Page 29 of Vicious Little Vows
I stood on my toes and kissed Crispin’s cheek, eliciting a little spark of moonlight tinged magic between us. “Thank you for caring about Mistral,” I whispered.
His eyes were a touch wide as I stepped back. “I yell at you, and you thank me?”
“You were hardly yelling,” I laughed.
“I was too.”
My grin grew. “I’ve seen a lot worse.” I realized we were still standing close, and my smile faltered, my heart skipping a beat. “Crispin—”
“You don’t need to say anything, Eva.”
“How do you even know what I was thinking?”
He leaned forward, surprising me when he kissed my cheek in return. More magic welled up within me, the small touch both exhilarating and comforting. Every touch from him just felt right. We were bound, for better or worse, but like Sebastian, Crispin never seemed to want to talk about it beyond magical theory.
He stepped back, and I didn’t want him to. I didn’t want that space between us. Gods, if I was falling for yet another guy, I was going to be so pissed at myself. It had to just be the magic, and I was pretty sure Crispin thought so too.
I had to clear my throat before I could speak. “Now weren’t you supposed to be picking out a dress for me to wear?”
He scoffed, flustered. “There are only three to choose from.”
“That’s a lot.”
He pinched his brow and shook his head, and the tension between us eased. “You’re worse than Elena.” He lowered his hand, then looked me up and down. “We’ll go with the blue.” He opened the bathroom door, then stepped out into the bedroom.
I hoped Sebastian hadn’t heard us about the Bogs, but then again, maybe it would be for the best if he had. He’d admitted to me once that Mistral’s mother had asked him to create the contract for Mistral free of charge. Sebastian himself couldn’t control the Bogs, but he did have the power to create binding contracts between magical entities. He might be able to help.
Of course, he’d never told me what Mistral’s mother had given him for the favor. Maybe it was something unforgivable, and Mistral would refuse his help.
I sighed, then turned back to the mirror. It was a problem for another time. For now, I had to make it to a date, and hope I didn’t get kidnapped again in the process.
I woremy hair loose so Ringo could hide in it. He would be pretty visible to anyone who looked close, but my satchel definitely didn’t go with the blue silk dress Crispin had picked out of my meager wardrobe. The dress had been a gift from Dawn, something to wear when she took me to schmooze with clients. She had liked using me as an example of what nightrunner magic looked like. Recalling the old memories, I wondered why I was even doing her this favor.
As Crispin opened the door to the restaurant for me, I glanced across the road, spotting Sebastian leaning against a streetlight. He looked terribly forlorn, but no one else walking the streets seemed to notice. It was a peculiar bit of magic on his part, to go unnoticed. I would have loved the same capabilities, especially after the kidnapping.
We stepped inside, the air conditioning summoning goosebumps on my legs. The dress might have been long, but the slits were high, the slithery fabric dancing as I walked in my boots with the tallest heels.
A female server dressed in black cigarette pants and a fitted black button up stepped between us and the rest of the bustling restaurant. The smell of something sizzling and cheesy made my mouth water.
The server tucked her short brown hair behind her slightly pointed ear as she addressed Crispin more than she addressed me. “Two?”
Crispin, however, didn’t seem to hear her. He was looking at an elf sitting alone at a four-seater table near the bar. The elf had long, dark brown hair pulled back from his face and deeply tanned skin. He was ageless in the way many elves, goblins, and fairies seemed ageless, but he did at least seem older than Crispin.
“That’s Rian,” Crispin pointed, making the server frown.
“I thought you didn’t know him,” I said.
He shrugged. “I can know what someone looks like and not actually know them.”
As the server’s frown deepened, I smiled at her. “We’re meeting someone, thanks.”
Before she could answer, Crispin had taken my hand to lead me to the table. I could sense a bit of nervous energy from him, which made me even more nervous in return. I didn’t see Dawn anywhere yet, but it was just like her to be fashionably late.
Rian’s brow furrowed at us as we stood before him. His shirt was dark blue linen, and while it was a button-up, it looked somewhat antiquated—which was kind of a trend going around, but I was guessing he didn’t dress with trends in mind. The set of his face suggested he frowned more than he smiled. Why Dawn was enamored with an old-school elven noble was beyond me. They all seemed pretty stuffy.
Crispin quickly made introductions, then pulled back one chair for me. I sat, wildly uncomfortable already.
“Dawn did not mention that King Francis’ wizard would be dining with us.”
