“You’ll find the stairs leading to the basement through a door back behind the grand staircase there,” Damien advised with a barely perceptible nod of his head. He reached to grab a flute of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter. “But first let’s mingle a bit for appearances sake.”
Vance and I followed Damien around, while he introduced us to some of the people in his social circle, most of whom appeared to be professors or dealers in the field of antiquities. There were also a few museum curators who were here to enjoy viewing the massive display of artifacts that were spread around the house.
There were several uniformed guards making their way through the guests, as well as stationed in discrete places to observe the comings and goings.
“Are all these people magical?” I asked Damien under my breath.
“No, only a few are,” he replied. “The rest are just here for a night of partying and viewing.”
I tried to appear interested in an aboriginal stone carved mask that he suddenly started explaining in great detail as a guard moved past us, watching us silently.
“Why don’t you two head over to the refreshment table now?” Damien suggested when the guard was gone. “I’ll go take care of my end of things.”
Vance took me by the arm and led me over to several tables that were laden high with all kinds of food and drink. If I hadn’t been so nervous, I would’ve been delighted to try many of the things on the visually appealing display.
“I don’t know if I can eat anything right now,” I whispered. “Too many butterflies.”
“You need to keep up appearances and look relaxed,” he admonished. “Try to eat something.”
I decided on a jumbo shrimp cocktail, as did he, and the two of us wandered over to a table and sat down together.
“This place seems pretty impressive,” Vance commented as we ate. “I would probably enjoy this collection under normal circumstances.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “I hate why we’re here.”
“I know, baby,” he said with a sigh, reaching out to quickly pat my hand. “Let’s try not to dwell on things too much and just take care of what we need to so we can get out of here.”
The two of us continued to eat in silence, lost in our own thoughts until Damien returned, joining us at the table.
“It’s all yours,” he said, sitting down with some refreshments of his own. “I’ll give you more instructions once you’ve activated the earpieces.”
Vance stood and pulled me up after him. We strolled across the room together, pausing here and there as we made our way to the staircase.
“I think this is it,” Vance said when we came to a rather plain door that would’ve been easy to miss in the curve of the wall. He opened it and did indeed reveal a flight of stairs that led downward.
When we reached the bottom, we found ourselves standing in a long narrow hallway. Vance grabbed me, and we ran as quietly as possible down the corridor, turning right at the end.
He waved his hand over the knob on the first door, and it opened easily to reveal a storage closet just as Damien had said. We stepped inside and locked ourselves in.
Vance checked the time on his watch. “Now we wait,” he said, gazing at me in the dimly lit space. He stared for a few seconds before he stepped closer, wrapping his hand behind my neck and pulling me to him.
“You really do look amazing tonight.” His lips brushed my forehead. He ran his hands down the backless part of my dress, tickling my spine with his light touch. “This gown is positively sinful on you.”
“It’s a little more daring than I would normally pick out for myself,” I admitted.
“I know,” he replied. “But I like it just the same.”
He lowered his lips to my shoulder, placing a tender kiss there before slipping one of his fingers up under my chin and lifting my lips to his.
“I’m sorry about all the fighting that’s been going on between us lately,” he said, leaning in to place a light peck against my mouth. “I know all of this is my fault, and if I could change it, I would. I just want you to know that.”
I put my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “Well, we can’t change the past, so let’s look to fixing our future, shall we?”
“I agree.” He kissed me fully then, pushing me until I was leaning up against the wall. He pulled away slightly, staring deep into my eyes. “We’re alone. There’s no one to interrupt or taunt us right now. For these next few minutes we’re completely cut off from the world.”
I realized he was correct. Suddenly I felt desperate to reestablish my connection with him, and a wave of yearning flashed over me.
He read my emotions perfectly. “I’ll try not to mess you up too badly,” he said, gathering the material of my dress in his hands.
My breathing rate increased when he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around him. He kept my body pinned against the wall and held eye contact with me. The intimacy overwhelmed me as we gave in to the natural forces that drew us together even in the middle of heightened danger. It reinforced everything I’d been telling him.
We needed each other. We belonged together. Staying apart affected us badly, especially when we should be united with one another against a common enemy.
I couldn’t help the quiet whimper that escaped, and I bit my lip, hoping to prevent any further sounds as I reveled in the sensations he was causing.
“I swear I could lose myself in you, Portia.” He held my face gently, bringing his lips to mine. I allowed myself to drown in his masterful touch until the rattling of the door handle brought us both to full attention.
We froze.
Once the sound of footsteps retreated, Vance checked his watch again. “Now we wait ten minutes, then we activate the ear pieces,” he stated before turning back to me. “So where were we?”
We left the closet cautiously, peering in both directions before proceeding to the right as Damien was now instructing us in our ear sets.
“Okay, end of this hallway,” Vance said tersely.
“Turn to your left, and follow the next to the end,” Damien’s voice spoke clearly in my head. “There will be door there, step inside it.”
Vance and I moved down the hall while Damien continued to speak.
“The room you’ll enter is Wellington’s artifact office. You’ll see several book shelves. There’s one, however, that’ll house a bunch of journals. These are his field notes, and this cabinet is actually a secret doorway to a private vault. The hidden spring mechanism is behind the third book on the third shelf from the top.”
“Okay,” Vance acknowledge as we reached the door and entered. We glanced around the tailored space, quickly noting the bookshelf Damien spoke of. Vance activated the mechanism, and the shelf rolled to the side about two feet, revealing a hallway. “We’re through,” Vance added.
“All right. The vault is directly ahead of you. There’s a keypad entry code to deactivate the door. The code is nine, zero, six, three, seven, four. Vance, you need to punch the code. Wellington is a fire demon, as are his guards also. The keypad is set to their touch, which will be a bit warmer like yours. Punch the code in and hold the enter button until it beeps,” Damien instructed. “When you open the door, you’ll find a guard stationed just inside. Vance, it’s imperative you take him out before he sees you. Do not walk into the room because the rest of the space is armed with a laser sensor. Portia will need to pop over to the glass case with the torches in it. It’ll be directly in the center of the room. This is where it’ll get tricky. Vance, once you take out the guard you need to leave and make your way back here immediately. Portia, shut yourself into the room, being careful not to leave the area of the door. I’ll tell you when Vance gets out, then you can go to get the torches. You’ll set off the alarms, so open the case and pop back to the hotel. Then return back into the ladies room here so there will be no question of your whereabouts when everything is locked down.”
“I really don’t like this,” Vance grumbled underneath his breath. “I don’t feel comfortable separating.”
“So sorry, but this is the way it has to go,” Damien replied wryly.
We reached the end of the hall.
“You ready?” Vance asked me, turning to squeeze my hand reassuringly.
“As ready as I’m going to be. Please be careful,” I admonished him.
“I will. You too,” he said, placing a kiss on my cheek, and he turned to punch in the code. He opened the door quickly when it beeped, catching the guard with his back to him. He grabbed his neck and twisted, taking him down with ease.
I would’ve felt bad except for the fact he was a demon, so it didn’t break my heart too much.
“See you in a couple of minutes,” Vance said, grasping my hand one more time, before turning to head back in the direction we’d come. I watched him until he was out of sight and then closed the door behind me.
The minutes stretched in front of me like hours while I waited for Damien to give the all clear, and I almost sagged with relief when he finally spoke.
“Vance is here. It’s all yours,” he whispered. “Wellington!” he called out in a jovial voice. I realized he was situating himself with our host, so when the alarms went off he and Vance would have a cover.
I took a deep breath, and I centered my thoughts and popped over to the case. The alarms sounded right when I rematerialized, causing me to jump. I waved my hand over the case, lifting the glass with magic and letting it clatter to the floor with a crash. I grabbed the short set of torches and immediately wished to be in our suite at the hotel.
As soon as I was standing in the middle of our room, I rushed into Damien’s bedroom to stow them in the safe. I found it open and waiting for me, so I slipped them quickly inside and shut the door, turning the lock.
I stood up and wished for myself to go to Shelly now, and I was surprised to find myself rematerializing into another room in the hotel. There was an audible gasp, from my family who was seated around me.
“You came! I knew you would find a way!” Shelly exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
“I don’t have any time,” I said apologetically, quickly looking around the room at the faces I loved so much—my mom, Grandma, Hex, and Brad. “Damien is waiting,” I continued trying to explain.
“We know,” Shelly said, shoving a cell phone into my hand. “Hide this in your room so you can stay in touch with us. There’s a message on there explaining everything.”
“Okay,” I replied, glancing around quickly. “Thank you. I love you all.”
“Hurry! Go now!” Shelly encouraged, and I evaporated out of the room back into my room. I stowed the phone under the mattress near the headboard and popped back to the mansion.
Someone was pounding on the door. “Everybody out!” the voice commanded, and I stepped into the hallway.
“What’s going on?” I asked in a concerned voice glancing around at some of the other guests which were being shuttled into the main gathering area.
“There’s been a break in,” he replied roughly.
“Oh no!” I exclaimed, sounding distraught. “Are we safe? Is anyone hurt?”
“No need to worry ma’am. We just need to question everyone,” he said and several women around me exchanged concerned glances with one another.
I caught Vance’s attention from across the room where he was standing next to Damien, and I hurried over.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his head next to my ear. “Everything okay?” he asked, and I nodded in reply.
I saw a slight smile curve the corner of Damien’s mouth. He looked like the cat who’d just eaten the canary, and I hated that I’d helped him to achieve that gloating look.
The house was soon swarming with all sorts of law enforcement, and the three of us spent the next two hours waiting to be questioned by someone. As it turned out we were hardly even looked at since Damien and Vance had been with Wellington when the alarm had been tripped. Once the guard confirmed he found me in the bathroom we were given the freedom to leave.
No one said a word until we were past the gates and driving down the road toward the hotel. Then Damien grinned widely and started laughing.
“Perfect! Everything went exactly according to plan,” he said, beaming over at the two of us.
I gave him a sour look before turning to look out the window.
“Come on, Portia. Don’t be like that. Can’t you feel even a little sense of pride over what the three of us have accomplished together? I told you we would make a great team,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’m sorry, Damien, if my moral compass works differently than yours. Of course, meaning I actually have one where you don’t. But becoming a cat burglar has never been high on my list of priorities in life.” I glared over at him.
He gave a clucking sound as he continued to grin widely over the matter. “I’m sorry, my dear, but I’m afraid nothing you say can spoil this evening for me. It was sheer brilliance.”
“Are you so sure about that?” I countered back, suddenly feeling like taunting the dragon and making him breathe a little fire.
He looked at me with an amused expression. “What could you possibly be referring to?” he asked, only appearing mildly curious.
“What makes you think I actually put the torches into your precious safe? It was the one chance I had to get some leverage of my own against you. Did you really think I’d waste that opportunity just because you asked me to?” I suddenly felt foolish for not having thought of such a thing previously. His desired artifact was exactly where he wanted it, but it didn’t mean he needed to know that immediately.
The color drained instantly from Damien’s face, and I felt a moment’s satisfaction at his total discomfort.
“What are you doing, Portia?” Vance’s voice asked warily into my head. “Don’t mess with him.”
“You just signed your father’s death certificate,” Damien stated flatly, reaching into his suit coat to produce his cell phone.
I gritted my teeth, wishing I had the will power to continue the charade, but knowing I couldn’t risk playing with my father’s life—no matter how much I wanted to one up Damien.