Page 23 of Fanged Embrace
“Well, Addison has been a bad influence on her in that regard. Leah made me shift the other night—all because she wanted to examine the texture of my wings.” Maxine grimaced with a perturbed wrinkle of her nose. “I thought it was going to be all dramatic and romantic like when Dylan first shifted in front of Amara. But Leah wasn’t scaredat all. I had a whole ‘I’m not going to hurt you’ speech prepared and everything, but she wouldn’t hear it! She just pulled out the microscope and told me to quit the theatrics.”
Maxine looked genuinely glum about it, and I had to stifle a smirk and summon a speck of sympathy. “That must have been very hard for you.”
We reached the top of the stairs where Hunter waited, arms folded over a sleek black suit. She’d pinned her hair in that trademarked neat knot at the base of her skull. Part warrior, part runway model. The ring on her left hand blinked and sparkled.
I arched a brow at her. “See anything suspicious yet?”
She shrugged, scanning the crowd beneath us. “Not really. Just rich highborns showing off their pearls, and a handful ofbored locals trying not to yawn. But keep an ear out. There has to be someone here connected to the organization.” Her lips pursed. “I’ve tried listening in, but everyone’s basically just bragging about their net worth.”
I cast a glance around the gilded ballroom. “We’ll just have to mingle. Listen in to conversations, get people talking.”
Maxine leaned over the banister, rising to the tips of her toes. “Yes, and maybe if we’re lucky one of them will start monologuing about their diabolical plan,” she drawled, voice thick with irony.
Hunter’s mouth twitched—somewhere between a smirk and a scowl, which was her usual response to Maxine’s quips. “That’d be nice. Would save us a lot of trouble.”
My gaze migrated over the gathering crowd and I kept my voice low. “Anything else we should keep an eye on? Or is it just a matter of eavesdropping?”
“Eavesdropping, mostly.” Hunter sighed, slipping her hands into her blazer pockets. “Stick to the corners, keep your ears open. Sooner or later, someone will talk out of turn.” She gave Maxine a pointed look. “And I’d prefer if you don’t cause a scene for once.”
Maxine placed a hand on her heart, feigning offense. “Me? Cause a scene? I am the very soul of decorum.”
Hunter’s blank expression said it all. “Uh huh.”
Ethan wandered up next, tugging at the collar of his expensive tux. The newbie vamp was more comfortable in fishnets and leather than black tie attire, so it was somewhat strange to see him looking so… modest. He’d even combed his hair. Cute.
Ethan caught me smirking and raised a brow. “Something funny, River?”
“Not at all.” I tittered, suppressing a grin. “You look great.”
“I lookstraight.It’s a travesty.” Ethan made a face, then slungan arm over Hunter’s shoulder. “So, who’re we looking for again?”
“Anyone who might be connected to that group I told you about.” Hunter scowled and wriggled free of his arm, wiping imaginary dust from her jacket. “Keep your eyes open—and don’t touch me, loser.”
We all nodded, then splintered apart—Maxine drifting off toward a cluster of finely dressed vampire women, Hunter and Ethan vanishing in the opposite direction. I wandered alone through the swirl of guests, eavesdropping on conversations and scanning for anything suspicious.
The entire event felt like a carefully choreographed waltz: vampires and other supernaturals intermingling under the massive chandeliers, forced smiles all around. Occasional whiffs of wine and something darker filled the air.
After a few minutes of nothing eventful, I caught Maxine’s eye from across the room—she held a champagne flute, feigning interest amongst a gaggle of tall, suited vamps. They were all talking over her, talkingdownto her, but I saw that predatory gleam in her eye. As excessive as she was, Maxine was a master at prying out secrets.
A moment later, I glimpsed Ethan weaving through the masses. I was about to make my way over to him when I watched the blonde vamp walk straight into some lean man in a crisp silvery suit, who stepped backward into his path.
The collision was minor—no spilled drinks, just a startled gasp from Ethan. I watched his mouth settle into a silent ‘O’ and his lips moving rapidly as he rushed out an apology to the taller gentleman.
But the reaction that followed was odd: the man gave a polite bow and brushed a hand over Ethan’s shoulder, then tightened his grip there. I watched from afar as he leaned into Ethan’s ear and murmured something I couldn’t catch.
Ethan froze, eyes widening fractionally.
After a moment, the man nodded, then stepped back again. Ethan was still stiff and motionless when the guy moved on, backing into the crowd and disappearing behind a cluster of puffy dresses and clinking pearls.
I pushed forward, catching Ethan by the elbow. “Hey. You good?”
He blinked, brow furrowing. “Yeah… yeah, I’m fine.” He didn’t look fine. He looked rattled.
I glanced after the man, scanning the crowd, but he was already gone. When I looked back at Ethan he was still spaced out, mouth agape like he’d left a thought unfinished. “What did he say to you?”
“I—” Ethan hesitated, then shrugged, forcing a weary smile. “He just apologized, I guess. For walking into me. Was real polite about it.”
“Okay…” I kept my eyes on him, examining every slight twitch of his jaw. Ethan’s reaction was odd, but I wasn’t sure what conclusion to draw from that, so I decided to let it go. “I guess… Keep an eye out,” I murmured, patting his arm. “If you see that guy again, let me know.”
