the day, had a space heater in her office.
I found a garment bag hanging in the corner that I hadn’t noticed before. It looked as though Godfrey was still shopping for me. For the longest time, I’d thought Clive had been picking out my new clothes. Apparently, it was Godfrey—and occasionally Audrey— who enjoyed shopping for me. At least they had good taste.
It was a long, knit column, with thick, uneven bands of horizontal color in sea green, teal, silver, violet, midnight. It would definitely make more of a statement than I’d intended, but it was so pretty and soft.
I tried it on and then chose a pair of midnight blue stilettos to go with it. I looked in the mirror, trying to decide. It was very body conscious, form-fitting from my neck to my calves, but I was also completely covered. I put on the blue diamond earrings that matched my wedding ring and found a small handbag that matched.
When I went into the bedroom, Clive was back in the chair waiting for me. He moved toward me, his gaze seeming to eat me alive. And then I was crushed against him, and he was kissing me like our lives depended on it.
Eventually, he drew back. “You look gorgeous, love.” His hand brushed up and down my back. “I haven’t seen this one. It’s perfect on you.” His eyes lit with mischief. “My only complaint is this high neck.”
It hit the underside of my jaw. One of his fingers pushed it down to trace my throat before he leaned forward to kiss it. When he pulled back, his eyes were dark.
“Come, love,” he said, taking my hand. “We should go now.”
Fergus popped up from his bed and followed us to the elevator. We went down to the garage, where we found Vlad and Cadmael standing beside the Mercedes-Maybach. The body of the sedan was dark green with a silver hood, roof, and trunk. It was a sleek work of art that cost six figures and I was scared to death of wrecking it.
“Your lovely wife sung the praises of this one and now I’d like a ride.” Vlad said, smirking at my discomfort.
Clive lifted the hand holding mine, kissed my wrist, and walked me to the back door, opened it, and helped me in. The leather was buttery soft. Instead of one back bench, there were two seats that felt like a sumptuous cloud and a leather recliner had a love child.
I sat and swiveled in, reclining back into a cozy leather cuddle. Granted, the axe on my back kind of wrecked the whole soft-as-a-cloud thing. When Vlad opened the opposite door, Fergus jumped in, trying to find a comfortable place to sit between Vlad and me. He settled his butt on the floor, with the majority of him across my lap.
Clive and Cadmael slid into the front seats. Clive started the engine, and it purred to life. “I’d planned to take one of the SUVs, but this is a much better idea.” He adjusted the rearview mirror and smiled back at me. “Sorry we don’t have Champagne this time.”
Clive and I had ridden in a car just like this on our honeymoon. The driver had left us two glasses of Champagne in the back. I smiled, remembering those magical days in Paris.
“Are they all here?” Cadmael asked, distracting me from memories of strolls along the Seine.
“Yes.” Clive drove us out of the garage and onto the road. “Godfrey texted that the last has just arrived.”
I turned in my seat, looking for a cat—or anyone, really—too fixated on the house or this car. Nothing. Where was the pooka, and what was he up to?
TWENTY-ONE
Everyone Has Their Suspicious Squinty Eyes on Us
It wasn’t a long drive to the nocturne, but I spent it scanning for what might be the pooka before I remembered where we were going.
“So, who am I meeting tonight?” I asked from the back seat.
“Ahmed and Adaeze are the African Counselors,” Clive explained. “Joao and Pablo are the South American Counselors. And Thi is the last remaining Asian Counselor. Each will, of course, arrive with an entourage of underlings. No one travels alone.”
“For good reason,” Vlad added.
“True,” Clive agreed.
“And do we know all of these people?” I asked. “Are they cool?”
Vlad scoffed at that description but didn’t respond.
“I’ve met all of them,” Clive said. “Some I know better than others. Ahmed is Egyptian and I probably know him best. He is very old, has immensely strong mesmerizing abilities, and is—as much as any of us are—quite honorable.”
Cadmael gave a grunt of agreement.
“Joao is Brazilian and innately charming. He uses that charm to disarm. Vampires who are older and should know better often fall into the trap of sharing more than they should with him. It may seem as though he’s merely chatting to pass the time, but he is paying attention to every detail and storing it for future use.
“And Thi, I met in Vietnam perhaps two hundred years ago. She is quiet and easy to underestimate. One does so at their own peril. She is deadly and they never see her coming.”
